Problems, Problems, and Just More Problems!

My biggest issue with the Deerfield Massacre, as a non-fiction story, is the lack of dialogue. While I can find plenty of information from many different sources, a lot of my dialogue will be coming solely from Reverend John Williams in The Redeemed Captive.

To try and solve this problem, I looked online in an attempt to find any other records which may include quotes from other captors, and I was able to find mention of a book. Captive Histories: English, French and Native Narratives of the 1704 Deerfield Raid (Native Americans of the Northeast: Culture, History & the Contemporary) of which is said to “draw together an unusually rich body of original sources that tell the story of the 1704 French and Indian attack on Deerfield, Massachusetts, from different vantage points.” as well as letters between the captives.

While this book should be very helpful, there are no online copies, nor can I find it in any local libraries. I was therefore forced to order the book but it has not yet arrived. This could prove difficult if it doesn’t arrive with enough time for me to analyse dialogue, and comparing captive stories to try and work out the truth.

Gutkind said, ‘Libel law requires writers to be certain that what they write is true.’ But in a slight contradiction, he added, ‘By contrast, you can pretty much say what you want about dead people.’ Which makes me believe that, as long as I state I am writing with presumption instead of solid fact, I can write as I wish.