To chaperone or not to chaperone? Building tension in historical romance
Romance is perennially popular in historical fiction. The genre demands obstacles to the path of True Love, and history offers so many: stricter socio-economic segregation, tribal loyalties, wars, dynastic feuding, etc. etc. Furthermore, throughout history, with...
The six days of Twixmas: festive writing prompts for the holiday lull
In our final blog post of the year, we invite you to give yourself the gift of time and imagination after the holiday rush. Here are six quick, low-pressure writing prompts inspired by the traditions and customs of Christmases past during Twixmas – the period between...
Obscure historical jobs for your characters
Have you ever thought about the jobs your characters do? Paid or unpaid, their occupations are more than background details – they reveal skills, shape personalities, drive motivations, and can even influence your plot and themes. Several factors come into play when...
Using myths, legends, and folklore to inspire historical fiction
For a writer, inspiration is everywhere. If you’re looking for ideas for your next historical fiction novel, myths, legends, and regional folklore are a great place to start. But there’s such a wide expanse of motifs and archetypes that it can be a little intimidating...
How to choose the right comp titles for your novel
There are a lot of hurdles to overcome on the road to publication. One of the elements that many writers find really stressful is finding the right comp titles. Not only are they an essential part of writing an effective query letter, there’s a lot of misinformation...
Signed, sealed, delivered: using letters in historical fiction
Throughout history, letter-writing has been a vital part of human interaction, connecting people separated by time, place or social circumstances. From the early 19th to mid-20th century, with the rise in literacy and the establishment of postal services,...
Murder in the past: building a plausible mystery before forensics
Murder. It holds a timeless fascination that few other crimes can match. It’s hard to get excited about a character wearing excessively pointy shoes or selling underweight loaves – but when a corpse turns up, people pay attention. Modern forensic techniques are, well,...
How to write a historical series that will hook readers
In today’s publishing landscape, publishers are looking for writers who will establish a following amongst readers, to create loyal fans who will come back every time you release a new book. One of the ways to encourage this kind of loyalty is to write a series, so...
What is ‘filtering’ in writing? (And what to do instead)
When you’re first developing your writing skills, there can be a lot of advice and techniques to keep track of! “Filtering” is an essential writing term that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, but which all new writers should be aware of. Knowing when to use it and...