Marcus Brotherton is an American author known for his works in the field of military history and biography. He has written several books focusing on the experiences of World War II veterans, often co-authoring with veterans themselves or their families. Some of his notable works include “We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers,” “Shifty’s War: The Authorised Biography of Sergeant Darrell Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers,” and “A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers and the Legacy, They Left Us.” Brotherton’s writing often delves into the personal narratives and experiences of those who served, providing insight into the human side of war.
Not only has he written his own works, but he also has an esteemed collaborative career. He has written with Oscar-nominated actor and foundation CEO Gary Sinise about his life and work. He has told the story of Lt. Buck Compton, who prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Bobby Kennedy. These are just two of his works. I am a fan of his writing and was lucky enough on one occasion to receive a copy of one of his recent works.
Thank you for joining me Marcus.
Tell us about your journey to become a writer. What inspired you to start writing?
I studied journalism in university and graduate school then became a general assignment reporter at a mid-sized paper in southwest Washington State. Starting a career in a newsroom is good training because it teaches fearlessness. You have zero time for writer’s block. You’re regularly assigned stories that prompt long lists of questions, so you learn to dig yourself out.
Long form journalism offered a perfect venue for exploring subjects in depth. In 2005, I shifted to books full time and never looked back.
What does your typical writing routine look like? Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the writing flow?
Writing a book involves pitching, research, writing, editing, and promoting. So, on any day I might be involved in more than one, although I look for long blocks of time to write. I turn off my phone and wear noise-cancelling headphones to minimize distractions.
When writing an intensely emotional chapter, I will envision times I’ve experienced similar emotions. When working on my novel, “The Long March Home,” about WW2 soldiers on Bataan, I deliberately brought up grief and rage and spilled that onto the page.
You want your writing to resonate with readers on a powerful emotional level. You don’t merely convey information in a book. You invite readers up the ladder, along a diving board. You entice them to jump into the deep end.
What challenges do you encounter during the writing process, and how do you overcome them?
You might think you’re working only if you’re behind a computer, but you can easily waste an hour staring at a screen. Get outside, take a walk. The answer to a story problem will emerge with a cleared mind.
What draws you to explore the particular themes that are evident in your work, and what do you hope readers take away from your exploration of them?
I write a lot about war even though I hate war. I’m always drawn to the individual. Take an ordinary person and plunge him into difficult circumstances. How might that person react? Such a question prompts us to examine our own reactions and behaviors. Are we complainers? Will we rise to heroics? Will we choose the path of service?
“Shifty’s War” is quite pertinent to this question. I found when reading that book, it was as if I could hear Shifty reading it to me. A reflection of great writing, as his tones and speech inflections were reflected in your words. How do you go about crafting authentic and compelling dialogue for your characters?
I was able to interview Shifty Powers half a dozen times before he passed of cancer. His speech patterns were so integral to who he was, I knew I had to include those patterns in his book. I asked his family if I could write his memoir posthumously in first person, which was an unusual and even controversial way to proceed. They agreed with the plan. When they read the manuscript after completion, they said it sounded exactly like Shifty, which was affirming.
Dialogue is often about “ear.” You sound it out and speak it aloud. New writers will dump a bunch of information into dialogue, but that’s seldom how people actually talk. Spend time listening to people, studying the phrases they use. If you record a conversation then transcribe it, the sentences are seldom complete. Okay then, use those incomplete sentences when writing dialogue.
Share a bit about your editing process. How do you revise and refine your work once the initial draft is completed?
I’ll formally edit a chapter a dozen times, scrutinizing every paragraph, every sentence, every word. I’ll read a chapter out loud. I’ll print out a chapter so I can read it on actual paper. I’ll look at a chapter using different sized fonts, so I can gauge a bird’s eye view for flow.
Eventually, you must stop editing. You must turn in your work. By publishing it, you release it into the world where it begins to live a life of its own. If you have done your work correctly, it will be strong enough to do its intended job.
What role do you believe literature plays in society, and how do you see your own work contributing to that role?
Smart phones are turning our brains to mush. We need to return to that place where we take books with us. If waiting for an appointment, instead of pulling out a phone, we can read a chapter of a new book instead.
Good books entertain, inform, and inspire. You’re intrigued by the material. You learn something previously unknown, or you reinforce a truth that’s already evident. When you finish the last page, you walk away with a new drive, a new energy, a new sense of gratitude or boldness.
Are there any authors or literary works that have had a significant influence on your writing? If so, how have they shaped your approach to storytelling?
People criticise Hemingway because they think he wrote like a 6-year-old. But that’s bunk. He distilled everything down to the simple declarative sentence. Look at the first line to “The Old Man and the Sea.”
He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
In 27 short words, Hemingway establishes a three-dimensional character, a setting, a conflict, a ticking clock, and the appeal of pathos. We’re compelled to confront questions about unmet desires, survival, and dreams that may still come to pass. That’s brilliant writing.
Finally, what advice would you offer to aspiring writers who hope to follow in your footsteps and achieve success in the literary world?
Commercial publishing is insanely difficult, but it can be done. Invest in your journey. Read and write consistently. Attend writers’ conferences and meet agents and acquisition editors. Study seminars and how-to books about writing.
Know in your heart that writing is a noble profession.
Vow to write material that brings people together, not apart.
