Leaning on My Literary Heroes
by Graceann MacLeod
I love to write. It gives me a chance to
explore my vocabulary, and the puzzle of how to make words flow
together in new and interesting ways has always fascinated me.
I followed my mother’s advice to “write what I know,” which is
why I’ve rarely, and never with success, ventured into fiction.
How ironic is it, then, that my three favorite writers are known
more for their novels (though all three wrote non-fiction as
well)? I’ve made pilgrimages involving all three of these
people. They are the folks I turn to when the “real world”
becomes overwhelming, and the inspiration I seek when my well of
words runs dry. Two of them may be somewhat unfamiliar to you,
and the third I’m sure you know very well.
Part II
Gene Stratton-Porter – Naturalist and Novelist
“. . . my books have proved my publishers
wrong
in the beginning when they said my stuff never
would sell enough to pay for publishing it. . .”
– Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene (born Geneva)
Stratton-Porter was a force of nature, and one of Indiana’s most
famous authors. There isn’t much at which she didn’t try
her hand; not only try, but succeed. She was an exhaustive
naturalist, photographer, novelist and, later on, film producer.
Geneva Grace Stratton was born on August
17, 1863, in Wabash County, Indiana, to a Methodist minister.
She lost her mother when she was only five years of age. In
1886, she married the druggist, Charles Porter and their only
child, Jeannette, was born in 1887. New family funds, an influx
due to oil being discovered on their farmland, allowed Gene to
design and construct a 14-room home near the Limberlost Swamp.
This is where her creative inspiration began. She started
to photograph birds and animals in the natural settings.
This led to magazine work in two nature publications.
Not content to be gifted in only one arena,
Gene branched into writing novels. Critics complained that her
books were over-romantic, but audiences loved them.
Stratton-Porter enjoyed great success with Freckles, A
Girl of the Limberlost, Laddie, Michael O'Halloran
and A Daughter of the Land. Some of her books, when read
from today’s perspective, have an unfortunate “political
incorrectness” about them, and it is difficult to put myself in
the frame of mind where it was “acceptable” to discriminate.
However, my favorites of the novels have no such glaring faults,
and I re-read them with great pleasure.
In 1913, Gene built a new home on Sylvan Lake at Rome City. She
kept all the things that she loved in the first house, and
improved upon the things that needed it. This is the home that
I’ve visited numerous times, and each time I walk through the
door, I want to move in to stay. You can see her strong hand in
every detail.
In 1920 she moved to Hollywood in order to
create her movie production company, so that she could have
control over how her books were turned into films. Her own
granddaughter was the star of the film version of Keeper of
the Bees. It was here that Gene Stratton-Porter was
killed in a traffic accident on December 6, 1924. She was
initially laid to rest at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, but in
1999, her body and that of her daughter Jeannette were moved to
the grounds of the Gene Stratton-Porter Historic Site in Rome
City, Indiana, where she has a lovely resting place near her
beloved gardens. I feel it appropriate to stand and pay my
respects to this fascinating woman, while hearing birds chirp
around me, seeing butterflies and moths flit past, and smelling
flowers from the garden.
I’ve explored Miss Stratton-Porter’s life
in numerous ways; reading and re-reading her books, of course.
I’ve also visited her stomping grounds in Indiana and California
and imagined what must have given her joy. She obviously took
great pride in skillful creation, and in capturing a moment
well. I can only profit by following her example.
Links to Explore—Gene Stratton-Porter:
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