Glenn Shapiro on Writing Historical Fiction After Retirement
Though Glenn Shapiro wrote poems and stories since childhood, his debut novel Cold Spring arrived only after retirement. Cold Spring immerses readers in 1850s America with unexpected precision—a Hudson Valley farm, Pittsburgh taverns, and California gold fields rendered with documentary detail yet animated by deeply personal stakes. Shapiro's transition from spreadsheets to storytelling reveals how historical fiction demands scholarly rigor and emotional intuition, qualities he cultivated decades away from the writing desk he once imagined would define his life.
Though Shapiro pursued a business career, writing has always been his north star. "Writing has always been a passion, going all the way back to my childhood when I would often have poems or stories published locally by the school," Shapiro reveals. "Even in college, as a business major, my favorite class was an elective—Creative Writing—which should have told me I was in the wrong major!"
Despite this early inclination, Shapiro's creative output remained confined to shorter formats. "I think I have always lacked patience and that came through in my writing choices," he explains. "I tended to get to the point quickly and did not hone my skills in longer narrative writing early on in my life."
The demands of career and family further limited his creative pursuits. "As my career went along and we raised our family, I had less and less time, so the notion of writing a novel was really never a realistic thought for me. It was not until I retired that I even seriously considered the prospect of tackling a long-form subject."
When Shapiro finally turned to novel writing, his choice of genre came naturally. "I have always been fascinated by history and love to read Historical Fiction. It marries history with narrative storytelling, so I always feel I am learning while reading a good story," he notes. "It was never a question for me what genre I would write in. The only question was what time period and setting I would pick."
The answer lay in family connections to a specific region and era. "My wife's family settled in the Hudson Valley of New York in the mid-1800's so I decided to work in that setting and time period for my story," Shapiro shares. "The story evolved quickly and I began writing almost immediately after selecting the time and place."
For Shapiro, historical accuracy represents an unwritten contract with readers. His research methodology followed two paths: "I spent time upfront, researching life in each location. That included farming, crops, gold mining, tools, etc.," he explains. "As the story developed, I did spot-research as needed. An example would be when a character was badly injured and a doctor came to see her. I realized I did not know what implements a country doctor in 1850 would have available, so I stopped writing and researched it in real time."
This commitment to authenticity extended to physical locations as well. "When my main character, Cole Thomas, stayed in Pittsburgh during his travels to the West, he stayed at the Old Stone Tavern, which is a real location that did exist at the time of his travel," says Shapiro. "I researched it and even examined photos for the description. It allowed me to infuse a real location with all of its historical elements as a backdrop to fictionalized events."
His research encompassed surprising resources: "One of the most useful sets of resources were the various US Government reports I located. I was able to research crop rotations in the mid-1800s for NY state, crop yields, prices per bushel, labor rates for farm hands, etc."
To Shapiro, these details form the backbone of reader trust: "I don't think the average reader would know if I listed a crop yield incorrectly, but I see it as the contract between the reader and writer. They have to know that the smaller details of what they are reading is accurate, so they can suspend disbelief and immerse themselves in an otherwise fictional tale."
While Cold Spring qualifies as historical fiction, Shapiro views it primarily as a "period drama." "The story happens to be set in 1850, amid the Gold Rush, and the history of that time impacts the characters and story, but the core story revolves around family dynamics and things that relate to any period," he notes.
Shapiro deliberately chose powerful female characters for the novel. "I am surrounded by strong women, including my wife, mother, daughter, daughters-in-law and granddaughters. I wanted to show strength in the women of this story," he explains.
This vision manifests most prominently in Belinda, a character whose journey parallels the male protagonist's. "Belinda is a powerhouse," Shapiro emphasizes. "In many ways, her struggle while staying home was greater than Cole's struggle on the road. But Belinda was not alone as a strong woman. Phoebe, who Cole meets along his road was the epitome of the strong frontier woman. Cole's mother was a force and even Belinda's meek mother rose to the moment eventually."
For Shapiro, the writing process proved all-consuming. "When I get into the flow of a story, I become a bit obsessive. It is almost the opposite of 'writer's block' in that I can't turn it off," he admits. "The hardest part was time management. When the story took hold of me, it was on my mind around the clock. The characters would have conversations in my head no matter what I was doing. My wife would tell you that she essentially lost me for the month that I was most deeply into the writing."
This immersive approach yielded substantial daily progress: "I tend to write between 2000 and 4000 words each day. The characters are having constant conversations in my head and it is all I can do to keep up with them."
Beyond historical accuracy or narrative complexity, Shapiro hopes readers will connect emotionally with his work. "Cold Spring is a deeply emotional story. I hope it will leave readers feeling those emotions," he says. "It should allow them to escape into a different time and place while experiencing a story they can relate to, even in modern times."
He recalls a particularly meaningful response: "When my daughter read it the first time, she had to wait a few hours to call me, so the tears would subside. That was a great moment for me and represents the reaction I hope this book creates in all readers."
Shapiro's transition from short-form writer to novelist represents a story of delayed but ultimately realized passion. While retirement provided the opportunity, the drive to create compelling narratives had always been present.
For those considering a similar journey, Shapiro offers straightforward encouragement: "Go for it! The most important advice I would give is to commit to it and try. I spent years wondering if I could write in longer form. Did I have enough content to create a novel? It turns out I did and the only way I knew that was to start writing."
With a second novel already completed, this one set in World War II Germany, Shapiro's literary journey continues. For readers of Cold Spring, the reward lies in experiencing a meticulously researched historical setting populated by characters whose humanity transcends their specific time and place.
Connect with Glenn Shapiro on social media here.
Very interesting article.