Writers' Narrative March 2025

EDITORIALTEAM

WendyH.Jones-EditorinChief-isalsoourExecutiveCommissioningandFeaturesEditor.Sheisthe multi-award-winning,best-sellingauthorofadult crimethrillersandcozymysteries,children’spicturebooksandnon-fictionbooksforwriters.Inaddition,sheisawritingcoach,partnerin Auscot Publishing and Retreats andhoststheWritingandMarketingShowpodcast.

SheenaMacleodisourDeputytotheEditorinChief. Sheoverseestheday-to-dayproductionanddesign. Sheis authorofthehistoricalfictionnovels,ReignoftheMarionettesandTearsofStrathnaver,andco-authorofthenonfictionbookSo,YouSayICan’tVote!FrancesConnelly.

PaulineTaitisoursubmissionsmanager.Sheisanaward -winning&bestsellingchildren’sauthor,romantic suspensenovelist,andwriting&publishingmentor tochildren’sauthors.SheisthevoicebehindReluctantReaders,aweeklynewsletterforparentand carersofchildrenwhofindreadingachallenge.

AllisonSymesisourCopyEditor.Sheisanawardwinning,publishedflashfictionandshortstorywriter. Shealsowritesaweeklycolumnontopicsofinterest forwritersforonlinemagazine, Chandler's Ford Today.

Susan McVeyisourContentEditor.Susanwrites dystopianfictionandfantasynarratives,tailoredfor theyoungadultandteenageaudience.ShepublishesunderMartiM.McNair.Herworksinclude Island of Ruin (RuinorRedemptionBook1).

MaressaMortimeroverseesourmarketingandoursocial mediaengagement.MaressaisauthoroftheElabi Chronicles, Burrowed and Sapphire Beach.

EditorinChief

DeputytoThe EditorinChief

SubmissionManager

CopyEditor

ContentEditor

Marketingand Promotions Manager

Writers’ Narrative is published monthly by Scott and Lawson Publishing. Graphic Design by Sheena Macleod. All contents Copyright © the individual authors and used with their permission. All rights reserved. Featured AuthorInterview with FionaVeitchSmith HistoricalFictionandNonfiction

writersnarrative@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/WritersNarrative

Signupforourmonthlynewsletter subscribepage.io/WritersNarrative Findusat

https://www.instagram.com/writersnarrative/

https://twitter.com/WritersNarrativ

IhavetoadmitIlovehistoricalbookswhether fictionornon-fiction,sothismonth’smagazineisdeartomyheart.Perioddramasare alsoextremelypopular,leadingtoanincreased readershipforallthingshistorical,soisittime foryoutoexplorewritinghistoricalbooks?

Iamcurrentlywritingaseriesofnovelsbased onthelifeofan18th Centurynavalsurgeonand amthoroughlyenjoyingdoingso.Yes,itisa stepoutofmyusualgenre,buttheprocesshas beenfascinatingandisstretchingmeasawriter.

Tohelpyouintheprocesswehaveaninterview withFionaVeitchSmith,agoldenagecrime writerwhogivesusherbestadviceonwriting historicalfiction.

Witharticlesonhowtowritehistoricalfiction andundertakingyourresearchwehaveyoucovered. ArchivistNickMillsbringsusahumorous yetpertinentlookatarchivesinVisitinganArchiveforHistoricalResearch.

Withourusualpoetry,FromTheDeskofthe OfficeDog,LibraryoftheMonthandBookshop oftheMonth,toourmonthlywritingprompts, thereisplentyforeveryone.

Enjoythemagazineandletusknowifitinspired youtolookatwritingahistoricalbook,articleor shortstory.

Wendy H. Jones

Editor in Chief Wendy H. Jones Author, Publisher, Writing Coach

FeaturedInterview: FionaVeitchSmith

InterviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Wendy H. Jones interviews award winning mystery writer Fiona Veitch Smith

Fionaistheaward-winningauthorofPoppy DenbyInvestigatesandtheMissClaraVale Mysteries.Welcome,Fiona,itislovelytohave youjoinushereatWriters’Narrative.Thank youfortakingthetimetoanswerourquestions.

Whatdrawsyoutohistoricalfiction,andhow doyouchoosethetimeperiodsyouwrite about?

Igrewupreadinghistoricalfiction:JeanPlaidy, PhilippaGregory,BernardCornwall,Wilbur Smith,AnyaSeaton,tonameafew.Ithenread foradegreeinhistory.Ispecialisedinearly20th centuryhistoryandthat’swhatgotmeintothe periodInowwritein.Itisafascinatingtime,just ontheedgeoflivingmemory,butfarenough awaytobe‘anothercountry’.Itlaidthefoundation–forgoodandill–forsomuchofourworld today:notleasttheenormousadvancementin women’srights.Butitistheearly20thcentury musicandfashionthatbringsitaliveforme.

MyfirstbookinthePoppyDenbyseries, A FrontPage Murder, (firstpublishedas The Jazz Files) wasoriginallygoingtobesetin1912,butwritingitwaslikewadingthroughtreacle.Itwas

FionaVeitchSmith

whenIwaslisteningto1920sjazzclarinetmusic thatsuddenlytheworldlitup,andImovedthe bookintoanotherperiod.

Howdoyoubalancehistoricalaccuracywith storytellingandcreativeliberties?

Itrytobeashistoricallyaccurateaspossible. Althoughmyeditorhasrecentlybeenchanging thatphraseto‘historicallysensitive’.AndIthink she’srighttodoso.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Accuracyisahardtaskmaster.Itrymybestbut stilloccasionallygetthingswrong.It’snotwhat youknowiswrongthat’stheissue,it’swhatyou don’tknowthatyoudon’tknow.IfIknowingly changesomething–andIwillonlydosoinservicetothegreaterneedsofthestory–Iwillalwaysmentionitinmyhistoricalnotes.In Murder

at the Old Vic Theatre,IhavetheRussianEmbassyontheedgeofthegroundsofKensingtonPalacein1920.Butitonlymovedtothatlocationin 1924.However,Ineededmycharacterstobe heldcaptiveintheembassyandthenflee throughthegardenstothepalace.Ifeltthiswas worthtakinglibertiesoverandIadmittoitatthe endofthebook.Butthisisarareoccurrence.

Sometimesratherthantakingliberties,tryingto findahistoricallyaccuratealternativecanactuallyenhancethestory.In The Picture House Murders, setin1929,Iwantedmydetective,Clara,to liftfingerprintswithSellotape. However,IdiscoveredthatclearSellotapewasonlyinventedin 1931.Insteadoftakingaliberty–Iwasonlytwo yearsout,afterall–IdecidedthatClarawould havetousethemorecumbersomemethodof photographingeverything in situ.Thisopenedup otherplotpossibilities–includingaromanticinterludeinthedarkroom!

Whatresearchmethodsdoyouusetoensure authenticityinyoursetting,characters,and dialogue?

Ireadextensivelyaroundtheperiod.Igotoexhibitions.Iwatcheverythingonthetellysetinthe 1920sor30s.Ilistento20sand30smusic.Iama memberoftheArtDecoSocietyoftheUK.Imake vintageclothesfrompatternsoftheperiodand dressmycharactersinthem.In The Penford Manor Murders (comingouton15th April),Clarawears abeautiful,teal-colouredChanel-inspireddress froma1931pattern.Imadethatdress.

Intermsoflocation,Icollectvintageguidebooks: Muirhead’s London, Baedeker’s Berlin, Cook’s Cairo andperiodguidebookstoNewcastleupon TyneandYorkareallonesIhaveused.Ifyou wanttoknowpostagecosts,busroutenumbers orevenwhattopackforatripuptheNile(opium totreatdickytummies,apparently),thenit’sall intheguidebooks.

Intermsofdialogue,Ireadbookswritteninthe period:AgathaChristie,EvelynWaugh,Dorothy L.Sayers,RoseMacaulay,VeraBrittain,ChristopherIsherwoodetc.,whichsteepmeinthelanguageofthetime.

Haveyoueveruncoveredsurprisinghistoricalfactsthatchangedthedirectionofyour story?

Idiscoveredthatitonlytakes72daystomummifyabody!Thatstartedmeouton The Pyramid Murders.

Howdoyouhandlegapsinhistoricalrecords orconflictingaccountsofevents?

Thisissomethingthathappensinearlierhistoricalperiodsratherthanmine.Thereareveryfew gapsintheearly20th centuryasfewrecords havebeenlostordestroyed.Butwhenthereare gaps,Iseethatasanopportunityforthenovelisttofillitwiththeirown‘whatmighthavehappened’–butdoadmittoitinthehistorical notes.

Whataresomecommonmistakeswriters makewhenwritinghistoricalfiction?

ThemostcommonmistakesIseewithaspiring historicalnovelistsareflipsidesofthesame coin:historicalpedantryandhistoricalcarelessness.

Somewritersgetsoboggeddownintheexact detailofhowmanybuttonsareonatunicthat thestorybecomessluggish.Ontheotherhand, therearewriterswhoallowthedramaoftheir storytotakeoverandallowtoomanyanachronismstoslipin.Thekey,asalways,isbalance: aimforhistoricalsensitivitywithoutpedantry.

Howdoyoucreatecompellingcharactersthat feeltruetotheirtimeperiodbutalsoresonatewithmodernreaders?

I’vediscoveredIcan’tpleaseallreadersatthe sametime.Mymaincharactersarewomen,forgingcareersinaperiodwhenitwasdifficulttodo so.Theyareoccasionallycriticisedbysome readersforbeingtoomodern:awomancouldn’t dothisorwouldn’tdothat.However,Itakeas inspirationtheeccentric,adventurous,convention-defyingwomenoftheinterwaryears.The AmeliaEarharts,theGertrudeBells,theDorothy Hodgkinsofthetime.Thesewerenotconventionalwomen.Idon’tbelievemymodernreaderswanttoreadaboutdowntroddenwomen. Theywanttoreadaboutwomendefyingthepatriarchy,notsubmittingtoit.Andthosereaders thatdon’t well,thereareplentyofother booksontheshelf.

What’sthebiggestchallengeinmakinghistoricaldialoguesoundnaturalandengaging?

Thisagainistodowithbalance.Itrytouse wordsandturnsofphrasethatwerecommonin theperiod,butwordusagecanchange.Iwilluse jollybutnotgay,forinstance.Sentencestructure,grammarandspellingsometimeschange too.Andtopedanticallysticktothewayitwas spelled‘backthen’canjarwithreaders.Ido thoughtryasmuchaspossibletofindtheetymologyofaword–whenitwasfirstused–beforeintroducingitintodialogue.Idonothaveas muchdifficultywiththisassomeauthorswho writeinearlierperiods.Thelanguageofthe20s and30sisnotsofarremovedfromtodayasthat ofthe16th century!

Howdoyoudecidewhichrealhistoricalfigures,ifany,toincludeinyournovel?

Iconsiderhistoricalfiguresaspartofmy mise en scene:thebackdropofmystorythathelpsto createatmosphere.

Therearecertainhistoricalfiguresthatimmediatelyconjureupanimage,amoodoranentire period.Iusethemaswalk-oncharacters,have themspottedinthedistance,orgivethemsmall cameos.CharlieChaplinappearsin A Front-Page Murder, HowardCarterfeaturesin Murder at Winterton Hall, LouiseBrookshasabriefcameoin The Picture House Murders, AgathaChristiehas dinnerwithMissClaraValein The Pyramid Murders.

Itrynottohaverealpeopleasmaincharacters andhaveonlyoncebrokenmyownrule:Prince FelixYusopov,themurdererofRasputin,plays morethanabitpartin Murder at the Old Vic Theatre.

Wherecanmyreadersfindoutmoreabout youandyourbooks?

http://fiona.veitchsmith.com/ X:@FionaVeitchSmit Facebook:FionaVeitchSmith Instagram:fionaveitchsmith_author

Thankyouonceagainforjoiningus.Ithas beenanabsolutepleasure.

Fiona Veitch Smith is the author of the Poppy Denby Investigates books and the Miss Clara Vale Mysteries, historical (cosy) mysteries set in the 1920s. Her book The Jazz Files was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger and subsequent books have been shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize and the Foreword Book Award. Until recently she was the Communications Manager for the Crime Writers’ Association, and still serves on the CWA Board. Her latest release is The Picture House Murders. http://fiona.veitchsmith.com/

AFrontPageMurderbyFionaVeitchSmith

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

ASIN: 978-1471417795

Publisher: EmblaBooks

London,1920.Starry-eyedaspiringreporterPoppyDenbyswappedherquietnorthernhometownfortheBigSmoketo actascompanionforherailing(butever-sharp)AuntDot,apioneeringSuffragetteandformerWestEndleadinglady.

Shemayonlybetwenty-two,butMissDenbyknowswhatshe wantsandquicklylandsajobatthe Daily Globe.Sheexpects she'sgoingtohavetopullupherstockingsandworktwiceas hardashermalecolleagues,butwhatsheisnotreadytodeal withis... murder.

It'sonlyPoppy'sfirstdayonFleetStreetwhenoneofthe Globe'sseniorreportersfallstohisdeathfrom thehigheststaircase-justmomentsafterreceivingamysteriousnote.Poppyistaskedwithfinishinghis articleinvolvingthemysteriousdeathofasuffragettesevenyearsearlier,aboutwhichsomepowerful peoplewouldprefernothingtobesaid.

AsPoppyinvestigates,sheisthrownintoaworldofhard-drinkingnewspapermen,flappersandjazz clubs,andlearnsshemusttreadverycarefullyindeed.Luckily,shehashernew-foundfriendshipwith theterriblydashing Globe photographerDanielRokebywhoseemsterriblyeagertolendahelping hand...

Butfirstofall,she'sgotamurdertosolveandthismightjustmakethefrontpage...

Review

IloveagoldenagecrimeandthisCWAnominatedbookbyFionaVeitchSmithcertainlylivesuptothe moniker.TheauthorhasgotitspotonwitharealChristievibe.SheknowstheerawellandthisisdemonstratedinthewayIwastransportedtotheera.PoppyDenbyisafabulouscharacter,asareallthesupportingcharacters.Ienjoyedtheplotanditkeptmereading.Clichedasitmaybe,Igenuinelywantedto knowwhathappensnext.Theending,andthebookasawhole,hadmestraighttothebookstoretobuy thenextintheseries.

ThePenfordManorMurdersbyFionaVeitchSmith

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

ASIN: 978-1471417566

Publisher: EmblaBooks

It'sopenseasonatPenfordManor-andsomeonehasmurderin theirsights.

AtPenfordManor,theguestsarearrivingtocelebratethestartof thegrouse-huntingseason:lordsandladies,baronsandbaronesses,aMemberofParliament-andchemistrygraduateturneddetective,MissClaraVale,anoldfriendofthefamily.ButClaraisnoordinaryguest:she'ssecretlyinvestigatingablackmailplotagainstLadyPenfordherself.

Someoneinthehouseisalreadyuptonogood,butwhenthebody ofalocaltradeunionistisfoundinthegrounds,Clara'scasegets evenmorecomplicatedbecauseaclueleftbythebodylinksitto theblackmailnote.

WhohasdiscoveredLadyPenford'ssecret?CanClaraandhertrustedassistantBellaworktogetherto findthemurderer?Andwhatdothecornflowerswhichkeeppoppingupeverywheremean?

Amidsttheglitteringdressesandsparklingconversationofsociety,Claramustfindthetruth -beforethe killeractsagain!

Review

IabsolutelyloveTheMissClaraValeMysteriesandwaseagerlyawaitingthis,thefourthbookintheseries.Itdidnotdisappoint.Talkingofdisappointment,Claraiscertainlyadisappointmenttoherparents asthiswellbroughtupyoungwomanwenttouniversityandthen,insteadofmarrying,setherselfupasa privateinvestigatorandforensicsexpertmilesfromhome.InthisbookClarafindsherselfgoingundercoveratacountrymanorhouseownedbythelandedgentry.

LadyPenfordisbeingblackmailed;shebelievesitisbyoneofherguests.So,offClaramustgobackto herrootsandlivethelifesheleftbehind.Tomakemattersworse,herassistant,Bella,hastoactthepart ofherlady’smaidandtheladyofthemanorhasinvitedClara’sparentstostay.Thisleadstoamystery whichisbothengagingandthrilling.Withenoughtwistsandturnstokeepallcozymysteryfanshappy andcharactersthatleapoffthepage,thisisabook,andseries,allloversofgoldenagecrimeshould read.

Throwinamurderandalltheingredientsarethereforaperfectcrimestory.Claracontinuestogrow bothinconfidenceandasacharacterandIamverymuchlookingforwardtothenextbookintheseries.

ShakespeareAndCompany,Paris

“Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise.” GeorgeWhitman

ShakespeareandCompanyisconsidered tobethemostfamousbookstoreofthe 20thcenturyandcontinuestobevisited yearafteryearbywriters,artists,intellectuals andothertravellersfromaroundtheworld.

In1951,GeorgeWhitman,anAmerican, openedtheLeMistralbookstoreintheheartof Paris,inabuildingthatwasoriginallya17th centurymonastery.

In1954,onthe400thanniversaryofWilliam Shakespeare’sbirth,GeorgeWhitmanrenamed hisEnglish-languagebookstore‘Shakespeare andCompany’inmemoryofSylviaBeach,who openedtheoriginalShakespeareandCompany bookshopandlendinglibraryatadifferentlocationinParisin1919.

SylviaBeachhadbeenforcedtoclosethe doorsofherbookshopandlendinglibraryin 1941aftertheWWIIinvasionofFranceandshe neverreopenedit.

DuringtheGreatDepression,withonlyafew

shelvesandpilesofbooks,onbedsthatdoubled asbenchesthroughouttheday.Sincethen,an estimated30,000guestshavestayedinthe bookshop.Theseguestsarecalled ‘Tumbleweeds’aftertherollingthistlesthat“drift inandoutwiththewindsofchance,”

In2006,George’sdaughterwasplacedincharge ofthebookstore.Ontheshuttersoutside,George Whitmanwrote:

“Each monastery had a frère lampier whose duty was to light the lamps at nightfall. I have been doing this for fifty years. Now it is my daughter’s turn.”

VisitingAnArchiveForHistoricalResearch

Nick Mills discusses when to visit an archive for historical research.

Well,you’vereadallthepublishedbooks, visitedthebuildings,goneandlooked atportraitsinthegallery,andnowit’s time,inyourhistoricalresearches,tovisitanarchive.Luckyyou!

Butfirstofall,youneedtodoyourhomework. Youneedtomakesureyoureallyneedtovisit thatarchive–afterall,thistakessomepreparation,andtheoneyouneedmaybemilesaway.

Sayyou’rewantingtofindoutaboutGeorge Wellbelow,whowasthesecondsonofthebutler atLordHigh-Heidyin’scastleinAuchtermuchty, butwentontofoundWellbelow&Humble,a companyspecialisinginpatentbaths.Wellbelow &HumblewereboughtoutbyanAmericancompanyin1950andtheirpapersarenowinNew YorkCityArchives.LordHigh-Heidyin’srecords, however,lingeronlocally.Someofthemare heldbyFifeCountyArchives,andsomearestill withthefamily.YouyourselfareinCornwall,and youdon’twanttotraveltoeitherplacetofind there’snothingtheretohelpyou.

You’velookedatGeorge’sfamilyhistory,sofar asyoucanfindit–youhavehisbirth,deathand censusrecordsupto1921,you’vecheckedfor hisparentsandsiblings,andyou’vefoundout thathediedintestatebuttherewasaninventory recorded.You’vereadabriefhistoryoftheHighHeidyinsandapamphletonpatentbaths.Allthis iseasilydonebeforeyoureachanarchive.

Takealook,firstofall,atthewebsiteforFife

NickMills

CountyArchives,whichtellsyouwhatkindof recordstheyhold,includingschools,churches, andsomelocalbusinesses(notethateveryarchiveisalittledifferentinhowtheyarrange things–everyarchiveisuniqueandeverycollectionisunique,sotheycan’tbecataloguedlike librarybooks).

Familycollectionsarealsolisted,andamongst themarethepapersoftheHigh-Heidyinfamily oftheBigHoose,Auchtermuchty.Fortunately, volunteershavelistedtheseandthecatalogueis online,too.Youcanignoreallthe16th century deedsandbaronycourtrecords,becauseyou knowyoungGeorgewasbornin1890.So,you takealookforstaffrecordsand,perhaps,ifthe butlerlivedinanestatecottage,tenancyrecords.Butthere’snothinglaterthan1750,soyou gobacktothewebsiteandcheckagain.

Thecataloguestatesthatlaterrecordsarestill heldattheBigHoose,butthereisanarrangementwherebythearchivistscanbringtheminto thearchiveforareadertolookat.Checkthe conditions,though:thiscanonlyhappeninthe summermonths,withtwoweeks’notice,and youmustbringwithyouphotographicI.D.and

twolettersofreferencefromrecognisedscholars.Delighted,youagree,andmoveontothe otherendofGeorgeWellbelow’sbusinessactivities.

CheckNewYorkCityArchives’website,which helpfullylistsdifferentkindsofrecordsthey hold,includingcompanyandbusinessrecords.

YoufindthecompanythatboughtoutWellbelow&Humble,anddiscoverthatit’sahuge business,owningmultiplesubsidiariesworldwide,butaverygeneralcataloguehasbeenput togethershowingyouwheretheWellbelow& Humblepaperswillbe.Thisisnotanitem-level catalogue:thisisonethatsayssomethinglike ‘PapersofWellbelow&Humble,1920-1951,36 boxesand8drawersoftechnicaldrawings’–nothingmore. However,itwillalsoshowyou whattheaccessconditionsare:willyoubeable togoandseethem,oraretheystoredoffsite, meaningyouhavetoorderthemthedaybefore?

Isanythinginthemconfidential(tradesecrets, suchastherecipeforMcVitie’sJaffaCakes,are oftennotpubliclyavailable)?Asit’squiteatrek toNewYorkandyouhaveyourelderlyauntto lookafter,isthereawayyoucandothiswithoutgoingthere?Well,inaverysmallarchive youmightfindanarchivisthasthetimeandinclinationtogothroughthepaperslookingfor whatmightinterestyou,scanitandsendyou thecopies.Theymaywellevenhavesomelocal expertiseonthecollection.Inalargerarchive, thoughagainyoumightfindsomeonewithspecificknowledge,youwouldhavetoemploya recordagentorsimilartoresearchforyou. Theyandanycopiestheyorderwillofcourse costmoney.Andyouwillalwayshavethenigglingfeelingthatmaybeifyouhadbeenthere yourselfyoumighthavespottedsomething,or thesignificanceofsomething,thattherecord agentdidnot.Nothingbeatsapersonalvisit, thoughsometimesitjustmightnotbepossible. Thegeneralrules,though:Almosteveryarchive willnotallowyoutobringinpens(soremem-

bernotonlyyourpencilsbutalsoasharpener) orlargebagsorcoats,oranythingbulky.Definitelynofoodordrink!Bepreparedtostore yourstuffinlockersandcheckinadvanceto seehowmuchthelockerscost.Oneortwoarchiveswillnotadmityouwearingdarknailvarnishshades(itcanmarkdocuments).Wearlayers:paperslikecolderconditionsthanhumans do,thoughthesearchroommightbewarm enough.

Manyarchiveswillnotallowphotography. Thoughmostwillletyoubringinyourlaptop, checkforchargingpointsjustincase.Make sureyouhaveanypaperworkyouneed–references,I.D.,proofofaddressandsoon–in placebeforeyouarrive.Bepreparedtodowhat thesearchroomstafftellyouasregardshandlingdocuments:volumesareusuallysupportedonfoamblocksorcushions,singledocumentsareoftenheldinplacewithweighted stringsorheavyleatherpads.It’srareforyouto beaskedtoweargloves,despitewhatyousee inthefilms–glovesmakeyouclumsy–but sometimesitisnecessary,sobereadytocomply.

Andenjoyyourvisit!Archivistsgenerallylove theircollections,andthey’llbedelightedifyou lovethemtoo,whichwillmakethemallthe moreenthusiasticabouthelpingyou.

Nick Mills is a historian living in the shadow of the Highlands. Her Murray of Letho and Hippolyta Napier novels are born of a life amidst Scotland’s old cities, ancient universities and hidden -away aristocratic estates, but she has written since the day she found out that people were allowed to do such a thing. Beyond teaching and research, her days are spent with wool, wild allotments and a wee bit of whisky.

WritingAnInterlockingRubaiyat

Lis McDermott discusses an ancient Persian form of poetry, an Interlocking Rubaiyat.

BackinApril’smagazineIwroteaboutthe ChainRhyme.TheInterlockingRubaiyat isreallyjustanotherversionofthechain rhyme.TheInterlockingRubaiyatisanAncient Persianformofpoetry,themostfamousexamplebeing‘TheRubaiyatofOmarKhayyam’-the titlegivenbyEdwardFitzgeraldwhotranslated thepoemfromitsoriginalPersianin1859.

OmarKhayyam(1048-1131)wasapolymath knownforhismaths,astronomy,philosophy andpoetry.

Anotherfamouspoemwritteninthisformisby Americanpoet,RobertFrost(1874-1963), ‘StoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening.’

TheChainRhymeinApril’smagazinehada rhymingpatternwheretheendrhymeofthelast linebecametherhymeoflines1and3inthe nextstanza.

Therhymepatternforthisinterlockingformis:

AABA. BBCB.CCDC.DDED,EEFE or

AABA.BBCB.CCDC.DDED,EEEE

Ihaveusedthesecondrhymingpattern. Initially Iwrotewithonly8syllablesineachline,butfor thesecondversionpreferred9syllables.

AsalwaysIstartwithexploringwordsthatmatch mythemetocreateawordbankofrhymes,and forthispoemIneededatleastfourwordsfor eachoneoftheendrhymes.

Mychoiceofthemeistowriteaboutabeautiful oldoaktreeatthebottomofourgarden.

Myfirstversion:

Stretchingupwardstowardsthesky Contorting,grappling,thrustinghigh Branchesreachatoweringheight, Safehavensforbirdsastheyfly.

Asentinelbothdayandnight, Lookingmajestic,asyoumight Youguardyourland,thekingoftrees, Rulerofallwithinyoursight.

Thesoundofrustlingleavesinthebreeze, isaccompaniedbyhummingbees onasummer’sday,brushedbysun’sstroke Puttingallthosearoundattheirease.

LisMcDermott

Amagicalforestyouevoke, Dressedinyourmossgreenvelvetycloak. Appearingthroughthemornsmistysmoke standingtall;trulyamightyoak

Version2

OldOak

Stretchingupwardstowardsthebluesky

Amosaicofboughsthrustinghigh. Branchesgrowtoatow‘ringheight, Safehavensforbirdsastheyflyby.

Alonesentinelbothdayandnight, Exhibitingyourpowerandmight, Youguardyourdomain,theKingofTrees, Ruleroftheworldwithne’erafight.

Thesoundofrustlingleavesinthebreeze, isaccompaniedbyhummingbees, Onasummer’sday,kissedbysun’sstroke enticingalltoloungeattheirease.

Amagicalforestyouevoke, Dressedinyourmossgreenvelvetycloak. Appearingthroughthemornsmistysmoke standingtall;trulyamightyoak.

Somethingyoumightliketotry

ThroughoutthepandemicIbelongedtoapoetrygrouponInstagram,andoneofthechallengesin2021wastowritea10verseInterlocking Rubaiyatwithanotherperson,eachwritingalternatelines.

TogetherwithafriendwhoImetonline,(she’s basedinCanada),wewrotea10versepoem together,titled‘Requiem’,andinfactwewon thechallenge. Wehadtowriteeachversein turn,andthehardestthingwastoensurethat whenwewroteourversewechosewordsthat

theotherpersonwouldeasilybeabletofind rhymesfor,andstillcontinuetheoveralltheme andfeelingofthepoem.

Whenwe’dfinished,myfriend’ssistercouldn’t tellwhohadwritteneachverse,sowewerevery pleased.

Ifyouhaveagoatwritingthisform,youmight liketotrywritingwithafriendtoo.

Lis McDermott is a multi-genre author, poet and writing mentor. Visit Lis’ website: https://lismcdermottauthor.co.uk

SubscriberNews

Tonominateyourlocallibraryorbookshop tobefeaturedinfutureissues emailwritersnarrative@gmail.com subjectheadedfortheattentionoftheEditor inChief.

WritingHistoricalFiction

Allison Symes discusses writing historical fiction and shows it can be done for the short forms of writing too.

Thejoyofhistoricalfictionisinexploring pasterasandtheircharacters.Youcan alsosetafictionalstoryinahistoricalperiodwithyourowncharactersbuttheyhappen tobelivingduringthereignof,say,QueenMary Tudor.

Youneedtogetyourdetailsrightsoyourreadersknowwhattimeperiodyou’reusing.It doesn’tmeanspellingouteveryfact.Nonfictionbookscandothat.

Readerswouldneedtoknow,forexample, QueenMaryTudorwasabouttomarryPhilipII ofSpainorwaswedtohim,dependingonwhen exactlyyousetthetale.Doublecheckyouhave gotnamesanddatesright.

Ihavewrittenhistoricalflashfiction.Here,I’ve usedaknowncharacterandgotthemtoshare somethingoftheirstory.Forexample,I’vewrittenaflashpiecefromtheviewpointofElizabeth ofYorkwhobecamethequeenofHenryVII, founderoftheTudordynasty.

Theone“conceit”Ihaveallowedmyselfisto usemodernEnglishonthegroundsoldEnglish isdifficulttoread.WhatIhavestucktolikeglue isincomingupwiththoughtsandfeelingsElizabethofYorkcanbe reasonably thought to have entertained.

Inthisstory,Igethertoadmitshedoesnot knowwhathashappenedtohermissingbrothers,ThePrincesintheTower.Shealsofeels

Allison Symes

marryingHenryVIIcanendtheWarsoftheRoses. Noneofthatisunreasonable.

Historicalfictionhasahugeadvantageovernonfictioninthatitcanusereasonablesupposition whereasnon-fictionmuststicktofacts.Having saidthat,thereasonablesuppositionmustbe basedonknownfacts.

Researchthoroughlytheperiodinwhichyouare planningtowrite.Youwillneedindepth knowledgetowriteyoursettingsconvincingly. Readersspoterrors.Youdon’twantthathappeningtoyou.

Workoutaswellwhatyouwantyourreadersto getfromyourhistoricalfiction.Ifyourfocusison yourowncreationsetbackintime,workout whatdetailsfromtheperiodyouwillneedto knowthoroughly.Youwon’tneedtoknowevery singlething,sopickoutwhatmatterstoyour characters.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Charactersdon’texistinavacuum.Readerswill needtobeabletopictureyourhistoricalworld andtrustinitsaccurateportrayal.

Ifyouareusingaknownhistoricalcharacter, readasmuchasyoucanaboutthem.Youneedto

haveagoodunderstandingofthesepeople. Lookatwhatfriendsandenemiesmadeofthem togiveyouaroundedpicture.

Alsoremembertheclassicwritingtipofnever gettingyourcharactertoexplainsomethingto anothercharactertheymustalreadyknow.This isespeciallytrueforhistoricalcharacters.Ifa battleoutcomeisknownbythem,theymaydiscussthevictoryordefeatbuttheywon’tsay whattheoutcomewasdirectlybecauseboth wouldalreadyknow.

Thebesthistoricalfictioncanmakeareaderfeel asiftheyareimmersedinthatworld.Thatisenhancedbycarefullychosendetailswhichthe readercanpicture.IcanpicturetheTudorcourt simplybyenvisagingacharacterwearingaruff (seepicturesofQueenElizabethTudorforexample)andapomander(whichisaballfilledwith perfumesandspicesandwasusedtodisguise bodyodourinperiodswhenbathswerenotregularevents).

Alsoplayfair.Youcan’tgetyourcharactersto knowthingswedo.Wehavethebenefitofhindsightandhistoricalrecords.Asever,withany research,checkfromdifferentsources(ithelps withaccuracy)andlistyoursourcesasyougoas apublisherwillneedtoknow.

Evenifyouareusingyourowncharacters,still keepanoteofyoursources.Inevitablyyouwill wanttocheckonthingsasyoudraftandredraft. Havingthatlistofsourceswillmakethingseasierforyoutorecheckasrequired.

Wherewritingflashfictionhelpsmeisitencouragesfocus.Focusisimportantforthisgenretoo. Itwouldbetooeasytogetcarriedawaywithlots oflovelyresearchandforgetyoustillhaveastorytotell.

Iamagreatbelieverintheoutline.Forhistorical fiction,IwouldoutlinewhatfactsIneedtosupportmystoryandwhy.Iwouldthenoutlinemy

characterifIwasinventingmyown.IfIwasusingaknownhistoricalcharacter,Iwouldresearchthemthoroughlyandthendecidewhat aspectsoftheirknownpersonalityIwouldshow.

IfIdecidedtouseaservantofaknownhistorical character,Iwouldneedtooutlinewhatduties theywoulddoandhaveanideaoflikelyworking hours(soIcanthenworkoutwhattimeofday thestorycouldbeset).

Ialsobelieveyoushouldcarepassionatelyabout theerainwhichyouarewritingbecause(a)this willalreadygiveyousomeknowledgetodraw uponand(b)doingtheresearchwouldbea pleasure.Butfocusonwhatyouneedtoknow foryourstory.

Remembersomuchchangesovertime.Your servantcharacterbackinElizabethantimesis likelytohavehadlittleornoeducationsoyou wouldneedtofactorthatin.Wecan’tgivehistoricalcharactersourcurrentdayadvantages.

Historicalfictioncanopenupthetimespan you’rewritinginforreadersandmayencourage furtherreading,fictionorotherwise.I’vefound thistobethecasefortheeraswhichgripme. Whathistoricalfictioncando,whenwellwritten, isshowreadersthepastinawaytheycanpicture.Itshouldencourageempathyforthedifficultiesandhardshipspeoplewouldhavefaced. Historicalfictionshould,likeanyothergenre,be anabsorbingandengagingread.Inthiscase,itis fictionbackedupbyhistoricalfact.

Allison Symes is a flash fiction/short story writer, blogger and editor based in Hampshire. She runs writing workshops, judges competitions, and writes weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today. She has two flash fiction collections published (Chapeltown Books) with a third in the pipeline.

PerspectiveOnResearch:WhenIsIgnoranceBliss?

Margaret Woodward explores the role of historical knowledge in writing fiction, emphasizing how characters’ ignorance of future events creates tension. She discusses research depth, historical authenticity and market trends. Examples include Laurie Lee’s memoir, Hilary Mantel’s novels and approaches to alternative history. The article stresses capturing a period’s true atmosphere.

Margaret Woodward

Doesithelporhinderaplotforawriterto researchuptoandincludingtheactual datewhenastorylineishappeningandnofurther?Doesthisapproachhelpifastoryissetontheeveof,say,awarwhichhasnot yetbegun?

SetabookinnorthernItalyinsummerin1956, andyouexpectacomfortingkindofbook.Write onein1943andtheimpactisverydifferent.A readermayknowaboutwhatistocomebutthe charactersdonot,whichiswhatcreatestheinnertension.

Theremightbehints,portents,gossip,political manoeuvringandnewssnippetswhichsuggest theapproachoftrouble,asinearly1939inBritain,inwhichcasetheyshouldinfairnessbepart ofthebackgroundatmosphere.

Thathastobethoroughlyresearched,preferablyuntilthewriterisoozingwiththeopinions andemotionsoftheperiod.Thecharacters themselves,howeverapprehensiveordismissive,donotknowwhatistofollowandcannotthereforereacttothechangestocome.This istruewhetherthebookisfact,fictionormemoir.

InLaurieLee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, thecarefreeauthorleaveshomeat nineteenwithhisviolinandnorealideaof whereheisgoingorwhathewilldo.Writtena quarterofacenturyaftertheevents,whenheis wellawareofwhatfollowed,LeeportrayshimselfasatrustingboybuskingaroundSpain.He doesnotrecognisethatthecountryisonthe brinkofconflictuntiltheCivilWarisonhisdoorstep.

Onlywhentrappedbythefirstoutbreakof fightingdoeshethinkbackonthemanysigns whichhehasmissed.Hisinnocenceisahuge partofthecharmofthebook,asishisneardespairwhenthetruthstrikes.Itisseeingthepain ofhisSpanishfriendswhichdestroyshisguilelessness.Hadheunderstoodabouttheapproachofwarhemighthavemadeverydifferent decisions.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Thereaders,iffurnishedwithgreater knowledge,realise thedangerheisblindly walkinginto,whichaddsacompellingfrissonto thebook.Theypickupthecluesbecauseof

hindsightknowledge.HadLeechosentogive himself,hismaincharacterinthebook,greater awareness,thereadersmayhavebeenintolerantofhisfoolhardiness.

Ontheotherhand,asuddenattackoutofthe blue,liketheHamasraidontheIsraelikibbutz onahappydayofsunshineandmusic,would notbeanticipated.Togiveanyhintofitsapproachwouldnotbeauthentic–unlessthestory istoldfromthepointofviewofterroristspreparingtheattack.Readerswillknowthehistorical details,andanystorycontainingtheapproachof thiseventwouldrelyonthecontrastbetween theirknowledgeandthenescienceofthevictims.

Itisessentialforahistoricalwritertodothe homework,thecopiousresearchofwhichperhapstwopercentmightfinallyreachthepage, althoughmuchmoreshouldhoverintheoverall atmospherewithwhichabookistobeimbued. Whileawritermustknowenoughtoavoidhistoricalerrors,andthatmustusuallybeagreat deal,itisalso hardtounlearnsomething.

Itmightalsobehardtoditchthememoryof whatmayhaveoccurredas a result ofthehistoricaleventsinthestory,whetherthoseeventsare themaintheme orformthebackgroundtothe tale.Itneedscareanddisciplinetoprevent knowledgeofthefuturetoinfluencetheplot.

Historyhasaverylongtailandthefactualdetailsofpresentandfuturesituationscannotbe dodged.Theyhappened.Andtheywentonto influenceotherthingshappening.Itisalltoo easytoletadetailoranimplicationfromthefuturetocreepintodialogueornarrative.

Thatmaybewhysomeauthorsspecialisein ‘whatif?’alternativeversionsofhistory–which thenbecomeaquasi-historicalgenre.

Whendoesitmatter?

‘WritemeaGeorgianromp.Oramysteryabout gentryinearly20th centuryruralScotland.’

Thosewordswereutteredalongtimeagowhen thesewereinvogue.Justbecausethewriterwas Scottishandhadwrittenwhattheagentthought wasasagaandthewriterdidnot,thesuggestionswereunappealing.Ineitherofthesecategories,attimehistorywasoftenthebackdrop,incidentaltotheactionandoftenscantilyresearched.

Thatscenariowasfiftyyearsagowhenagents assumedthathistorydidnotsell.Therewere plentyofwritersandreaderswhodisagreedand whenthetideturnedsoonafter,itturnedvery quickly.Thenandnow,ittakesoneblockbuster formanyother‘followers’toappear.Todaythe marketissickeninglyawashwithTudorstuff.

Onlythebestsurvive,whichsuggeststhatitis unwisetocompeteinacongestedmarket,which theGeorgianperiodundoubtedlywasthen.Much bettertoseekanewniche.JaneAustin,neverto beoutshone,setthetasteforGeorgianromances,andthetrendcontinuedwithlateremulators.

Theemphasisthenchangedtoadventuresby writerslikeGeorgetteHeyer,probablythecategorywhichtheagentwassuggesting.Pretty dressesandsnobberyleftlittleroomforthevast majorityofsocietycharacters.Historybecame incidental,oftennomorethanfancifulwallpaper.

Eachfashionabletrend,though,willproducethe occasionalmasterpiece.IntheTudorstableHilaryMantell’strilogyshinesout,peerlessinherunderstandingoftheperiodwhicharoseoutofthe depthofherresearch. Thiswaswhathelpedher capturethespiritoftheageandthecharacterof ThomasCromwell,andofHenryVIIIsowell.She saidthatsheneededtoknowthewholestoryin advanceofcreatingthebooks.Whatshelearned ofCromwell’sthoughtsanddeedsinlaterlife threwalightonhisearlieractionsanddecisions.

Studyofthefinerdetailsmayhavecomelater whilethewritingwasunderway,forplotincidentscanthrowupquestionsnothithertoasked, butinpreparationshewouldhavehomedinon

thecrucialdocumentsrevealingpersonal strengthsandweaknesses,helpinghertomaintaincohesionwithinacharacter’sbehaviour andthinking.

Whatistherightapproach?

Muchdependsonhowawriterapproachesa newbook.PhillipaLangleysetouttoclarifya particularhistoricalconundrum,theputative murderofthetwoprincesintheTowerbyRichardIII.Itinvolveddetailedandwide-ranging, activeresearchandneededknowledgeoffuture events,especiallytheuseofpropagandabya futureregime.

AnotherapproachwastakenbyJosephineTey in The Daughter of Time,fictionbasedonfact, whenthecaseisexaminedbyapoliceinspector, withnewinformationappearingduringtheinvestigation.WedonotknowhowmuchTey knewwhenshebeganorwhatshefoundduring thewriting,whileLangleywasuncoveringnew titbitsthroughoutherjourneyanddocumenting them,addingtotheextantbodyofhistorical informationavailabletootherresearchers.

Howarethejigsawpiecesamassed?

Serendipityplaysitspart.Thediscoveryin AylesburyReferenceLibraryofacompletesetof early18th centuryplansforanewmodelfarmon theHowardestatebegantheconstructionofa talesetin1712.

Thebeginningsofboththeagriculturalandindustrialrevolutionsarestirring.JosephAddison, MP,andSirRichardSteelehavejustestablished inprinttheSpectatorClubwiththevariousfictionalmembersrepresentingdifferentclassesof thepublicandtheirclashingopinions,likethe delightfulSirRogerdeCoverly.

WarinEuropeistrundlingonandtheDukeof Marlboroughhasjustbeensacked.Ripplesof JacobitismtricklesouthfromScotlandinthe wakeofthe1707Parliamentarydemise.Queen Annehashealthproblemsandnoheir.Allthis

suggestsanunusualnicheinthebookmarket. Thisisalivinginteractivehistoricalbackground forthenewtale.

Addthewriter’sfarmingbackground,plusearly memoriesofwartimewhentractorswithnofuel werereplacedbyhorsesandmilkmaidsreturnedtothebyre.Personalknowledgeandexperienceisalwaysaccessibleifyoudelveinto researchyourself. Arandom(modern)newspaperarticleaboutasophisticatedfraudsuggests acentralplot.Byjugglingwithtimeandplace, andagreatdealmoreresearch,thistimemore focused,andyouhavetheingredientsofthat ‘Georgianromp’butinadifferentreign,stillwith oneortwoprettydressesandawitchinsteadof ahighwayman.

Charactersfromacrosssocietyinallitscolours, joysanddifficultiesfillthecastlist,leavingthe topelitebarelymentioned,andthenusuallyas villains.Whatmattersisthatthespiritofthe timeisrecreated,feelingbothauthenticand alive,ifitistobeconsideredhistorical.

Margaret (Meg) Woodward has retired after a life of publishing, teaching and heritage to Cockermouth, a Georgian ‘gem town’ just outside the Lake District National Park. She has had many articles and stories published and is still writing, mainly novels now, the latest being The Devil’s Bairn, a 14th century murder investigation set in Pluscarden near her birthplace.

Get Started In Writing Historical Fiction byEmmaDarwin

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Review

IhavenumerousbooksfromtheGetStarted seriesofbooksonwriting.WhenIturnedto writinghistoricalfiction,Iknewthiswasmygo -tostartingpoint.Iknowitmaybeaclichétosay thisbookisjampackedwithhintsandtipsbutin thiscase,itreallyis.Darwinobviouslyknowsher subjectwellandasanaward-winninghistorical fictionwriteronewouldexpectherto.

Theexercisesaloneareworththeirweightingold andIwouldhighlyrecommendanywriterwhois interestedinwritinghistoricalfictiontoundertakethese.Thisisnotahugetomebutdonotlet thesizeputyouoff.Itprovidesasolidgrounding forallthosewritinghistoricalfiction.

ISBN: 978-1473609662

Publisher:TeachYourself;Illustratededition (March2016)

Doyouhaveacompellingvisionforastorysetin thepast?Areyouinspiredbynovelistssuchas AlanFurstandPhilippaGregory? Get Started in Writing Historical Fiction isdesignedforanyone whowantstowriteinthisexcitingandwideranginggenreoffiction,whateveryourfavorite styleandera.

Designedtobuildyourconfidenceandhelpfire upcreativity,thisbookisanessentialguideto masteringthepracticalitiesofwritinghistorical fiction,showingyouwheretostartwithresearch, developingyourplots,andconvincinglyandimaginativelycapturingthevoicesofthepast.

UsingSnapshotsdesignedtogetyouwriting quickly,KeyIdeastohelpcrystallizethought,and awealthofsupplementarymaterials,thisindispensableguidewillhaveyoutellingamazingand richhistoricalstoriesinnotime.You'lllearnto researchandplanyourstory,practicedeveloping charactersandsettings,perfectyourcharacters' voices,andtransportthereadertoanotherera.

Editor in chief, Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

KeepingItInTheFamily:UsingFamilyHistoryResearchtoInspire HistoricalWriting

Researching family history has never been easier, with online resources, DNA testing, and archives offering rich material for writers. Unique ancestral stories can inspire compelling historical fiction and non-fiction, but sensitivity is essential.

Researchingyourfamilytreehasnever beenaspopularoraccessiblethanitis today.TheTVshow,BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? encouragedmanyofustoask thatveryquestion.Butbewarned,genealogyis addictive.Subscriptionwebsitessuchas Ancestry and Findmypast, plusaplethoraoffamily historymagazinesandhow-tobooks,tempt bothnewbiestothepastimeandthemoreexperiencedanddedicatedresearchersalike.

Familyhistorywebsiteshaveeruptedonline, someofferingcollectionsofdigitisedbirth,marriage,deathandcensusrecordstoexamine, whileothersspecialiseinemigrationormilitary records.Asimplespitofsalivaintoatubecan openuptheworldofDNAmatches.Thesedays, familytreescanbecompiledand,insomecases,fleshedoutfromthecomfortofyourown livingroomorstudy.

Delvingintothepastcanbeafascinatingand oftencatharticjourney,especiallywhenitinvolvesuncoveringthestoriesandexperiences ofourancestors.Familyhistoryresearchnot onlyconnectsustoourrootsbutitalsoprovideswriterswithatreasuretroveofmaterialto plunderforhistoricalwriting,whetherfictionor non-fiction.

LindaBrown

Byexploringthelivesanddeaths,thestruggles andtriumphs,thegoodtimesandbad,ofthose whocamebeforeuswehavetheopportunityto breathelifeandrealismintoourwriting,helping ustocreatecompellingandauthentichistorical storiesthathookandresonatewithourreaders.

Asanamateurgenealogistdrivenbyaninterest insocialhistory,andsheerbloomin’nosiness, I’veuncoveredseveralintriguingancestors. Theseinclude:atrail-blazingVictorianfootballer,aWW1deserterandahotelmaidwhodisappearedandwassuspectedtohavebeenmurdered.Theadditionofsomeamazingsnippets ofinformationgleanedfromnewspaperarchives,familyhistorywebsitesandlocalarchivesprovidedsolidfoundationsforaprizewinningarticleanda‘work-in-progress’nonfictionbook.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Blendingnuggetsofresearchwithcreativestorytelling,I’vetransformedandembellishedreal lifeincidentsintoengagingfictionalshortstories.

So,let’stakealookattipsonhowfamilyhistoryresearchcanbeusedtoinspireandenrich historicalwriting.

MakeGoodUseofUniqueStories–

Behindeveryfamilythereareunique,longforgottenstoriesofpeople,events,successes,disasters.Thesehiddengemscouldpotentially inspireflashfictions,shortstoriesorevennovels,offeringnewanglestoourpieces,that mightnotbefoundfromtraditionalsources.For example,youmightdiscoveryourancestors’ storiescouldbringfreshandoriginalperspectivestoimportanthistoricaleventssuchasThe HighlandClearances,theIndustrialRevolution orTheGreatWar.

TakeaLookattheBiggerPicture–

Itisimportanttotakeintoaccountthebigger pictureofyourancestors’era,especiallywhen writingnon-fiction.Lookatpolitics,warsand othereventssuchasTheGreatDepressionor movementslikeWomen’sSuffrage,whichmay haveinfluencedyourancestorslives.

Understandingthelargerhistoricalbackground givesusandourreadersawindowintothe challengesourancestorsfaced.Formynonfictionwork,IhadtoexaminewhethertheIrish potatofaminewasthereasononeofmyfamily “branches”withIrishancestrysettledinthe southofScotlandcirca1850.ThenIneededto consider,if,acoupleofdecadeslater,prejudicialtreatment oreconomicnecessityledto mostofthefamily’soffspringscatteringacross theglobeasfarasapartasAuckland,NewZealandandCanada’sQuebecCity.

SearchforPersonalSourcesofInformation–

Doyouhaveanyoldpapersrelatingtoyourancestors?Photographs,letters,diaries,school certificates,rationbooks…thelistisendless. It’samazingwhatmighthavebeenpassedonto

us,ortoourolderrelatives,downthroughthe generationsandisnowlanguishinginanoldbiscuittinstashedatthebackofacupboardorina bashed-upsuitcaseintheloft(Ispeakfrompersonalexperiencehere.)

Oneexample;Idiscoveredaletterinmylate grandmother’ssideboarddrawer,writtenbyher elderlywidowedauntwhohademigratedwith herhusbandtoBuenosAiresattheturnofthe 20th century.Postedin1949,aninterestingperiod inArgentina’shistory,whenPresidentJuan PeronwasinpowerandhiswifeEvawasplaying asignificantroleinArgentinepoliticsandsocial welfare, AuntieMary’s’poignantletterpractically oozeswithhomesicknessforScotland.Hersad situation– widowed,nomoneyandapoorgrasp ofSpanishevenafterallthoseyears,plusherdesiretoreturn“home”–sparkedashortstory.

ConsiderLocalCustomsandSocialAttitudes-

Familyhistoryresearchoftenuncoverslocalcustoms,traditionsorsocialattitudesofthetime periodwhichcangivecolourtoourhistoricalsettingsandourcharacters.Includingculturalcontextcanreinforcetheauthenticityofourwriting andgiveaninsightintoourcharacters’motivations,behavioursanddecisions. Forinstance,up untilthemiddleofthe20th century,intheareaof ScotlandwhereIlive,itwasnotsociallyacceptableforwomentoattendburials.

Thiscustominspiredoneofmyhistoricalshort stories.Iwasalsoshockedtodiscovermultiple occasionsduringthe19th century,whenmyancestorslostayoungsonordaughter,theywould nametheirnextsonordaughterwiththedeceasedchild’sname.One2xGreatgrandmother lostthreeMargarets(oneweelassatfiveyears old).ThankfullyMargaretno.4survivedtoadulthood.

BeSensitive–

Whenundertakingfamilyhistoryresearchyou

mightuncoverafamilysecretorscandal.Actually,Iwouldbeshockedifyoudidn’t.Andwhere youmightbeexcitedandkeentoincludetheancientskeletonthat’sfallenoutofthecupboard ontoyourlapinyourwork,youroldAuntieMinniemightnotbesothrilledtoseethefactthat hergrandmotherwasabigamist,orhergreatgrandfatherwasabankrupt,or,evenworsea murdererwrittendowninblackprintforallto read.Therefore,bemindfulofthepotentialsensitivitiesoflivingfamilymembers.

Ofcourse,ifwritingfiction,names,places,ages, occupationsetccanallbechanged.However,if youarewritingtruelifenon-fiction,youwould bebesttonavigateadelicatepath,seekconsent whereappropriateandtreatsensitiveinformationfairlyandwithrespect.

Ihopethissmallselectionoftipsisuseful,whetheryoucreatefictionaltalesorfact-packednonfictionpiecesforpublication,ormerelywishto collateaprivatecollectionofwriting,preserving yourancestors’storiestobehandeddown,read andenjoyedbyfuturegenerationsofyourfamily.

Embraceyourjourneyintothepastandkeepon diggingatyourroots.

Remember,Ididwarnitwasaddictive.

Linda Brown is a writer, with a passion for nature, from a small town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. She writes fiction and non-fiction and presently has articles, including nature pieces, published in Ayrshire Magazine.

Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives byLucyMangan

ReviewedbyLouiseCannon

Review

Bookishisdelightfullyfascinating!

Weareremindedaboutsomethingthatwedon’t allthinkabout.Itisbroughtintosharpfocus abouthowimportantreadingisandhowitplaysa partinshapingourlivesineveryaspectofourselves.

LucyMangandoesasterlingjobintalkingabout herloveofbooks,whatshewasreadingand booksimpactatdifferentlifestages.Itmakesthe readerthinkabouthowbooks,likemusic,say somethingrelevantortakesyoubacktoacertain momentintime.

Bookishremindsushowpowerfulbooksare. Bookishmaywellgiveyouideasofwhatbooksto tryoutnextorhaveyoureminiscingorgrowinga desiretore-readabookshetalksabout.Itmay alsomakeyoulookandthinkaboutbooksdifferentlyandinwaysyouperhapsyouneverdidbefore.

Bookish. How Reading Shapes Our Lives byLucy Mangon

ISBN:9781529110128

Publisher: RandomHouseUKVintage

Blurb

Alovelettertoallthosewhocomealivewhen theypullanewtreasureofftheshelf,stayup latereadingjustonemorepageandpacktheir suitcaseswithclotheswedgedbetweenbooks insteadoftheotherwayaround.

Fromexploringthestacksasastudent,tofinding herfeetasabookseller-turned-journalist,falling forafellowbookworminanindependent bookshop,escapingthedoldrumsofnewmotherhoodandfinallybuildinga(book)roomofher own,Bookishisthestoryofalifespentfallingin lovewithreading.BookwormauthorLucyManganchroniclesheryearsofbuying,borrowing andhoardingeverythingfromwell-wornliterary classicstosteamybonkbusters,grippingthrillers,youngadultnovelsandothernot-so-guilty pleasures.

Brimmingwithliteraryinsights,wryobservations andstellarrecommendations,thisbookisanode tothebookishplaces–fromlocallibrariesto bookstoresbigandsmall–andthestoriesthat makeuswhoweare.

Louise Michelle Cannon lives in Central Scotland with family and a cute but wily cat. She writes a blog – Bookmarks and Stages, reviewing books, theatre, festivals and conducts the occasional Q&A sessions.

WritingAWelshPoeticForm–

TheGwawdodyn.

Lis McDermott discusses the pattern for the poetic form Gwawdodyn and provides an example.

Theformforthistypeofpoemisaquatrain (4linestanza)withana/brhymescheme. The1st,2nd andfourthlineshave9syllablesandtheendoftheselinesrhymewitheach other.The3rd linehas10syllablesandhasan internalrhymewithitself.

(Also,theinternalrhymebinlinethreecan movetotheleftorright).

Thepatternshouldbelikethis:

1-xxxxxxxxa

2-xxxxxxxxa

3-xxxxbxxxxb

4-xxxxxxxxa

Aswithmypreviousarticles,mystartingpointis tothinkofmythemeandthencreateaword bank.

Ihadseveralfalsestartswritingthis.Tobegin with,Iwantedtowriteabouteventsinhistory, butIfoundmyselfgoingdownarabbithole.

Therefore,Ichangeddirectionandstartedthinkingaboutwhathistorymeanttousinourown lives.

History;thestoryofourpast, theexperienceswe’veamassed. Grief,joys,highsandlowsalljustbackground noise.

Asocialbutterflyoroutcast

McDermott

ourstoriesremain;proofwesurvived. Somebecamesuperstars;we/they’darrived. *Others,eachdayoftheirlifefullofstrife struggleforbreath,alltheirhopesdeprived.

Peopledeveloptheirqualities, Jokersarefulloffrivolities

Friendsandfamilyrecogniseourtraits

Othersfightforourequalities

Astheyearspass,weallreminisce Enjoyechoesofsadnessandbliss

Oldageplayscrueltricksonourfailingmind Whenwe’reunawareofwhatwemiss.

Allourknowledge,ourtriumphsandwins Orfailuresifweweremight-have-beens. Theseareourgifts,ourlegaciestoyou, Includingourverymanysins.

Ourdescendantsmayhavelongdebates Whilstsearchingthemapcoordinates Forhiddentreasuresandfamilyheirlooms; Ashistoryoftseemstodictate.

Lis

Hist’ryisaboutthedaysofyore; Worldeventsalongsideourfolklore, Heroism,inventions,wars;-ofwhich youcanreadtalesinanybookstore

Inthesecondstanza*Ichangedthewordsto: othersliveeachdayfullofangstandstrife,

Ialsoalteredtheline3formostofthestanzas tocreateaninternalrhymetofittheforms rhymingscheme.

Lastly,asyoucanseeinthefinishedversionbelow,Ialsomovedsomestanzasaround,and changedoneversecompletely.

History

Bundledupinonepackage,ourpasttheexperienceswe’veamassed. Grief,joys,highsandlowsalljustbackground noise.

Asocialbutterflyoroutcast

ourstoriesremain;proofwesurvived. Theluckyfoundhappiness;theythrived, Whilstotherslivelifefilledwithangstandstrife, struggleforbreath,alltheirhopesdeprived.

Jokersarefulloffrivolities, Othersfightforworldequalities. Familyandmatesrecogniseourtraits, Lovingusforourownqualities.

Astheyearspass,weallreminisce, Enjoyechoesofsadnessandbliss. Findoldageplayscrueltricksonourmind whenwe’reunawareofwhatwemiss.

Allourknowledge,ourtriumphsandwins, orfailures,ifweweremight-have-beens. Thesearegiftstoo;ourlegaciestoyou, includingourverymanysins.

Hist’ryisaboutthedaysofyore; Worldeventsplusourownoldfolklore. Warandpeaceprevailswithheroes,whosetales welove;searchshelvesinanybookstore.

Mywritingwillbemylegacy, Yoursmaybethechildrenonyourknee. Weareourownlife’ssparkmakingourmark, Tobefound,somewhereinhistory.

Lis McDermott is a multi-genre author, poet and writing mentor. Visit Lis’ website: https://lismcdermottauthor.co.uk

SubscriberNews

NevermissanissueofWriters Narrative Signupforournewsletters subscribepage.io/WritersNarrative

Tonominateyourlocallibraryorbookshop tobefeaturedinfutureissues emailwritersnarrative@gmail.com subjectheadedfortheattentionoftheEditor inChief.

A Book Of Book Lists byAlexJohnson

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Review

Thisbookistrulyfascinatingfromthefirst wordtothelast.IpickeditupinTheBritish LibraryandknewIhadtobuyit.Whatan intriguingpremiseforabook.ItopenswithOsamaBinLaden’schoiceofreadingmaterialsand explainshowhisextensivelistofnon-fiction books–manydigitalbutnotall–cameintothe handsoftheAmericans.Iamparticularlyfascinatedbythe1400booksSirRobertFalconScott tookonboardtheRRSDiscoveryonitstriptothe Antarctic.ThisshipwasbuiltinDundeeandis thereoncemore,soIhavevisiteditmanytimes.

ISBN: 978-0712352253

Publisher:TheBritishLibrary

Thisisabookofbooklists.Notofthe'1,001 BooksYouMUSTReadBeforeYouDie'variety butliststhattellstories.Liststhatmakeyou smile,makeyouwonder,andseetitlestogetherinentirelynewways.

FromBinLaden'sbookshelftothebooksmost frequentlyleftinhotels,fromprisoners'favouritebookstoMPs'mostborrowedbooks,these listsareproofthataperson'sbookcasetells youeverythingyouneedtoknowaboutthem, andsometimesmorebesides.

Itisnotalargeshipandyet,everyconceivable spacewasfilledwithbooksdemonstratinghow importanttheywereformorale.Napoleon’slibraryisincluded,andheisdescribedasthebestreademperortheworldhaseverseen.

Don’tbefooledintothinkingthisismerelyarunof boringlists.Theexplanationsaroundeachoneare enlightening.Idiscoveredsomuchwhilstreading thisbookandfoundmanyIwantedtoreadmyself.Anotheruseisforthosewritinghistoricalfictionasitdemonstratesthepopularbooksinmany timeperiods.DefinitelyoneIwouldrecommend toreaders,andwriters,everywhere.

Editor in chief, Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

TheGladstonesLibrary

byWendyH.Jones

IfirstheardaboutGladstonesLibrarymany yearsagoandalwayshadahankeringtogo there.LastyearIwasabsolutelydelightedto attendawritersretreattherewiththemembersof TheOnceUponaCrime,SistersinCrimechapter. Yes,wedoseemtohaveabitofaSistersinCrime themegoingthismonth.However,thisisnot abouttheretreatbutthelibraryitself.

FromthepicturesIsawonline,Iknewthelibrary wasstunning,butnoimagescandoitcredit.Itis uniqueinthatitisresidentialandisalsotheonly PrimeMinisteriallibraryintheUK;itwasbuiltfollowingabequestfromWilliamEwartGladstone whowasthePrimeMinisteroftheUK,notonly oncebutfourtimes.However,itthenmovedtoits currentbuildingin1902takingthecollections withit.

Thereadingrooms,wherethecollectionsare housed,mostlyonopenshelving,areaplacefor studyandwork.Writingthereisanabsolutejoy withinspirationaroundeverycorner.Fromsingle desksinsecludednooks,toeasychairsand sharedworkdesks,thereisaplaceforeveryone.

LibraryoftheMonth

Ofcourse,thebooksthemselvesarewellworth browsing.Onecouldnotvisitwithoutbrowsing Gladstone’sowncollectionof32,000bookswhich hedonatedtothelibrary.ManyoftheseareannotatedbyGladstonemakingthemuniqueand invaluableforresearch.

IbelieveeverywritershouldstayatGladstones Libraryatsomepointintheirlife.Itisthemost uniqueexperienceandthemostwonderfulplace towrite.Spendingtimeinhistoryandbooksis literarygolddust,makingthisplacetrulymagical.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

WhereToBeginWithHistoricalNon-fiction

John Greeves discusses how to get started when writing historical non-fiction and provides examples from his writing. .

I’moftenaskedhowtobeginwhenitcomesto writingHistoricalNon-fiction.Thisparticular genreseekstopresentinformationabout pastevents,people,placesandcultureasaccuratelyaspossible.Oftenanairoftrepidationexistsforthosewantingtowriteitforthefirsttime. Inrespondingtotheirconcerns,Ioftenciteexamplesfrommywork,hopingthesewillprovide anencouragingstartingpointforthosewanting topursuethisgenre.

Historycanbepresentedinmanydifferent ways

Therearenorealshortcutstothoroughprimary researchwhichcanbeobtainedinavarietyof sourcesincludingprintedandunpublishedmaterialstobefoundininstitutionalandorganisationrepositories,newspapers,memoirs,oraltestimoniesandvisualmaterials.

However,it’snotasdauntingasitappearsand noteverythingiswrittenforacademicconsumption.Historycanbepresentedinmanywaysto appealtomanydifferentaudiences.It’sessential,whateverpathyoupursue,tomakeyour writingrelevantandengagingtoyourreaders. Youneedtochooseatopicwhichgalvanisesand excitesyouandonewhichiswithintherealmsof yourexpertise.

Enthusiasmisessential,inmyopinion,toconvey historyinalivelyandcomprehensiveway.Iside

JohnGreeves

withDavidGaubMcCulloughanAmericanpopularhistorianandatwo-timewinnerofboththe PulitzerPrizeandtheNationalBookAwardinmy approachwhenhesays:

"Youhavetogetinsidethepeopleyouarewritingabout.Youhavetogobelowthesurface.And that'stoaverylargedegreewhatallwritersare doing-they'retryingtogetbelowthesurface. Whetherit'sinfictionorpoetryorwritinghistory andbiography.Somepeoplemakethatpossible becausetheywritewonderfullettersanddiaries. Andyouhavetosortofgowherethematerialis."

Historyisallaroundyou

Historyisallaroundusinourdailylives,opportunitiesandideasaboundifweonlytakenoteof oursurroundingsandthepeoplewhohavelived there.Numerousentrypointsexistintothisgenreandit’sonlyaquestionofseekingoneout.Let yourcuriositybetriggeredbysomeone,anevent orartefactfromthepastorsomethingyoufeel verypassionateabout.

OvertheyearsI’vehadnumeroushistoricalencounterswhichhaveexcitedandintriguedme.

Theycancomefromachanceremark,aderelict building,asacredwell,orevenalostletter. Whetherit’sanheirloom,anoldtitledeedor somethingyouacquiredinacarbootsale,afascinatingstorymayoftenliebehindit.

Sowheredowegofromhere?Belowaresome sourcesI’veusedinthepast,togetmeunderway.

Objects

WhilewalkingonedayIfoundaGeorgeIIICartwheelpennywhichhadfallenoutofaraindrenchedbank.Manyinterestingfactssurroundedit,itwasmadeofcopper,weighedexactlyan ounceandwasalsousedasaweightaswellas coinage.Itbecamethefirstofficialcoinageof AustraliaandwasstruckattheSohoMintinBirminghamunderMatthewBoulton’sinnovative steampress.

Forme,therealstorywasnotthiscollectionof factsbutthewaytheselargecoinswerefiled downinandengravedinNewgateprisonasa lastingmementofortheirlovedones.They’re knownas‘LeadenHeart’or‘Lovetokens’and weremadebyconvictstransportedtopenalcoloniesinNewSouthWales.

Photographs

Aphotographissaidtobeworthmorethana thousandwordsandcantransportyouintoa differentepochandevents.

Irememberbuyingasecond-handphotographin HayonWyeshowingaB17FAmericanBomber withitsserialnumberonitsside.Iwonderedif anyofthecrewmemberswerealive.Theaircraft turnedouttobepartofthe95th groupwhichhad aBombGroupHeritageAssociationforitsveterans.ThisledmeeventuallytoIrvinRothmanlivinginClevelandUSA.Hewasthelastremaining crewmember.Theaircrafthadbeenshotdown

andthecrewhadbailedout.Theywerelater capturedandsenttoPoWcamps.Rothmanhad enduredadeathmarchaftertheRussiansadvancedin1945buthadeventuallyfoundfreedombeforehereturnedtotheUSA.

WhenIcontactedhimhewasdyingofcancer.I senthimthephotographIhadfound.Hewasdelightedtoseeanimageofhis‘oldship,’after70 yearsandwantedtotellhiswartimestorybefore hedied.

NewspapersandLetters

ThegraveofSirBriggsthechargerofaCaptain MorganliesburiedinthegardenofTredegar HouseinNewport.Horseandridertookpartin the‘ChargeoftheLightBrigade’ adevastating eventimmortalisedbythePoetLaureate,Alfred Tennyson.Hispoemwaswrittenasaresponseto thereportinTheTimes,onlyafewweeksafter thebattlehadtakenplace.

Myownresearchcentredon11letterswrittenby CaptainMorgan(laterViscountTredegar)tohis motherbetween15July1854and6th July1855. Newspaperaccountswerealsosourcedfromthe periodandsecondarysourcessuchas Viscount Tredegar: His Life and Work byC.JMillsand bookslike Balaclava - The Charge of the Light Brigade byJohnSweetmantogiveawidercontext tothewriting.

Buildings,Churches,EdificesandGraveyards

KilgwrrwgChurchinMonmouthshirehasseen manychanges.Builtinthemiddleofafieldwith acircularwall,it’sthoughttohaveCelticorigins. LyingamongthegraveyardisthegraveofAble SeamanMorgan.Thelocalstoriesclaimedhe wasthelastmantodieintheFirstWorldWar.

WhenIheardthisstory,Iwasintrigued.Months ofresearchfollowedandIwasabletoconfirm thatAbleSeamanR.Morganhaddiedonthe11th November1918aged26whenarowingboatwith

sixothersailorscapsized.Apparently,awireless operatorhadshoutedacrossthenewsofthe amnestytotherowingboat.Theyallstoodup andcheeredcausingittocapsize.SadlyMorgan losthislife,whiletheotherssurvived.

Later,IwascontactedbysomeofhisdescendantswhotoldmemoreaboutRichardandabout thefamilystorieswhichabounded.AstoRichard beingthelastmantodieinWW1,hostilities wouldcontinueinotherpartsoftheworldfor severaldays,whichresultedinfurtherlossof life.(See Stanley Weintraub - The End of the Great War 1918, Allen and Unwin 1986.)

AudioandYouTube

UsefulHistoricalinformationcanbegleaned fromoriginalrecordings.UseofAudioVisualArchivesisalsoworthexploringlikeA.V.ATorpoint e.g.Recordingof‘DownYourWay,’BBC1971 andYouTube(e.g.D-Day:ArchiveVideoofthe NormandyLandings,)whichalsooffersother interestingsources.

OralHistory

Thesourcemayexistasafamilystorywhichhas beenhandeddowntosucceedinggenerations.A distantrelativeofmineinthe19th century workedwiththeCzar’shorsesinRussiaandwas rewardedwithtwopreciousringswhenhereturnedtoBritain.Likemanystories,it’sone whichcouldmakeforacompellingarticleinthe future.

I’msureotherfamiliespossessintriguingstories whichcouldbeinvestigated.

ExperimentalHistory

ExperimentalHistoryisalwaystakingplacein manypartsofthecountryanditsalwayssomethingwhichbringshistorytrulyalivewhenlittle evidencefromaperiodexists.

In1939BasilBrownbegandiggingin1939on Mount1,SuttonHoeinSuffolk.Thewoodenremainsofthisshipburialhaddisappearedleaving 3,598rivetsinthegroundwheretheshiponce lay.

Withthehelpofcomputermodelling,afull-size replicaisnowbeingbuiltusingoriginaltechniquesandtools.Iwasfortunateintheearly yearsofthebuildingtolearnaboutthestagesof constructionandwhatthebuildingandsailing ofthisshipmightlaterreveal.

LivingHistory

OneareawhichalwayscaptivatesmeisinterviewingpeoplewhoIwouldtermashistorical witnessesofevents,peopleorplaces.Thishas included:DylanThomas’sdaughterAeronwy BrynThomas-Ellis(1943–2009),BarbaraWinton (1953-2022) biographerandadvocateforher fatherSirNicholasWinton,whosaved669JewishchildrenfromCzechoslovakiain1939and RonJones(1917-2019),aBritishservicemanwho survivedAuschwitzandan800-miledeathmarch toreturntoWales.

Suchsignificantstoriesareimportantforposterityandneedtoberecordedbeforetheyarelost forever.

FromSourcestoCompilingMaterial

Compilingsourcesislikegatheringinanamorphouspaperstack,notknowingwhatmight emerge.Hopefully,itshouldpromptsomeimportantquestionsasyoudelvedeeperintothe evidence.Atothertimesitcanfrustrate...notall theanswersalwaysexistandyoumayhaveto acceptgapsexistbecausesourceshavebeen lost,notproperlyrecordedorevendestroyed.

Nevertheless,thereareseveralwaysinwhich youcanmakethispartoftheprocesslessonerousforyourself:

• Ifyouarewritinghistoricalfictionforthefirst time,it’sbesttostarttowriteamagazine articleorashortpiece,beforeattemptingto writeabook.

• Immerseyourselfinthateraandcombine essentialbackgroundreading.

• Useyourlocallibrary.Manygoodlocalhistorysourcesarefoundwithin.Staffcanbeof greathelpwhenyouarefirstsettingout.

• Organiseyourmaterial.Indexyoursources asyougoalong.

• Doublecheckyourfacts.

• Developatimelineofevents.

• Thinkaboutthestructure.Isthereaninherentthreadornarrativewhichisemerging?

• Createaninitialoutlineandlistthiswithsupportingsources.

Don’tbefrightenedtolooktoothergenrese.g. scientificresearchifithasabearingonyourresearch.WhenIwaslookingatatidemillin Suffolkanditslong-termfutureasaworkinghistoricalmillIincludedresearchontherisingsea levelsandtheimpactthismightmaketothefutureexistenceofthisoldmill.

TimetoWrite

Perhaps60%ofyourtimehasbeenspentinorganisingandplanningyourarticleorindividual chaptersofyourbook,nowit’stimetowrite. Don’tprocrastinate.You’veresearchedpeople, placesandcontextnowuseyouroutlinetoflesh outyourideas.

Considerhavingthefollowing:

• Apowerfulintroductiontocapturethereader’sattention.

• Aplannedoutlinetoyourwritingbutdon’tbe afraidtomodifyitwhennecessary.

• Clarityandconcisenessinthewriting.

• Writingwhichengages,informsandsatisfies yourreadership.

• Transitionsbetweenparagraphswhichunlock anunfoldingnarrativeortheme.

• Shortparagraphsandvariedsentencelengths togeneratepaceandrhythmtoyourwriting.

• Textmademoreaccessibletothereaderby addingsub-headingsandtheuseofspace.

• Visualmaterialswhenappropriate.

• Acknowledgementoftheresearchandthe workofotherscholars.

• Acompellingendingtosatisfythereader.

• Evidenceofrevisionandredrafting.

Afterallthis,theoutcomeshouldproduceasynthesisbetweenthewriterandthereader.Itshould inmyopinionwidenthereaders’thinkingand deepentheirempathyforthehumancondition; whileensuringthewritingremainsaconduitand notabarriertofullerunderstanding.

John Greeves originally hails from Lincolnshire. He believes in the power of poetry and writing to change people’s lives and the need for language to move and connect people to the modern world. Since retiring from Cardiff University, Greeves works as a freelance journalist who's interested in an eclectic range of topics.

MonthlyWritingPrompts

Wendy H. Jones and Tami C. Brown set this month’s writing prompts. Inspired by a theme of historical fiction and non-fiction they provide a range of prompts. Why not give them a try?

Words:

Youdon’texpecttoseestrayrelativescookingin thekitchen.Notwhenthey’vebeendeadfor482 years.

Whencastlesappearinfrontofyoureyesyou know…

WithasighofreliefIputonefootonthestepto theOrientExpress.

WritingPrompts

(Photographic images by Tami C. Brown)

Images:

Ihavetakenthismonth'sthemeinadifferent direction~rightnowwearelivingpartsofour past,presentandfuture.

Music:

History of Man byMasiePeters

Mull of Kintyre byPaulMcCartneyandWings

Battle of New Orleans byJohnnyHorton

Image1:

BePresent~InIrelandseveralyearsago~ "touchingthegrassofapieceofhistorythatI neverthoughtI'dhavetheopportunitytovisit."

WendyH.Jones TamiC.Brown

Image2

StayGrounded~AmishfarminLancaster,PA.They'vefollowedthepathofgenerationsbeforethem.

Image3

ChangeDirection~stairsinacharmingInn.Menusedonesideofthestepsandladiesweretousethe otherside.Theladiesworedresseswithhoops,usingseparatestepsenabledthemtogoupanddown withoutshowingtheirbloomers

Editor in chief, Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award -winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

Tami C. Brown loves to have her camera ready to snap beauty wherever she goes. Her family and friends, affectionately known as the Queenies, are well prepared for random stops along the journey to have a photo op. She’s grateful for all photography opportunities and the adventures that come along with it.

YouCouldn’tMakeItUp!

bySheenaMacleod

Sheena Macleod discusses some of the historical fiction literature inspired by real-life events and characters.

Factisoftenstrangerthanfiction,andhistoryisfilledwitheventsandlifestories thathaveinspiredwritersacrossallofthe historicalfictionsubgenres.Somehistorical eventsarebeyondwhatourcreativeminds couldeverimagine.Yet,peoplelivedthrough thesetimes,andthereisnoshortageofliteratureinspiredbytheirtruestories.

Ifyouarelookingforinspirationforyourwriting, orareinterestedinthereal-lifestoriesbehind historicalfictionnovels,herearesomeexamples togetyougoingonyourownresearch.

HistoricalFictionBooksAboutBooks

hadageneticdisordercausingblueskin.Thishistoricalfictionnovelfeaturesthischaracterasa packhorselibrarianwhodeliversbooksduring theGreatDepression.

The Paris Bookseller byKerriMaherwasinspired bythelifeofSylviaBeach(featuredwriterinthis month’s Write In Time)andherParisbookshop andlendinglibrary,ShakespeareandCompany.

The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek byKim MicheleRichardsonisafictionalaccountofoneof thelastwomenintheAppalachianMountains who

The Personal Librarian byMarieBenedictandVictoriaChristopherMurrayisahistoricalfiction novelaboutJ.P.Morgan’spersonallibrarian, BelledaCostaGreene(1879-1950),theBlack Americanwomanwhowasforcedtohideher trueidentityandpassaswhite.Bellepurchased raremanuscriptsforMorgan'scollection.

HistoricalMurderMystery

Thereisnoneedtolookanyfurtherforinspirationwhenwritingahistoricalmurdermystery thantheseriesofunsolvedmurderscarriedoutin theWhitechapelareaofLondonbetween1888 and1891andattributedtoserialkillerJackthe Ripper. Atthistime,factsandspeculationabout the‘RipperCase’filledthenewspapers.Theunsolvedmurdersgrippedthepublic’simagination andcontinuestodosotoday.

Althoughthereareseveralhistoricalnovelssetin London, The Shadows of London -afictional crimenovelsetatthetimeoftheFireofLondonbyAndrewTayloraddsthedimensionofahistoricalcrimethriller. Adisfiguredbodyofamanis unearthedintheruins,anditisclearhehasbeen murdered.

HistoricalConspiracies

Whilewemightthinkofconspiraciesasapresent -dayconcern,thisisfarfromthetruth.

The Case of The Christie Conspiracy byKellyOliver.WhenQueenofthecozymysteryAgatha ChristiewentmissinginDecember1926,speculationandconspiraciesabounded.

KellyOliver’shistoricalGoldenAgecozymystery whodunnitplaysonAgathaChristie’smysterious disappearance.

HistoricalFictionInspiredbyArt

Girl With A Pearl Earring byTracyChevalierisa fictionalhistoricalstoryinspiredbyapaintingby DutchpainterJohannesVermeer painted around1665.Thegirlinthepaintingismostlikelya‘Tronie’(notaportraitofanactualperson).

Historical Romance

Katherine byAnyaSetontellsthepowerfuland classicmedievalcourt-taleoftherelationshipbetweenKatherineSwynfordandtheKing’sson, JohnofGaunt.

HistoricalFictionInspiredbytheLivesof

FamilyMembers

The Virgin Blue by TracyChevalierisafictional novelabouta16th-centurypeasantIsabelle duMoulinwhoissuspectedofwitchcraft.The novelwasinspiredbystoriesofTracyChevalier’sancestorsandwhatsheimaginedthey mighthavegonethroughasFrenchHuguenotsfleeingreligiouspersecutioninFrancein 1572.

Historical

Fiction

ForChildren

When The Sky Falls,astoryofanunlikelyfriendshipbetweenaboyandagorillabyPhilEarle wasinspiredbyatruestoryfromWWII.Basedon

anarmedmemberoftheHomeGuardswhose jobwastoensurethelionatBellevueZooin Manchesterdidnotescapeintheeventofa bombstrikedamagingthelion’scage.

Thefictionalbearinthechildren’sclassicWinnie -The-PoohcreatedbyA.A.Milnein1926wasinspiredbyastuffedbearMilnehadboughtforhis sonChristopherRobin.Theynamedthestuffed bearWinnieafterWinnipeg,abeartheyhadvisitedatLondonZoo.

WriteinTime

SylviaBeach1881-1962

SylviaBeach,bookseller,publisherandauthor, foundedtheShakespeareandCompany BookstoreandlendinglibraryinParisin1919.

SylviaBeachwasbornNancyWoodbridge BeachinBaltimore,Maryland,U.S.in1881.

ShefirstmovedtoParisin1901forafewyears withherfamilywhenherfather,aminister,obtainedapositionthere.

SylviareturnedtoParis,andin1919openedthe ShakespeareandCompanyBookstoreand lendinglibrarythere.

SpecialisinginAmericanandotherEnglishlanguageliterature,thebookstoreattracted many authorsandaspiringwritersincludingJames Joyce,ErnestHemmingwayand HenryMiller.

Theshopwasforcedtoclosein1941,following theinvasionofFrancein1940,andsheneverreopenedit.

In1959,SylviaBeach’smemoirwaspublished, coveringherlifeduringtheinterwaryearsin Paris.

SheremainedinParisanddiedtherein1962.

Memoir

So,ifyouarelookingforinspirationforyournext historicalnovelthereareplentyofreal-lifehistoricaleventsandcharacterstochoosefrom, whateverthegenreyouwanttowrite.

Sheena Macleod lectured at the University of Dundee, where she gained her PhD. She now lives in a seaside town in Scotland. Sheis authorofthehistorical fictionnovels,ReignoftheMarionettesandTearsofStrathnaver,andco-authorofthenon-fictionbookSo,YouSayI Can’tVote!FrancesConnelly.

ShakespeareandCompany (1959)

HistoricalFiction

Jenny Sanders discusses how historical fiction is far from being a new genre.

Historicalfictiontakesusbackintimeand placetoaculturalexperiencebeyond ourdailyreality.Readersshouldfind themselvesconvincinglyimmersedineveryaspectoftheera.

Unlikefantasy,itisanchoredinarealerawhich mustberecognisablefromtheauthenticreferencesanddescriptionsitemploysaswellasthe language,namesandcontemporaryissuesthat featureinthenarrative.Wemaymeetindividualswehaveencounteredthusfaronlyinhistory books.Iftheeventsofthetalepre-dateourown existencewemaywellcallithistoricalfiction.

Wecaneasilyciteworkswritteninadifferent periodwhichmaynothavequalifiedforthe monikerwhentheywerepublished,butdofor usaswelookbackfromthetwenty-firstcentury.

Greekwriterswereputtingtheirspinonhistoricaleventslongago.Homerwrote The Odyssey 800yearsbeforethebirthofChrist.Herodotus’ greatwork The Histories, writtenin440BC,describesthecrushingoftheinvadingPersianarmybytheGreeksintheformofapoemexercisingliterarylicenceandcolour.

Englishliteratureoffersmultipleexamplesof fictionthatappearedlaterthanthis.

Beowulf -writtencirca1000ADintheAngloSaxonera. Thisisanepicpoemratherthana novel,frequentlyupheldasanexampleofthe evolutionoftheEnglishlanguage.Ithasbeen

Sanders

referredtoas,‘epicheroicwriting’,embodying thevaluesofthetime.Thebasicstoryisofthe protagonisthero,Beowulf,whokillsthreemonsters:Grendal,Grendal’smother,andadragon.

Movingonthreehundredyearsorso,the14th centurygivesusGeoffreyChaucer,bornin1380, whoseclassicwork The Canterbury Tales consists oftwenty-fourstoriestoldbyindividualpilgrims ontheirjourneyfromSouthwarktoCanterbury Cathedral.Itusedtobeastandardtextinthe EnglishLiteratureschoolcurriculum,butevidencesuggestsitmaybefadingfromuniversity coursesthesedaysinfavourofmore ‘progressive’works.

Wedon’tknowtheauthorof Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.Weonlyknowthischivalric,romanticfolktalebasedonArthurianlegendwaswritteninthelatefourteenthcentury.Itisfullof themesoftemptationandtesting,honestyand lies,honouranddishonour.

WilliamCaxton’sfirstprintingpresschangedthe faceandavailabilityoffictionandnon-fiction works.Operationalin1476,itmadeahugedifferencetothesupplyandaccessibilityofprinted

Jenny

booksbeyondthepursesoftheelite.Untilthen, scrivenershadtolaboriouslycopytextsand havethembound;askillfulbutexpensiveenterprise.

Bythe15thcentury,writerswerestillusinga quilltowritetheirwords.Thishasbeentermed, ‘thecenturyoftheballad’.Thesepoems,or songs,oftenrecountedromantictales. Many hadbeenhandeddownthroughanoraltraditionandcouldnowbecapturedinprint,orsung bywanderingminstrelsandbandsofactors throughoutEurope.

Balladswerepopularwiththeworkingclasses whocouldneitherreadnorwrite,butenjoyed hearingtalesofRobinHoodoutwittingthewily SheriffofNottingham.Oneofthemostfamous balladsisSirThomasMalory’swork, Mort d’Arthur (printedbyMrCaxtonin1485).

The16thcenturymarkedtheRenaissance;a timewhenartists,writers,scientistsandexplorersallflourished.ThiswastheeraofWilliam Shakespeare,thescourgeanddelightofschool childrenforgenerationseversincewithaplethoraofstoriesintheformofplays:tragic,comedic,romantic,andfantastic.Thetenhistory workscarryShakespeare’sspinonevents,perpetuatingthefabledgloriesandfoiblesofEnglishkings.JohnMilton’sfamouswork, Paradise Lost wasalsowritteninthisperiod.

The17thcenturyproducedsuchclassicsasJohn Bunyan’sallegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress,which hasbeentranslatedinto200languagesandhas neverbeenoutofprint.

Anewstyleofwritingarrivedinthe18thcentury, evidencedfromthelikesofJaneAusten(Pride and Prejudice),HenryFielding(Tom Jones),JonathanSwift(Gulliver’s Travels)andDanielDefoe (Robinson Crusoe).Authorsbeganusinglonger andmorecomplexsentencestotelltheirstories. Thisperiodisnowseenasthebirthplaceofthe modernnovel.

CharlesDickens,GeorgeEliot,AnthonyTrollope, andtheBrontësisterswrotetheirfictionduring the19thcentury,givingusinsightintoVictorian England.

Bythemid-19thcenturypaperbackswerearrivingintheshopswhichincreasedthereachof writersandthedelightofreaderswhohadmade dowiththeserialisationofbookswhichappearedinthe‘pennydreadfuls’–glorifiedpamphletspricedatapennyeach.

TwentiethcenturyfictionwritersincludeGeorge Orwell,VirginiaWoolf,JosephConrad,EMForster andDHLawrencewhoboldlybroachedsubjects toraisetheeyebrowsinmanyadrawingroom. Theirthemesmayseempedestriananddatedto usnow,butmoralandethicalboundarieswere deliberatelyquestioned,debatedandchallenged intheirpages.

Ihaveenjoyedalltheseformsofhistoricalfiction asareader,butIhaveneveryetbeentemptedto ventureontosuchhallowedgroundasawriter. Theglaringpitfallsareadeterrentand,frankly, therearesomanymastersofthegenreavailable ontheshelvesitfeelsalittlefoolhardytostep intothatspotlight.

Perhapsthebiggestchallengeforacontemporarywriterwhochoosestoembracethisgenreis theamountofmeticulousresearchrequired.Presumablysomeofthisdependsonhowfarbackin timethewriterwishestotravel,butyoucanbe suresharp-eyedreaderswillnoticeanyanachronismsthatsneakthroughtheeditingprocess. Authenticityiscrucialtosustainingthehistorical fictionalworld.

Somuchwillhavechangedovertheyearsinregardsto:-

Geography–street/town/citylayoutswillhave beenaltered,buildingsdemolishedand/ordeveloped;landmarksaltered/erected/moved,and streetsrenamed.

Socialdemographicsandstructures–Lordofthe Manor,Knights,servants,courtiers,serfs,monks, RoundheadsandCavaliers whereareweinhistory?

Transport–arewetravellingbyfoot,horseand carts,trams,steamengines,paddleboatsorairships?

Medicalknowledge–arethecharactersdependentoncoursesofleeches,herbsandinfusions, basicsurgery?Aretheyvulnerabletobubonic plague,summersweat,scarletfeverorSpanish flu?

Diet–aretheyhuntingwoollymammoths,baking roughbread,enjoyingmarchpane,swan,aVictorianChristmasspreadorwarrations?

Whatisthelifeexpectancyofcharactersinthis era,ortheinfantmortalityrate?

Whataretheirmajorfears?Invasion?Pestilence? Plague?Highwaymen?TheFrench?Catching cold?Thecollapseofthestockmarket?

Speechpatterns,accentsanddialects-whereare yourcharactersfromintermsofgeographyas wellashistory?

Whataretheywearing?Skins,loincloths,togas, hose,stays,crinolines,bustles,pattens?

Whatdoesjusticelooklikeinthisstory?Lynching, thestocks,solitaryconfinement,hanging (drawingandquartering),beheading,branding, overnightintheblindhouseortheelectricchair? Areyourcharacterspayinginkind,orwithcolouredbeads,groats,farthings,crowns,marks, guineasorgoldsovereigns?

Iscommunicationbysealedletter,smokesignals, semaphore,carrierpigeon,telephone,Morse CodeortheRoyalMail?

Arehomesheatedandlit?Ifso,how?Peat,logs,a range?Oillamps,candles(talloworwax),gas, electricity?

Thenamesofyourcharacterswillreflecttheperiodinwhichtheylive.Historicalfiguresmayappearasthemselves,butthecorollaryofcharacters musthaveappropriatetitlesandnamestoo.

Thedevil,astheysay,isinthedetail;but,ifyou alsohaveathumpinggoodstory,therealsolies thekeytoenhancingandanchoringitforyour readers’pleasure.

Asfarasmyreadingofhistoricalfictionisconcerned,I’mamajorfan.It’sagenreIfrequently enjoy.ItsatisfiesmydesiretolearnasIgowithoutthetediumofadrynon-fictionhistorybook fullofdateswhichtendtoblurintooneanotherin mymind.

Iamfondofseriesthatgivesspaceforcolourful characterswhodevelopthroughthestoryarc acrossseveralbooks.Thosethatoffersuspense, mystery,thrills,chases,powerstruggles,corruption,murder,intrigue,treason,treachery,high stakesandmisplacedloyaltiesaregristtothemill ofmyimagination.Vividdescriptionsthatare evocativeoftimeandplaceareessential.

Thesearesomeofmyfavouritesbytimeperiod:-

Medievalstories:JoyMargettsseries,setinthe naturalbeautyofWalesamidstmonasteries: The Beloved, The Healing, The Pilgrim, The Bride, The Stranger.

TheWaroftheRosesseries:ConIggulden. Coveringtheperiodfrom1377to1470: Stormbird, Trinity, Bloodline, Ravenspur,chroniclingtheconflictbetweenthehousesofYorkandLancaster.

AnnSwinfen’sMedievalMysteriesaresetinfourteenthcenturyOxford. Sixnovelswhichrunon smoothlyfromoneanother: The Bookseller’s Tale, The Novice’s Tale, The Huntsman’s Tale, The Merchant’s Tale, The Troubadour’s Tale, The Stonemason’s Tale. NicholasElyotisalocalbookseller, widowerandfatheroftwochildrenwhosewife diedinthepestilence.Storiesoftownandgown; heisreluctantlydrawnintolocalscuffleswithnationalconsequences.

ThreeseriessetinTudorEngland.Coveringthe periodfromHenryVIIItoElizabethI:

CJSansom:Shardlakeseries. Sevennovelsset from1537-1549: Dissolution, Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation, Heartstone, Lamentation, Tombland. Theprotagonistisahunchbacklawyerwhois

obligedtoworkforThomasCromwellunder HenryVIIIduringthedissolutionofthemonasteries.SubsequentnovelsaresetinLondon, York,Portsmouth,andNorwich.Sadly,book eight, Ratcliff,wasnevercompletedasSansom diedinApril2024.

SJPariswroteasevenbookseriescreatingexmonkGiordanoBrunoashermaincharacter. Heresy (Oxford1583), Prophecy (autumn1583), Sacrilege (Canterbury1584), Treachery (Plymouth,summer1583), Conspiracy (Paris 1585), Execution (1586), Alchemy (Prague1588). Bruno’sformidablememorybringshimtothe attentionoffirstFrancisWalsingham,andlater, RobertCecil,whorecruithimasaspyoverthe period1583-1588.

SWPerry-TheJackdawseries:London15901600. The Angel’s Mark, The Serpent’s Mark, The Saracen’s Mark, The Heretic’s Mark, The Heretic’s Mark, The Rebel’s Mark, The Sinner’s Mark.NicholasShelbyisthefictional,self-deprecatingheroandmedicalman/surgeonwhosewifeand childtragicallydiedinchildbirth.Mortifiedby beingunabletohelpthem,hetriedtocommit suicideintheThamesbutwassavedbyBianca Merton,thelandladyfromTheJackdawpubin Southwark.RobertCecilappearsagaininthis series,employingNicholasasa‘reluctantspy’. Perryhaswrittenarangeofcharactersacross thesocialspectrumandspinsthetensionwell betweentheancientand‘modern’worlds. Nicholaswasmedicallytrained,butBiancaisa traditionalhealer/‘wisewoman’whousesherbs andnaturalremedies.

TheBooksellerofInverness-SGMacLean. A novelsetinScotlandpost-Culloden,abrutal battlein1846inwhichtheJacobiteScottish clanswerecrushedbytheHanoveriansupportingtroopsoftheEnglish.BonniePrince Charliehasbeennursinghisbruisedpridein Francebutthepossibilityofanotheruprising andreturntothethronehasnevergoneaway.

1920sand30s-FionaVetchSmithhastwoseriesfeaturingajournalist(PoppyDenby)and instigator(ClaraVale). Shecapturestheperiod perfectlyinbookssetinLondon,Newcastle andNewYork,withappropriatecontemporary references.

AJPearcehasalighttouchwithherseriesset inLondonduringWorldWarIIinwhichEmmy Lakeworksonamagazinetohelpthewar effort. Dear Mrs Bird, Yours Cheerfully, and Mrs Porter Calls aredelightfulforaysintothegenre withoutanyoftheangstofsomanyworksof fictionsetinthisperiodthoughtheyinclude pathosandtragedytoo.

Whicheverperiodofhistorymostresonates withyou,thereisnoshortageofbooksto choosefrom.Onedayinthefuture,peoplewill almostcertainlywritestoriessetin2025,and inanothergenerationtheywillbefiledunder thehistoricalfictionlabeltoo.

Spiritual Feasting is Jenny’s faith-based exploration of authentic living in tough times. She explores the theme of being shaped for purpose in her latest book Polished Arrows. She has two collections of humorous children’s stories: The Magnificent Moustache and Other Stories and Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and Other Stories. She is available for author visits for creative writing sessions with Key Stage 2 children in the UK.

StorytellingForWritersbyWendyH.Jones

Despitenotbeingamindreader,Ican almostguaranteeyouarethinking,I’m awriter,ofcourseI’mastoryteller.You areabsolutelyright.However,whatofthose whothinktheycannottellstories?Whatof thosewhoaresaying,butIwritenon-fiction? Whatofthosewhoarestuckinthemurkymiddle?Whatofthosewhowanttodragthereader inandhavethembeggingformore?

Harnessingthepowerofstorytellingcanhelp writersofeverystripemaketheirmanuscript leapoffthepage.Yes,storytellingisimportant inmanywaystowriteyourbooks,articles, blogs,andevensocialmediaposts.Inaddition, storytellingcanbeusedeffectivelyasamarketingtool.Yes,itreallyisoneofthemostpowerfultoolsinthewritingandmarketingtoolbox.

Whyisitsopowerful?Weareall,atheart,story-

tellers.Fromtheminutewecanspeakwestartto tellstories,andthishasbeenthecasesincecavemengatheredaroundfires.Therefore,weareattractedtostoriesaswearegeneticallywiredto listentoandtellthem.Storiesfeelmorenatural.

Whenwegoontoursofhistoricsitesorbuildings,theguidesdon’tjusttellyouaboutthearchitecturebutaboutthepeoplewholivedthere fromthescullerymaidtotheowner.IhavetravelledextensivelyandeverywhereIgoIlistento thelocalguides.Thesestorieshavestayedwith melongafterIreturnhome.Likewise,including storiesinyournon-fictionbookcanbringittolife inthereader’smind.Ifyouarestuckinthe muckymiddle,tellyourselfthestoryofwhat couldhappennext.Doitoutloudifithelps.I wouldencourageyoutoexplorehowstorytelling canhelpyoubeabetterwriterand,ofcourse, marketer.

If you would like to dig deeper into how this can help you in your writing journey, I will be hosting a webinar on 9th April at 10am GMT and again at 7pm GMT - Storytelling as a Writing and Marketing Tool. You can sign up via the Website at https://www.auscotpublishing.com/courses/

RecentReleases

Title: The Stranger byJoyMargetts

ASIN: B0DH5XQQRW

Publisher: BroadPlacePublishing(October2024)

Blurb

AstandalonestoryinthesameseriesasTheHealing,ThePilgrimand TheBride,TheStrangerissetamongtheabbey’sandlandscapesof medievalWales.

Whatdoyoudowhenyourlife’sworkliesinashesatyourfeet?When yourheartandbodyarebrokenandyourfaithisshattered?

Disillusioned,griefstrickenandfeelingabandonedbytheGodhe oncetrusted,BrotherSilasruns.Hesetsoutonalonelyjourney,not knowingwherethepathwilltakehim,determinedtodistancehimselffromhispainfulpast.

ButSilascannotescapetheLovethatwillnotlethimgo.Throughtheunexpectedkindnessofstrangers, andaseriesofinexplicableevents,Silas’sheartbeginstoheal.Thenanunlikelyreunionputshimonthe pathtorediscoveringwhohereallyis.

WillSilasfindsomewherehetrulybelongsorwillheremainastrangerforever?

Title: The Lost Village of Lawers byMarkBridgeman

ISBN-10:1915631203

ISBN-13:978-1915631206

Publisher: BrindleBooksLtd(June2024)

Blurb

The ‘Lost’ Village of Lawers tellsthestoryofthehauntingandenigmaticabandonedvillagethatnestlesbesidestheshoresofLoch Tay.

Almost1,000yearsofsurprisinghumanhistoryarehiddenwithinits tumblingruins.Unknown,unseen,andforgottenbymany,thisnew publicationrevealsthestorybehindtheruinsandattemptstoanswerthequestionthathaspuzzledsomanypeople–justwhowas itsmostfamousresident–Themysterious'LadyofLawers’?’

Vikings, Anyone?

Lexie Conyngham shares how she discovered the joys of writing Viking crime fiction and how she used archaeology as part of her research.

IsoadmirewriterslikeJodiTaylorwhocan switchhistoricalperiodsconvincinglyatthe dropofabonnet.SevenyearsagoIwashappilywritingtwoseriessetroughlyin1810sand 1830sScotland.

IknewmyGeorgiansandtheirimmediatedescendants,theirspeech,manners,habits,furniture,food,andclothing.MuchofitIhadimbibedduringmycareerasanarchivist,never mindalifetimewatching Antiques Roadshow andvisiting National Trust properties.

Thensevenyearsagosomeonethrewaspanner inthealmost-pre-industrialworks.Imetsomeonewho,onhearingIwrotehistoricalcrimefiction,exclaimed,‘Oh,doyoudoanythingViking? IloveVikings!’

‘No,no,no!’Isaid,drawingupmyskirts.‘You can’thaveVikingcrimefiction!Theywerealwayskillingeachother–wherewouldtheexcitementbe?I’llsticktomyniceelegantGeorgians,thankyou!’

Butofcoursethenotionniggled.Howonearth wouldonegoaboutdoingsuchathing?Iknew nothingaboutVikingsexceptthattheydidnot, infact,havehornsontheirhelmets.Ididn’tfeel thatwasenoughtobaseacrimenovelon.

Butthatsummer,bychance,wetookaholiday inYorkshire,andatlastvisitedtheJorvikViking Centre.Entranced,IrealisedourNorseinvaders

Lexie Conyngham

hadahomelife,too:thatYorkwasatradingsettlement,wheretheycarvedcups,wovecloth, fishedandfarmed,workedmetal,arrivedand departedandgenerallybehavedlikenormal peopleamongstwhom,nodoubt,therewasthe occasionalviolentoutburst.ThoughInowknew agooddealmoreaboutthem,itwasclearIhad ahugeamounttolearnbeforeIcouldwriteanythingconvincingatall.

IdecidedtosetthebooksinOrkney,which meantIhadagreatexcuseforsomelovelyresearchtripstoaplacewhereyoucanpicturethe past.Thatwasagoodstart,andbeforeIvisited, IsatdownwiththeOrkneyingaSaga,aniceaccessible Penguin paperback.

OfcourseSt.Magnusisoneofthestand-out charactersinthesaga,andstillmuchtalkedof inOrkneytoday,butIdecidedtogobackacoupleofgenerationstoEarlThorfinnSigurdarson. HisfatherwasforciblyconvertedtoChristianity bytheDanishking,butThorfinnhimself(on whomDorothyDunnettbasedherwonderful book King Hereafter,followingthetheoryT horfinnandMacbethwerethesameman)was broughtupChristiananddidhisbesttoconvert

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

theislands–soit’saninterestingtime,withthe oldreligionpotentiallyclashingwiththenew. Ihadmysetting,bothplaceandtime,andnow therealworkbegan.

UsuallyIwouldreadbookswritteninmychosen timeperiod,butthat’snotpossiblefor1050 Orkney–thesagaswerewrittendowncenturies laterinadifferentworld.SoIoptedinsteadfor archaeology–IreadreportsofdigsinOrkney andScandinavia,andanalysesofrunecarvings. Thestudyofplace-namesisbiginScandinavia andIfoundtherewasacourseatmylocaluniversity,Aberdeen,entitled Vikings!,soIsigned upforthat.IvisitedtheBroughofBirsayoffthe westernmainlandofOrkney,whereThorfinn hadhisbase.SadlypartoftheBroughhasfallen intotheseasincehistime,butarchaeologists havereconstructedimpressionsofwhatitmust havebeenlikeandIhavemapsofitonmystudy wall.

OfcourseIstartedstackingmybookshelves withacademicVikingbooks–andalsochildren’sbooks,astheytendtohavethebestillustrations.SomeofthemostusefulwereJudith Jesch, Women in the Viking Age;OlwenOwen, The World of the Orkneyinga Saga:RobertFerguson, The Hammer and the Cross;andThorEwing, Viking Clothing

IevenlearnedNorwegian,partlyfortherhythm ofthelanguage–althoughofcoursemodern NorwegianisafarcryfromOldNorse–and partlytobeabletoreadarticlesfromthe Viking Ship Museum inOsloandotherreports.

FormyGeorgianbooks,Ifind Pinterest agood source,aspeopleoftenpostimagesofmuseum exhibitsofclothingandfashionplatesaswellas contemporaryportraits.ForVikings,however, thereweretraps.

Withratherlessinthewayofarchaeologicalevidenceforclothing,somere-enactors(andthere aremany)havelettheirimaginationsrunalittle

wild.Womenwarriorsinkitthatwouldbarely protecttheessentialsaresomethingtobe avoided!

However,therearealsoseriousre-enactorswho dotheirresearchwell,andalittlemoredigging on Pinterest and YouTube producesallkindsof usefulmaterial–notonlyoncostume,buton crafts(myheroineweavestabletbraid)and cooking(myheroineisnotagoodcook,butshe stillhastoeat!).

IattendedaVikingfestivalinStirlingshirewith goodre-enactorsandhadthechancetowatch themprepareformockbattlesbeforethepublic camein,seeinghowtheirarmourfittedtogether andworked,andhowtheyusedtheirweapons.I learnedtothrowaxes.NowIgoregularlytothe new Orkney Viking Festival whereallkindsofinterestingthingshappen–lastyearIhadthe chancetomakeasilverbrooch,whichwillfeatureinafuturebook.

Mygreatestproblem,though,issailing.Like manyNorsemen,myheroisagreatsailor.Iam not.Ihavereadagooddealabouthowthey builtandusedtheirships,butIhavetogoand askpropersailorshowtheywouldsailaround theislands–Ican’thandlemuchmorethanthe Northlink ferry!ButonedaymaybeIshall,and shallalsovisitHedeby,wheremytwomaincharacterswereborn,nowinDenmark.

It'sbeenterrificfunallalongandI’velearneda hugeamount,notallofwhich,ofcourse,goes intothebooks.Historicalfictionisagreatexcuse forallkindsofthings!

Lexie Conyngham is a historian living in the shadow of the Highlands. Her Murray of Letho and Hippolyta Napier novels are born of a life amidst Scotland’s old cities, ancient universities and hidden-away aristocratic estates, but she has written since the day she found out that people were allowed to do such a thing. Beyond teaching and research, her days are spent with wool, wild allotments and a wee bit of whisky.

ResearchingYourHistoricalManuscript—Part1

Wendy H. Jones discusses how to harness the power of historical research beyond search engines.

So,you’vedecidedtowriteahistoricalnovel,oranon-fictionbooksetinacertain historicalperiod.Greatjob.Youareahead ofmostofthosewhosaytheywanttowritea book.You’vepinneddownyourideaandare certainyouknoweverythingaboutthisperiod andthetopicyouarediscussing.Enthusiasticto afault,youpickupapen-oropenupafresh documentinyourwordprocessingprogrammeandstarttowrite.Thisisusuallywhereyou cometotherealisationthat,no,youdon’tknow everything,andyouneedtodosomeresearch. Easypeasy,youthinkI’lljustaskGoogle(other searchenginesareavailable).Slowdown,writer.

There’smoretoresearchthanGoogle.Yes, shocking,Iknow.Anotherconsiderationwhen usingsearchenginesis,noteverythingyouread ontheinternetistrue.Evenmoreshocking,you gasp,whileclutchingyourinheritedpearls. Buckleupasthisarticlewilltakeyoubeyond searchenginesandoutintothebigwideresearchworld.

Librariesareagreatplacetostart.Librarians knoweverything,oratleastknowwheretofind everything.Askforabookonalmostanytopic andtheywillbeabletopointyouinthedirectionofwhereitcanbefound.Academiclibraries willevengetthebookfromtheBritishLibraryor NationalLibraryofScotlandforyou,ifitisavailableforloan.Iamsuretherewillbeasimilar

systeminanycountryinwhichyouliveand/or areresearching.Theycanatleastgetitthrough inter-libraryloan,andsomewillevenbuythe bookforthelibraryiftheythinkitwillhavewide appeal.Also,thinkoflibrariesworldwideas manyarticlesandbooksarenowdigitisedand availabletoall.IamamemberofboththeNew YorkPublicLibraryandtheLibraryofCongress.I foundalotofinformationaboutthemovefrom sailtosteamintheNewYorkPublicLibrary.

Talkingoflibraries,somemayalsohavearchives.Iwon’tgointotoomuchdetailabout thisasNickMillshaswrittenanexcellentarticle onusingarchives.Asanarchivistsheiswell placedtodispenseadviceontheiruse.Myexperienceofusingarchivesincludessearchingdiseasesintheearly19th CenturybothinScotland andtheWestIndiesastheCaribbeanwascalled duringthattimeperiod.Ifoundexcellentbooks andarticlesintheNationalLibraryofScotland andtheBritishLibrary.ThebookIfoundon Chathamduringthattimeperiodwasextremely

helpfulasmycharacterlivedintheareaand workedatMelvilleHospitalChatham,whichbelongedtotheRoyalNavy.

Archivesalsohavemapswhicharenotonlyuseful,butessential,whenconsideringhistory.Gettingtherightstreetsintherightplaceatthe righttimeshowsyourreaderyouknowwhatyou aretalkingabout.Forexample,mycharacter trainedatSurgeon’sHallinEdinburgh.

Aroundthetimehestartedhistraining,Surgeon’sHallmovedbuildingsafewstreetsaway fromitsoriginallocation.Itwouldbeeasyforme tosayhewasattendinglecturesinonestreet andgetitwrong.Mapsshowedmeexactly wherehewouldbetraining.Alongsidemapsyou canusebooksofstreetnamesandalsophotographsofthosestreets.Aquicksearchwillshow youtherearenumerousbookssuchasthisfor anyarea.

Photographsfromthetimeperiodareasuperb researchtool.Youcanlearnalotfromthetypes ofbuildings,theclothespeoplewore,ifthere werepublichouses,theatres,cobbledstreets, foodcartsetc.

Thisseguesmeinnicelytofood.Gettingthe foodcorrectforthetimeperiodiscrucial.Igrew upinthe60swhenspamfritterswereallthe rage,aswasspamitself.InScotlandthatis.I havenocluewhatfoodwasalltherageinEnglandortheUSA.Recipebooksfromthetimewill helpyoutogetthisfactuallycorrect.Yes,it’s timeforavisittothatlibrarian.Whilsttheymay nothavethatbookontheshelves,theywillcertainlyknowwheretogetitforyou.Research showsKingHenryVIIIategeeseandswans amongstmanyotherfoodswewouldconsider oddtoday.

Speakingtothosewhohavelivedexperienceisa wayofgainingfirst-handaccounts.Mygrandmothertoldherstoryofbeingaweaverinthe jutemillstoahistorianandthismadeitsway

intoaslimvolumeabouttheweaversofDundee, Scotland.Itcanalsohelpyougetthebackgrounddetailscorrectsuchaseatingspamfritters.Yes,thosepeskycrittersgeteverywhere.

Ofcourse,thesearejustsomeofthewaysyou canundertakeresearch;therearesomanymore but,yetagain,spaceinthemagazineislimited, sothiswillbecontinuednextmonthwithpart2. Yes,Iknownextmonth’sthemeissciencefiction andfantasybutthere’snolawsayingtherecan’t beotherarticles.Besides,allauthorsneedtodo researchatsomepointintheirwritingjourney.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and nonfiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

SubscriberNews

To nominate your local library or bookshop to be featuredinfutureissuesemail writersnarrative@gmail.com subjectheadedfortheattentionoftheEditor inChief.

WritingAboutHistoryandtheParanormal:HowtoMaintain Historical

IntegrityandStill

TellAGood Story

S.C. Skillman discusses writing about history and the paranormal and shares tips based on her expertise in this field.

“Neverletthefactsgetinthewayofagood story.”I’veheardthatsomanytimes,and it’scertainlyastatementthatoftencomes upalongsideanymentionofWilliamShakespeare.

YoumaysayShakespeareisthehighestpossible rolemodelawritercanfollow,andhegotaway withtellingthestoriesofRichardIIIandMacbeth andmanyotherswhilstdemonstratingadeliciousinsoucianceforwhatwemaycall“known historicaltruth”.

IshowmyrespectfortheBardbyquotinghimat thebeginningofeachchapterIwrite;hehasa wordforeverything,whichoftenresonateswith howIfeelaboutmysubjectmatter.

AsDameJudiDenchputit,“wequoteShakespeareallthetimeperhapswithoutknowingit; youonlyhavetogotothoseplaysandbeinany kindofthosesituations,beinginlove,beingjealous,beingangry,orwhatever,youwillfindhe hasawayofsummingupthatiscompletelysufficientforwhateveryouremotionis.”

Whenyoustartresearchingforanon-fiction bookonanyhistoricalsubjectyoualsobecome acutelyawareofthistruthtoo:historyisambivalent;itiswrittenbythevictors(andtheprivileged,thehighstatus,thewealthy,andthose whocouldreadandwriteandhadtheleisure andresourcestodoit);itispartialandisoftena

packoflies.Sothereyouhaveit!

Alongsidethat,historyisanongoingprocessof research,andisbeingrevisedallthetimeaccordingtonewdiscoveriesandnewinterpretations. I’mwritingabouthistoricalsubjects,andalso abouttheparanormal.Therewehavetwohighly ambivalentareasofhumanlife;thechallengeto thewriteris:‘WhatsortofbookamIwriting?’ and‘Whoismytargetaudience?’

Mytargetaudienceis:peoplewholoveghoststories;thosewhowouldliketovisitGloucestershire;andthosewholiveinornearthelocationsI describe,andwanttoknowI’mtellingthetruth aboutthem.

IfIdivergetoofarfromwhatwemaycall “documentedevidence,”inthecauseofwritinga good,entertaining,story,amIentitledtoeven callthisbook‘non-fiction’?

Thisistheteasingconundrumofsettingoutto writethenon-fictionbooksIdo: Paranormal Warwickshire and Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire amongstthem;andthenewbookI’mresearchingnow, Paranormal Gloucestershire.

SCSkillman

Thesebooksarehighlyillustrated,andeachmay contain100originalphotos,manytakenbymyself.Theappealofmybooksliesnotonlyinthe storiesItell,andthefacts,howevershadowy, aroundwhichtheyarewoven,butalsothephotos.

Ihavetoaskmyselfdoesthisimageenhanceor complementmystory?Doesitintrigue?Isthisa differentanglefromtheoneyoumightexpectin apopulartouristimage?Doesthisposequestions?Doesithaveatmosphere?

AccordinglyIalreadyhavealargefilecontaining sinister,formidablecastles;chillingprison doors;poignantentrancestoburialchambersin neolithiclongbarrows,andfieldsoverwhicha WhiteLadywithacandleisseentodrift,desperatetowarnherlovernottocometonight,forhis enemiesawait…

Giventhechallengesabove,Idomybestto sharestoriesfromhistoryinsuchawaytheybecomeaccessibleandengaging,whilstremaining closetodetailsknownfromdocumentedevidence.IncaseswhereIrecountanecdotes,I makeitclearthesearestoriespeopletell,testifyingtotheirownsubjectiveexperiences,andI respectthemonthatlevel.

Uncannyandotherworldlyeventsarebytheir natureimpossibletopindown;butIcangather thefewfactssurroundingthem.

Examplesare:-

Howmanypeopleclaimtohaveseenorfeltthe samethinginthesameplace?

Whoarethosepeople,andwhendidtheyhave theirexperiences?

Finally,isthereanythingintheknownhistoryof theplacethatmightshedlight? Thesearetheguidepostsorway-makersItryto identifywhenIretellastory.Inthecaseofsome

hauntings,theyaresovague,Imighteliminate themfrommyfinalmanuscript.

NotonlydoIhaveconstraintsonthenumberof wordsandphotostobeincluded,butalsoIdon’t liketoincludeanyaccountwhichmightbeeasy preytoasceptic,andinvitequestionssuchas “Whatmakesyouthinkitwasn’t‘justyourimagination’?Or“didyoucheckwhethertherewasanybodyintheroomwhereyouheardthephantom footsteps?”

Ihavelovedmyresearchin Paranormal Gloucestershire notonlybecauseI’vevisitedsomanyextraordinaryplaceswithacompellingatmosphere,butalsobecauseofthepeopleI’vemet; theownersoftheiconichousesmanycenturies oldwhichlookidyllicinCotswoldstouristbrochuresandinthefilmsforwhichtheyservedasa location.Thehouseownershavetheirowntestimoniesofstrangeevents.Itakemyaudiorecorderwithme,recordwhattheysay,andthentranscribeitafterwards.

Ultimately,whenIcometoeditandformitintoa storyonthepage,Ialwaystrytomaintainintegrity:mine,andthatofthepersonwhotoldmethe story.It’sabalancingactallthetime,butachallengeIenjoy,andwhereIfeelmostvindicated whenreaderstellmehowfascinatedanddrawn intheywerebymybooks!

Paranormal Gloucestershire by S.C.Skillman will be published by Amberley Books in Spring 2026.

SC Skillman is the author of Paranormal Warwickshire, Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire and A-Z of Warwick, all published by Amberley. Her forthcoming book for the same publisher is Paranormal Gloucestershire.

Don’tUseThatMug!

Sophie, the office dog, ably assisted by Peter Thomas, shares why mugs matter to her humans, and never more so when choosing which would be right to use for their first church service on Zoom.

Mymummyanddaddynevershout.The warningsoundedsourgent,itseemed liketheworldwasending.Inaway,it was.LockdownduetoCovidhadjustbeendeclaredandnobodywasallowedtogooutor meetanywhere.

ItwasSundayandmydaddyhadworkedtirelesslytoarrangetorunamorningchurchservice liveoverthevideo-conferencingplatform Zoom. Thiswouldbeafirstforeverybody,sotohelp themallfeelcomfortabletheyweregoingto beginwithhalfanhourjustseeingeachother’s facesandchattingovercoffee.

Mydaddyconceded,onreflection,hisinitial choiceofaDoctorWhomughadbeenunwise.A pictureofinvadingDaleks,intoning“Youwillall beexterminated”,wouldnotbeappropriately soothingorencouragingforanybodyinsuch troubledtimes.Heshouldhaveknownbetter.

Hedidoncehaveaharrowingface-to-faceencounterwiththeDoctorhimself,inthepersonof PeterCushing,intheLewis’sdepartmentstorein Manchester.Attheageofninehehadtogointo thespecialgrottoallbyhimself.Nobodyhadtold himhisherowouldbesurroundedbyseveralof hisdeadlyenemies!Whenyouarethesmallest boyintheclass,andyourfaceonlycomesupto theirplungers,Daleksarevery,verytall.

“No,that’stoodepressing,”shereplied,since thelockdownrestrictionsmeanttheyhadjust hadtocanceltheirbookingforachaletholiday inBettmeralplaterintheyear.“I’llhavethepuppymug.”Thatpicturealwaysbringscheerful memoriesofthetimemygreatauntieGolden RetrieverSashahadherpuppies.

Mydaddythoughtlongandhard.Inourhouse, mostmugsareassociatedwithparticularbeverages.Fornoidentifiablereasons,somearetraditionallyforcoffeeandothersfortea.Mummy drinksmorethantwentyvarietiesoftea,and eachhasitsownpreferredmug.

ThereistheweirdshapedKingfisheroneforearly morningDarjeeling.Ordinarybreakfastteaapparentlytastesbestinaplainmug.EarlGreyis usuallyintheelephantmugorthegiraffemug, whichwerekeepsakesfromtheirrhinocerosencounterbecausethezoohadrunoutofrhinos. Decaffeinatedteasneedbonechina.Forcoffee, daddyusesthepenguinmugsandmummythe hedgehogones,obviously.

Everymugtellsastory.Whenheneedsinspiration,daddywillusethesolesurvivorfromacollectionboughtinhiscollegedays,recallinghappytimeswhentwodozenstudentswouldpile intohisroomforabreadandcheeselunchevery Sunday.

Allthe“BestTeacherInTheWorld”and“MyFavouriteTeacher”mugsweregiventomymummy.Itisprobablyagoodthingstudentsdidnot givepresentsduringtheyearsmydaddywasa teacher.Toomanyfarlessflatteringslogansare available.“ItaughtyoueverythingIknowand youknowabsolutelynothing”.

Whenvisitorscome,teaisalwaysrightlyserved incupsandsaucers.Forcoffee,anyofthemugs canbeused.However,thereisoftendeepsignificanceinwhichvisitorhasthehonourofreceiving aparticularmug.Pleasedon’ttellanybodyItold youthat.

Personally,asadogIdon’tknowwhyhumans careaboutsuchtrivialthings.Ialwaysdrinkfrom myroundsteelwaterbowl.WhenweareoutIonlydrinkfreshwaterfromstreamsandlakes.If cafesorshopsputoutdogbowls,Ialwaysdipmy pawsinthemfirsttotestthetemperature,and thenrejectthem.

MytinypuppysisterTessahasherownovalrubberbowltostopherspanielearsgettingwet. Theyarestillevenlongerthanhernose.Soshe alwaysdipsherleftearinmybowl,drinksfrom herownandthencomesbacktominetodrench herrightear.Wearen’tfussy.

Findingtherightoptionfortheveryfirst Zoom Churchservicewasclearlyessential.Idon’t knowwhyhedidn’tgowithhisfavourite“I (heart)mycomputer”mug.“AllIwantistodrink coffeeandtalktomyspaniel”wouldhavebeen themosthonest.

Withmomentstospare,mymummyprovided thesolution.“Whatcouldbemoreappropriate?” shesaidcalmly.“Look,itevenreads,‘Iamyour father’.Justdon’tletthemseethepictureof DarthVaderontheback!”

PeterThomasandSophie

Rev Peter Thomas has published three non-fiction books and is delighted now to assist Sophie in her creative writing projects. Originally a teacher and author in the fields of chemistry and computing, Peter retired in 2023 after 36 years as a Minister of local Baptist Churches. He continues to add to his blog and videos of more than a thousand sermons and reflections found at www.pbthomas.com.

SUBMISSIONGUIDELINES

Writers’NarrativeeMagazine

We are interested in submissions on any aspect of writing and publishing and will accept simultaneous submissions.AllinterviewsmustbepitchedtotheEditorinChieffirstbeforedoingtheinterview.

We accept varying lengths of submissions depending on the topic - 500, 1000, 1,500. Book reviews can be shorter but should include a substantial review in addition to the book blurb. Only submit previously unpublishedwork(eitheronlineorinprint).

MonthlythemeswillbepromulgatedinboththemagazineandintheFacebookGroup.

Please use Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide. Light editing will be undertaken. If major editing is required, the article will be returned with general advice on what is required to bring it up to publication standard.

All submissions are to be in Times New Roman or Times, size 12 font, single spaced, with no formatting. Allformattingwillbecarriedoutbytheeditorialteam.

Theonlyimageswhichshouldbesubmittedwithyour articlesareyourauthorphotograph andbookcoversifdoingabookreview.Includeabriefbioandauthorphotographalongwithyourfirstsubmission.

Pleasestatethemonthforwhichyouaresubmittingyourarticle.However,thismaybechangedifitisfelt itbettersuitsadifferentissue.

Writers’Narrativeispublishedmonthly.Submissioncutoffdates:

January–7th November

February–7th December

March–7th January

April-7th February

May–7th March

June–7th April

July–7th May

August–7th June

September–7th July

October–7th August

November–7th September

December–7th October

Submissionsviaemailto writersnarrative@gmail.com

To nominate your local library or bookshop to be featured in future issues and for any queries including advertisingwithusemailwritersnarrative@gmail.comsubjectheadedfortheattentionofEditorinChief

Whilethereisamonthlythemeandfocus,thiswillnotbetheonlytopicforthemagazine.General articlescanalsobesubmittedforpublication.

Themesfor2025

Month

January/ February Non-Fiction

March HistoricalFictionandNon-fiction

Theme

April ScienceFictionandFantasy(It’sNationalScienceFictionMonth)

May Worldbuilding

June CozyMysteries

July WritingHabits

August CoverDesign

September Publishing

October ShortFormFiction

November NarrativeNon-Fiction

December ResearchingasWriters

Comingin April2025

Theme—ScienceFictionandFantasy

FeaturedAuthorInterviewConnerMcAleese

Articles

BookReviews

NewReleases

Andmore….

April2025