Dazzling Obscurity

As fiction writers we enjoy mixing words into a scrumptious story that entices readers to read our books again.  Our books are dog-eared, worn, passed on to friends, and resold.  What makes best sellers as enticing as Jacob's stew?

I recently chose to enter a historical fiction contest for tweens.  I facebooked a few of my former students and asked what part of history intrigued them.  They chatted for a few days then messaged me back, "the Civil War." 

Great topic, maybe.  A bit overdone. How could I write anything fresh?  

I asked my husband, who must have read every Civil War book in print, if he knew any obscure fact.  He smiled. "I read somewhere that the Battle of Gettysburg happened because of a pair of new shoes."  Perfect. I set out to prove it.  

I drove to used book stores, libraries, waded through my husband's collection, researched my high school daughter's AP US history textbook, and of course, read numerous sites on the Internet to gleam every detail and point of view offered on this topic.  Conclusion:  yes, the confederates gathered in Gettysburg because they heard there were new shoes and boots. Unfortunately for them, the Union also happened that way.

I wanted to picture the city of Gettysburg at the time.  Most maps included the battlegrounds, but I wanted the town proper.  Days and days of research later, I learned the booming town of Gettysburg had only ten streets.  

My last question wrapped around one I had mistakenly woven into my story before gathering proof. Several resources implied, a couple downright stated there was a shoe factory in the town.  I contacted the chairman for Civil War studies at Gettysburg University.  Sadly, he said Gettysburg did not have a shoe factory, the rumors were incorrect.  Gettysburg was the "Detroit of the time. It had a carriage factory."

I'm glad I spoke with him before submitting my work!  I tweaked the story, put in the carriage factory, and left in the Confederates desire for shoes.

Obscure details make our stories fresh.  The unexpected detail will catch the reader's eye, hopefully that reader is an editor.

BUT readers expect to find truth in fiction.  Abraham Lincoln can't cut down cherry trees, and St. Valentine cannot deliver Christmas packages.  Readers notice if a story states or illudes to a person or event incorrectly. 

I'd like to mention a few more resources and methods to find the obscure detail in my next post. Until then, what obscure detail did you find and/or write into your WIP?  Don't forget to include those trips to UK, Africa, etc!