Richard Schwartz: Thoughts on Writing

I wrote the following in the hope that others might be encouraged to try writing, by explaining what writing is like for me. ~Richard Schwartz

Richard Schwartz

Thoughts on Writing:

by Richard Schwartz

Although my chronological age is 62, I am a newborn in the area of writing. Up until now, my career has been in an area of electronic device development that, unless you are in the electronics engineering field, you wouldn't have heard about firmware engineering.

My work was methodical and performed precise step by precise step. It involved a huge amount of mathematics. Writing fiction is about as far from that type of work as night is from day.

About 9 months ago, a friend suggested that I check out a website that had memories of soldiers who had served in Vietnam. I loved reading the articles contributed to the website. I decided to write an article for the website and thus began my writing career.

It remains to be seen if this career will produce dollar one but I thought it might be fun for some of CJ's readers to learn what writing is like for me and, hopefully, inspire others to try their hand at something that I find brings lots of joy into my life.

My novel follows three generations of a family in the Pacific Northwest. Except for the locations, it is pure fiction. At least 15% of my time is spent on research. Reading about some location or people tends to paint a mental picture of what I want to describe for the characters in the novel. I have one section of my novel that takes place in the early 1900's. I'll be developing that section late next week.

I've just discovered a book on pioneers in the Northwest that will provide background for that section of the novel. That also involves a couple who were born around 1850. so having a history of the Northwest will help outline who they are.

Today I'm starting to outline a family member who has emotional problems. Right now I think it will end in a suicide or suicide attempt or both. When I start writing about a character, they seem to take on a life of their own. I really don't know where they'll take my imagination.

An example of this would be when I decided to start a chapter with one of the main adult characters interacting with a child. I needed her to be a window character and intended to write one paragraph with her and that would be the end of her involvement in my novel. As soon as I started writing her, a flood of ideas poured into my head for her and now she's one of the main characters in the novel. Shortly after introducing her, an important and joy filled wedding takes place.

While I was agonizing over how I would write the wedding, I started hearing Sarah, the 5 year old, telling the story as if she were talking to her cousin, Ethan. So the entire wedding takes place from the viewpoint of a joy filled 5 year old girl.

Wondering where my imagination will take my novel next is kind of like watching a cloud. I don't have control over what it looks like or where its going. It may rain or snow or sleet or just pass by to reveal endless sunshine. Sometimes I struggle for hours to put a simple idea on paper and sometimes I can't seem to type fast enough to get all the ideas on paper that my imagination is supplying for me.

And never mind what time it is or where I am. The ideas just start pouring out. I've excused myself at dinners with family to sneak off and write down some ideas. I've gotten up at 2:00 in the morning and run down to my office with the intention of writing a couple of brief notes and then end up sitting at my keyboard for the next 6 hours busily typing away. That brings up another oddity. I lose track of time when I'm writing. That's NEVER happened to me before.

Yesterday around noon I told Carolynn that we could go out for a fast food lunch in 5 minutes. Five hours later, she came into my office laughing at me and asking if I was ready yet.

I've read that some writers' characters speak to them. Mine don't speak to me but I can hear them speaking to each other. Each character has a different voice. I don't assign them a voice but when I start writing about them I start hearing their voices as they talk to their fellow characters.

Oddly enough this is where the real fun comes in. As an absolute (now former?) techno geek, I am astonished that the part of writing I enjoy the most is creating language in little 2 dimensional symbols that describes the world and feelings I wish to convey to the reader. Its also (at least for me) the most challenging. I have to be honest. Writing is the most fun I have ever had besides activities with my children and family.

The best description of this is that for 62 years, I went to work every day. Although I spend 6 -12 hours writing nearly every day, it just isn't work. Does life get any better than that?

Having a great partner who understands the uneven creative process and providing a great sounding board for my ideas helps more than I can say. I had a chapter-long story completed that was based on an actual experience of mine when I was in 7th grade. Carolynn told me that no one would believe the story. I reiterated that this actually happened to me.

“I'm sure that this happened to you but none of your characters are as strange as you are so unless someone knows you, this is not realistic,” she told me. I rewrote the chapter as happening during the characters' college years and suddenly it was believable.

The question I am asked the most when I tell people I'm writing a novel is, “Where do you get your ideas?” The honest answer is that I don't have a clue where they come from. The second question I get is “Who is you favorite fiction author?” The answer is Mark Twain - but when people ask me that, sometimes I think they're really asking who inspires my writing.

I really don't have an author who inspires my writing. Maybe you've figured out by now that my characters inspire my writing as I write them. I know when my novel will end (death of a certain character) but I really don't know how I'll get there.  See? Carolynn is right. I really AM strange!

My thanks to Vietnam buddy, Craig Latham, and author, C.J. Heck, who guided me into this literary adventure.

"Per correr migliori acque alza le vele ormai la navicella del mio ingegno che lascia dietro a sé mar sì crudele."

[For better waters that are heading with the wind, My ship of genius now shakes out her sail, And leaves the ocean of despair behind].  Opening lines of Dante's Il Purgatorio - Dorothy L. Sayers Translation

Richard A. Schwartz
27708 246th Ave SE
Maple Valley, Wa. 98038


***Thank you so much, Richard.  Another well-written article -- you've captured the very essence of writing, and I can hardly wait to get a copy of your novel!  Best wishes.  ~CJ



“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

Related articles

• Developing Your Voice for Fiction Writing (advancedfictionwriting.com)
• 3 Ways to Make Your Writing Clearer and More Engaging (dailyblogtips.com)

Richard Schwartz: Lighthearted Look

This comes to us from Richard Schwartz, a regular contributor here at Memoirs. His easy style of writing makes it so easy to understand and share in his experiences. Richard, your thoughts are always welcome here...

Richard Schwartz

CJ -
Many of the thoughts on Memoirs From Nam are serious, so I thought I would write about some of the more humorous things that happened during my 18 month army career. ~ Richard

Training and Stuff

I wasn't in good physical condition when I reported for basic training, unless it was the kind of physical condition that was needed to drive to the book store to get another book. In fact, before the Army, when I got the feeling that I should exercise, I usually laid down until the feeling passed. Four weeks into basic training, however, I had lost 25 pounds and could actually run a mile without feeling like I would die at any moment.

Unfortunately, when I arrived at Ft. Polk, I had to wait two weeks for my basic training class to begin. We were kept busy by doing lawn maintenance and painting chores interspersed with short hikes. I was getting bored out of my mind by the end of the 1st week. This caused me to learn an important lesson. Never let your complaints be overheard by a Sargent!

We had just received our uniforms and boots. A Sargent overheard me complaining about the boring work we were doing. He asked if I had been to college (Yes!) and if I would like to volunteer to help with a problem he had. I enthusiastically replied in the affirmative. “Follow me,” he told me.

As we walked, he asked what my major was in college. “Mathematics,“ I proudly replied.

“That's perfect for this assignment,” he told me, “and it may take a couple of days to complete.”

We walked to an area next to the company headquarters building. There were eight of my fellow inductees standing there. The Sargent asked them to line up in a straight line, and they lined up in a fairly straight line. “Okay raise you left hand,” he commanded them.

A flurry of left and right hands went up in the air which started alternating as the men looked at each other figuring the guy next to them probably knew which one was left. “Okay quit flapping your arms!” said the Sargent.

The Sargent turned to me and asked, “Okay College man can you see the problem?”

I could, and I figured that within an hour I would have this worked out. Two hours later, the Sargent came by and saw that I had made almost no progress. He gave me $2.00 and told me to run up to the PX and buy 2 lipsticks. Upon my return he took one of the lipsticks and wrote an “L” of the left hand of each of my students and told them that they couldn't wash it off until every one of them knew left from right. To my surprise this was an absolute nightmare for the men.
“If one of my friends from back home saw me with lipstick on my hand like this I would die of shame - but not before my friends died of laughter,” they told me.

A couple of hours later, the Sargent came by again and I could demonstrate some progress. If I lifted my right arm as I faced them and told them to lift their right arm, they mostly raised their left arm. “Not bad,” he told me. He turned to the men and said, “Okay now listen up. Right Face!”

A few turned right and a few turned left but at least two did a complete 360. The Sargent turned back to me and said, “Keep going son.”

“Yes Sargent,” I replied.

That evening, I noticed two of the men I was working with were working very hard shining their boots until they shined like patent leather. I asked why they were working so hard on their boots. “The Army done give me my first pair of new shoes,” came the smiling reply.

“Hell, the Army done give me the first set of new clothes I ever done had!” the other one said with obvious pride in his voice. They were both from the Appalachian hills of Kentucky. Two of the nicest people I ever met.

By the end of the next day, I could demonstrate to the Sargent that all eight men knew their left hand from their right and could follow right and left face commands. “Ready for Basic training!” he exclaimed. The men thanked me for helping them and said if I ever needed some help they would be right there to assist me. That was not just idle talk.

A month later on a long hike the heavy set man walking next to me twisted his ankle and fell. As I helped him get his rather substantial bulk on his feet again, I asked him if I should ask about him riding in a Jeep the rest of the hike. He said no, that he wanted to finish like every one else. I got under his left arm to try to take some of the weight off his injured ankle.
After about 100 yards, I was sweating profusely when, without any prompting from me, my left-right buddies came up and took turns with me helping our fellow soldier complete the hike.

A few weeks later,we were sleeping in tents and I was having a terrible time getting enough sleep. That led to another lesson – Never open your mouth without thinking, even if you're going to tell the truth. I was about halfway down a column of 100 men and in the outside right hand side of the column. We seemed to have been walking for the longest time when the column turned left. I kept going and tumbled into a ditch on the side of the road. A Sargent came running over and, as I was getting to my feet, he asked me, “What happened to you?”

Unfortunately I told him the truth, “I must have fallen asleep, Sargent.”

“What? You... You... YOU...,” he stammered, “YOU CAN'T FALL ASLEEP WHEN YOU'RE MARCHING!! NOBODY FALLS ASLEEP WHEN THEY'RE MARCHING! DON'T TELL ME YOU FELL ASLEEP WHILE YOU'RE MARCHING! I KNOW YOU'RE ONE OF THEM COLLEGE BOYS THAT THINK YOU KNOW SO MUCH. EVERY JULY WE GET YOU COLLEGE CLOWNS AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO KNOW THAT YOU DON'T FALL ASLEEP WHEN YOU'RE MARCHING!

His face was getting red and he was so agitated I thought he would have a heart attack right there. Also the quote above is quite sanitized as in reality the Sargent repeatedly told me that my family lineage was suspect, that he was certain that my brains (if I had any) were in my posterior area, and that I was the dumbest (4 letter work meaning sexual intercourse) that he had ever encountered.

A few months into basic training, we had our first inspection. Men who got excellent marks on their inspection would get an overnight pass to get off the base for a day. The guy that I shared a bunk with and I stayed up all Friday night to make sure everything was perfect. We even went out and bought new toothbrushes to put in our lockers. We made up our bunks so tight you could bounce a quarter off them. We were READY.

As the Sargent came down the line, I heard him pointing out things that other soldiers had done incorrectly that I knew we had done correctly. When he got to my bunk he was quiet for quite a while as looked over my gear. That pass was just a moment away I remember thinking. And then he picked up my NEW toothbrush. “This is dirty,” he told me with a huge grin on his face. I couldn't believe it! He held up my toothbrush and, sure enough, there was dust in the hole at the bottom of the toothbrush. My buddy and I got passes but we were so tired from staying awake on Friday night that we just slept away our time off base.

I enjoyed the shooting ranges. I had many years of experience with pistols and rifles before I got in the Army. On one of our first range exercises, I was doing awfully well when one of our drill Sargents asked if I would go down to the end of the line and help one of the guys who was having a terrible time trying to hit anything. “He seems to be doing just what I tell him but he rarely hits the target,” the Sargent told me, “see if you can see what he's doing wrong while I work with some of the other men.”

I walked down to the end of the range and tried to work with the guy. No luck. He would hit the target about 1 out of every 7 shots. I noticed that he was squinting a lot. I asked if he wore glasses when he was a civilian.

“Hell no,” he angrily replied. “I ain't defective.”

I asked him to read the sign that was near us. It had 4 lines of 12 inch high block letters on it and was about 15 yards away. “I can't read that sign cause them letters is moving too dang much.” Two days later, he was one of the best shots on the range with his new glasses. He did admit that his eyes were defective but insisted in a rather loud and forceful manner that “nothin' else about me is defective.”

At one point, we were told to hike out of the jungle to a main road where a truck would pick us up to move us to a new location. We hiked like mad men hacking our way through the thick jungle to get to that road. It took three strength-sapping days to get there. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we arrived at the road. We radioed that we were ready to be picked up and were told that trucks would be there the next day.

The next day we were told that the trucks would be there the next day. After a week of this, a helicopter was sent out to bring us more food. All the next week we were told that the trucks would be there the next day. Finally the trucks arrived. We loaded on the trucks and they drove us about 2 miles down the road and stopped. That was our new location.

When in Vietnam, we often had little to do during the daytime. Sometimes we would walk down to the village open air market to see what they had for sale. The villagers were often cooking different things and some of the fragrances weren't too nice. In fact, sometimes when the wind was coming at us from the direction of the market, we would just turn around and go back to our day position.

We were warned repeatedly not to eat things from the local market. One of my platoon mates violated that rule. About an hour after he ate something from the village market, he walked away from our day position as he felt a bout of diarrhea coming on. He dropped his pants and as soon as he squatted down he started vomiting as well.

A little Vietnamese boy of about 8 years was standing next to me observing this awful sight.
He grabbed my arm. With the sound of his voice indicating absolute astonishment and with his eyes open as wide as can be, he yelled at me, “LOOK MAN, HE COMING OUT HIS BOTH ENDS!”

Ah yes. We Americans were a talented lot!

"Per correr migliori acque alza le vele ormai la navicella del mio ingegno che lascia dietro a sé mar sì crudele."

[For better waters that are heading with the wind, My ship of genius now shakes out her sail, And leaves the ocean of despair behind.]
Opening lines of Dante's Il Purgatorio, Dorothy L. Sayers Translation

Richard A. Schwartz
Iterative Anvil Technology
27708 246th Ave SE
Maple Valley, Wa. 98038
408-569-9224

Thank you, Richard.  Welcome Home. ~CJ


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

Two Opinions

Yesterday's blog on Prayer elicited some very strong responses --  I share their well-expressed opinions and I would like to share them with you today.  The first came from a friend on Facebook, Jan Hoffman, and the other one,  from our mutual friend, Richard Schwartz, a Vietnam Vet and contributing writer here on Memoirs:

Prayer in America

My Opinion
by Jan Hoffman:

Here, Here, CJ!  This Great Nation was FOUNDED on Religious Principles and it was written into ALL of our Guiding Documents.

If our Doctrines are so OFFENSIVE to these IMPLANTS - - I say GET OUT or SHUT THE HELL UP!  They knew, when they first decided to come to this Great Nation, what this Country's Beliefs and Principles were all about - - yet they came - - to get away from the very Oppression they are trying to SHOVE down OUR Throats!

I say to them:  "This is OUR COUNTRY - - LOVE IT and ALL IT STANDS FOR - - or LEAVE IT and find a country that better suits YOUR beliefs!"

This is being written by a Great-Grand-Daughter, Grand-Daughter, Daughter, Niece, ex-wife, and the Mother-in Law of Military personel who fought, were wounded, and gave their lives to Protect & Defend our Rights!

Sincerely,
Jan Hoffman


My Opinion
by Richard Schwartz

Its a cultural war.  Either we defend our Judeo-Christian heritage or we lose it!  Since I was a child, people have been wishing me Merry Christmas.  Should I be offended because I'm a Jew?  Of course NOT! I'm happy that someone takes the time to wish me well during their holiday.  And my Christian friends send me a Happy Hanukkah message during my holiday and some of them even wish me well on the Jewish High Holidays.

It's no coincidence that, in order to be considered an educated person at the time of the founding of our country, you had to know enough Hebrew to read the Hebrew bible in Hebrew besides having a thorough knowledge of the Christian Bible.  All the founding fathers could read Hebrew and most could write it.  Our concept of liberty and freedom is firmly rooted in our Judeo-Christian heritage.  We need to keep this in mind when we vote.

If you want to know how awful it's really getting, please read a copy of Mark Steyn's "America Alone"  where he describes how political correctness and multiculturalism is destroying Europe.  (Note Angela Merkel's recent comment that Germany's attemp at multiculturalism has failed).  If you want to study an interesting difference in beliefs on your own, investigate the story of Abraham and the binding of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible vs. the account of the same story in the Koran.  The difference is 180 degrees.

Notice the firing of Juan Williams from NPR. Apparently, he is not sufficiently "politically correct" for NPR.  My politics tend to be conservative and libertarian. Juan Williams' views are liberal,  I ALWAYS look forward to listening to him because he makes me think about my beliefs.  In my humble opinion, NPR firing him is another shot in the culture war in this country and I've already written notes to my local NPR station, CPR, and my representatives in Washington concerning this incident.

Oops -  I didn't mean to get on a soap box, but when our local school has to start calling a Christmas tree a "Holiday" tree, our culture is drowning in the political correctness swamp.

Carolyn and I, (mostly Carolyn!), just got our garden in shape for the winter with weeding, tilling, and planting a rye grass cover crop. The weather is turning cooler and the rains are starting up here in Maple Valley.  The salmon runs are over. It was a curious salmon season.

Locally, we had a below-average number of returning salmon.  At the Frasier river in Canada, they had a tremendous salmon run such that the salmon canneries were begging for extra workers.  I've talked to a number of marine biologists and no one seems to know why the difference occurred.  The leaves on the deciduous trees are turning beautiful reds and golds, while the evergreens will maintain their intense green through the winter.  I even heard that the mountain pass a couple of hours' drive away from Maple Valley got a dusting of snow last night.

My best to you and Robert,

Richard


As always, I thank the two of you for your thoughts -- and for taking the time to share them.
My warmest regards, a hug, and lots of respect,
CJ


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale

A Sense of Community

When I began this blog back in July of 2010, I had a vision. I wanted to give something back to Vietnam vets, those proud, brave men and women who gave so much for all of us.

I wanted to create a place where they could share their experiences and feelings through writing. I wanted it to be a safe and healing place. Memoirs has gone way beyond my expectations and my vision.

I'm happy to have an update to a search by Richard Schwartz for the family of his friend, Dan Hively, who was KIA in Vietnam. This came about through a series of emails and with Richard's kind permission, I'm proud to share the story with you.

Richard Schwartz

A Memoirs excerpt from a blog by Richard Schwartz on August 30, 2010, titled "Thoughts and Memories":

Richard Schwartz
formerly:
Co D, 2/327 Battalion
2nd Bde
101st Airborne Division
Phu Bai, RVN

"... I remember that July date as the day that we received the notice that [my friend] Daniel Hively had been killed. He was in my platoon while I was in combat. It struck me as I read the notice, there was a family in Danville, Ohio, that didn't know that their son was coming home in a box. But I knew, and the sorrow of what they were going to experience overwhelmed me.

... I gave the name Daniel as the middle name to one of my boys so that Dan's name and memory would carry on for at least one more generation in my family. I've tried to find his family in Ohio to let them know that I gave Dan's name to one of my sons but couldn't find anyone. I know he has a sister who's name is Shirli Anne Rickert, but I can't seem to locate her ..."

Here is the first email, September 4, 2010, regarding Richard's blog:

"Cathy--I have some information for Richard Schwartz concerning the family of Dan Hively. He mentioned in his piece on Memoirs that he has been unable to find Dan's sister, Shirli. We have a good friend who grew up in Danville so I contacted her. As it turns out, her sister and brother-in-law were high school friends of Shirli's and they all still live in Danville. Here is the info:

Shirli and Lowell Richert
**** Richert Road
Danville OH 43014
740-***-****

I can only imagine what a special blessing it would be for Shirli to hear from Dan.
Thank you for "Memoirs". It is so special. And I love that you have added Doug's pictures.
Andrea Yaw"

Email on Saturday, September 4, 2010:

"Dear Richard,
I got the following very nice letter from the Yaw's, who visited the Memoirs From Nam blog. It's about how you can reach Dan Hively's family in Danville, OH. I'm so happy for you, Richard. This will help all of you to find some closure.

Again, your article was wonderful and any time you want to send me another, I would be proud and honored to print it. Thank you again.
My warmest regards,
CJ"

Email on October 6, 2010:

"CJ, Bud, and Andrea [Yaw]
I received an amazing phone call last Friday. It was from Dan Hively's sister, Shirli. She received my letter that day and called me. We had a long talk - actually over an hour. It was a fascinating call as she got me caught up on everything that has happened in her life since Dan's death. Initially I thought it was odd that she would tell me so much detail about her life but then I realized that she was actually getting Dan caught up on all that had happened since he died. She also told me many things about how and where Dan was raised so I also learned some of the values he was taught that made him the great guy I met. Shirli and Dan were close in age and very close as they grew up. She was VERY appreciative to hear from someone who served with Dan.

Shirli and I wish to thank CJ and the Yaws for their efforts on our behalf that allowed this to happen. Also please forward my thanks to the individuals that took the time to send the Richert's address to the Yaws.
Richard"

Email on October 8, 2010:

"Richard,
Thank you so much for sending me the update. That's wonderful, and I'm happy it turned out so well for everyone. I don't know how well you know Bud and Andrea Yaw, but I would like to share something with you. Bud was in Vietnam at the same time Doug was, in 1969, and also from my hometown, Coshocton. At the time, Andrea, Bud's wife, was expecting their first child. When Doug was killed in Vietnam, the government asked if we knew anyone also serving in Vietnam that we might want to request to accompany Doug's body home to us, on the plane. We asked them to allow Bud to come with Doug -- and the Yaws named their son Douglas.

May I have your permission to put your letter on my blog? There is such a warm outcome from your search for Dan's family -- it just might help other vets to also reach out.

Thank you again for sharing your writing ... and your heart -- God bless you, Richard.
My warmest regards and respect,
CJ"

Email October 8, 2010:

"CJ -
You may certainly post my note on Memoirs. Hopefully it will inspire others to write something for Memoirs and maybe even tie up more loose ends for those from the Vietnam era.

As I read Memoirs and have gotten to know others through the site, its starting to take on a feeling of community. Do you feel that as well? Carolynn mentioned that when we were discussing some of the articles on Memoirs. There's that great line from the John Denver song, "West Virginia"... about going home to a place I've never been before. The Memoirs site is taking on that feel. As the creator of that "community" I hope you get that feeling as well.

Its fall up here in the Northwest. The Salmon are returning to the little steams around us and the last of the summer festivals has taken place. The returning Salmon, after their years at sea is almost a metaphor for the way were are "returning" to your site to get to know each other many years after Vietnam and express our thoughts and feelings about our Vietnam experiences.

Bud and Andrea must be quite thoughtful people for naming their son after Doug. I don't know if Bud writes, but I would love to know what it was like to accompany Doug to his final resting place. Needless to say if any of you Memoirs "community members" ever are in the Seattle area, Carolynn and I would love to meet you in person.

On a technical note if you ever want to edit something I've sent you, please go ahead and do that. I'm an engineer by trade so have no actual experience writing.

Thanks again for putting the site together. I'm sure Doug is as proud of what you've accomplished as are the rest of us. Look at all the hearts you've touched.

God bless you and keep you safe and healthy,
Richard"

Richard A. Schwartz
Digital Anvil Technology
27708 246th Ave SE
Maple Valley, Wa. 98038
408-569-9224

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story, Richard. Thank you, too, to the family of Dan Hively, and a very special thanks to Bud and Andrea Yaw.
Your friend,
CJ


“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale