No Action

We know that in life, sometimes it can appear that a person isn’t “doing” anything, but they are, in fact, thinking very deeply about something, crafting a plan, or remembering something that happened before.  Even if the person isn’t in motion or performing an action, important work can still be “happening.”

As a reader of historical fiction, you are constantly gathering up details and information. You must give equal attention to the parts of the book that may lack action.  Often, this is the way that authors will reveal important details to us.

In a historical fiction book, the reader gets to know a character at a particular period of time in his or her life.  The setting is in a particular time in history as well.  What is important to remember is that the particular setting of the book is preceded by important history and the character has already experienced things that have made an impact on him or her.

The author makes a deliberate choice as to when the book will begin and at what point in a character’s life the story will begin.  However, throughout the book, the author will need to include information about things related to the time period.  The author can reveal this information to us through flashbacks, descriptive passages, or a character’s thoughts.

In the Quilt Walk, Emmy’s observations are sometimes just as important as the action that takes place in the story.  Reread page 98, stopping to think aloud about what this information reveals about Emmy’s setting and its impact on her and her family. 

I would like you to look at your book club books for examples of text in which there’s no action, but much is revealed.  Don’t forget to look for details that fit together so that you can form new thoughts about your reading.