The History Quill’s Convention for Writers of Historical Fiction
On Saturday, February 5, 2022, I was invited to speak at The History Quill’s convention for writers of historical fiction. My topic was writing and publishing short historical fiction. I had a lot of fun speaking to the attendees and sharing my presentation.
All Creatives Need That Spark
Do you know what I mean by the spark? It’s that germ of creativity, that burst of luminosity that prompts us to say, “I wonder…” after which we spend hours pursuing answers to our questions. The spark of creativity helps us feel or think differently than we did before.
That spark, that moment of wonder, can become a poem, a song, a painting, a film, a dance. It could become a short story or a novel. Sometimes the spark is as fleeting as a lighting flash across a moonless sky and it doesn’t become anything other than a passing curiosity. That’s okay. Not every spark is destined to become a creative endeavor.
How do you know if a spark is merely a passing fancy or something more? If an idea is gnawing at you from the inside out, distracting you to the point where you’re unable to think about anything else, then that is probably a spark that will lead to a project of some kind.
If the idea tickles your fancy for a day or two but then you aren’t interested enough to look into it, then it’s simply an idea, maybe even a good idea, but an idea that’s not for you. If the question “I wonder…” doesn’t inspire more questions, which inspire more questions, then leave this spark aside and find the one that keeps you up at night.
What Questions Guide Your “I Wonder…?”
For those of us who are drawn to write historical fiction, that “I wonder…” is likely to be motivated by a moment from the past. Creative sparks can come from anywhere—a book you read, a television show, a film, a play, an article in a newspaper, a blog post, a conversation with a friend, a family memory that has been passed down the generations.
Creative sparks often come when you least expect them. One of the great joys of writing historical fiction is that your spark can come from any moment throughout human history. Historical writers can relax knowing there is a vast amount of material to inspire us.
Perhaps your spark will be inspired by characters—the people who will inhabit your story. Your characters can be fictional or real-life historical personalities. You can choose to create fictional characters who inhabit historical settings such as the Victorian Era or you can focus your writing on real-life people such as Queen Victoria.
Do you wonder what Marie Antoinette’s life was like, particularly in her final days? Do you wonder what Benjamin Franklin was thinking while he snoozed in his chair at the Constitutional Convention? Do you have a character of your own invention that you imagine wandering the streets of London during the Great Fire of 1666?
Perhaps your spark of creativity will be inspired by a long-held interest in a specific period. If you’re intrigued by Vikings, by the U.S. during the Vietnam War, by cave paintings in France, begin there.
You Should Be Interested in the Idea You’re Writing About
If you’re writing a novel set around the French Revolution but don’t find the details or the people of the French Revolution particularly interesting, then your novel is already in trouble since you’re going to avoid the research with every Excuse you can name. No one wants to study something that bores them.
For all the projects I’ve completed, many more lay by the wayside. If I wasn’t compelled by what I was writing, then I dropped it. If I can’t convince myself that the project is worth writing, how can I convince a reader that it’s worth reading? If you’re not interested in your subject, you won’t write your novel no matter how much you love the idea of writing historical fiction.
If you’re fascinated by the French Revolution, well, that’s a different story. Then you’ll look forward to digging through the archives, flipping through the bibliographies, and skimming for important details as you search for the next big clue that will help you fit the pieces of your story puzzle together.
Some Writing Ideas Come Out of the Blue
While we’re on the subject of sparks of creativity, it might happen that an idea for a historical story occurs to you out of the blue—not based on any previous interest or knowledge but rather some random thought that pops into your mind. You know how those pesky ideas can do that. Then, as a result of the reading that grows out of your curiosity, you develop an interest in the era.
I have this odd habit of coming up with stories set during historical periods I know little or nothing about. In 2009, I came up with an idea for a story set during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Though I didn’t have any interest in the era before, I became fascinated through my research.
How did I come up with a story idea for an era I wasn’t familiar with? It happened when I decided on the setting. As I considered where my paranormal love story would take place, I deliberately stayed away from the Pacific Northwest and Louisiana since other well-known literary vampires live there.
Transylvania was a no-go. I thought of my hometown Los Angeles or where I live now in Las Vegas, but neither felt right. Too bright, I think. I decided that if I wasn’t going northwest then how about northeast? I pulled up a map of the U.S., looked at the northeast, saw Massachusetts, and there in a little dot near Boston was Salem. That was it. Once I settled on Salem, I knew I had to incorporate the witch hunts into my story.
When I was writing the second book in the Loving Husband Series, I wanted to keep everything readers love about the first book while challenging my characters and myself. I had already used the Salem Witch Trials as the historical background in Book One, and I needed something new to introduce in the sequel. I decided that the Trail of Tears would make a strong historical background for Book Two since the events paralleled the story I wanted to tell.
What did I do with this spark of creativity? I spent most of that summer researching the Trail of Tears, again a time I knew little about. In this case, my spark of creativity gave me an important lens through which to understand the story I wanted to tell.
Take Your Sparks of Creativity Where You Can Find Them
My creativity has been sparked by various historical periods. I’ve written about the American Civil War, World War I, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Biblical Jerusalem, the Salem Witch Trials, the Trail of Tears, the Japanese-American internments during World War II, and Victorian England. My next historical fiction project focuses on pioneers on the Oregon Trail.
Jump around much? As a matter of fact, I do.
I think my personality causes me to jump from era to era. I’m easily bored, and once I do something I’m ready to move to a new challenge. What’s next? is a frequent question of mine. Yes, I create more work for myself because I have to research a different era for each novel I write, but since I love learning about history I don’t mind.
Some historical novelists love to write about one specific time period—Ancient Egypt, the American Revolution, World War II. If you’re inspired by one historical era, then by all means stick with it. For myself, I’m happy to take my sparks of creativity where I find them.
Although I’m taking on extra research, I’m writing the stories that are in my heart to write, which may be one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself as a writer—and one of the biggest gifts you can give your readers because you’re sharing your genuine interests with them.
When is the Best Time To Set a Historical Story?
When I was speaking at The History Quill’s convention, one writer asked me when was the best time period to set a historical short story. My answer was whatever time period you’re most interested in. If you’re interested in that historical era, readers will sense it and they’ll be more inclined to join you there.
And if the spark turns out to be a fizzle?
You have permission to leave behind a project that doesn’t suit you. If an idea doesn’t work for whatever reason, try another until you find the right fit. Still, don’t use this as an excuse to avoid writing. If you want to write historical fiction, you’ll need to settle on a project and see it through.