 Writing Venice's history, one chapter at a time By LARRY HUMES 
EDITOR’S NOTE: Larry R. Humes regularly contributes articles about local history to the Gondolier. His book, “Venice: A Century on the Gulf,” is being published by The History Press. Here, Humes shares here a little of the process of writing the book. When I first came to Venice in January 1962 as a 14-year-old cadet at Kentucky Military Institute, it never occurred to me that I would one day retire to this little City on the Gulf or that I would fashion a career putting words together. And yet, here I am, having just completed a book on the 100-year history of this community that has played such a pivotal role in my life. Since I consider myself first a storyteller, let me share with you the literary journey I have been on for the past three years. I had written a couple novels some four decades before, but had never considered writing a work of non-fiction. I was approached in fall 2022 by Harry Klinkhamer, the city’s manager of historical resources, with the idea of writing a history of Venice to coincide with the city’s upcoming Centennial celebration in 2026-2027. He asked me to consider writing the book since I occasionally lecture on the city’s history and write articles on the subject for the Gondolier newspaper. My initial response was: no way! I realized how much work would be involved in such an endeavor, and I did not relish the idea of devoting that much time to the project. Besides, I assumed my wife, Carol, would agree with me against writing such a book. To my surprise, she encouraged me to take on the challenge. While both genres are challenging, they are different. Writing fiction tends to answer the question: “what if?” while non-fiction is more like journalism. It requires presenting facts in an accurate, orderly manner. That said, I knew that writing Venice’s history would require an inordinate amount of research. Once the decision was made to proceed, Harry and I created a rough outline of what would be covered in the book. I also drafted a sample chapter on 19th century promoter Joseph Lord, a chapter that we used to shop around and garner the interest of a suitable publisher. We eventually focused on Arcadia Publishing, a mid-sized company based in South Carolina that publishes books about local and regional history. A contract was signed in which Arcadia agreed to publish our book under their History Press label, and I agreed to deliver the manuscript by spring 2024. It was time for me to flesh out the conceptual plan for the book and map a more concise way to share 100 years of Venice history in no more than about 40,000 words. My goal was to introduce some of the key figures who had helped shape the city’s evolution while also introducing some of the major challenges the Suncoast faced. Challenges like providing the area with good roads and navigable waterways while also introducing the key events that shaped its future growth. I planned to tell the Venice story in 16 chapters, although the order in which they would appear changed as the manuscript progressed. The first hurdle to overcome was the sheer enormity of the project. To research and write the century-long history of anything was like standing at the foot of a mountain you are about to climb. I decided the only way to overcome the intimidation was to treat each chapter as its own stand-alone project. To keep the manuscript draft on schedule, I set a goal of completing one chapter per month. Most of the work involved doing the research, and we are fortunate in Venice to have at our disposal the Julia Cousins Laning and Dale Laning Archives & Research Center. One of the volunteers there, Clarke Pressly, proved invaluable in helping me discover old newspaper clippings and obscure anecdotes. I also trusted Clarke to look over my drafts for accuracy. Suffice to say he was a godsend throughout the process. A key trait for any successful writer is discipline. It’s not enough to wait for inspiration to strike. During the year and a half it took to write the book, I made it a habit to try to be in my office by 9:30 every morning. And most days, I would keep at it until about 4 p.m. One definition of a writer is a person who must take his excitement into a lonely room. I remember feeling dread many mornings, opening my office door and realizing I would be isolated for the rest of the day. One of the joys in writing the book was the many discoveries made along the way. Refuting urban myths that have never been challenged and eyewitness accounts that gave new perspective to historic events. In those moments, I felt less like an observer and more like a fellow traveler along with future readers. As the manuscript was completed in Spring 2024, final edits were made and I began working with editors at The History Press to conform to their publishing specifications. Klinkhamer assisted by writing the forward and selecting all the historic photographs that would illustrate the book. There is, with any creative endeavor, a sense of vulnerability for the world to judge. I feel grateful and privileged to have been granted the opportunity to share some of Venice’s unique story. We may not be the oldest city in Florida, but we are special. I can’t wait to read the next chapter. The Book’s Debut“Venice: A Century on the Gulf,” written by Larry Humes, will be debuted at the Venice Book Fair on March 15 and at Island Book Store on March 25. The Island Book Store is hosting a talk and book signing on Saturday, March 29. Larry Humes can be reached at 1926Venice@gmail.com The reception at the bookshop starts at 6 pm on Saturday, March 29th and the talk and book signing starts at 6:30. If you plan to attend, be sure and make a reservation as they can only accommodate about 80 or so people. If you live in the Venice area, you can visit the store and pick up a ticket for the book signing or call them and be added to the reservation list. The Island Bookshop
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