Introducing a New Fiction Column

When I first took over the Whitehall Ledger I thought long and hard on how you could bring creative writing into the newspaper world. There are so many talented writers who live among us, I wanted to provide an outlet to them as well. Well, I think I have found the solution.

The Jefferson Valley Museum has dozens and dozens of photographs from centuries long past. These photos have been researched, but no one has been successful in identifying the people in them or the scene they depict.

Why not take these photos and write what we think is happening? A little “Creating Fiction from History?”

When I look at photos, whether new or old, I immediately guess in my head what/where/when the scene shown is happening? The little girl in a white dress in front of a church - first communion. Old man crying? He just lost the love of his life. Little boy waving to his mother? First day of school!

And thus, “Creating Fiction from History,” the column below is born. Kristine Erinn has tackled the first photo with an interesting tale. I have dozens more photos available at the office. Want to get creative? Come in, look through the photos, and create your own story to go with the photo. Take any point of view, be any character...just be creative.

At the end of the year, I will compile the stories and photos and publish a booklet that will be available in the Whitehall Ledger office and elsewhere. By publishing these photos, we may find out the real story behind them - wouldn’t it be neat if one of the stories was close to the truth?