Hey all I've had the idea of writing a fictional American soldier's view of the last few months of the Vietnam War for a while now, and I'm just wondering how to go about writing it? Your help is appreciated.
Shinn, Start with research. There are hundreds of books out there...historical (big scope/picture) to individual accounts, both military and even civilian (from the American perspective). I would figure that there are some others that may from the Vietnamese perspective (although I don't know if they are in English--if that's your only language). If possible (and I know your location may make this difficult) speaking to veterans about the conflict would help. From experience, some talk about it, others do not. There may be quality films and documentaries out there that would help. Information on the geography, flora and fauna would help with the realism as well. How much is needed, and in each area, would depend on the story you hope to tell. As with most novels, most of the research will never actually appear on the pages of your final product, but the depth of knowledge will make the fictional account you create more realistic and believeable to the reader. Hope this helps, and good luck. Terry
