Writing the Historical Road Less Travelled (How to Build a Historical Fiction Plot – Pt.3)

(Continued from Part 1 and Part 2)

History as a whole provides a vast collection of topics that are ripe to be made into historical novels.

Even when you’ve narrowed your interest to a specific historical era, the possibilities are virtually endless.

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How Do You Write a Book?

I’m always taken aback when a non-writer is impressed by the act of writing a novel.

In last week’s post, I wrote about my passion for writing and how, in reality, my devotion to it presents as rather obsessive and possibly a little pathetic.

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How I’m Spending My Summer, 2018 Edition

Recently, I did a mid-year assessment of my progress on my 2018 New Year’s resolutions.

I did this not only to determine how close or how far I am from achieving success, and not only because I’m experimenting this year with doing quarterly check-ins to help boost my success rate.

I also did it because, in the obverse of the famous quote from the mega-hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, “Summer is coming.”

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Get To Know Me (Pitch Wars #BoostMyBio Blog Hop)

A/N: #BoostMyBio is an optional blog hop hosted by Audra (Auggie) Atoche.  It’s offered as an unofficial part of Pitch Wars, a writing mentorship program/contest with a vibrant online community found on Twitter under the hashtags #PitchWars, #PWPoePrompts, and #BoostMyBio.  You don’t have to be entering Pitch Wars to join this blog hop, so if interested, follow these instructions.

About Me

My name is Janna and I’m a writer of adult historical fiction living in Vancouver, BC on the west coast of Canada.

I am new to the #PitchWars community and have already had a great experience meeting other hopefuls online, learning how to write a synopsis(!), and getting my manuscript revised and ready for the main event in August(!!). Continue reading

Rape Culture in the Middle—And Modern—Ages (Medieval Mondays #10c)

The previous Medieval Mondays post on sex discussed perceptions of women’s sexuality in the Middle Ages.

It covered historical notions of women as “misbegotten” lesser humans, as helplessly insatiable and promiscuous, and as ever in danger of being considered unmarriageable and “spoiled goods” if subject to even the hint of impropriety.

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The Joy Burden of Sex for Women in the Middle Ages (Medieval Mondays #10b)

Medieval perception of women’s sexuality

The first two Medieval Mondays posts on sex focused on proper sexual conduct as dictated by the Church.

But no discussion about sex, be it in a historical or a modern context, can be deemed complete without a parallel discussion about the societal perception of women as sexual beings, as well as their sexual agency, or lack thereof.

The two topics are intrinsically linked.

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Saying So Long (For Now) to Medieval Mondays

Three years ago, I decided that writing a research essay on some aspect of medieval history once a month  would be a good idea.

To be clear, it was a good idea.  Although I’d already written the first draft of the first book of my historical fiction trilogy in 2006, I went on a six year writing hiatus after that, during which time I’d convinced myself I was giving up writing forever.

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