A New Blog Post Series - "How to Write Historical Fiction" - Writing Tips from HFC

It is finally here! A new series of blog posts focusing entirely on writing. While this is geared toward writing historical fiction there are many aspects that can be applied to any genre of writing. Most of these blog posts come from my own experience and from the plethora of notes I've taken through the years while at a writer's retreat or conference.

As always, these are to help support aspiring writers, especially those seeking to write their first historical fiction novel.

Here is a list of the topics I will cover in this new series:

Storytelling 101 Characterization Story Structure Story Elements

Writing Process Pre-Writing Drafting Revising + Editing

Being an Author Publishing Book Marketing Guest Posts

The Writing Life Creative Mindset Writing Practice

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The first in this series is Characterization, which will cover the following topics, each in a separate post:

What is Characterization? Simply put, it is the development or creation of a fictional character. While this appears daunting at first, especially if you are creating one based on an actual historical person, this can be an extremely rewarding process – one where you and your character connect on a very personal level.

But there is much more involved than just saying, “Hey, I'm going to write about Anne Boleyn or Anne Boleyn's maid”. There are some vital steps needed for you to truly flesh out your character, to make them live and breathe on the page – yes, a well-founded structure behind characterization.

You want your reader invested in your character's goals, motivations, strengths, weaknesses, emotions, etc. - in other words, make them real. So, for the next few weeks, I will delve into the structure of characterization.

Below are the upcoming topics and each will highlight as a link when the article is ready to view.

1st in the series: Characterization

Character Roles

Who is the Main Character? Is it the Right One?

Four Types of Antagonists

Is Your Villain Truly Believable?

Every Character Needs a Supporting Character

Does Your Story Have a “Mentor” Character?

The Do's and Don'ts of Crafting a Love Interest

Sensational Secondary Characters

Elements of Characterization

The Top 35 Ways to Write Strong Historical Characters

How to Build Your Character's Personality

What is Your Character's Goal in the Story?

What is Your Character's Motivation in the Story?

Is Your Character Emotionally Complex?

Does Your Character Have a Unique Voice?

Is Your Character's Backstory Captivating?

Do Your Character's Flaws Make an Impact?

How to Take Advantage of the Emotional Conflict

Can You Define Your Character's Ghost?

Character Arcs

Positive Character Arcs

Negative Character Arcs

Static Character Arcs

Writing Characters

Dealing With Crafting Romance Between Characters

Is Your Novel Inclusive?

Dealing With Emotionally Charged Character Deaths

Is Your Character Relatable?

Yes, there is a Secret to Creating Realistic Historical Characters

Bottom Line – Your Character, Real or Imitation?

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Dee Marley

HFC CEO

Contact me at thehistoricalfictioncompany@gmail.com

or join the HFC FB Group at www.facebook.com/groups/historicalfictionbookclub