Readers of historical fiction know that a novel must be based in sound, accurate details of the time and place involved if it's to be convincing. Most importantly, they recognize that a novel sinks or swims by virtue of the authenticity of the characters' voices, whether shared through a first- or third-person narrator. Participants are welcome to attend one or both parts of this two-part workshop.
Part II: From 6-7:30, Award-winning novelist and playwright, Susan Rivers will lead a hands-on workshop in which she shares her methods for creating compelling and believable voices from the past--methods she employed while writing her Civil War-era novel, The Second Mrs. Hockaday (Algonquin Books, 2017), as well as her early 20th-century milltown novel, Troublefield (forthcoming by Algonquin). These techniques involve intensive research digs for primary source material, such as letters, newspaper stories, inquest reports, memoirs, journals, diaries, and oral histories.
Bring a character profile with you if you are currently working on an historical novel set in a specific period of time in a particular region. And don't forget your notebooks!
Books will be available for purchase through representatives of Hub City Bookshop.
This event is part of Upstate Writing Month (#UpWriMo). Look for other events on our calendar, or find them all at http://www.uscupstate.edu/upwrimo.
