Overcoming writer’s block for historical fiction authors

Overcoming writer’s block for historical fiction authors

When you love writing, it’s terrifying to find yourself staring at a blank screen or an empty notebook, completely unable to summon a single word. Most authors have experienced mind-numbing episodes of being unable to write but, don’t worry, you can break free! What...

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SHWING! 10 horrible cliches to avoid in sword fights.

SHWING! 10 horrible cliches to avoid in sword fights.

It is a universal truth of historical fiction that sooner or later, there is going to be a sword fight. Don’t try to deny it. If your book is set any time before the Victorian era, someone is bound to have a swordfight sooner rather than later. Physical violence is...

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Five top tips for writing a book series

Five top tips for writing a book series

There are a lot of good reasons to write a book series: it allows you to spend more time with the characters you’ve invested in, you can make repeated use of all the research you’ve done for your setting (something that historical fiction is particularly heavy on, of...

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Free indirect discourse: what it is and why you should use it

Free indirect discourse: what it is and why you should use it

Free indirect discourse is one of the most useful and effective tools available to those writing from a third person point of view. It sounds kind of fancy, but it’s actually quite a natural technique (you may have even used it without realising!). So what exactly is...

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Four steps for writing romantic relationships that make sense

Four steps for writing romantic relationships that make sense

Even if your story is not a historical romance, you may still want to incorporate a romantic subplot for that extra dose of spice and emotional depth. But you want to do it well. You’ve read your share of predictable, throwaway relationship subplots that left you...

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How to hook your reader in chapter one

How to hook your reader in chapter one

The first chapter of your novel – or your prologue if you prefer – must contain a compelling opening hook, giving the reader a taste of what’s to come and persuading them that the rest of your story isn’t to be missed. Get it right and your reader will commit to your...

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A guide to capitalising titles and ranks

A guide to capitalising titles and ranks

If you’ve ever had a hard time wrapping your head around when you should and shouldn’t capitalise words like ‘sergeant’, ‘doctor’, ‘queen’, and ‘sir’, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re not alone. Probably about half of the manuscripts I edit contain...

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Four ways theme can help you write with meaning

Four ways theme can help you write with meaning

Despite being a highly neglected element of storytelling, theme is in fact one of the most powerful tools at your disposal as you plan, write, and revise your novel. In school, many of us learn to identify a theme as a single word or phrase, a broad topic explored in...

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