PHOTO: Tim Ritter captured in a reflective moment by Erin Northrip at Gamble’s Photography.
Bridging Personal Histories And Broader Narratives
Tim Ritter delves into his commitment to authentic storytelling, thoughtful research, and a literary journey that spans poetry, historical narratives, and reflections on the resilience of humanity.
Tim Ritter’s literary world is a delicate interplay of deep emotional resonance and meticulous storytelling, marked by his unwavering dedication to presenting the truth. A writer with roots in the Ozarks, Ritter crafts narratives that bridge the intimate with the historical, inviting readers to explore not just events, but the lives and legacies shaped by them. To him, every detail matters—each thread of research, every rhythmic beat of poetry, every conscious omission. It is this devotion to authenticity that imbues Sarah Burning or his collection Soul Sketches with remarkable candour and lasting impact.
Ritter’s genre fluidity might seem surprising for a man who spent years as a mechanical engineer, but the rigour of his technical background seamlessly complements his creative pursuits. His prose operates like a well-designed structure: intricately balanced, layered with meaning, and designed to endure scrutiny. Whether unearthing the historical complexities of family stories or presenting brief glimpses of vulnerability through free verse, his work invites curiosity while refusing to shy away from life’s raw edges.
Living among Missouri’s rolling hills and enduring communities, Ritter is steeped in a culture of resilience. Yet, his writing transcends geographical borders, offering universally relatable themes of survival, hope, and humanity. Sarah Burning becomes a mirror of collective endurance, while his personal sketches resonate with expressions of pain and healing we all understand. Through gentle nuance, Ritter reminds us that storytelling is both an act of preservation and an exploration of timeless truths.
In Sarah Burning, how did your family’s personal connection to the 1959 fire influence your approach to writing such a deeply emotional narrative?
Every aspect of writing the book was influenced by that family connection. I knew and remembered most of those people, and in some cases could hear their voices in my mind as I wrote, despite the fact that most of them have passed. I wanted to treat each of those beloved family members with the respect and dignity they deserved while telling the true story of their struggles to regain some sort of life in the aftermath of such a horrific event.
Soul Sketches delves into themes of love, loss, and resilience. What inspired you to share such intimate reflections through poetry and short stories?
The writings within Soul Sketches started out as a personal journal while I was in college. I wanted to record my experiences and feelings in very real terms. Eventually I started experimenting with how to get more creative with my writings within that journal, and poetry, particularly free-verse style, allowed me to begin to express my thoughts in the most simple, and sometimes brutal, way possible. From those writings the initial content of Soul Sketches was born. Since it was originally just for me, I knew it had to be honest and intimate, as much of it dealt with painful topics like death, loss of love, etc. To break up the heft of some of the writings, I decided to add short stories, most of them sprinkled with a bit of self-deprecating humour. It created a nice balance between the poetry and prose.
As a mechanical engineer turned writer, how has your technical background influenced your storytelling techniques and research methods?
First of all, I would say that I am actually a writer turned mechanical engineer, as writing was always my first love since I was a child. However, my interest in the technical world influenced my decision to choose mechanical engineering as a career. I continued to write throughout my career, including technical articles for a few industry magazines during the 1990s. It was during that time period, in the 1990s, that my job at that time required me to travel at least one week each month. When I returned from each trip, I issued a report to the entire company, so that they would learn what transpired during my travels. After a few dry reports, I decided to get creative, and in some cases a bit sarcastic, and thus my trip reports took on a flare of their own, and my fellow coworkers reported that they actually looked forward to reading them. At that point I found my writing “voice”, which still continues to this day.
Pertaining to research, I definitely must attribute my methodical and “leave no stone unturned” attitude toward research to my technical career. To design a new processing system or upgrade an old one, you must first research what exists now, what existed before, and what everyone wants in the new one. That’s a lot of research and you have to explore everything. That’s now I write nonfiction: Explore everything.
In your presentations, you explore various historical events. How do you decide which stories to bring to life for your audiences?
Oddly enough, it’s become quite the random thing. I love local and regional history, but through my travels I have developed an appreciation and understanding of the world at large, and enjoy finding interesting and unique international events to bring to my audience. I like to bring variety as well, so some talks will be about events, but others will be about historic figures, or popular personalities, or even a particular topic like local legends of hauntings.
Your works often intertwine personal history with broader historical contexts. How do you balance factual accuracy with narrative engagement?
I find that the truth, and the search for the truth, is usually far more fascinating than fiction. I published a prequel to Sarah Burning in 2023 called Sarah and Orville, which examines more of the backstory of those two key individuals in Sarah Burning. Within the research for that book, there were many family legends to examine and tidbits of history on which to expand. Therefore a considerable amount of the book, while telling family stories, examines information that may be family legend or lore, and breaks down the research I performed to prove, disprove, or re-tell the story based on new information uncovered. The search for the truth itself was interesting, and thus was shared with the reader.
When writing nonfiction, you must maintain accuracy. Period. The craft and skill in writing is making the truth interesting and/or entertaining. This is often done through things like dialogue and appealing to the reader’s senses.
Living near Fair Grove, Missouri, how has the local culture and history of the Ozarks influenced your writing themes and settings?
The local culture and history of the Ozarks has certainly given me plenty of inspiration for my writings and for my presentations. The people of this area have been tough survivors for many generations, and I love and admire that about them. I’m working on a collection of fictional short stories right now, and I find that most of my characters, wherever they come from, seem to have that inherit toughness as well.
However, while this area has a great influence on me, I work to avoid typecasting characters. While many of my ancestors and relatives may have spoken with an Ozarkian “twang”, such characterisation of speech was not included in Sarah Burning. Nor did I give a lot of physical description, because I wanted the individuals in the book to be “every person”, not a specific race, accent, etc. I wanted anyone and everyone to identify with these people.
What key advice would you offer to aspiring authors aiming to transform personal or historical events into compelling narratives?
Be honest, and never stop researching. I had a friend who used to give biographical presentations about notable historic figures. At one point he told me that if he couldn’t find enough information, he just made things up, and that the people listening would never know the difference. I was mortified. You can’t do that. It’s ethically and professionally wrong. As I said earlier, the truth is often way more interesting. So always be honest.
Research never ends. Even when the book is published, or the presentation has been given, more information could be out there. If something new comes to light, consider publishing a second revised edition. Or in the case of giving a presentation, if there’s a return gig, provide an update based on new information. I find that these subjects work their way deep into my soul, and stay with me. So if I hear a new family story, or read about a new discovery pertaining to the Battle of The Little Bighorn (yes, I have a presentation about that), I’m interested and ready to learn something new.
