Writing Historical Fiction

My January MFA Residency on Whidbey Island is underway. This afternoon we enjoyed a session on subject matter especially close to my heart–Eel Pie, Hoop Skirts, and Aeroplanes: Writing Historical Fiction with Kirby Larson. Her resources and enthusiasm for the genre are infectious — I hope I catch this kind of writing virus again and again.

Over the last month or so, I admit I’ve become impatient with my thesis. Some days I wish I could just gallop to the finish line and write “The End” already. I know where I’m headed — and I can hardly wait to get there. But as Kirby points out, I can wait, and some things are not to be hurried. Writers of historical fiction are treasure hunters for poignant, meaningful stories from the past; it takes research, and time. Regardless of the initial goal, we need to be open to what we come across. “Sometimes you don’t find what you’re looking for,” Kirby says, “you find something even better.”

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