Writing a novel set in Nash County (credit, camp)

[dianalee4jc]

Works for me! Thanks Steve!

[Pixie Dust]

Guys this was so interesting....Im hooked and waiting for more!!!!!

[ElsieMaeMae]

Hear is one "saying" I used to hear a lot. "She is Ugly as a mud picket fence"

[sarsfieb]

Thank you so much, y'all.

I grew up in VA and am also writing a story that takes place in NC (and in the Texas panhandle). Don't worry - nothing to do with cotton or tobacco or barns or Thanksgiving.

The phrases, names and discussion is the best I've seen. I treasure your lists.

I've been wondering specifically about yes, yeah and yep. I seem to remember saying "yep" a lot as a kid, but now it's more "yeah". Does everyone agree, or was this just the way it was in Virginia? Or is it an age thing? I was born in 1958.

[tgibsonart]

I would love to know if the book is out and what it is named....

[sarsfieb]

The writing is a trilogy with the separate books named after each of the three main characters. The first book is named "John". I don't like the name because it brings back biblical meanings to me, and that's not what I meant when I came up with John's name so many years ago. I think I will do better with the book names in the future, but that's it for now. There's lots of time to fix this stuff.

When I was 8 years old, I started telling myself a story. I'm now 49 and the story ended about three months ago. It's about three men, their lives, families, etc. The first and third generations start in NC and move to the Texas Panhandle. Each major character is on a spiritual journey. They all have pretty normal jobs (a rancher/farmer in Texas, a veterinarian and a computer geek). A fourth man links them all, and I think I will name the trilogy after him.

I figure it will take a while to write since it took 41 years to tell the story. I'm only up to about 50 pages and I'm still on the first day of the story. It's taking some time figuring out how to fix some things that an eight year old thinks about, as well as reconciling time lines among the three main characters. Since two of the main characters start life in NC, I want to make sure the speech patterns of the main and other characters are somewhat accurate.

Thank you for your interest.

[John H23]

Hello

Lived in the area many years ago. Graduated from Southern Nash in 1973. Spent all of my early childhood in and around Bailey. In between Middlesex and Bailey there is a Baptist Church where most of the population attended at one time or another. One of the oldest members was my aunt. Lilly Mae She was in her 80's before the family took away her keys. The only place she drove was to church on Sunday morning.

The demostrate how times have changed I still have a Christmas gift from my High School Baskettbal Coach Mr. Price. This gift was to all the varsity team. A Bible.

[Ann in Oriental]

What era is this book supposed to be set in? I lived in Nash Co for 17 years with 7 children growing up there. The teens are NOTHING like what you all are depicting. Most all of them smoke weed, have sex, lie to their parents,get drunk etc... Yes, even the christian ones. Actually they are among the worst because they tend to lie much more. I'm sorry but you are WAY out of touch if you think teens in Nash Co. behave like how you are writtingabout them.

[PamelaMarie]

LOL. I am with Ann in Oriental. My husband grew up in Spring Hope and went to Southern Nash. I grew up in Macclesfield (in Wilson County) and went to Hunt High [if you know anything about the county yes I went out of district]. We both graduated in 2002. His friends from SNSH are good, Christian country boys but let's just say that I love them all dearly but they will not be the people I want my children looking up to.

My husband and I can both say that we are not drunks, have never driven under the influence and never done drugs but we have both been there for our friends when they needed us because they were in such situations. We are also not super religious. We believe what we believe and that is that. The reason we do not go to church is because in our experience the people our age who are actively involved in church are hypocrites. And back in high school it was a worse situation that it is at our age now.

Obviously I know that everyone matures differently and we are all allowed to be kids. My husband and I must have matured sooner than our friends bc we were married at 20 and now at 24 we have a 2 yr old and 10 mth old. Just because we live in smaller towns doesn't mean that our teenagers are any different. If anything I think teens here have it harder staying on the right path because there aren't many things to do. Boredom is not a good thing. Just look at our teen pregnancy rate... especially in Nash County.

[Bill Kemp]

I have lived all but 7 of my 60 years in Nash Co. I spent the first 20 on Daddy's and Uncle Horace's backer patch. I used to go to the edge of the woods with my dear old granny to pick bulishin' Misspell?
grapes and blackberries. Of course the cost was high as the red bugs made it so and Granny's remedy for the red bugs would burn you to high heaven. I remember we met a terrapin going across the fields and Granny would caution me not to let him bite "as he wouldn't let go til it thundered". And she meant it to! Yes, I was one of those mean boys who put a terrapin in the backer trailer or truck but it would absolutely infuriate Daddy if we put a snake in there as the barn help would refuse to work. Those days were in another life..........