⏳ 7 tips for writing historical fiction
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 29 июл 2024
- thank you so much to the viewer who requested this video! it was a fun topic to explore, and i'd love to do this with other genres if you guys would like to see that :-)
here are some other misc tips i didn't include:
- reaching out to university professors via email is a great way to get further insight you might not be able to glean from books and internet searches!
- if you're looking up basic information on wikipedia, remember to check the cited sources-the articles and websites there might have extra information as well, and it's a great way to make sure the facts presented there are legit
- primary sources are KEY if you can get them. (primary sources are basically actual historical documents, maps, images, etc.)
- if writing outside of your lived experience, even if you're, say, a korean-american writing a book set in historical korea, it's good to find and utilize authenticity readers to ensure that cultural, language, and historical elements are up to standard
- in a similar vein, if you're writing a story set in a culture that has been historically marginalized and you do not share that marginalization (ie a white american writing about medieval Japan), I would strongly advise you to consider a different setting if you're considering publication
thank you for watching :)
✨ timestamps:
0:00 - opening
0:03 - intro
1:02 - tip #1: research isn't everything
2:03 - tip #2: avoid anachronisms
2:55 - tip #3: understand reader expectations
3:35 - tip #4: subvert expectations with reality
5:00 - tip #5: pay attention to voice and tone
5:47 - tip #6: consider global context
7:20 - tip #7: why are you writing in this era?
8:31 - outro
✨ music:
Free Music for Videos 👉 Music by Lohfi - Chasing Horizon - thmatc.co/?l=C3B9DFA1
✨ links:
🇵🇸 STAY INFORMED/DONATE: savepalestine.carrd.co
travel writings: wherethehellami.blog
blog: lynndjung.wordpress.com/
instagram (personal): lynndjung?...
✨ my published writing:
"The Fall of Esther Park" via Apparition Lit: apparitionlit.com/the-fall-of...
"Eulogy for a Muse" via The Icarus Writing Collective: www.icaruswritingcollective.c...
✨ contact me/business inquiries:
lynndjungbooks@gmail.com
✨ tags:
booktube, authortube writing, writer, author, speculative fiction, fantasy books, historical fiction, write a historical fiction novel, write historical fiction, historical fiction writing tips, histfic, history, history writing tips, authortok, novel writing, writing advice, how to write historical fiction, how to write history, how to write histfic, historical fiction writing help, historical fiction writing advice, history writing advice, medieval europe, historical setting novel, historical era novel, medieval europe novel, historical fiction books, how to write a historical fiction book, historical fiction stories
This video was written and filmed on Chumash land.
Am I ever planning to write historical fiction? No. Did I watch the whole video anyway? Absolutely. Love your vids 💙
haha I love this, ty for the support!!
i loveee history but i've been so scared of writing historical fiction because it seems so daunting with all the research, but these tips are SOO good. maybe I'll try a short story first hehe. thank you for this video
oooh i would absolutely devour a short histfic story from you!! you're so pretty too kelley
when you mentioned subverting expectations, i immediately thought of the tv show Black Sails, which involves pirates but ends up decimating the stereotypes throughout the show, but especially in the mid-season 2 twist. it's definitely one of the top reasons why i picked up writing again!
anyway, i like this video! would love to hear your tips for other genres
OOh I've been meaning to watch Black Sails for ages and this definitely is encouraging me to finally pick it up!! ty for watching
dipping my toes into (secondary world) historical fiction and this is sooo timely!
I love me some historical fiction, but much like you I'm definitely someone who tends to write more speculative fiction than anything.
I think that my current project is the closest that I'll ever get to "historical." It takes place in 1950s Japan, and I do have a degree in Japanese Language & Literature, so the history can't help but feed itself in there, but it being a dieselpunk story, I definitely took a few liberties with the historical accuracy. Haha (To give a reason for why I chose this time period--for anyone who wants an idea of what to think about for their own stories--it was partially because of my love for classic Hollywood and Japanese movies, and partially because I'm just so tired of literally every English made story about Japan being about Samurai.)
Aside from that, I do have a couple historical fantasy ideas that I want to explore. One set in what I would loosely describe as Heian era (794-1185 AD) Japan, and one in what I would describe as 1930s Appalachia. The latter of which will require some very intense research.
3:58 On the topic of that, I think of the Japanese manga/anime Vinland Saga. In (what I beliiiieve) was the first episode, there was a scene in which the English planned an attack on Saturday because that was bath day for the Vikings. While all the Norsemen were bathing in the river (completely exposed and unarmored), the English crept in from the shadows and led a very devastating assault. I thought that was a really interesting detail that they threw in there.
This is so wonderful! I’ve read several historical fantasy and historical horror books that I’ve enjoyed. Although I don’t write historical fantasy, I will keep this in mind if I ever decide to write it in the future! Thank you for adding the part about authenticity readers! As an authenticity reader myself, it’s always great to be able to help authors with what I’m knowledgeable about and I hope to get authenticity readers for my side characters if my PhD dissertation novel (Adult contemporary fantasy) ever gets published! 🥰
Some of my favorite historical fantasy or horror novels:
THE HACIENDA by Isabel Canas
VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE by Isabel Canas
WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibanez
ONE FOR ALL by Lillie Lainoff (my friend/critique partner’s novel)
THE RECKLESS KIND by Carly Heath (not fantasy or horror, but still historical, also my friend’s book)
of course! authenticity readers are so helpful, thank you for providing that service
i am literally starting a historial fiction book rn THANK YOU
insightful as always, lynn!! furiously writing notes
tysm!!
yo this was sooooo helpful and insightful!! needed this for one of my wips :)
I'm glad it was helpful, ty for watching!!
I’m writing a story set in the future and would love to see a video with tips about that 😊
this is a fantastic idea! I'm currently reading "The Left Hand of Darkness" so futuristic sci-fi has been on my mind a lot
@@lynndjung yes, if you would talk more about sci-fi I would love that, and I have to read that book!
Thank you so much ❤️🫶🏽
Look, I don't know if this is true or not, but I remember reading somewhere that carefully reading about three well rounded contemporary books on a particular subject will put you roughly on par with the average PhD graduate at least ten years out. So the good news there is four or five books may actualy be a little unnecessary, for fiction anyway.
Ong Lynn you read my mind!
Great video! Your discussion of following vs subverting tropes about historical periods was really interesting! I love it when my assumptions are subverted and I get to learn something new or consider the setting through a different lens. Equally though, if I'm looking for comfort and cosiness, I'd probably prefer to follow the trope lol. Where did you read that viking stuff? I'd love to read more
thank you so much! i definitely agree, historical fiction is at its peak when i'm learning new things without realizing it imo. i read it on world history encyclopedia!
if you read it, did you enjoy the familiar? i personally didn’t because i found the characters and the plot sort of boring? i guess i was expecting something totally different. i would love to know your opinion though!
i'm actually still waiting for a library copy to come in so it might be a while for me-that's interesting and good to know though!
I love it... Where are you from?
Southern California originally but I'm based in the Midwest now :)