Tag Archives: A Writer of History

Popular Posts 2016

29 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Reading, Somewhere in France, Surveys, Writing Process

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Continuing to bring together popular posts on A Writer of History. These are from 2016.

The Art of Esoterica or Historical Fiction Research Using Paris in Ruins as an example, this post illustrates the research required for historical fiction, showing books read and on order, historical timelines, topics explored, topics still to explore, other planned research activities.

Author tips on writing historical fiction from around the web 

A brief summary of books read during 2015

8 Steps for Outlining a Novel – the post uses Paris in Ruins as an example and includes comments on story concept, story outline, chapter outlines, themes, structure, character, time period, and conflicts.

The kind folks at Writer’s Digest selected AWOH to be on their 101 Best Websites for Writers

Historical fiction is time travel for readers. But what does this really entail? How do writers inhabit the mindsets of their characters to create that feeling of being there?

10 Thoughts on Favourite Historical Fiction the post looks at attributes of favourite historical fiction based on reader responses to the 2015 survey

10 Substitutes for an FMA in Writing or how I taught myself to write

Evolving world of book reviews – or where readers go for book recommendations

Derek Birks, author of a family saga set during the Wars of the Roses, discusses the unique challenges of writing family sagas

Beginning in December 2016, I published all the WWI letters of my husband’s great uncle. This post contains the first letter, which was written ‘Somewhere in France’ in October 1915

I hope you enjoy many of these.

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION  FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.

Popular Posts from 2013

04 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by in Historical Fiction, historical fiction blogs

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Last week, I listed popular posts from 2012 as a way of sharing past writing with new readers and of curating a list for future reference. Today, I’m featuring a few of the most popular posts from 2013.

Writing Historical Fiction – Greatness and Great Times … in which I explored a perspective shared by Hilary Mantel who doesn’t “believe in inventing greatness where none exists” and “feels she can write about greatness only in historical moments that have already proved ripe for its flourishing. [Mantel] believes that there are no great characters without a great time; ordinary times breed ordinary people”. The post looks at favourite historical fiction authors and the times (as of 2013) they’ve written about.

Historical Fiction Preferences – Publishers versus Readers … in this post, I had a look at the time periods publishers were publishing in 2013 compared to what participants of the 2012 reader survey listed as their favourite time periods to read. Conclusion? Readers and publishers seemed to be at odds. I wonder if that’s still the case today?

Favourite Historical Fiction … I listed a few of my favourites and invited others to add theirs. The result is an excellent list of favourite historical fiction. In 2015, I invited over 2000 participants to list their favourite historical fiction and published that list as well, in case you’re searching for something to read!

Historical Fiction Blog – Burton Book Review … an interview with Marie Burton who has been reviewing books – particularly historical fiction – for more than ten years. Marie’s blog – Burton Book Review – is still going strong.

What’s in a Name – otherwise known as how I chose my pen name, M.K. Tod 🙂 

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION  FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY (using the widget on the left sidebar)

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.

Looking back – and looking forward

30 Thursday May 2019

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Reading

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Something seems to be happening at A Writer of History. Let me explain. Attracting followers is a slow process. For the longest time, you think no one is interested – or maybe that’s just my own insecurity talking. However, during the past year, new followers have emerged at a higher pace than ever before and the number of daily views is also up. Hmmm.

So … I thought new viewers (as well as those of long standing) might be interested in some of the most popular posts from the past. Today I’m sharing posts from 2012 that attracted a lot of attention. I’ll look at other years over the next week or so and perhaps ultimately create a dedicated page for them.

From the World of Historical Fiction – Readers Share Their Perspectives (2012) … a link to the 2012 reader survey.

Historical Fiction Would Be Better If … 588 readers responded with enthusiasm to the question “what detracts from your enjoyment of historical fiction”

Top Historical Fiction Authors – 2012 Survey Results … 602 survey participants provided their favourite historical fiction authors in the 2012 reader survey. Most of those nominated in 2012 were also on the surveys conducted in 2013 and 2015.

Historical Fiction – Four Top Book Blogs … readers selected their favourite historical fiction blogs/sites. Three of the top four from 2012 are all still going strong.

I interviewed owners/bloggers from each top site. Richard Lee’s interview from the Historical Novel Society captured a lot of attention.

Insights from Hit Lit and Author James W. Hall … I read Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers looking for insights. This is the first of three posts about the book. More Features of Hit Lit is the second post and Hit Lit – the final six features is the third.

Top Ten Ingredients of Historical Fiction … Having read Hit Lit, I then analyzed interviews with and reviews of top historical fiction authors, looked at articles on the ‘popularity of historical fiction’, and the top three reasons people read historical fiction from the 2012 reader survey. I pulled these together into the top ten ingredients.

As always, I welcome your feedback. In terms of looking forward, I want a new theme for A Writer of History and hope that looking back will help.

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION  FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY (using the widget on the left sidebar)

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.