Bill Scott's Blog - Posts Tagged "baptist"
Never knew I was writing Creative Non-Fiction
I have never been a fan of dry historic facts so, when I wrote 'The Buttercup', I was determined to write it as a story that brought out the spirit of the company and its employees, as well as the compassion and generosity of Andrew Ewing – the man I so fondly remembered from my childhood. The book is, of course, factually accurate, but I also wrote it 'from the heart' and in a style similar to that used by a writer of fiction.
I knew I was writing something a little different but I had no idea that it had a name, until I recently came across the term 'creative non –fiction' - where the goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction, "so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy". That was certainly my aim but it is up to readers to decide whether I succeeded.
I knew I was writing something a little different but I had no idea that it had a name, until I recently came across the term 'creative non –fiction' - where the goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction, "so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy". That was certainly my aim but it is up to readers to decide whether I succeeded.
A bit of a challenge? You bet!
What do you do if you want to write a true story that is fifty to a hundred years old, with few written references or published photographs? That was the problem that faced me when I decided to write the story of The Buttercup and it's remarkable founder, Andrew Ewing, who gave away a fortune in his wish to die a poor man.
I knew the basic story, since I was born and brought up on Andrew Ewing's farm and my grandparents had told me the tale - but there was barely enough for an article, never mind a book, and all I had to illustrate it, were a few family photographs. The only answer was to track down down and interview those who worked for the company and the nieces and nephews of Andrew Ewing - for he had no children. But how, and also, many would be well into old age, since Andrew Ewing died in 1956?
I must have been mad to take on the challenge but I then commenced a three year period of research, which involved appealing for information in every local newspaper in Scotland and going through the birth death and marriage records of the Ewing family.I was lucky, since enough former employees responded to my appeal - some well into their nineties - and amazingly I eventually found most of Andrew Ewing's nieces and nephews. However,for a long time, key pieces of the story were missing and it took me ages to find Andrew Ewing's family photos.
To make my task even harder, I had decided to write the book as a story - which is a bit of a problem when there are key pieces missing and you can't just make it up!
Eventually and amazingly it all came together, but then came the next problem - I had to publish quickly since so many of the people who had contributed were very old and I wanted them to see it. But that's another story and subject for a later blog!The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
I knew the basic story, since I was born and brought up on Andrew Ewing's farm and my grandparents had told me the tale - but there was barely enough for an article, never mind a book, and all I had to illustrate it, were a few family photographs. The only answer was to track down down and interview those who worked for the company and the nieces and nephews of Andrew Ewing - for he had no children. But how, and also, many would be well into old age, since Andrew Ewing died in 1956?
I must have been mad to take on the challenge but I then commenced a three year period of research, which involved appealing for information in every local newspaper in Scotland and going through the birth death and marriage records of the Ewing family.I was lucky, since enough former employees responded to my appeal - some well into their nineties - and amazingly I eventually found most of Andrew Ewing's nieces and nephews. However,for a long time, key pieces of the story were missing and it took me ages to find Andrew Ewing's family photos.
To make my task even harder, I had decided to write the book as a story - which is a bit of a problem when there are key pieces missing and you can't just make it up!
Eventually and amazingly it all came together, but then came the next problem - I had to publish quickly since so many of the people who had contributed were very old and I wanted them to see it. But that's another story and subject for a later blog!The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
5 million eggs given away every year
Five million eggs given away every year by Andrew Ewing's Buttercup Dairy during the 1930s - and that is only the headline in the life of a man who gave everything away in his desire to die penniless!
You would think that such a man would be well known - but Andrew Ewing didn't want any credit and avoided all publicity. I only know the story because I was born and brought up on his farm in the 1950s and have been able to track down many former employees and members of the Ewing family.
The result is my book - The Buttercup: The remarkable story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company, which tells the tale from his lowly birth in south west Scotland through the building of a business empire and finally the giving of it all away.
The 17th century English churchman once wrote "The great and the good are seldom the same man". He obviously didn't know Andrew Ewing.The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
You would think that such a man would be well known - but Andrew Ewing didn't want any credit and avoided all publicity. I only know the story because I was born and brought up on his farm in the 1950s and have been able to track down many former employees and members of the Ewing family.
The result is my book - The Buttercup: The remarkable story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company, which tells the tale from his lowly birth in south west Scotland through the building of a business empire and finally the giving of it all away.
The 17th century English churchman once wrote "The great and the good are seldom the same man". He obviously didn't know Andrew Ewing.The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
