{"id":171,"date":"2016-03-30T12:43:01","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T12:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/?p=171"},"modified":"2020-05-24T14:23:41","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T14:23:41","slug":"enjoy-the-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/03\/30\/enjoy-the-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Enjoy the Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_6161\"<\/a>In researching for the book, Get Down<\/em> (this is what I\u2019m calling the book so I don\u2019t just call it \u201cthe book\u201d), I figured it would be a good idea to speak with the \u201cplayers,\u201d such as the prosecution team, defense counsel, judges, defendant, and possibly the police officers involved. Since this case occurred between 1985 and 1986, I\u2019m quickly running into the age-old problem of researching long past events \u2013 death and dementia. At least with dementia, generally speaking, the oldest memories are the last to go.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One of the defense attorneys has been kind enough to help me identify everyone involved in the case. Norm Kinne (pronounced like Kenny), the lead prosecutor, has been dead for over ten years. The other prosecutor is alive and well, but his memory is definitely better on the long-term stuff. We met a couple of weeks ago at a Starbucks to talk about the case. Traffic was thick on Garland Road in the middle of the afternoon that Saturday. A cacophony of noise kept distracting my new friend as well as the flow of people walking by us.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, he had almost as much to say about Kinne as he did about himself. While I had to dig a bit to get his background, he gladly raved about Kinne\u2019s prowess in the courtroom. \u201cPeople should have had to pay money to see Kinne give a closing argument.\u201d (Yes, I think I would pay a few bucks to see this guy in the courtroom now.) He also told me that Kinne had been on the other side of the table before becoming a prosecutor. In fact, Kinne had applied to the DA\u2019s office for years to no avail \u2013 Henry Wade didn\u2019t like Kinne and wouldn\u2019t hire him. According to my friend, once Wade retired and Vance took over, Kinne was finally free to make the switch. I find this story a bit curious. For the most part, lawyers go from prosecution (if they ever sit in that hot seat) to defense, not the other way around, especially if they are as good as Kinne. It\u2019s a reversal of fortune. The answer to this question may have no bearing on the book, but my curiosity is piqued.<\/p>\n

As to the part about Wade not wanting to hire Kinne, it led me to research when Wade retired. If you report dates, you better have your facts straight. Wouldn\u2019t you know, after poking around on the almighty internet, I found an historical list of Dallas County elected officials prepared by the District Clerk. Based on these records, the illustrious Henry Wade served the great county of Dallas from January 1, 1950 until his retirement more than 35 years later on December 31, 1986. Well, as an old East Texas man would say, that dog don\u2019t hunt. Kinne was lead prosecutor on this case in 1986. Clearly, Kinne was hired by Wade or, at least, approved for hire by Wade. To be honest, I\u2019m a bit more thrilled that Wade was at the helm in my story because he is such an interesting historical figure.<\/p>\n

Leaving my new friend to return home to work on my notes, I started thinking more about the direction of Get Down<\/em> and how I was going to write it. All along I\u2019ve imagined it as a creative nonfiction piece, heavy on the nonfiction. After this meeting, however, it became clear to me that there is no way that I will be able to accurately relate conversations or even courtroom arguments\u2014no records are available. This situation brought to mind Truman Capote\u2019s In Cold Blood<\/em>. Capote invented the nonfiction novel. Others have also woven some pretty incredible tales in this genre as well: John Berendt\u2019s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil<\/em>, Tom Wolfe\u2019s The Right Stuff<\/em>, and Maya Angelou\u2019s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings<\/em>. All are considered creative nonfiction pieces.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, I have read a number of novels that could be classified as creative nonfiction but for one distinction: the dialogue is completely rendered from the writer\u2019s imagination. In fact, I recently read a book that could be considered creative nonfiction but for the invented dialogue: The Swans of Fifth Avenue<\/em> by Melanie Benjamin. Benjamin includes so many rich details of the time and events in this book that it\u2019s hard to believe the conversations weren\u2019t directly transcribed. Her ability to capture the lives of these memorable personas must rest on the shoulders of extensive research. Benjamin, of course, never met any of the people she describes in her book \u2013 all were long gone when she started her research and the events were closer to fifty years ago.<\/p>\n

While an outline of Get Down <\/em>is developing and scenes are coming together, I can\u2019t say what the end result will be. This process \u2013 researching, interviewing and writing \u2013 is all about the journey and not focusing on the end result. If you can enjoy the journey, then the destination is just window dressing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In researching for the book, Get Down (this is what I\u2019m calling the book so I don\u2019t just call it \u201cthe book\u201d), I figured it would be a good idea to speak with the \u201cplayers,\u201d such as the prosecution team, defense counsel, judges, defendant, and possibly the police officers involved. Since this case occurred between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hz1R-2L","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":120,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/17\/just-write-it-down\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":0},"title":"Just Write it Down","date":"February 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Every since I can remember I have wanted to write a book. \u00a0 I guess that's not an uncommon\u00a0goal for us humans. In my daytime career, I read and write a great deal, but it does not satisfy my creative needs. 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VRBO in New York City","date":"October 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thankfully, as of the writing of this post, I have (finally!) secured our accommodations for our trip to New York on October 22. \u00a0Everything else - plane tickets, check; tickets to a show, check; reservation for dinner before the show, check - was done BEFORE we even had a place\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/IMG_3524-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/18\/the-next-big-trip-ireland\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":3},"title":"The Next Big Trip: Ireland!","date":"November 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland is a place I've always wanted to visit. \u00a0Partly because I have always been told that I have an Irish heritage - along with half of America! \u00a0(More about that later . . . ) For me, one of the best parts of a trip is the planning stage.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":423,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/12\/reading-corner\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":4},"title":"Reading Corner","date":"December 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever thought about why we read books?\u00a0\u00a0Sounds odd, I know, but sometimes I think about how much time it takes to read a book and have this fleeting thought \u2013 is it worth it? Well, I would say that most of the time my answer is a resounding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Photo-May-24-2-11-29-PM.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/29\/how-to-get-to-crested-butte\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":5},"title":"How to Get to Crested Butte","date":"July 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Crested Butte isn't exactly easy to get to, but there a number of ways to find your way to the mountain. \u00a0Of course, the usual methods are obvious options - driving or flying. \u00a0For some, driving may seem like an unrealistic option due to the distance, but it has a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Colorado"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/IMG_7993-e1438141180714-272x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":414,"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions\/414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}