I can't give all the details yet but i need a few helpful ideas from the older crowd. I am 27 and most of route 66's motels and roadside attractions have either been built atop of or have been abandoned or returned to the soil. I need a list of places that are either still there, long gone, and or closed but physically still there. The character in the book will visit or stay at multiple locations and will complete the full length of the mother road. I unfortunately have not had the pleasure of traveling the whole road, nor traveled during its prime (1950's) as i was born in 1984.. i am a youngin on here in some cases. So i need your suggestions for places to eat, stay, and visit (both past and still present) for my character in my book. All suggestions welcomed. And pics of the locations and a little info such as location and why you recommended it etc is greatly appreciated. What is it that you remember most or miss most that was on route 66? Thanks guys! Now lets get our kicks remembering Route 66... thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
Hooley lives on route 66. He will not eat in a restaurant that has Route 66 in its name. He says that he has had poor luck with any of these. I like the ones that just say "Eat" John
This little place is on Rt 66...east of Joplin...don't know much about it other than it was closed. West of Joplin there are places on the road that the Rt. 66 logo is painted directly on the road...don't know if that would fit into your story... In Carthage, there is the RT. 66 drive-in theater, thot I had a pic of it but don't...that might fit into your story...and in Carthage there are lots of historical places... IF I can help you with your story in anyway, please don't hesitate to PM me...I've written five books so far, and currently have a 95,000 word thriller out to several agents at this time... PS, the Wigwam Tepees motel is still alive and going strong. If you want to get a sense of what growing up was like in the 50's...read this thread in its entirety... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54322 R-
I have not been on 66 much myself, but just a suggestion, Guy Fietti(sp?) does that Drive ins, diners and dives, he did at least one episode about Rt 66...you might do a search on his show about it and might be able to see the episode...would even give you a reality check on the actual table fare at some of the places....
Doug I'm a technical writer/trainer by trade not a creative writer but I think you have the right idea. Get yourself a couple/three good SME's (Subject Matter Experts) from here on the HAMB. Start writing and use these guys as a sound board to see if what you are writing sits right with the way it used to be OR could have been. Two words of advise, only use a few SME's as you will never get them all to agree AND go and see route 66 for yourself. You are a writer you know you need to do it for the project, to get the feel & take a ton of pics. Stop at some of the old looking places and see if any old timers are around and get some info local history from them. Pick out the towns you want to use, sting in some time lines and charater plot, then push it out to your selected SME's for a look see. I was born in 72 so I'm not much older than you but I know alot about desktop publishing and I would love to be part of your project. I would not consider myself a content SME but a tecnical one. Good luck.
Michael Wallis is your source for Route 66 info. He traveled it 30+ years ago and wrote Route 66: The Mother Road. He still guides trips on Route 66 and teaches a three-day seminar on it. Originally from St. Louis, he now lives in Tulsa, Ok
There are several good books about Route 66 and at least one good documentary that I saw a few years ago (sorry, don't remember the title). Those should give you plenty of detailed info that you can then bounce off of those who actually remember.
Cruise over to Flagstaff AZ and ride down the main drag after dark on any night and you will get a feel for what stuff was like. For that matter, when you do this little field trip, stop in Kingman, Williams, and any of the old Route66 towns in AZ. Most are pretty well preserved by comparison to the rest of the country.
I drive truck over the road and have been on parts of RT 66 the next time I run it and if not to late for your book I will be happy to get some pic's for you. Most of RT 66 is now CA I 15, CA I 40, AZ I 40, NM I 40, TX I 40, OK I 40, OK I 44, MO I 44 and IL I 55. The sad thing is their is very little left of old RT 66 and most of what is left is in CA, AZ, NM, and TX, even less of it is in OK, KS, MO. I am not even sure if any of old RT 66 is left in IL. here is a page that may be of some help http://www.theroadwanderer.net/rt66Links.htm
Awesome awesome awesome! Thanks for all of your kind support. I have a basic idea of the twist in the story. But in a nut shell the book will take place in modern times with a few mental throw backs to emphasize how majestic this road way is/was. I will definitely use you guys as a support group during the development of my first novel. I have written many articles on my website (below). This idea of starting a novel is from a dream i had a few weeks back. Which gave me the basis and twist for my book idea. I won't reveal the full story on the hamb because i want the story to be a surprise. If i am able to get this published, giving back to the hamb community would be first on my list with a donation of a few books to raffle. Thanks guys! I will be posting a conceptual route and itinerary of stops and such through out the next few months. With your help and input, it shouldn't be too hard. Thanks! thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
Writing a novel isn't the easiest "job" in the world...and it is a job...do not take it for granted. I've read some of your blog, but that's a lot diffferent than writing a coherent novel. FWIW, it's taken me over 10 years and over 8 rewrites on my 'thriller.' Unless you've a gift for writing (and I sincerely hope you do) do not expect it to be done in a few sittings or a few simple keystokes... Your character(s) will take you on a "ride" you never even envisioned (and sooner or later, you'll understand that statement)...have fun and good luck. R-
I'm on the road now, away from my stash of Rt 66 images or I'd post a few up. The wife & I did the Santa Monica to Lake Michigan run in 2009, stayed on 66 as much as we could, even when it turned to crap. My family came to California in 1961 in a pair of DeSotos (a '52 & a '54) and I remember the trip fairly well. I guess I'm not much of a youngster anymore at the age of 64, the memory hasn't faded yet My avitar photo is from that 2009 trip...also was on the cover of Diamondback Tires catalog that year..
Trusting the memory of a bunch of us 60 or 70 year olds might not be the most reliable source of information. I wouldn't be much help, hell, my grand kids let me hide my own Easter eggs!
I drove Rt 66 from St Louis, MO. to Los Angeles, CA. about 20 round trips. I also used the turnpikes in OK. after they opened. I believe The big Texan Resturant is still open in Amerillo. Other than that, it was Foster freeze, A&W root beer drive ins, and truckstops. Bruce Works good. Lasts long time
Get the story right. Don't worry much about the settings and details, write it how you think it would have been. Then clean up that stuff in rewrite. Also, read fiction written in the time you want, hopefully set in the place you want. Matt Helm, John D MacDonald, etc were good at setting a local scene.
Good luck selling you idea to a publisher..it will be your biggest challenge. Be persistant and handle the rejection becuase you will get a lot of it. Stay with it. Stay true to your original idea. I imagine its a lot like pitching a TV show to a producer in many ways. The print market is being very picky these days for obvious reasons. Stick with the plan and send out a million query letters. It only takes one positive response from a majiot publisher to set the game in motion. Have a sample chapter ready. Publishers rarely take half baked ideas.. this is only the start. There is more. Spike
Thank you all. Yes i know it will be a long road. Rejection is more likely to be a reoccurring theme but i am very persistent. I know that this will be a fun but bumpy long hard road with as many twists and turns as the mother road herself thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
The main character in my book is in his mid 70's. He wakes up in his car parked in a parking lot in santa monica. He isn't sure how he got there. He lives near Chicago, so he is very surprised when he wakes up 2030 miles away from home. He looks in his car for clues as to how he got to California. He finds items that will help him later in his adventure and items that will aid in refreshing his memory. He finds a match book with a road side attraction depicted on the cover. The road side attraction is located a few miles away so he starts there to ask some questions to see if he can put the pieces of his puzzle back together and figure out how he traveled 2000 miles without remembering it. On the way he will unravel who he is, why he can't remember anything, and memories of traveling Route 66 when he was younger. The reader will be able to follow along and even take the trip in real life to follow the character in this story. Should be fun! thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
Understated. Rejection is huge part of writing...if you can't handle it, don't start...!!! There's a ton of competition - internet mostly, but Amazon.com and e-publishing is coming on hard. A million might be a 'small' amount, but sometimes it takes that much. Most agents/agencies will not accept mailed in manuscripts these days ...preferring you send everything via e-mail. But when you get that positive e-mail back asking for the whole MS, don't be fooled into thinking you just hit the jackpot...that 's only the second step in a long journey... Agencies will ask for a "query" letter (and a synopsis of the story) first, so they can see if they like your idea. The completed story/manuscript must be ready to send when they ask for it, IF they like what you are pitching. Most will not accept a query letter unless the manuscript is completed. Some agents do ask that you send a chapter or three so they can gauge your writing style, and if there are misteaks...ehrrr...uhm...mistakes in your grammar, punctuation, etc., on what you submit. Spike is quite correct...there is more...and lots to learn on writing query letters, agencies/agents and submissions...it's a tough row to hoe. R-
Understood completely. But nothing worth doing is easy. Thanks for the insight thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
If i was you id include vintage pictures alongside the places today, showing how theyve changed. It would be extra cool if they were nod efnt but were great and colorfull in their heyday.
So far we have a few locations for my character to visit. 1.Santa Monica Pier 2.Wig wam motel in california 3.a gas station in (which i am researching) west of joplin. 4.route 66 drive in. Located in carthage What else can we come up with? thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
There is an interesting gas station at the restored town of Red Oak II just east of Carthage. It is a Phillips 66 station that has appeared on many calender photos. The Rainbow bridge just east of Baxter Springs, Kansas is worth seeing. The Coleman Theatre in Miami, OK is a famous business on route 66. I know the owner of the 66 Drive In. He opened it for me so that I could take one of my HAMB Drags 66 cruises there. I will help you all I can. Just ask. John
One thing that might be worth keeping in mind... before the interstate, when it was the main road across country, no one thought of it the way they do today. It was overcrowded and dangerous with frequent accidents. At the height of summer could be clogged with traffic. All kinds of transport trucks as well as cars. It was a great relief to go sailing down the interstate, as soon as it opened. No one missed the old road until many years later. In other words, it might be more historically accurate if at least one of your characters found it a pain in the ass. Stuck in traffic, slowed to a crawl through every hick town, indigestion from eating in greasy spoons, hot and sticky in a car with no air, gouged by gas stations and so forth. Just couldn't wait to get where he (or she) was going.
Duude...there's so much.... Cozy Dog in Springfield IL, (arguably)the birthplace of the corndog, run by the Waldmire family....Bob Waldmire became 'the' artist of Rt 66. (met him by pure luck in Vega TX on one of my 66 trips) Bob owned a place in Hackberry AZ(another interesting location) Ted Drewes frozen custard stand(house, actually) west of St Louis. Chain of rocks bridge in St Louis. Blue Swallow motel in Tucumcari NM. Angel Delgadillo's barber shop in Kingman AZ... Man ,there's a TON of places on 66...
The little town in Arizona, I think it is Williams, that has the train out to the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon side trip would sure be in most stories of travelers or tourists in the western area. Sedona is a very picturesque town that may be a side trip also.
Awesome! Again the Hamb'rs come through. I have seen the blue whale before. I will definitely use it in the book as a place for my character to reflect. I haven't named my character completely yet. But his first name is going to be Jeff, as a tribute to my late best friend Jeff Dunn. Not sure of his last name. Not that it will play much in the story. Keep the destinations, attractions, and roadside relics coming.. thanks guys! thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
Anyone know of any roadside relics or places that are no longer in operation or no longer there? I need a few examples of those too. thanks, Douglas Johnson "Skrach" www.VividlyVintage.com
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