John Keats - Who Wants to Know?

When writing any piece of work, a writer must consider the wider audience their story would appeal to. For my piece, if I were to extend it beyond its two-thousand word limit into a completed book, the potential audience would be quite large. John Keats is a figurehead poet of the Romantic Era, with his poetry being taught and read all over the world. His impact on the literary world was monumental, with its effects still being felt today. As such, his name and life are of great interest to many, making my piece widely marketable.

However, my story does not focus upon his poetry – as there are many books which do this already – or portray his life in a biographical way. It’s a creative narrative about John Keats, attempting to look through his eyes at the world, both in terms of his own life and the literary world around him at that time. I find this to be an unusual angle, not yet explored.

                           

Books such as Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley and The Life of Lord Byron, indicate that there is an active readership interested in the lives of the Romantic Poets. If I were to market my piece, I would aim for this audience in particular, as they would be more appreciative of the different approach that I am taking.

This unique angle will also appeal to publishers. Just like how The Suspicions of Mr Whitcher appealed to both nonfiction readers and crime readers alike, my piece would appeal to the nonfiction audience and historical fiction reader. This is due to the fact that my piece will open up the Romantic era through the empathetic view of John Keats, creating a narrative that is truthful, dramatic and an exploration of that historical era. This will thereby give the publisher more reason to publish my work, as it can appeal to a wider range of audiences. 

The Dangers of Dramatizing the Truth

When writing creative pieces, writers are destined to run into problems, both with their research and their writing. However, in creative nonfiction, if these issues are not overcome, it can be devastating to a writer’s credibility. Nonfiction is about real events and can, when presented inaccurately, offend or irritate readers and publishers alike, such as James Frey’s scandal about his false memoir, A Million Little Pieces. Therefore, I must highlight the issues I am having, in order to devise ways to overcome them. 

Lack Of Dialogue

Garfield might work without dialogue
John Keats? Not so much.

The main issue I am having with my piece is the lack of dialogue. Dialogue is a key component to the fictionalisation of any narrative. Yet Keats’ letters only depict what he did in Winchester; he did not write down any conversations verbatim. As well as this, the snippets that I have discovered so far in my research are not enough to carry an entire scene.
Theodore A. Rees Cheney states, in his book Writing Creative Nonfiction, “You must not let the desire to write interestingly…make you select those conversations that serve drama over truth.” Doing this may lead to your narrative losing credibility with your audience, so I must find a way to work around this issue, such as utilising quotes from his letters in a manner which supplements direct speech, or expanding my research to see what I can discover.

Too Much Information

Another problem I have is the overabundance of information about Keats that is available to me as a writer. Googling John Keats generates over two million hits, and there are numerous books from which I am drawing information from. However, the credibility and accuracy of these documents – especially the online sources– is not entirely secure. “Information is the goal of the nonfiction writer” Gutkind points out, and as such I need to make sure that my sources are reliable. Presenting wrong information, especially when it is dramatized, could mislead my readers factually, as well as emotionally. To avoid this, I must investigate my sources to ensure that my information is correct, and will not offend or dissuade my readers from my piece. 

Creative Strategies - Building a Non-Fiction Narrative

Following from the previous blog, I have thought about how I will construct my creative piece. Characterisation, setting and framing are some of the narrative building blocks which I have devised strategies for.

Characterisation

Although I am using Keats’ letters as the main insight into his characterisation, I must avoid regurgitating what he has already written. Instead, I will paint the scenes which arise from his letters to demonstrate Keats’ personality. For example, depicting John Keats at his desk, hesitantly writing to his lover, portrays his character much more engagingly than if I told the reader ‘he wrote to her.’ I believe doing this will make Keats a more compelling protagonist, as well as showcase the humanistic side to, what some would consider, a figurehead of the Romantic Era.

Setting

"Setting is not merely scenery..." states writer Janet Burroway, "....it is part and parcel of the significant." I've kept this in mind while thinking about the presentation of the setting in my piece.
Keats’ walk will invoke a calming atmosphere. However, I cannot fabricate the weather and environment to accommodate this mood, as this would be manipulating the truth; it was, in reality, very cold the day he walked. However, I can draw upon my similar experiences, as well as the research I have made, to highlight aspects of the truth that would still create the atmosphere I want. For example, I could contrast the grey clouds with the sound of birdsong, showing hope in spite of the gloom. This will create a consistent mood which will draw the reader into the world of the story.

Framing

As Keats progresses along his walk, the narrative will flash back to significant events in his life, such as his brother’s death or arguments with his publisher. This will make the narrative non-chronological. I believe that framing the story in this way makes the plot more engaging for the reader. This is because it speeds up the pace, moving the story from scene to scene, while having a single narrative thread that the reader can rely upon. As well as this, by placing Keats' life alongside the peaceful walk, the reader will have a greater understanding of Keats as a whole, providing a empathetic context to the piece.