Guest Post by Kathryn Heyman My first historical novel, The Accomplice, was inspired by the 1629 shipwreck of the Dutch merchant ship Batavia and the subsequent massacre on the Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Western Australia. The writing of that novel transformed my imagination and my understanding of narrative craft. That was almost twenty … Continue reading The Golden Rules of Writing Historical Fiction
#HNS2023 Conference Preview by Georgie Blalock The mid 19th century was an amazing time in the history and development of medicine. Quacks and snake oil men were replaced by respected practitioners who finally had effective tools, medicine and knowledge to fight illness and disease. Many of today’s practices have their roots in the discoveries of … Continue reading A Pox on Your Story: Tips for Using Medical History in Your Novel
Guest Post by Marlie Parker Wasserman When writers of historical novels talk about their preparation, they usually focus on how many months or years they spend on research and how much of that research they end up using. It’s common to hear novelists say they spend one year on research and use under ten percent. … Continue reading The Quest for Accuracy
