A Lot of Progress on John Dunn

My research isn't complete, but I have a good start already on my historical novel on John Dunn.

I am finished with the research on the Zulu Civil War battle in which John Dunn fought, and a bunch of stuff about his early life. So I went ahead and started the book. I had about five pages done, as I’ve posted earlier. But today I put in a marathon of writing. Got the first chapter done, and it’s near seven thousand words and 24 pages now. That was over five thousand words and near twenty pages of writing I got in today.

But what a chapter! Talk about beginning a book with a lot of action. How about a huge final battle of an African civil war? I mean the Zulus did NOT kid around when it came to waging war. Anyone who knows anything about Shaka Zulu knows that. We’re talking about 30,000 to 40,000 fatalities here. In one day of fighting. And that includes not just soldiers, or impi as the Zulu called their warriors. But we’re talking about women, children, the aged, the infirm, the whole deal slaughtered on the losing side.

A River Runs Red. That’s what happened to the Tugela River when the killing was over. It ran red with the blood of Mbuyasi’s clan. I think it’s a great name for a chapter. Maybe even for the book. I don’t have a title for it yet. (John Dunn as a title just doesn’t cut it.) But A River Runs Red sounds good. That will be something I’ll consider, anyway.

And I found out in my research that John Dunn wasn’t the only white man to fight in that battle. It’s true he was the only white man on Prince Mbuyasi’s side. But not to be outdone by his brother, Cetshwayo went and got a white man to fight for his side, too. That is a fact, but I had a little fun with it, and in my story the two faced off for a showdown of their own. I don’t have to tell you who won. (Hey the book’s about John Dunn!) So I got a little fiction in there. It’s based on the true story of John Dunn, but I’m going to spiff it up a bit.

Heck, I don’t have to spiff it up too much. I mean how much spiffing up does a guy with fifty wives and a hundred plus kids need?