Because it happened: How not to write historical fiction

When I started writing the first dirty draft of Traitor’s Knot, I was so focused on the details of the events, that I often neglected the human reaction to the drama. It’s understandable given that there is so much pressure to get the historical facts nailed. Historical fiction writers have the advantage of knowing what happened to their subjects, but sometimes that knowledge blunts the suspense. This doesn’t seem to be a problem for other genres, with perhaps the exception of memoire. Science fiction and fantasy–your imagination defines what or what doesn’t happen. Contemporary or romance, ditto. Thrillers? You guys are…

The Countess of Carlisle

July 19, 2017June 9, 2024 Categories: 17th centuryTags: 17th century · 17th century social life · Countess of Carlisle · English Civil War · Featured · historical fiction · Milady de Winter · Three Musketeers5 Comments

One of the most intriguing characters in historical fiction is Milady de Winter of the Three Musketeers. Alexandre Dumas depicted her as a lethal spy whose loyalties were sold to the highest bidder, notably the Cardinal Richelieu. The inspiration for Milady was a socialite and renowned beauty of her day, Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle. Though Lucy was not an agent of Cardinal Richelieu, she held court at a time of social upheaval when men were drawing battle lines against King Charles I. The real woman was even more fascinating than the fictional one. Lucy Hay was born Lucy…

Tudor House: 17th century life

February 9, 2017August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: 17th century social life · Brewer's Quay · Crabchurch Conspiracy · Featured · Mark Vine · Tudor House · Weymouth12 Comments

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step back into the 17th century? Last summer, I had the pleasure of getting a guided tour of the English Civil War era landmarks in Weymouth by local historian, Mark Vine. What was then the twin towns of Weymouth and Melcombe, separated by the quayside and a bridge, today it’s simply Weymouth. One of the must see haunts is the Tudor House, a beautifully preserved Elizabethan home. It’s situated by Brewers Quay on the harbour, and if you account for the fact that the quayside has been expanded in modern…

Storytelling makes us human

January 24, 2016August 19, 2019 Categories: CreativityTags: Creativity · Featured · fiction · Human condition · storytelling · Ted Talks · Writing8 Comments

Have you ever wondered what makes us special? I recently watched a Ted Talk, by Yuval Noah Harari, What explains the rise of humans, where he explores the basic question about what makes us human. Chimpanzees are our closest relative, sharing 99% of our DNA, and yet we are as different to them as the sun is to the moon. Why? According to Harari, humans differ from other animals because we can cooperate in large numbers and with great flexibility. How do we do this? Through our imagination. Animals use their language to describe objective reality; in contrast, humans exist in a “dual reality” consisting…

The Royalist Highwayman

November 9, 2015November 19, 2020 Categories: 17th centuryTags: 17th century · Battle of Worcester · English Historical Fiction Authors · Featured · Highwayman · James HInd · Royalist highwayman7 Comments

One of the 17th century’s most infamous highwayman is Captain James Hind. Broadsheets were written about his exploits and he became a folk legend in his day which continued on after his death. Most was fiction, but all of it was highly entertaining. Not only was Captain Hind a staunch Royalist, he was quick with his wits, avoided violence whenever he could, was celebrated for his courtesy, and he had a reputation for being a Robin Hood character. It should be no surprise that he was the initial inspiration for my highwayman. Who was Captain Hind really? His exploits were…