by Andrew Noakes | Nov 1, 2018 | Writing tips
In historical fiction, it’s common for writers to include documents, such as letters, diary entries, and newspaper reports, in their stories. These can be real documents from the period they’re writing about, or they can be fictional documents they’ve created...
by Andrew Noakes | Oct 16, 2018 | Writing tips
Choosing your viewpoint is one of the key steps in writing historical fiction. Third person limited is one of the most popular viewpoints, and it’s not hard to see why. It allows us to escape the confines of a single character’s head, but there’s still plenty of scope...
by Andrew Noakes | Aug 21, 2018 | Writing tips
Flashbacks are an important part of storytelling, enabling writers to connect the events and actions of the present to things that have happened in the past. They’re a particularly useful tool for demonstrating character motivations and introducing plot twists. If...
by Andrew Noakes | Aug 10, 2018 | Writing tips
Most manuscripts I edit contain some grammatical errors, and most of these relate to commas. Good comma usage can improve the flow of your story, add dramatic tension, and give the reader confidence in your writing abilities. Bad comma usage can make your writing seem...
by Andrew Noakes | Jul 20, 2018 | Writing tips
Creating a good plot structure is an important step in writing your historical novel. And within that structure, act one is critical. It’s your chance to pull your reader into your story and show them why it’s worth investing their time. In it, you have to 1) persuade...
by Andrew Noakes | Jul 3, 2018 | Writing tips
Everyone makes mistakes, even seasoned and successful authors. Normally, you don’t know you’re making them until someone else – someone not quite so close to your manuscript – points out the glaringly obvious. So, to help you get a head start, here are the five most...
by Andrew Noakes | Jun 6, 2018 | Writing tips
When you’re trying to find an editor for your novel, it can be hard to make sense of all the different specialisms. Content editor, line editor, copy-editor, proofreader? What do they all mean and which one do you need? To help you make sense of it all, I’ve produced...
by Andrew Noakes | May 9, 2018 | Review, Writing tips
Sometimes you read a book and, from the very first page, you know it’s going to be brilliant. Reading The Scarlet Thief, the first novel in Paul Fraser Collard’s popular Jack Lark series, was, for me, one of those times. For anyone not familiar with Paul’s writing,...
by Andrew Noakes | May 8, 2018 | Writing tips
Why do readers keep turning the page? The answer is simple – they want to find out what happens. But how do we seed the questions that they want to know the answers to? Mysteries, secrets, and lies are excellent ways of doing this. When used alongside conflict and...
by Andrew Noakes | Apr 3, 2018 | Review, Writing tips
(Warning: spoilers ahead.) Matthew Harffy has been one of historical fiction’s best success stories in recent years, going from first-time indie author to landing a book deal with Aria Fiction for his acclaimed series, The Bernicia Chronicles. To mark the release of...
