Warrior queens. Far off lands. Daring escapes. Battles at sea. True love’s first kiss.

Is there anything more thrilling than reading a historical romance?

How about writing one?

If you’ve ever dreamed about writing a historical fiction or historical romance novel but are hesitant, you are in the right place.

I’ve only ever written historical novels. I have degrees in literature and history, partly because you can’t have one without the other—a topic we will discuss in this course—so when I became an author, writing historical fiction was naturally where my creative mind took me. As I got to know other writers—and readers who want to be writers—I was surprised at how hesitant many people are to delve into writing historical novels. To me, writing a historical novel didn’t seem any more daunting than writing science fiction, epic fantasy, or cringe contemporary romance. I still don’t understand how someone can write a 60,000-word novel about falling in love at a hockey game. But I’ve seen very few people balk at the idea of writing in any of these other genres. So, I set out to discover why writing historical fiction and historical romances gives people pause and come up with ways to help people overcome these reservations.

Why write historical fiction?

Historical fiction and historical romances are the most beautiful and enduring stories in the literary world. Authors like Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Diana Gabaldon are practically household names, and their books generate massive incomes and have been adapted for the big and small screen. Regency romances and Duke romances are consistent best-sellers for even the biggest of traditional publishing houses. Of course, all these authors center on European historical romances. There is a whole world of history just waiting to be told in a new way to new audiences!

While many authors see massive revenues generated from newer genres such as reverse harem or urban fantasy, one cannot ignore the long-term earning potential of historical fiction. My very first release, Threads of Silk, has been in the top twenty best-sellers for historical Chinese fiction for two and a half years! I have earned enough money from that one book to become a full-time writer, supporting my growing family on my income as a writer alone. Historical fiction is the fifth most expensive BookBub advertising category because it is one of the most lucrative categories. Historical mystery is the third most expensive category. There is a lot of money to be made in historical fiction.

What is holding you back?

So if historical fiction is so lucrative, why don’t more people mine this genre?

Fear.

In my discussions with authors and aspiring authors, many of them have expressed concerns over “getting this history right” or writing with an accurate voice.

These are legitimate concerns. I’m not going to dismiss those or similar arguments. I am sure that my strong background in history gives me an edge to writing historical fiction. But you don’t need an advanced degree in history to be able to write historical fiction. Like any worthwhile endeavor, if you have the passion and drive to succeed, you can do anything—and I can teach the tricks to writing accurate, and compelling historical fiction.

We will discuss the above concerns and many, many more in the upcoming modules. However, if you ever have any issues or concerns that are not addressed in the course, please contact me! I love helping authors succeed and I love historical fiction, so I want this course to be as beneficial as possible for you so I can read your amazing books! Even though the course is self-directed, you can always email me at [email protected] to talk to me directly. In fact, I look forward to hearing from you!

Course Outline

Module 1 – What is Historical Fiction?

Module 2 – HISTORICAL fiction or historical FICTION?

Module 3 – Research

Module 4 – World Building

Module 5 – Using Historical Language

Module 6 – Writing Historical Characters

Module 7 – Writing Realistic Female Characters

Module 8 – Writing Outside Your Race/Culture

Module 9 – Plotting or Pantsing Your Historical Novel

Module 10 – You’ve Written Your Historical Novel! Now What?