RWMoranUSMCRet: Blog

Before getting into the subject notes, just wanted to thank the many readers of "The 400 Year War" for their kind comments and suggestions. The story is too large in my estimation for an e-book with the annexes and other content. I cannot put it into a print copy because it would require volume to make it cost effective. I will still send the entire attachment to any reader who wants a hard copy to look at free of charge. I have no intention of making money from my writing and hope this story will prove beneficial to readers.
Now in regard to "Belfast Rules", I would like to thank the reader who sent some great constructive criticism and some great suggestions. I plan to follow his advice and submit future chapters to this story of the period of time called "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland in blocks of 4 chapters and will expand the chapters to 3 to 4K words instead of my usual 2 to 3K words. I will send them in at intervals of 2 weeks and expect to finish this story in its entirety in 60 to 90 days. I anticipate it will be about 80K to 90K words when complete. I plan to give attention to character development and to the fictional part of the storyline within the framework of the actual historical timeline of the events. I will try to be as factual with the real events as much as possible and to keep them as unbiased as I am able to do. Strangely, I had previously written a short story about a major event that is contained as a focal point inside this much longer story but it contained elements of erotica that I prefer to not include in "Belfast Rules" because I want it to be for readers of all ages. I would appreciate any suggestions from readers on the developing storyline regarding the factual points presented or thoughts on character development or direction of the storyline.

I have just completed the final draft on "The 400 Year War" that includes close to 100 illustrations and 3 additional Annexes that provide additional information. It has been edited and ready for printing. I have closed out a list of readers who requested that I mail them a print copy to a mailing address and am unable to add to that list because of the cost of print publishing. I am able to send an e-book format in an attachment to an e-mail reply and you would then have the option to print it out on your own printer at home. It will be 242 pages and can be done entirely in black and white to save cost of ink. If you do the color pages in print it would involve about 50 pages in color. The Indian Tribe Annex is entirely in black and white so that eliminated 25 color pages in my limited printed version. Anyone who downloads the e-book version has my permission to make additional copies as it is not my intent to make a profit but to encourage distribution.

The final chapter of the 20 chapter core story of the 400 year war will be submitted this weekend. I want to thank those readers who sent me their comments and suggestions as it helped to shape my thoughts on the subject. In writing this Historical story, I was stuck by the manner in which the conflict between the American Indian Tribes and the European settlers mirrored the historical development of the United States. I came to appreciate the fact that Native Americans were in every War and battle of the new nation from the lead-in French and Indian War to the Civil War and that where this story leaves off in 1892, that relationship continues to the present day. I was astonished to find that Native American women walked hundreds of miles carrying food and supplies to the Continental Army at Valley Forge. They did their best to alleviate the suffering of the foot soldiers starving at the doorsteps of polite Tory society in Philadelphia while Loyalist families hosted the Redcoats in their homes. I was amazed at the number of treaties made and broken and promises that evaporated as the new government changed hands from party to party. I had not been familiar with General Stand Watie prior to this writing and wonder why little mention is made of this capable military tactician who literally ran rings around his opponents. It is my hope that I will be able to put this story along with some 200 illustrations into a printed format of about 250 pages including the annexes that serve as guides to the writing. I plan to make free copies available to all 67 County Libraries in the State of Florida and will furnish free copies to readers who send me a mailing address. If anyone sees mistakes in the writing please let me know and I will correct it in the original draft. I know that I have skipped over a lot of pertinent material pertaining to the subject but I wanted to keep the story to a certain size that would not overwhelm a reader like other long books with much better and detailed organization. I generally write in other genres so excuse my shortcomings in professional writing as I am basically writing more for fun than for profit.

I have to thank all of the readers for their feedback on the story. Chapters 17, 18, and 19 are all in varying degrees of completion and I expect 17 to be submitted by Friday this week. All 20 chapters of the core story should be complete by the end of this month which is a lot faster than I expected. I will also put the supporting items such as a look at the history of selected Indian Tribes that impacted the development of the United States. That should be about 30 pages and address about 25 Tribes. I will have a small section of maps to cover certain battles and migrations. A Glossary of unusual terms will be included and a short discussion of the matrix I used to analyze the timeline and the influence of major factors that led to the eventual loss of Indian Tribal power and most of the land that had belonged to them long before the arrival of the European Settlers. I hope to find a way to publish the entire story with all of the attachments in printed form myself without the benefit of editors or publishers because I have no interest in making a profit or subjecting the work to dilution or "spin". The use of color on the illustrations will be kept at a minimum to reduce the printing cost. I expect about 80 illustrations related to the content to be included in the printed version.

Although the timeline for part III of the story only comprises slightly more than a single Century or about 110 years, It is probably the most defining period of the struggle between the American Indian Tribes and the European Settlers of the newly established United States of America. The Indians involvement in the American Revolution seemed to carry ill will regardless of the fact they supported the fight for Independence or supported the rule of the Redcoats and the British Crown. Just as the "Tory" supporters of the King found it necessary to relocate to places like Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Canada, the Native American Indian Tribes were found in the same sort of exodus only they also headed to the Western Territories not yet under European control. In some cases the migratory movement was voluntary and in others it was forced on them by the newly formed American Congress. Small wars were fought throughout the entire period and many treaties were made and broken and re-negotiated again and again. Massacres occurred on both sides with the Indian Tribes generally getting the short end of the stick from the heavily favored "firepower" of the settlers and the Military authorities. Villages were laid waste and moved to accommodate the relentless movement of the rail system west to the far Pacific Ocean. Indians were treated as second class citizens and inferior to the "White man" in a social setting. The nomadic nature of the Indian culture acted against them in the conflict as the settlers squatted on the open land and claimed "ownership" fencing in their farms and small communities. The vast buffalo herds were purposely decimated to force the Indians onto the reservation in order to receive their food supplies from the government. The combination of "Manifest Destiny" and "Paternalism" robbed the Indians of their natural instinct to be free and open and put them in a suffocating box of bureaucratic regulations that stifled any semblance of pride and self-respect for their cultural differences. Their frustrations often boiled over resulting in violence and bloodshed that caused high levels of distrust on both sides of the conflict. Eventually, the overwhelming shift in demographics tore apart the Indian way of life and led them into a reduced role of citizenship as a ward of the government on reservations more like a jail than a place of safety.