After the loss of NaNoWriMo, it did not take the Crowvus writers long to realise how much we relied on this structured routine for our writing. For me, November had become the only time I was guaranteed to do creative writing. In fact - if truth be told - I've done very little at any other point of the year. Consequently, we decided to adapt to our own interpretation: Cro(w)NoWriMo - the W is in brackets because there was some discrepancy over whether or not it should be in there. The rules were simple: Write. As November went on, the end goal changed slightly for each writer. Was it 50,000 words? Was it to write every day? Was it to write an entire book? For me, it was about finishing a book. I haven't finished an historical fiction book in ages - though I've started plenty! Now, with four more writing days left on the clock and into the final chapter, I might finally be able to lay the ghost. The story I returned to was Poisoned Pilgrimage , the book I began as a submiss...
Welcome back to the #HistFicThursdays blog, Writers and Readers! This year is already shaping up to be a fabulous one.
I am not one to make New Year Resolutions - they are inevitably broken by the end of January - but I am looking forward to getting more writing done this year. I'll be sharing my progress on these blogs, along with any fascinating research rabbit holes I happen to stumble across! I'm also delighted to be sharing a monthly post from fellow Crowvus author, Judith Crow, as she discusses her gothic horror short stories which will be released on 13th October 2025 - her first post will be here next week!
I am always happy to review historical fiction, but please remember I can only review physical copies as I do not possess an eReader, and my eyes are not up to reading a full book on the computer!
Currently, I am deciphering a set of 19th Century letters I got for Christmas. Will these ever make it into stories? Certainly! It is so wonderful to experience the true language with which these were written. As historical fiction writers, we tend to get a bit hung up on what words and phrases would have been used in various periods, but these letters are providing me with a few eye-opening moments in terms of language! I have already picked a few favourites amongst them: an actress politely refusing a play because it does not end happily ever after; a failing editor lamenting how badly his magazine is doing with over-the-top moroseness; a lawyer's patient response to someone who expected to be named as receiving more than they got in a will... The list goes on! I am researching as much as I can about the senders and recipients, but the frustrating beauty of everyday letters is that many of these people are now lost to history. These moments, which were so important to them, are now the only window we have onto their lives.
Of course, as a writer, this partial anonymity is priceless. But, as a historian, I can't help but question who they were, what their lives were, or - in the case of this letter - what on earth they are talking about!
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