HNSNA Blog -- Conference Posts & Articles Contributed by Historical Novelists
In dozens of articles submitted by HNS members, explore the craft of writing historical fiction, including research tips, plotting techniques, character development, time periods, setting descriptions, and more! Also read posts related to the HNSNA Conferences.
How to Capture the Voice of Your Time Period
Read Folklore, Songbooks, and Popular Literature Guest Post by Laura Vogt — How do you capture the voice, rhythm, and nuance of […]
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BEST CURRVE Checklist for Self-Editing
What I Learned Judging the Edgars Guest Blog Post by Bradley Harper — It’s 2020, and I’m sheltering at home with nothing […]
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Three Elements of a Great Historical Series Detective
Guest Post by Elizabeth Springer — My favorite kind of novel to read is a historical mystery. There are lots of great things […]
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Cookware Across Centuries
Guest Post by Sara Dahmen — Everybody eats. No matter what period we write in, our characters need to eat and drink. Someone […]
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Finding the Soul of a Place: Bringing History to Life
Guest Post by Pamela Pan — A well-written historical novel makes us see, hear, and taste a bygone time and place. […]
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Why the Little Things Matter: The Small Details That Make Historical Fiction Feel Alive
Guest Post by Sarah Stegall — One of the things I love most about writing historical fiction is how quickly […]
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The Emotional Punch of Period Details
And How to Use Them to Deepen Your Characters Guest Post by Martha Conway — Most of us settle into […]
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Preserving Research Materials from Grandma’s Attic
Guest Post by Janis Robinson Daly — In our digital age of record keeping, photography, e-books, AI, and privacy controls, what will […]
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How to Write Dual Timelines that Captivate Your Readers
Guest Post by Jeannette de Beauvoir — Here’s the nightmare scenario: You write a novel with more than one timeline, because . . […]
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Research with Purpose: Finding the Story Inside History
Guest Post by Maryka Biaggio — I write historical fiction about real people, and I’m often asked where I find my subjects. […]
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Historical Ways to Kill Off a Character
Guest Post by Sally Bays — There can be something decidedly satisfying about killing off a literary character. While some authors […]
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Add Texture to Your Novels with Three Unconventional Resources
Guest Post by Abby Murphy — If you’re researching a historical novel, chances are you’ve exhausted the usual sources: scholarly texts, articles on JSTOR, […]
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