Historical
Clare Chambers: On Starting Fresh and Switching Gears
Award-winning author Clare Chambers discusses the fear and excitement of switching genre gears in her new historical fiction novel, Small Pleasures.
Margaret Verble: On Combining Facts and Imagination in Historical Fiction.
Pulitzer Prize-finalist Margaret Verble discusses the process of writing her new historical fiction novel, When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky.
Reframing Complicated Historical Characters in Fiction: How I Rewrote Wallis Simpson
Historical fiction is the blend of in-depth research and imagination. But what happens when your research doesn't match what you imagined of the real-life person? Author Wendy Holden discusses reframing complicated historical characters in fiction.
How to Use Economic Class to Develop Characters
Author Galia Gichon’s research for her historical fiction novel, The Accidental Suffragist, helped her understand the moment better, and infused what she learned into her characters.
Lest We Forget These Brave Women: On Choosing Characters for Historical Fiction
Bestselling author Natasha Lester (The Paris Orphan and The Riviera House) shares stories about a few of the women she's written about in her historical fiction to help writers appreciate these women and choose interesting characters for their own historical fiction.
6 Things Writers Should Know About the Middle Ages
Knowing what is myth is important in writing historical fiction, but so is knowing what isn't. Author Cait Stevenson shares 6 things writers should know about the Middle Ages to help enrich their historical fiction stories.
When Is Historical Accuracy Inaccurate?
Writers of historical fiction must always ride the line between factual and fictitious. Here, author Terry Roberts discusses how to navigate that line.
Caroline Beecham: On Organizing the Historical Fiction Novel
Historical fiction author Caroline Beecham discusses the trials of organizing her latest novel, When We Meet Again, and what she found that works.
Catherine Hokin: On Following Your Story
Author Catherine Hokin explains how she took her competition-winning short story and turned it into her latest historical novel, The Fortunate Ones.
Jennifer Ashley: On Writing the Whodunnit
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley discusses how she writes a whodunnit historical mystery and the process of writing her latest release, Death at the Crystal Palace.
Christina Baker Kline: On Bringing History to Life
New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline shares insights into the writing and publishing process of her latest historical fiction novel, The Exiles.
My Crawfie: How I Fictionalized a Real-Life Character
Learn from historical fiction author Tessa Arlen how to take a real-life person and fictionalize them for your novel.
Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray: On Bringing a Project to Life
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray share what it was like to co-author the historical fiction novel The Personal Librarian and what they did to bring their subject to life.
5 Tips for Breathing Life Into Fictionalized "Real-Life" Characters
Has a historical figure, a political candidate, or someone else captured your writerly fascination? Novelist EJ Levy shares her tips for how to bring that person to life on the page.
Alka Joshi: On Allowing Characters to Inform Your Sequel
In this article, historical fiction author Alka Joshi explains how the characters from her first book inspired the sequel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and how their story managed to surprise her.
Camille Aubray: Understanding the Nuances of Human Nature
Author Camille Aubray discusses her recent novel The Godmothers, including what prompted the book, why writers should write everything down, the importance of understanding the nuances of human nature, and more.
E.J. Levy: When Your First Draft is Your Best Draft
Author E.J. Levy discusses her journey with drafting and redrafting her historical fiction novel, The Cape Doctor, and why her first draft was her best draft.
5 Tips for Creating a Fully Realized Historical Setting
Research is more than just reading books and articles. Here, author Nekesa Afia gives her top 5 tips for writing a historical setting that will engage and wow your readers.
Nekesa Afia: On Approaching Genre as a Challenge
In this article, novelist Nekesa Afia explains how she initially wrote a romance novel, but then switched over to the mystery and historical fiction genres to challenge herself, producing her debut title, Dead Dead Girls.
Organization for Writers and World-Builders
World-building can be a complicated and extensive task for a writer, especially when you’re on your second or third draft and your story is fully fleshed out. Here are some quick tricks for keeping yourself organized.
FightWrite™: How Do People Who Don’t Know How to Fight, Fight?
If your character isn't a trained fighter but the scene calls for a fight, how can you make the scene realistic? Author and trained fighter Carla Hoch has the answers for writers here.
Pam Jenoff: On Writing About Isolation While Isolated
Bestselling author Pam Jenoff shares how she explored themes of isolation in her latest novel, The Woman with the Blue Star, while writing during the 2020 pandemic lockdown.
What Is World-Building?
You might have heard the term before or are even an expert at it without realizing. WD editor Moriah Richard is here to lay out exactly what world-building is for writers of all genres.
Posy Lovell: On History and Inspiration
Novelist Posy Lovell describes what drew her to write her latest novel, The Kew Garden Girls, and why she hopes her readers will be familiar with the friendships portrayed.