I once heard someone say that historical fiction is the closest thing we can get to time travel, and I think this has a whole lot of truth in it. My passion for history has grown over the last year, and I’ve started thinking a lot more about reading (and writing) historical fiction. Now, as a child, I read a lot – and I mean a LOT – of World War II books, so I think because of that, for a while I was just completely sick of historical fiction and thought that I didn’t like it anymore. But lately I’ve been picking more historical fiction books off the library shelves, or adding them to my ever-growing TBR, and it’s made me stop and think a little. Because if I’m interested in history, why *wouldn’t* I read books about it? And more than that, why wouldn’t I want to write about it too? I’ve dismissed the idea of writing historical fiction before because it requires so much research, but honestly, this may not be a very valid reason. People choose to read historical fiction, not for an avalanche of historical data and obscure facts, but for the story. The worlds they open in these books are real worlds, but with new characters and ideas and storylines. So if I were to write historical fiction, I don’t have to labour over minute details about the spoons they would use in those times. I just have to know the world I’m writing about, and then create my own story within that world. I shouldn’t hesitate to write about the past because it might be hard. Instead, I should be excited about the past because there’s so many fascinating aspects to it, so much we can learn from it, so many stories we can find in it. So perhaps I will, in some big or small way, travel back in time and write about another, older world. Stay tuned to find out.
Back to the Past
kyra b
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