Writing the Historical Novel

I've been working on the character for a novel set in the late nineteenth century and now the novel is beginning to take shape. I've got 30,000 words so far and hope to get the rest done during April's NaNoWrimo. I suppose that the difference between writing a contemporary novel, two of which I have completed and they are up on Amazon, is that more research is required into life in that period.

Two Protagonists

While Ellie is the main protagonist, at least for a major part of this first book, there is a second major character, the Cracksman - which is why the series is titled Ellie and the Cracksman. While I aim to give the characters equal weight in the series, in the first novel, much of it is about Ellie. Eventually, she and the Cracksman work together and form the Empire Detective Agency - a British counterpart to Pinkertons I suppose.

Irons in the Fire

I am not an organised writer, which is probably why I have several projects on the go at once. While this way of working doesn't suit everyone, there are other writers I know who work on more than one book at a time.  I think that I have the kind of mind that has to have more than one thing rattling around, but I know that this wouldn't suit everyone. I really am hoping to have a full draft of the Ellie novel by the end of April, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this. In the meantime, happy writing.

Writing a Novel: The Novel Notebook and Your Writing Process

One of the most important aspects of any kind of writing, but especially novel writing, is keeping a novel notebook. I've self-published two novels on Amazon, and currently working on another two, one set in the late nineteenth century, and the second set around 1920. I've found that the best way of handling more than one project (besides any freelancing you might do) is to keep a separate notebook for each project. While most writers will be familiar with the writer's notebook, they may not keep a separate notebook for each project as it helps to keep my mind focussed on whichever project I'm working on at the time.

Here is a short extract from the nineteenth-century notebook called Ellie and the Cracksman. "While the two major characters are now quite clear to me, and their main motivations are also clear; other characters are still a bit hazy. It's one thing starting out with a plan, quite another sticking to it, especially when characters want to go their own way. One thing I've realised from this is that the characters need to develop in their own way, which isn't always the same as the picture I have in my head." (Ellie and the Cracksman notebook).

I chose this particular extract because a novel notebook is not just about the book itself, but the writer's own problems with writing a particular book and how they might handle it better. The novel notebook I've found is as much an exploration of how the writer feels about what they are writing, as it is about the book itself. By and large, keeping these notebooks is aabout understanding your own writing process as well as about the work itself.