I’m writing a story set in 1890s Paris, France. I have a history book that tells me that this is a time of great upheaval. They are rebuilding the streets of Paris. Widening them and straightening them.

Of course this means taking away land, building and homes that have been in families for decades, centuries. Napoleonic law is about rules, it doesn’t care about people.

How do I include the stories about corrupt construction, building supplies that vanish, people thrown out in the street, rich aristocrats buying houses for a song and selling them to the government for ridiculous prices because they have good connections.

Those stories have little to do with the story of my heroine, but they are happening all around her. She has to notice them.

Writing gurus tell me that I can’t include anything that is not vital to the story or the TV-cell phone addled reader will drop my story and go to something that has more action.

The little things like the land grab make the background of the story I’m writing. They show why things happen in the story.

Has it gotten to the point where the only thing that readers care about are super heroes and the super heroes only care about super villains.

Not caring about the details or the real world does make writing a book easier.

Stay strong, write on.

Professor Hyram Voltage