Thursday, February 01, 2007

Writing 007 -- Writing Historical Fiction

This episode has gotten some responses, both positive and negative. (Though constructive criticism is always good.)

Some people felt I was correct to call for as much historical accuracy as possible when writing historical fiction. (I certainly don't think the historical novelist should be sloppy about things.)

Other people felt that adherence to history can get in the way of storytelling.

Both are true. Both have a legitimate case.

Good storytelling might require bad history. But bad history is nothing to be proud of.

Good history doesn't guarantee good storytelling. And bad storytelling is nothing to be proud of.

I just prefer the best of both worlds.


Regards,
Tom