BLOGWORDS – Monday 10 June 2019 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY – LORI BENTON

BLOGWORDS – Monday 10 June 2019 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY – LORI BENTON
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NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY – LORI BENTON
 
Historical or Historical Romance: Somewhere On the Spectrum

 

If you’ve read one of my novels then you know I’m a writer with a passion for 18th century history, be it Colonial American, Early Federal American, Native American, even Jacobite Scotland. Most particularly, I’m irresistibly drawn to settings where cultural intermingling occurred, complete with all its conflicts and, at rarer times, surprising harmony. Settings like the Appalachian mountain frontier or—as in my newest release, The King’s Mercy—the backyard, fields, and forests of a rural southern plantation.

 

The stories of the fictional characters in each of my novels are woven with care around and through real life events that can be found in the pages of history books (some more obscure than others). In many cases those historical events are front and center to the novel’s plot, such as war and battle (The Pathfinders series; Many Sparrows; The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn). Sometimes the history is more subtle, such as war’s aftermath on a frontier population (Burning Sky). I write historical fiction—stories featuring real events that happened in the past—so readers can expect to encounter plenty of detailed and accurate history in the pages of my books, seen through the eyes and experienced through the hopes and hearts of my fictional characters.

 

But wait, I like a good romance, too! There’s nothing more powerful to draw me into a story, whether I’m reading it or writing it, than the ages-old “boy meets girl” scenario in all its variations, with the exciting complications that inevitably follow that collision. You’ll find at least one such romance thread in each of my books, occasionally more than one. So does that mean what I really write is Historical Romance?

 

If a spectrum existed for the historical fiction genre, with Historical Romance at one end and Historical novels lacking any romantic element at the other, then every writer of historical fiction falls somewhere uniquely on that spectrum, as do each of their books. How does a reader tell where on the spectrum the book in their hands falls? How does a writer know what she’s writing? Let’s start by defining those two extremes.

 

On the left of this imaginary spectrum I’ll place Historical Romance. As defined by Romance Writers of America, a romance novel contains a central love story in which two characters meet and struggle to make a relationship work, despite whatever odds are set against them. That love story is the main focus of the novel, though subplots may exist.

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On the right of the spectrum is Historical Fiction. Without getting into the complicated minutia and contradictions one encounters if they Google “Historical Fiction genre guidelines,” for the sake of simplicity I’ll define the genre as a story set at least fifty years in the past, with or without a romantic “boy meets girl” scenario as a minor subplot woven into the story.

 

My basic guideline for judging a book set in the past on whether it falls into Historical or Historical Romance category is to answer one question: assuming that one exists, if the romance thread was removed would there still be a recognizable story arc for each of the main characters? In other words, is there still a story to tell without the romance? If so, the novel in question falls closer to the Historical end of the spectrum. If the romance thread is removed and there’s no other goal or motivation to carry the characters forward, with a recognizable story arc or plot to trace, then what I have in my hands is Historical Romance.

 

As an avid reader of novels set in the past, I read books at both extremes, but my favorites tend to be those that fall somewhere in the middle ground of that imaginary spectrum. Which comes as no surprise, really, since the Middle Ground of intermingled cultures and world views is one of the primary things that motivates me to write. I’m intrigued by those gray areas where the answers come hard-won, whether of the heart or the mind. The romantic element is part of that, but not the whole.

 

Tips for writers: unless you’re writing for a specific imprint or line of books with a narrowly defined brand, might I suggest not adhering to a strict set of guidelines in your writing of historical fiction when it comes to the romance element. Especially not with your first book. There’s something to be said about the unfolding of discovery, and not forcing yourself into a mold—or brand—prematurely. As long as you are writing fully fleshed out characters with clear motivations and goals to pursue, focus on what fascinates you and draws you to write, whether it’s historical events or romance that sparks your passion—or both. Once you’ve finished that first novel, then it’s time to analyze what you’ve written and decide where your sweet spot on that spectrum lies.

 

The best thing? You aren’t bound to remain in that one spot forever. Readers and reviewers have made it clear that each of my books occupies a slightly different position on that spectrum, some closer to the Historical Romance side, some to the Historical. There are readers who clearly prefer one over the other, some romance, others the history, but there’s a readership for each and everywhere in between. There’s no wrong place on that spectrum to be, no wrong way to go about crafting a novel set in whatever historical period has captured your imagination.

 

A question for readers: when it comes to stories set in the past, do you prefer more romance or more history, or an equal portion of both?

 

[image error]Lori Benton’s novels transport readers to the eighteenth century, where she expertly brings to life the colonial and early federal periods of American history. She is the author of Burning Sky, recipient of three Christy Awards; The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn; Christy finalist The Wood’s Edge; A Flight of Arrows; Christy finalist Many Sparrows; and The King’s Mercy. She lives in Oregon where she enjoys hiking and landscape photography.

 

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoriBenton/

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http://loribenton.blogspot.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Lori-Benton/e/B00BBP9FR2/

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY

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Lori is offering a signed copy of The King’s Mercy. (Sorry, U. S. addresses only.)

Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway will begin at 12:00 A.M. on Monday 10 June and end at 12:00 A.M. on Monday 11 June. Giveaway is subject to the policies found on Robin’s Nest.

RAFFLECOPTER
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b485f64b18/?

 

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#Blogwords, New Week New Face, #NWNF, Guest Post and Giveaway, Lori Benton