Writing Historical Fiction discussion
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Hi I'm a new member. Finding to get here directly. Seem to go to the book promotion site and they had trouble finding you for me. Also confused by the para in this READ FIRSTAnd the difference between a CLOSED (yes, Goodreads is a closed community) group and a critique group with more members would be...? Sending someone your work through e-mail is JUST as published as coming here and asking for input. Don't confuse the two--published is published. If it's meant for anothers' consumption, then it's published. If you're not comfortable in posting your WIP here, then this isn't the group for you.
Do you mean if I send work to my friends via email it's published? If it's published here is it published?
thank you
Mod
And the difference be..."
Okay. I KNEW I remembered answering this question sometime ago, and I was right. You went to my author page, but wrote "Is this group still active?" Because that was my personal author page, I could only assume you were talking about WHF.
But it says that 15 days ago I answered your question. Did you not see that I had answered that? You should have also received a notice that your question had been answered.
If you had any other questions, please post them here and I'll do what I can.
And as for published, well, yes, I was pretty explicit on that. TECHNICALLY, yes, anything sent to another person so their eyes see it means published.
But the truth is, MOST publishers/editors/agents won't split hairs that tiny, and as long as the group/person you're sending the ms to isn't public, as in Yahoo groups, but merely private e-mail that they won't share (and if you don't tell anyone), then there's no way for anyone to know the ms was e-mailed, and they don't have to know.
If you shared the ms to a place like Critique Circle and then kept the original title and didn't make any changes to the draft and then submitted it to your publisher, chances are they're going to do a plagiarism search, and it may pop in that search; I don't know, since I don't post to those sorts of places.
Because our posts DO show in specific Google searches, then that will be up to you as to whether you want to post them here. But, when I tried it with my name, I had to type my name AND Goodreads into the search box for those specific postings to come up, but there may be ways around that.
Forgive me, I've been in massive pain today, and it's late, so will try to finish this later.
Good morning,My name is Louis. I am new to on-line communities, thus am a little unsure of what is happening here...anyway, I am an older male physician, still working, and still writing.
I am intrigued by ancient Roman society (my birthdate is probably closer to that time than most of you), in particular the lost voices of those not from the imperial houses.
I am ~ 50,000 words into a novel about a senator's wife, and her world from the first century AD (from Claudius to Nero). Through a series of events, she realizes slavery is wrong, and choses to do something about it. As you can imagine, it leads to all sorts of complications in her life.
If the work is never published, no harm done, the joys of exploring this theme through my characters and the historical data that is available has made the project worth it.
That said, I may venture out and ask for your comments if I ever get the nerve to submit something for you to read.
Between adjectives, adverbs, and all the rest, I fear this introduction has already put me on a windy first step.... ;-)
Looking forward to your comments.
Louis N
Have you tried a critique group? I found one on Meetup.com
Sounds fascinating. Doesn't have to be about a famous person, i.e., Robert Harris's "Pompeii". Wonderful book. Really enjoyed the story and how much I learned.
Mod
This IS a critique group. Problem is, I can't get anyone to actually participate in the critiques!
Mod
My name is Louis. I am new to on-line communities, thus am a little unsure of what is happening here...anyway, I am an older male physician, still working, and still writing.
I am ..."
Hi, Louis,
Welcome to the group!
You may also want to post to the Introductions thread and introduce yourself.
It would be wonderful for you to post something! Just be sure to follow the guidelines listed, and keep excerpts to the word limit. You may get someone who's good at killing those extraneous adverbs and adjectives, but don't fear. From the participants we've had so far, the commenters have been wonderfully-gentle and supportive. So I think it's a great group. If we could just get more participants who didn't feel the need to go off-group!
Have fun!
~~C, your mod
Yeah, not surprising I posted in the wrong domain...will re-post where it belongs. Thanks C mod ;-)
Mod
But this is the place you'll post when you're ready for critiques. Can't wait!
~~C
Hi, I'm new here. I've read through this page. Where do I get started posting my writing or reading other's writing?
Dale wrote: "Hi, I'm new here. I've read through this page. Where do I get started posting my writing or reading other's writing?"Sorry, I think I got it now.
Mod
Sorry, I think I got it now."
Okie. If you have any other questions please let me know.
Have fun!
~C
I just have a little housekeeping to get out of the way, then you may get on with the fun, because as we all know, historical fiction is pretty much laugh-a-minute, ainit? ;)
I originally created this group for two things: critique, and discussion of historical works/writing resources, in that order.
When choosing beta readers for my first novel's publication, I quickly learned that not one of them had a true knowledge of how to EFFECTIVELY critique a manuscript. So, I decided this site would be the best to create a group where we could not only talk about our favourite genre, but LEARN about how to write AND critique our favourite genre.
The difficulties with this genre are that we have historical souls, but modern-day publishers and readers, and sometimes the two clash, right? Well, hopefully with the resources provided, we, as a group, can avail ourselves of them to write good, solid historical fiction, then post it to the WIP thread and then learn how to give constructive and EFFECTIVE critiques that will benefit the writer.
Do you want to know how I learned how to write? By being a part of an online writing/critique group for nearly ten years. I started posting the Gaslight Journal in excerpts, and when my friend Barry (RIP :'() told me to stop writing that and write a short-story, I did. Then when I posted the short-story and he told me to cut it down from 1500 words to 700, I was convinced he was an idiot. But I did it.
I have to tell you. When that was over, not only was the story better, but everyone raved over the improvement, and I had learned a valuable lesson: words are always at a premium. When writing historical fiction, sometimes we get caught up in the purple prose, and that exercise alone fixed my affinity for that FOREVER. I'm srs--that one simple exercise knocked that right out of me and now even on Twitter, I force myself to tell as much of the story as I can in 140 characters.
Once you put yourself through that hell, you learn first-hand just how unnecessary adjectives are, you're slashing adverbs like they were prices on shoes, you SEE just how tight a story can be.
Barry passed on two years ago, but I will ALWAYS be thankful to him for giving me a writing career, because some years after that exercise, I began writing comedic short-stories, and that one skill alone was what got me multi-published in national magazines.
So, please, throw up a story or two and see what happens--see what kind of writer might be lurking beneath the tons of adjectives and adverbs!
None of the following:
*Your author profile, on or off Goodreads
*Your blog for any reason
*Your own author activities/interviews/media appearances
*Contests or Giveaways of yours
This group may not be for you if you have the following ideas:
You join this group in the hopes of posting your already-published novel and then using it to gain new fans under the guise "looking for comments"; come to the blog or will mail MS.
This kind of comment/attitude will only be tolerated a few times before I remove you, and be aware, that if you are removed, I have it set so that you cannot ever return. Expulsion means being banned until I change the setting, so be careful of the rules.
If you feel you ABSOLUTELY MUST do this, then contact the people you feel will benefit you in the way of beta reading privately. Send them a direct message, just do not post that request here.
I don't feel comfortable posting my work here. Can I have some other online resources to get critique?
And the difference between a CLOSED (yes, Goodreads is a closed community) group and a critique group with more members would be...? Sending someone your work through e-mail is JUST as published as coming here and asking for input. Don't confuse the two--published is published. If it's meant for anothers' consumption, then it's published. If you're not comfortable in posting your WIP here, then this isn't the group for you.
We'll pay you for a critique. Just follow this link...."
We give them for free, and are more than willing. Again, it's a link that's illegal because it leads you away from this group. If you are a member and see this type of post and notice that I have not removed it, then please send me a message and make me aware of it.
I have set up several types of different folders for special discussions. If the new topic you wish to start doesn't fall under one of those, then feel free to post it under the General discussion.
If it's off-topic, at least mark OT in the subject so we know you've veered off course, but please, keep them on topic.
You may ONLY post resources for writers that deal with story construct, character types, story arc, but NOT outside critique groups, blogs, chat rooms or forums on Facebook. IF you have a link on which you're not sure, then sure--send it to me and I'll make a decision. But I'm tired of running down through these threads having to delete high amounts of them because folks won't read the rules.
Which, btw, is why that annoying box keeps popping up on you now. At least until the members see the rules, it will remain and I can stop weeding through posts for blog mentions/follows and personal web-site URLs.
THIS is the group created for Goodreads readers who wanted a community HERE within this site where we had a common interest, and could share common problems in writing this very difficult and under-appreciated genre. Please, help me protect it by keeping out the rule-breakers who cleverly seem to slide in.
If I find mention of personal web-sites where books are being sold, blogs asking for comments, or any other site designed to offer critique that takes you from this one, they will be removed without ceremony or explanation.
If you are a publisher/agent/editor, please post those calls for submissions in the appropriate folder.
Once again: If you have a work-in-progress that you need another set of eyes on, create a new topic in the WIP/Critique thread. AND THAT DOES NOT MEAN TO POST A WIP FROM AN ALREADY-PUBLISHED NOVEL! What's the point in that?? Do you know what that spells to me? Someone desperate for fans, and that is NOT the purpose of this group. I've been VERY honest and forthright in that from the beginning.
I think that about covers it. Thanks for your cooperation in this, and write on!
~~C, Moderator