Tag Archives: Lincoln

Historical fiction, or hysterical? One more time…

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about my next writing project. Now that Hyde and Zeke is on the market, albeit waiting for an official launch (Oct. 9th, hopefully), I’m giving serious thought to doing another historical novel. And why … Continue reading

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A Post-Turkey Post (Encore)

There’s something to be said for writing about the history of holidays, and the one that occured last week is a great example. Just about the time our Halloween pumpkins rot down to puddles of orange slag, Ta-Da — it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Pre-Turkey Post (Encore)

There’s something to be said for writing about the history of holidays, and the one that’s nearly upon us is a great example. Just about the time our Halloween pumpkins rot down to puddles of orange slag, Ta-Da — it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Details can make or break a story

Have you ever watched a movie where someone missed an obvious mistake? Maybe you saw a Roman soldier wearing a wristwatch in some sand and sandal epic, or there were high tension power lines on the horizon of a Civil … Continue reading

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Historical fiction story starters

Every story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. Ridiculously easy, no? The blueprint I use for my fiction breaks those parts down a bit more. In the beginning, there’s a person in a place with a problem. In … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

A Pre-Turkey Post

There’s something to be said for writing about the history of holidays, and the one that’s nearly upon us is a great example. Just about the time your Halloween pumpkin rots down to a puddle of orange slag, Ta-Da — … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Historical fiction, or hysterical?

I’ve been approached to teach a new class: How To Write Historical Fiction. Flattered at first, and confident about teaching in general, I agreed to give the idea serious thought. How hard could it be? After all, I co-wrote a … Continue reading

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Don’t begin at the beginning. How to write a novel–part 18

I blame biographies. And “education.” As schoolkids in America, we aren’t allowed to read about Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, unless we first read through umpteen tedious chapters recounting in excruciating detail his upbringing in a … Continue reading

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