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| cover photo by Janice Lang |
Over the
years I’ve read a lot about how different authors construct their novels, and
I’ve tried some of their methods. I’ve used index cards and index cards in
multiple colors. I even downloaded a few computer programs that claim to be
“everything you need in one application to plan, plot, write, edit, keep track
of characters (complete with bios and photos), convert into any number of
formats, write your synopsis, and on and on. (I don’t recall if they went so
far as submitting for you, but I imagine that’s not a far-fetched concept.) But
for some reason, I always want to approach my stories from inside the
characters.
All well
and good. Every author who’s ever written a book has his or her own method of
constructing their stories. In many ways, all share as many similarities as
they do variances. It all boils down to getting from point A to where you want
to be by the time you type “The End.”
But what
about writing historical novels, which present a unique and often frustrating set
of conditions? You have characters who have made themselves known—often by
keeping you awake night after night while they babble on and on about their
lives, loves, and aspirations; distracted by their prattle while you drive to
the supermarket; offering brilliant scenes and dialogue while your dog endlessly
sniffs around posts and mailboxes for messages before taking that last whiz of
the night; or those genius bits of dialogue while you’re in the shower. And,
even if you retain half of that of that inspired magnificence, none of it ever translates
onto the page.
So, there
you have your characters…dressed and accoutered in authentic garb with tidbits of
their surroundings and everyday details to flesh out their lives…while actual
history is happening around them. You want them to cross paths with the army
sweeping down from the north, or be in a particular locale where history
happened, or interact at a dinner with some luminary from the past.
How do you
do it?
When
writing my very first ever historical novel, I stumbled
Of course,
sometimes, you need to “fudge” the actual facts to coincide with the events of
the book, as well as for dramatic effect. For example, in The Partisan’s Wife, I had envisioned a scene with Anne (the
heroine) and her husband Peter riding in a carriage north along Bowery Lane in
New York as a full moon rose over the East River. The scene was amazing to
write, since, due to the number of modern high rise apartments and other buildings on
the East Side of New York, I doubt many on the ground on the Bowery today have
seen a sun or moon rise over the East River in over a hundred years. And
anyway, the moon rise on that particular date was at around 4:00 in the afternoon, when
the daylight was still in full swing.
~*~
Kathy Fischer Brown is a BWL author of historical novels, Winter Fire, Lord Esterleigh’s
Daughter, Courting the Devil, The Partisan’s Wife, and The Return of Tachlanad, her latest
release, an epic fantasy adventure for young adult and adult readers. Check out
her Books We Love
Author page or visit her website.
All of Kathy’s books are available in e-book and in paperback from Amazon,
Kobo, and other online retailers.
So cool. I'll have to download that link for my 17th century novels for weather and event purposes.
ReplyDeleteAltho, I don't favor the word, I, too, must be a pantzer who burrows into the minds of my characters. Outlines and such fall by the wayside almost immediately. Must be the only way to go for the truly gifted, like you and me. :D
I hope you have fun with the links, Katherine. I find them indispensable, especially when struggling to keep track of the actual events when intertwined with the fiction. And, like you, I'm not a fan of the term, "pantzer," but it sorta fits. Looking forward to your "Brides" book!
ReplyDelete