I wanted to mention several things that I’m excited about. First and foremost, here’s the cover design for my forthcoming nonfiction book about the Woodville family. Love it! The book will be released by the History Press in October of this year and is available for pre-order at Amazon UK. Second, the Historical Novel Society …
A few weeks ago, I received a copy of Philippa Wiat’s 1983 novel about Katherine Grey, Five Gold Rings. The novel opens with a chapter showing Katherine’s older sister, Lady Jane Grey, being cajoled, whipped, and finally raped by a man whose identity is concealed from the reader until the last line in the chapter: …
One of the biggest pitfalls which can befall the historical novelist is what has been called the “As you know, Bob” syndrome. This is where the writer, needing to give the reader some necessary information, has one character impart it in a conversation with the other character, as in “As you know, Edward, in 1485 …
As You Know, Bob, When Henry VII Founded the Tudor Dynasty . . . Read More »
I’m going out of town for a couple of days (work, not pleasure, but with pretty scenery, I hope). While I concentrate on lofty, airplane-encouraging thoughts, here’s a question for you: Do you like it when historical novelists include a “Further Reading” section in their books? Or do you find it pretentious and/or unnecessary? Do …
"Further Reading" Sections in Historical Novels? Read More »
There’s been an interesting discussion on Nan Hawthorne’s blog about historical accuracy in which the question of word usage has come up. Should writers of historical fiction try to “write forsoothly”? Or simply to avoid using any words that weren’t current during the period in question? Or should they stick to modern language and usage? …
Over the past couple of days, a few posts have popped up dealing with the subject of historical accuracy in historical fiction, specifically with the question of how one should depict historical figures. Here, for instance, are posts by Nan Hawthorne and Literate Housewife. It’s true, as Literate Housewife points out, that fiction is just …
Since Alianore, Lady Despenser, and Gabriele have all joined the ranks of “Dummies” publishers, I couldn’t resist the urge to expand my own “Writing Made Easy” series.
I should be working, but it’s still Thanksgiving weekend and I’m not inclined to be industrious. Fortunately, I came across this site some time ago (I think it was via someone’s blog, but I can’t remember the culprit) and decided finally that it was time to maximize its full potential. So here, without further ado, …
In Which This Blog Descends Even Lower Into Silliness Read More »
As it’s been quiet in my part of the blogsphere, I’m double posting this one on my Richard III blog. Some time ago (I never was accused of being au courant), rules for writing various sorts of historical fiction were circulated in blogdom. Astonishingly, as far as I know, no one provided any for the …
Ten Rules for Writing Ricardian Historical Fiction Read More »
1. If your hero is riddled with angst, it’ll be because someone is trying to overthrow him, not because he is having a mid-life crisis. 2. There is seldom a need to have one character say to another, “I’ll be there for you,” “I’m conflicted,” or, “You’re just not meeting my needs.” 3. Your heroine …
