I have a great deal of material relating to my grandfather including a war diary from 1918 when he was serving in East Africa.
My grandfather was an extraordinary man; the son of a welsh missionary he was born in Nevis & St Kits in 1896, he trained as a barrister in Canada returning to the UK to serve his country in 1914.
He served in France where he was injured and awarded the Military Cross, he returned home to recover and married in October 1917 then went to East Africa in January 1918 from where he was stretchered out suffering from seizures resulting from the injuries incurred in France. He returned to service in 1919 fighting the Bolsheviks where he received the Bar to his MC for his part in an attack on Seltso.
On finally returning to the UK he settled down to married life and practice as a barrister in south Wales. He and Gwladys had a son on 12 August 1921.
He also established a Territorial Army unit in Maesteg which he gave a lot of time to. While on parade with his unit in August 1922 his horse bolted down the main street in Aberystwyth colliding with a lamp post and throwing grandfather unconscious to the ground. Although he did regain consciousness, he died a few days later on 10 August - 2 days before his sons first birthday.
His funeral was a major event in his home town of Maesteg. He was just 26.
His was an amazing life - the outline sketch above just giving a flavour of his story. It is both gallant and romantic and ultimately tragic.
I have a great deal of material - including citations, war records, photos, birth, death & marriage certificates, newspaper reports of his death etc....
I have tried to write this all down but these are simply not my skills, so I am looking for someone who might be interested in bringing this material to life.
I'm not sure how this process works but I will look out for any responses. Happy to talk if you are an interested writer or if you have any advice for me.
Thanks
What an amazing man, and a story definitely worth the telling. Jeff's advice is excellent as ever - there will always be people keen to make money out of you upfront, so you need guarantees that they will do the job, and proof that they are able to do what you want.
You need a writer who has knowledge of the military, and of the First World War - they will need to check all facts - as well as being able to write in a way that you find sympathetic.
Have a chat with Jeff.
Hi Alison,
that does sound an amazing life, cut tragically short, and would make a great story, made all the more interesting for being true!
Beware of ghostwriters who come forward saying what a great job they can do and want paying upfront. This is not the way to go. I'm assuming you'd want the book to be put forward for publishing? To reach a wide audience? Therein lies the rub: if you were to write it, you'd receive nothing until the publishers gave you an advance(!) or book sales happened. If you self-published, you'd be stuck with the costs of printing, or the much lesser costs of arranging an ebook - which is incredibly simple, these days. BUT it would only be fair to pay a ghostwriter for doing the work - the problem is, how much and when? Never give money up front. Ever. If someone does approach you, they should have some kind of pedigree of ghostwriting at the very least. Or their own work which they can show you, to prove they will do the job well. It's like choosing a builder - if you can view their work, you have a good idea of what you're likely to get. There's a large element of trust involved, naturally, but with writing, if you found a writer, you can be the 'editor-in-chief' going over it chapter by chapter, as it's written, and that way, be happy it's given the correct treatment. But it would only be fair to pay for work done, the same way you do with a builder. Most ghostwriters would want a contract to write the whole book, which is understandable...
But the costs can mount up, even before you try getting a publisher interested, because a good editor will bring their skills to the table as well. If you want the book to be the very best it can be (and it certainly sounds like it should) an editor is worth their weight in gold. Or maybe silver at the very least...
There is a way round that and that's to find a writer who'll do the work on a shared profit basis, if you're prepared to do that. Essentially, they will write the book (with you still as editor-in-chief) but not receive anything except a proportion of the sales. This is a risk, obviously, if the book doesn't sell, but the advantage of finding someone who's prepared to work on this basis, is that they'd get the writing credit, as well as a share of the profits. Which is a great step for a writer, to have a book published. Where would you find such an animal? I'd look for local writer's groups, and go and ask them. Even local libraries may have some knowledge of writer's groups, but again, you must view their work - I'm sure enthusiastic amateurs would love the chance, but run the risk of ruining what you want, if they don't have the necessary writing skills.
In my own case, I'm currently researching my own great-great-great-grandfather to write a dramatised account of his amazing life - a naval captain who fought many battles, he was awarded the Legion D'honneur by the French King and banned from wearing it by Lord Palmerston, because he was miffed with the french for opposing a Greek Treaty! I have an MA in Creative and Critical writing, and work freelance as an editor, and if you need any further advice/help in finding the right person, I'd be pleased to help.
Hi Alison, I have given you a connection request. I'm interested to work on this, kindly let me know more details on this.
Thanks,
Sudarsan N