How to get started writing alternate historical fiction
One of the great joys of being a writer is getting to play “What if”. Historical fiction in particular allows you to imagine the unseen scenarios that led to major historical events. We can create characters and circumstances that reveal the true story (or at least...
Immersive research for historical fiction authors
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20 effective social media strategies for historical fiction authors
Social media can be a powerful and positive tool for authors, but it can also be a minefield to navigate. What should we post? On which platforms? How often? And so on. For historical fiction authors, social media works best when we acknowledge two fundamental...
10 query mistakes that could sink your submission
So you’ve made it over the first hurdle — writing the book. You’ve poured your life’s blood into a magnum opus so breathtaking that the Booker Prize committee will be beating down your door. But first! You have to get it published. There are a few ways you can get a...
Seeing double: What if the untold story you’re writing gets told by someone else?
Picture the scene: you’ve spent years working on your novel about a historical figure never immortalised in fiction. And then you discover someone else is publishing a novel about them. This situation is unique to historical fiction writers: when we fictionalise real...
Underrated primary sources for authors
Just as a reminder for everyone who was asleep at school – a primary source is a contemporary object or piece of writing. Stuff from Ye Olden Days of Yore. The Treasurer of the Chamber’s Accounts (Henry VIII’s soft furnishings bill–here if you’re interested) is...
#12: Writing and self-publishing children’s historical fiction
Episode 12 Writing and self-publishing children’s historical fiction 26 June 2024 The books we read as children are hugely formative, shaping our tastes long after we’ve moved on to adult literature, and often drawing us back to old favourites to re-read to...
Writing animals into historical fiction
For millennia, humans and animals have coexisted in different ways – protecting each other, comforting each other, and eating each other. Whenever your historical fiction is set, if animals aren’t involved, you may be missing an opportunity to give your reader...
#11: Writing historical crime fiction
Episode 11 Writing historical crime fiction 29 May 2024 Learn the secrets of writing great historical crime fiction with Vaseem Khan, international bestseller and winner of the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Historical Dagger. Vaseem, who is also the...