I find that’s the hardest thing about writing historical novels–getting the little stuff right. There’s plenty of information about the battles, the wars, the huge political movements. But just try to find out exactly what the inside of the county clerk’s office in Sacramento in 1910 looked like!
I usually write a detailed outline of maybe 15-20 pages, including character profiles and brief worldbuilding notes. Sometimes I start a wiki — I’ve done that with the Inheritance Trilogy, so I can easily look up concepts or made-up words I’ve forgotten from book 1 to book 3.
If I had to choose a label myself, I’d call the stories historical fantasy, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter how they’re classified. It’s nice that people place them in so many different categories.
Resources, Industry News, and Member News for Robert J. Sawyer, Stina Leicht, Kay Kenyon, Sam Sykes, Mary Robinette Kowal, Marshall Payne, and Mishell Baker!
Resources, Industry News, and Member News for Yasmine Galenorn and Marshall Payne!
Marshall Payne, formerly a pro musician, has written over 100 stories appearing in place like Aeon, Brutarian, and Talebones.
AFTER THE FALL
I was created by beings who couldn’t touch this world, only watch it crumble.
I was told, “Do not interfere.”
I wasn’t meant to change history, only guide it.
But I broke Directive Three.
Can humans survive a second collapse?
Roxana Arama is an award-winning Romanian American author and a former software developer. Her novels include The Regolith Temple: A Sci-Fi Thriller and The Exiled Queen: A Roman Era Historical Fantasy. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
