Fiza Saeed McLynn looks back on how she finally became a published author when her debut novel, The Midnight Carousel, came out after years of trying and trying again to get an agent. It’s never too late, she says, and offers the tips for first-time authors she learned from her experience. Way back in April […]
Serious play: the fiction-writer’s balancing act
Researching historical fiction is serious work, as Jem Poster, novelist and professor of Creative Writing, says. But to write engaging, inventive novels is a kind of playing, a balancing act between imagination and facts. His new book aims to guide authors towards writing quality fiction through this kind of serious play. It’s arguable that historical […]
Historia interview: David Gilman
David Gilman’s new novel, Rage of Swords, is the latest in his Master of War series and sees Thomas Blackstone in action in Italy. David tells Historia about the ideas and research behind his book, as well as offering advice for authors — and choosing a delightfully unexpected item he’d like to have beside his […]
The Prompts You Need to Help You Write the Book You Want to Write by Jem Poster and Sarah Burton
How can you take your writing to the next level? In this follow-up to their acclaimed handbook The Book You Need to Read to Write the Book You Want to Write, Sarah Burton and Jem Poster offer exercises and practical advice designed to set aspiring authors of fiction on their way to creating compelling short […]
Show, don’t tell, Write what you know: do they work for historical fiction?
How useful is advice like ‘Show, don’t tell’ and ‘Write what you know’ for authors in general and writers of historical fiction in particular? Jem Poster, who’s an author and an emeritus professor of Creative Writing, takes a closer look. Whatever genre they work in, good fiction writers know better than to give unqualified assent […]
Historia interview: SG MacLean
To mark SG (Shona) MacLean’s new novel, The Winter List, being published, Historia spoke to her about returning to characters we thought we’d seen the last of, as well as how she goes about researching her novels and the importance of place. Shona also offered us some advice for new writers as well as a […]
Historia interview: Alice Fowler
With the closing date for the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition in a couple of weeks’ time, we spoke to Alice Fowler, the winner of the 2020 contest. Like several other competition winners, she now has a publication deal; her short story collection, The Truth Has Arms And Legs, is out in July. We […]
Historia interview: Ben Kane
As his new book, Napoleon’s Spy, takes Ben Kane into a new era, we talk to him about his latest novel, researching historical fiction, and his next project. Ben also offers some tips for new writers. King, your last book, saw the end of your Richard I Lionheart trilogy. Is it a wrench to leave […]