The best type of historical resources

We don’t have very much information about Clara at all, even though there is a wealth of material about the Holocaust generally. So, I’ve had to dig deep into what’s available. All of it is fascinating. Only some of it is useful.

DNA of a Story

I’ve now finished the first draft of the story and I’m part way through reading it and seeing if the structure works. The final chapter is a bit of an epilogue. I don’t want to give any spoilers here but I’ll simply say that it involves two characters that Clara knew when she was in Theriesenstadt.

As soon as I’d finished it I realised that it in effect contains the whole story, yet reading it first wouldn’t really be a spoiler for the whole book.

It is the blueprint for the story, or if you like, the DNA of the whole novel.

Balancing fact and imagination

I continue with Clara’s experiences in Theriesenstadt. I’ve had to find out some more details:

·         What would happen if a child was born

·         How women coped with menstruation and post-partum bleeding

·         Whether roll-call was as strict there as at other camps

·         What they might have eaten

·         What sort of work they would do