Aundine

Hello all!

Just dropping an intro here. I am an avid historical fic writer-antebellum, The American Civil War, and reconstruction. I am also interested in the 'ancients'.

I currently reside in Phoenix, AZ with my plants and books and large console tv. (That tv is my pride and joy!)

Hope everyone is having a great day.

-Aundine

__________________
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. -Mark Twain

DaveP

Welcome, pull up a chair, look around, and see if you can find anything to match that TV.

__________________
Pop Buzz UK - For British Pop Culture
YouTube Digger - The Best Of YouTube

Nickie

HI there, Aundine, and welcome to Writing Forums! I also love to write historical fiction, in the style of The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and such.


Nickie

__________________
At www.nickiefleming.com you can read about my books, my interviews with bestselling authors, and lots more!
Upcoming release: Maria Gonzalez (Feb.2009)

falco

wooo! another historical fiction-ite! (I think I just made up a word...)

Civil War = awesome. Unfortunately I haven't spent much time there myself, but I always think about doing it sometime. Can't wait to read your work!

__________________
"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself."
- Albert Camus

Mada

falco i dont think anyone here has spent time in the civil war themselves.

falco

Perhaps not, but a little imagination can go a long way.

By the way, Aundine, I'm actually working on something that's about as close to the Civil War as I've ever gotten, though it still preceeds it by about 30 years.

And at the risk of sounding like a complete nerd, I'm going to ask: Got any favorite battles/commanders etc.?

__________________
"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself."
- Albert Camus

Mada

As long as u live in New England ur cool.

falco

Why thank you.

But I believe we've gone and sabotaged a poor newb's thread. Sorry Aundine!

__________________
"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself."
- Albert Camus

petrel}

Welcome Aundine--cool name. Glad you could join us--we could probably use your expertise in the research forum... not to mention your participation everything else--I mean, don't be shy now.

__________________
A man's subconscious self is not the ideal companion. It lurks for the greater part of his life in some dark den of its own, hidden away, and emerges only to taunt and deride and increase the misery of a miserable hour.

P. G. Wodehouse, Uneasy Money

Aundine

Are you trying to get me to ramble and annoy people ALREADY... ?? LOL I will apologize ahead of time. Disclaimer: if you aren't into the ramblings of a pseudo Civil War fanatic, please, feel free to skim through the next few paragraphs.

For the most part, the 'characters' of the war are such characters that there is no one person you can pull out and say, "geez....I love that guy/woman..." Everyone had such passion for the cause and such personality. If I mentioned everyone who made me sit back and think, 'geez... what a person!" I would be writing for days!

I love controversy. Which is perfect, because I believe that there was both honor and dishonor on each side and in each man... EXCEPT for the ultimate leaders Lee and Grant. I think both men actually played it fair and were truly honorable. (Jackson was pretty cool too) Then you had guys like Sherman who wanted people to pay and suffer, which is fine, it was war, but raising homes and lives to the ground to scare an humiliate people isn't my idea of playing fair. (But that is why I am not a four star general...)

So, when I read your question, the first person that popped into my mind was Nathan Bedford Forrest, because despite the fact that he was a flaming racist, who was pretty much responsible for starting the KKK, he was pretty much the highest ranking previously non military guy by the end of the war. Just a tremendous life and such conviction in his manner of thought.

As far as battles are concerned, I would say the mess that happened at Fredericksburg tops my list. Civilans starving and being barracaded in is mentally a little more ravaging for me, than hundreds of dead on the battle field. (Of course, both situations are horrible--Fort Pillow was terrible because of the sensless murdering of surrendering black troops--but I hope I make my point when I say that the civilian element always gets me...)

__________________
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. -Mark Twain

Aundine

Thank you Petrel.

There may not be a whole lot of concern for this, but the name is a bastardization of Ondine. Who was a greek water nymph.

She fell inlove with a mortal. When she asked him if he loved her, he said, no. So, she made all of his voluntary bodily functions involuntary and all of his involuntary body functions voluntary.

Of course, he became exhausted trying to keep himself alive and he died.

I know its dark, and not really funny... but it made me giggle! So, I had adopt it as a moniker.

__________________
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. -Mark Twain

falco

HA! I love it.

I love Jackson and Lee. My personal favorite may be Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Then again, there's Jeb Stuart (a brilliant complete idiot) to remember as well. But I know what you mean about not being able to pick.

My sister is writing a long research paper dealing with him right now. He's definitely one of those great personalities, I think.

__________________
"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself."
- Albert Camus

Aundine

The American Civil War is the most discussed and written about topics ever! It is as though people can not get enough of it.

I believe the reason behind the love of the topic is mostly (85% maybe...?) because of the romance of the whole deal. Who doesn't want to think of the large cotton fields full of happy black people, honorably working their lives away for a very kindly white master who saw them as family? But, how horrible the feeling of disillusion when you read past the high school history class parts of it... to discover that people were beaten, branded, and starved when they didn't work hard enough (sun up to sun down) or when they ran off. Who wants to learn that women were raped or bore children to men they didn't choose... Forget all that... what about soliders having to go into battle knowing that they would more than possibly end up shooting their own blood relative??

You CANNOT get better than any of that! And the even cooler thing is you that you don't need to be expert, because there are soooo many other topics with in the topic! There are battle tactics, the commanders, the life style, medical endeavors.. its nuts.

Ugh.. now you have me all empassioned and I am STUCK at work.. thank goodness lunch is hopefully just around the corner. [-o<

__________________
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. -Mark Twain