Historical Fiction - Bring the Past to Lifeby Gillian Bagwell |
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Gillian Bagwell's Workshop on Writing Historical Fiction
Topics will include: If not here, where? If not now, when? - Choosing a location and period - Some places and historical periods are much more marketable than others. Don't put a roadblock in your way as soon as you begin. Who am I? - Choosing a main character - Real or fictional? Male or female?And other considerations. Taking liberties with the facts - how much fact, how much fiction? Inventing when the facts aren't known. Tinkering with the truth. Explaining your choices. Writing believable historical dialogue.Avoiding faux-period speech or gratingly contemporary dialogue. How much authenticity is too much? That was no lady - The ranks of nobility, correct forms of address. Like a deer in the headlights - Keeping your narrative voice consistent with the period. What are you wearing? - The importance of knowing about historical costume and how dress affects your character. Sources for learning about historical costume. And so to bed - Bringing to life the physical details of your character's world and making it believable. When you can't get there from here - Using historical maps and online research to get to know your location and bring it to life.
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