The Power of Words (and History)

By Heather Webb  |  June 27, 2019  | 

tribality.com

I’ve just returned from the Historical Novel Society conference, a place where nerds unite! And I am one. A big giant nerd. I get to hang out with people who know minutiae about which poisons were used in Renaissance Italy to off the powerful, or info about the first steam-powered car. An don’t even get me started on ancient burial rites.

My writing partner, Hazel Gaynor, flew over from Dublin and we laughed enough to make our sides hurt, plotted our next book, and double-fisted pints of coffee and glasses of wine. (Jet lag is confusing.) I joined my fellow authors of the French Revolution collaboration (we’re calling ourselves the Scarlet Sisters) in a champagne toast to celebrate our book out this fall. It was wonderful catching up with so many friends, listening to panels about heroines of WWII, how to write dual timelines, crafting sword-fighting scenes, and discussing the way movements from the parallel and intersect with those of today. I had a blast participating on a panel discussing how to write the historical female during the #Metoo movement, the topics I consider off-limits, and what it’s like to survive backlash when a controversial subject arises in our manuscripts. And of course, I couldn’t be happier than to meet eager readers at the reader’s festival and book signing. The very thing for which every writer yearns.

I headed home, exhausted and happy with many books in tow. I was home only twenty-four hours before packing up the car and heading south for family vacation at the lake and a little R&R. As I ruminated on the events of the last few days, I blasted the soundtrack of Hamilton, the musical. The lyrics have become very familiar to me and my daughter, and we sang along, but I couldn’t help but be struck by one line in particular that day, especially fresh from the conference. The character of Aaron Burr sings:

“History obliterates every picture it paints.”

A brilliant line to be sure. In fact, it sent me down a tunnel of deep thinking. As time passes in this life and the life after and the life after that, one layer paints over another, changing and ultimately enriching the portrait of today. Today, though a fleeting moment, matters. In time, it will be our gift to our ancestors—or their burden.

As a historical writer, I aim to battle this slow but inevitable obliteration. To preserve details of yore in order to create a world that’s as alive and vibrant today as it was then; to illustrate the way our choices and mistakes of the past dictate our present and forge our future. To illuminate the way human nature doesn’t change, but how our world can change, with only a few courageous acts.

That one brilliant line from Hamilton sparked my imagination for an hour of rabbit holes and tangents. But ultimately, I came back to this: it’s important to honor the power of words. Whether it be to paint a picture of the past for our own understanding, or to entertain. This is why we’re here at Writer Unboxed; to honor this power and to galvanize each other to rising to the challenge of creation. Wouldn’t you agree?

Is there a play, film, book, song—or moment—that made you realize the power of words? I’d love to hear your stories!

9 Comments

  1. Mike Swift on June 27, 2019 at 7:48 am

    Wonderful article, as usual, Heather. And do you ever sit still? I need rollerblades to keep up.

    The power of words… words are a sword with the S at the end. We should always wield wisely (and accurately). You can either Knight someone or cut off their arm with the flick of a wrist.

    “I dub thee Sir Knight.”
    * arm drops to floor *
    “Oops…I dub thee Sir Lefty.”



  2. Diane C McPhail on June 27, 2019 at 10:14 am

    This is wonderful, Heather. So sorry I did not meet you at the conference. I am giving a big presentation tomorrow night to finish my official book tour and I am quoting you on the passage of history, life after life, as gift or burden. It fits right into the them of writing my novel, THE ABOLITIONIST’S DAUGHTER, and my concerns over current history. Thank you.



  3. Thea on June 27, 2019 at 10:21 am

    Pretty much any song by Simon and Garfunkel is a story using the most exquisite words. Take The Boxer, for instance. ‘I am just a poor boy, though my story’s seldom told, I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles. Such are promises.’ Those words spill from your lips like diamond drops. I first noticed my own existential loneliness listening to I Am A Rock. ‘I have my books and my poetry to protect me. I am shielded in my armor.’ Ahh. I am not alone in these feelings.



  4. Rebeca Schiller on June 27, 2019 at 10:29 am

    Because my writing is so influenced by leftist thought: Ten Days that Shook the World, the Internationale, and Reds (book, song, film).

    In solidarity my fellow history friend!



  5. Christine Venzon on June 27, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    Back in high school, I first read Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The entire work spoke so beautifully and powerfully what I as a 16-year-old was experiencing. With every image, every detail, I wanted to say, “yeah, I know what that’s like.” And I knew I wanted to write like that.



  6. Sheri MacIntyre on June 27, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    Heather,
    I hope to run into you at a future HNS conference.

    Great column. It’s so surprising when people are bored by history or don’t think it’s relevant to them. History has so much to teach us about the world we live in today.

    Historical writers are indeed powerful wielders of the pen.

    Cheers, from a fellow history nerd



  7. Tam May on June 27, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Beautiful thought. Yes, words are powerful. But I would argue further that it’s how you use words and even what isn’t said/written that is as important as what is. I write historical fiction too and I’ve read books where the author seemed not to be too selective about what historical details he/she included. I love history and learning about history through fiction BUT there has to also be a history in context – I think readers must see history come alive not only through historically accurate details but how the characters of the story interact with those details and what is important specifically to them and their story. I write about people in history and I am careful to be selective about what details I chose to include.

    So I think we just want to be careful about how and what words we use and be aware of when there’s no need to use words (or to use very few words).

    Tam May
    https://www.tammayauthor.com



  8. Gabriel Crespin on July 3, 2019 at 9:09 pm

    This was an awesome column! I was so excited to read about a historical novel conference because that is some of my favorite reading! Writing, well I am mainly just focused on romance, but maybe I will try to branch out.



  9. Davida Chazan on July 5, 2019 at 1:05 am

    Too true… very, very true! The power of words…