Hello all, I thought I would introduce myself. I am Kae, a Canadian, living in the UK. I write for work, but it’s more lowbrow academic than anything fun. I love reading, and for some reason I have gotten it into my head that I should try to write a type of novel that I would want to read. I’m doing it more for myself, just to see if I can do it, rather than any grand delusional aspirations of actually publishing. Although, I think most people do fantasise about holding a book to their face and smelling the ink that carries the words they wrote. I consider myself more of a hack/amateur/novice than a real writer, and I am hoping to use this forum to learn the craft a bit more, and improve my own writing. I already have a story started, which I am already in love with. It’s about an unwitting spy during the Seven Years War and is set in 1763. I know nothing about the topic, so I’ve been researching. Although, I am really enjoying the researching into 18th century swearing more. I look forward to interacting with and learning from people here on the forum!
Welcome to the forum. I'm one of the moderators here. I had to say 'yippee,' while reading your intro. Not only do I agree completely with your idea of writing the type of novel you would want to read, but I was delighted to discover you like to read historical novels! Yes, me too ...to both ideas. History will always be with us, and it's fun to imagine what life was like 'back then.' Just out of curiosity, what made you choose that particular time period? (Incidentally, I'm an ex-American from Michigan, who has lived in Scotland for the past 33 years, so we have even more in common. ) Anyway, as a moderator, I'd like to direct you to two links, so you get off on the right foot here. Please do check them out, as they contain important information you might not be aware of ...such as the forum requirements for posting your work, etc. New Member Quick Start and Forum Rules Definitely looking forward to seeing you around the threads. Cheers for now, Jan
Thanks for the welcome! I read all sorts of novels, but history has a real soft spot for me. I love to find out what life was like back then too. As I am sure you can appreciate, being a fellow North American, the readily available tangible history in the UK is thrilling and I still love seeking it out. My favourite thing at the mo is looking for medieval graffiti in churches (usually around the pillars and door frames--have a look!). To answer your question, I chose the time period really to fit around the characters that were growing in my head. I had two down, one is the MC, the other is 90% an MC, and their relationship together was already building. I needed to find a setting to put them in to make everything make sense. I wanted the 18th (again, soft spot for me), and I didn't want to get into anything too heady, like the French Revolution, or Culloden, so I had a wiki hour and found that the Seven Years War is actually perfect for what I was trying to achieve. I already knew I wanted them to flee to North America (ah, my roots!) so with the 7YW, I can plop them into Quebec and it makes logic, historical sense. Anyway, sorry for the long answer! I haven't really told anyone I'm writing this, so it's quite nice to get a chance to talk about it. Thank you for your interest. Thanks for the rules, as well. I have had a read them! ~Kae
Well, you've got me very interested. This isn't 'my' preferred period ...my novel is set in 1870s Kansas and 1885-86 Montana. (I love the 19th century for writing purposes.) But I am always interested in well-researched historical fiction from any period before that. I know practically nothing about the Seven Years War, so this will be my 'google of the day.'