Technique in Historical Fiction

In addition to the goal common to most novels – to tell a gripping story featuring compelling characters – historical fiction aims to transport a reader back in time. In this dynamic, text-based seminar, we’ll examine the strategies some of the great historical novelists of the past and present have used to achieve this special method of time travel. We’ll discuss aspects of research, historical accuracy vs artistic integrity, the concept of the Lost World, how to avoid the dreaded “info-dump” and other common historical fiction pitfalls, historical voice and dialogue, world building, and more. Several brief writing exercises will allow participants to hone practical skills in aspects of the craft of historical fiction writing. Authors examined may include Hilary Mantel, Mary Renault, Peter Carey, Leo Tolstoy, Ursula K. Leguin, Amitav Ghosh, Edith Wharton, Toni Morrison, Gore Vidal, Charles Frazier, Mary Renault, Kenneth Roberts, Bernard Cornwell, Dorothy Dunnett, Michael Ondaatje, Leslie Marmon Silko, James Welch, and/or others.