MASTERCLASSES
Introducing our online masterclasses...
Our online masterclasses are designed specially for historical fiction writers and feature a wide range of distinguished speakers and useful topics. We run one masterclass every month, usually on or around the first week of the month, with each masterclass lasting three hours and including a mix of presentation and Q&A, with an optional writing burst, discussion session, or exercises at the end. All of our masterclasses take place live and online via Zoom, with recordings available afterwards. Masterclasses are exclusively available to members of The History Quill.
Our next masterclass:
Writing with texture: how to make the past tangible, with Erin Crosby Eckstine
Saturday 8th August 2026, 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET
Your tutor
Erin Crosby Eckstine
Erin Crosby Eckstine is an author of speculative historical fiction and a creative writing educator. Described in Booklist as combining "the lyricism of Jesmyn Ward and Toni Morrison with the speculative historical fiction of Tananarive Due and Leslye Penelope," her debut novel, JUNIE was selected for the Good Morning America book club. JUNIE is a Goodreads Choice Award 2025 nominee in both historical fiction and debut novel, long-listed for the Crook's Corner Prize, and one of the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Best Southern Books of 2025. Her personal essays have been featured in New York Magazine and Catapult Magazine. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their cats, where she teaches creative writing at Sackett Street Writers.
Key topics
What texture means – and why it transforms historical fiction
There's a difference between historical fiction that is competent and historical fiction that is truly transportive – and texture is what separates them. In this masterclass, Erin Crosby Eckstine unpacks what texture really means in practice: the mood, imagery, and atmosphere that draw readers into a fully realised past and keep them there.
Finding, selecting, and deploying the right historical details
From building a personal word bank of period-specific language to identifying the objects, social habits, and sensory experiences that will resonate most powerfully for your characters, Erin will show you how to transform your research into vivid, purposeful fiction. You'll explore how to select details that serve your story – including the objects that carry emotional weight and the unspoken social codes your characters take for granted – and how to balance historical specificity with the universal emotional truths that keep readers connected.
Evoking the past rather than describing it
The masterclass concludes with two hands-on writing exercises designed to develop your instincts for specificity and emotional depth. You'll practise writing through different emotional lenses and layering feeling beneath feeling to create scenes of real psychological complexity – leaving with practical techniques to apply to your own work straight away.
Structure and schedule
The masterclass will take place on Saturday 8th August 2026. All times are given in British Summer Time (BST) and US Eastern Time (ET).
6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET
The masterclass begins. The tutor will welcome all participants and deliver a talk covering the key topics. There will be opportunities for you to ask questions during the talk, allowing plenty of time for interaction. This is the main section of the masterclass and will last two hours.
8:30pm BST / 3:30pm ET
The final hour will consist of an interactive session where you can have a go at practising and discussing the skills you’ve just learnt.
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Both parts of the event will be delivered live and online via Zoom. You must have access to a computer or smart device capable of supporting Zoom and a reliable internet connection in order to participate.
Join this masterclass!
$45.00 USD per month
Membership
As a member, you’ll be able to enjoy this masterclass, and subsequent masterclasses, all included in the price of your membership. You’ll get indefinite access to the recordings of masterclasses that take place while you’re a member, as long as your membership remains active. You can cancel at any time.
Future masterclasses
Thursday 3rd September 2026, 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET
Mastering dual timelines and interwoven histories, with Amanda Geard
Thursday 1st October 2026, 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET
Writing alternate history, with JC Duncan
Tuesday 3rd November 2026, 6:30pm GMT / 1:30pm ET
The four layers of marketing, with Melissa Addey
Testimonials
See what previous participants have said about our masterclasses...
"Thank you to The History Quill for organising such an excellent masterclass; I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot but was also reassured that I'm moving in the right direction with my writing."
"I was engaged from beginning to end. I really enjoyed the tutor's presentation and the exercise afterwards. I’m usually too shy to participate, but I really wanted to join in. I am so pleased I found The History Quill!"
Frequently asked questions
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How can I participate in the masterclasses?
Masterclasses are exclusively available to members of The History Quill, so you'll need to join us as a member. The masterclasses are included in the price of your membership – there is no additional fee.
We will email you a link the day before each masterclass, and you’ll use this to join the event on the day. We’ll also send you a reminder about an hour before the masterclass begins.
All our masterclasses take place live and online via Zoom. You must have access to a computer or a smart device capable of supporting Zoom, and you must have access to a reliable internet connection to take part.
Are the masterclasses recorded?
Yes, our masterclasses are recorded. The first two hours, consisting of the talk and Q&A sections, are always recorded. We sometimes record the optional hour-long session at the end as well, but it depends on the content and format.
You’ll get access to the recordings of masterclasses that take place while you're a member indefinitely, as long as your membership remains active.
Which masterclass recordings will I have access to?
You will only have access to recordings of masterclasses that take place after you become a member, with one exception: we’ll give you access to the recording of a recent masterclass of our choice when you first join, ensuring there will always be a masterclass to watch when you sign up.
Which countries do you accept members from?
We welcome members who are resident in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and any EU country. If you are not resident in one of these countries, unfortunately we won’t be able to accept you as a member at this time.
Please note the stipulation about time zones below.
If I become a member, when will my membership fee be taken?
We take membership fees monthly. Your first payment will be taken when you join, and it will renew automatically every month on the same date.
I'm a member – where can I find the recordings?
You can find the webpage with all the masterclass recordings here. You can also find the link in your user portal.
Can I cancel my membership at any time?
Yes! You can cancel whenever you like. Members aren’t locked in for a minimum period, so you can join for as little as one month if you like.
You can cancel via your online account here. Go to the subscription section in order to cancel. Alternatively, you can email us at membership@thehistoryquill.com and we’ll cancel your membership for you.
How interactive are the masterclasses? Can I ask questions?
There is lots of scope for interaction during our masterclasses. You will be able to ask questions during the Q&A sections, and afterwards there is always an optional one hour session involving a group writing burst, exercises, or discussion.
Equally, if you’d prefer not to interact, you don’t have to. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy the talk. You don’t have to participate in the optional one hour session at the end if you don’t want to.
How does the optional one hour session at the end work?
At the end of the talk and Q&A, we will invite you to join an hour-long session at the end, which will normally consist of a writing burst, exercises, or discussion.
If you wish to watch the session but not directly participate, you're very welcome to do so.
Do you accommodate different time zones?
Our masterclasses are live events, and we schedule them to align well with time zones in North America and Europe. If you are outside of these locations, you can still participate, but it may not align well with your local time zone. You also have the option of watching the recordings instead.
What accessibility options do you provide?
We use live AI captions for the masterclasses, and these are also included in the recordings. Please note, these captions won’t be 100% accurate and may be delivered with a short delay, but they should help people who are deaf or hard of hearing to participate.
How do I pay?
You can sign up for a membership subscription with a credit or debit card. Future payments will then be taken on the same day each month until you cancel your membership.
Which payment currencies do you accept?
We accept three payment currencies: USD, GBP, and EUR. The currency you pay in will depend on your country of residence. People resident in the UK will pay in GBP, people resident in the EU will pay in EUR, and people resident in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa will pay in USD.
What are the full terms and conditions?
You can view our full terms and conditions here.
More questions?
If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing us at events@thehistoryquill.com.