Creative Writing: Writing Successful Historical Fiction

“Beneath every history, another history.” So wrote Hilary Mantel in ‘Wolf Hall’. This half-day course will support aspiring writers who already have an idea of another history they wish to share, with practical tips and strategies to help them hone their craft. Aspiring writers of historical fiction will meet like-minded writers and will be led by a tutor who has published and guided other writers to publication. She has studied with Sarah Moss and Tim Leach, well-regarded and successful writers of historical fiction. Extremely well-read and well-informed on a variety of historical eras, she also has a strong track record of teaching history.

This course is designed for aspiring writers of historical fiction. We will look at the difference between historical writing and historical fiction. Ask questions such as, how much license can I take with a historical character? How can I make my dialogue seem authentic yet lively?

Key Learning Aims

• To debate controversial issues around historical fiction.

• To respond to prompts and extracts.

• To develop our writing skills.

By the end of the course, we will have improved our writing of historical fiction or polished a draft we have already started.