Firstly, I apologise for not posting a Middle Grade Monday blog last week. It was quite a crazy time, with my exam on the Monday and the Music Festival all week. But I wanted to make sure I got this blog up on the right day! Today, I'll be discussing how to put magic into a setting, particularly for middle grade books. One of the key points to make is that magic is not unusual for children. It is quite normal for a class of children to believe that magic exists, and this has both benefits and drawbacks. The benefit is that you don't have to spend as long persuading the reader that a magical place is relatable. The drawback is they already have a set idea as to what magic is like and, if you want to go outside the box as many authors do, it can cause problems. When planning how to put magic into your setting, you can ask yourself some questions: Is the whole world magic, or just select places? Perhaps there is an underwater kingdom of magic, while the folk on shore are just lik...
It is that time again... Get ready for the return of #HistFicMay!
For the first time, this #HistFicMay will be taking place predominantly on BSky, although I would encourage all writers to share the posts on any and all their social media channels. I'll be around on BSky, Facebook, and Instagram (if I can remember my password!) to share and like as many posts as I can. I am so excited to discover new authors and books, as well as reconnecting with the stalwarts who have been doing #HistFicMay over the last couple of years.
There are a couple of extra optional hashtags this year (#WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow and #WritingHabits), but the all important one is #HistFicMay
As always, please join in with as many or as few as you would like!
So - choose your gargoyle!
[the list of prompts is also available in text form at the bottom of this blog]
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#HistFicMay
1. Introduce yourself
2. Introduce your writing
3. Why Historical Fiction?
4. Do you write in any other genres/subgenres?
5. Introduce your setting
6. Why this time period?
7. Real places and people or entirely fictional?
8. Introduce your protagonist
9. Introduce your antagonist
10. #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Protagonist’s greatest strength
11. #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Antagonist’s greatest strength
12. #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Protagonist’s biggest fear
13. #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Antagonist’s biggest fear
14. #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Protagonist’s ultimate goal
15. #WhatTheyKnowVsWhatTheyShow Antagonist’s ultimate goal
16. Secondary characters: A shoutout to your favourite one!
17. Have you ever written a character based on yourself?
18. Historical accuracy: how much matters?
19. What’s the best research trip you’ve ever had?
20. Share a research gem
21. Historian whose work you would be lost without
22. Research words of wisdom for newbies
23. What is the biggest surprise you’ve found in your research?
24. Sequels and Prequels: Would you ever write them?
25. #WritingHabits Where do you write?
26. #WritingHabits Computer, phone, tablet, typewriter, or pen and paper?
27. #WritingHabits Do you have pictures/items from your story’s time period or place to help inspire you?
28. #WritingHabits Has your story got a song or playlist?
29. #WritingHabits Do you have a preferred time of day or time of year to write?
30. What’s the next HistFic book on your TBR pile?
31. What’s the next HistFic book you’re going to write?
I'm looking forward to reading all your answers and sharing some great Historical Fiction conversation with you in May!
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