writing treasure

RomanJaquez

RomanJaquez

Well-known member
I am lucky enough to get a copy of the diary of a German nurse who documented on paper her life during WWII. The story is amazing, very dramatic and crude. If you saw Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist” you should have an Idea of what I am talking about.

This is a treasure and I have no Idea what to do with it. My aspirations are big. This copy was sent to my fiance’s grandmother many years ago from the nurse’s granddaughter and now is in my hand.

What do you think I should do with this? I want to write something but I have to admit this is way out of my league.
 
Re: writing treasure

When you say you got a copy of it, are you saying it's unpublished? Before going any further you may want to explore the legal ramifications. I assume that she is dead, but her family may have a say in things. What you are talking about isn't basing a film on a story about someone in a newspaper for everyone to read. This might be a little different. I would just hate for you to get halfway through your second draft, or get it optioned and find out you don't actually have the rights to the story.

That being said, I think you should take a crack at it yourself. read it over a few times and get to the root of a story. Perhaps there are a few constant threads that you can focus on(Relationship with a loved one, etc). The thing about diaries is that they often reflect a person's whole life, and that's a complicated way to tell a story. I think it's best to find some specific aspect that moves you, and hopefully, has great dramatic potential as well. You've got nothing to lose by trying. If nothing else it is an experience that is bound to expand your writing ability.
 
Re: writing treasure

Thanks Jim,

By "a copy" I mean that the granddaughter translated it to English and distributed among friends and families. As far as I know of, it is not publish and it is in the desire of the family for someone to find it and do something with it.

The way the nurse narrates her story is kind of a timeline-based survival. She does not focus much of family rather than trying to illustrate war crimes, the things she had to go through as a nurse who pretty much was left in command of hospital because dramatic events she explains.

I surely want to find out more about legal rights for this paper... I am planning to trace the roots of this paper and get the rights contact.
 
Re: writing treasure

It does sound like you have a treasure there. Having a first-person account of those events, from that POV sounds very intriguing. Keep us posted as to your progress. I'd love to see how it turns out. Good Luck!
 
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