Monday 17 October 2011

Rewriting the Renate Strand


The Hani strand is complete, though there may be another chapter in a final part when I bring the three strands together. Some of the research I’ve completed since I did the work on this strand now means that I need to fit in some more details and alter some others.     
I’ve reworked the opening scenes and inserted details of the train journey up to Hook of Holland. I’ve kept the flashback to the story about the fortunate adult passport but made that happen as she was waiting on the station platform at Nuremberg. I’ve introduced a couple of stories from elsewhere: a baby smuggled on to the train and passed to an aunt in Holland and a couple of children, who, when challenged about their violins, played them to show that they were entitled to them and that they weren’t just smuggling items of value out of the country. This may or may not have happened on Renate’s journey. Both incidents did take place on a Kindertranport train. I’ve also included the brusqueness of the German guards and the kindness of the Dutch women who met the train at the first strop in Holland. No doubt these latter two incidents did happen.
I shall have to rewrite the next few scenes.
I have the rest of this strand pretty well sketched out and have researched the details quite thoroughly. It’s just a matter of making it fit. However, I keep on uncovering more and more interesting snippets.              
Is this actually a never-ending project?  

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