Historical Fiction Workshop - Pre Workshop Post

Hi all.

Just a reminder that thehistorical fiction workshop starts tomorrow. 

We're closing out signups, because I don't want to take anyone on after we start this, and also, this got way more popular than we anticipated. So if you want to join us, let me know by the end of today GMT +1 time.

The participants list is as follows (and I am tagging all of you to make sure you see this important info):

Viking-American, sun-lily, DewyPetals, lovelorey, Peonies18, Lupizora, Gingersanps, Lonaargh, elksongredfeather, GuinevereToGwen, Aerbella, Tarenja, JenZeePops, Tete-DePunk, farmowls-icewolf-inc, ArthurTheBraveOne, ThornyEnglishRose, Sornek,  InklingsOfOblivion

And the maybe list: mormonbookworm, neurotype-on-discord, camelopardalisinblue, ME-inator

If I missed you please, tell me now so I can add you on to the list.

To all participants: I strongly suggest you watch me, even if only temporarily. The lessons will all be posted here via my journal, as well as any extra content, polls, etc. The lessons will be cross posted to both theWrittenRevolution and CRLiterature, but as I said, my journal is the hub for all things. I will not be slighted if you unwatch at the end.

What you all need to do now: Start thinking about your stories. A few things I want you all to consider.
1. Do not shy away from something because it seems un-PC, too vulgar, or too controversial. History is vulgar and controversial. As long as you do the research properly, you should write what you want. If anyone gives you any backsass about it, tell me or tell VFreie.
2. Picking something obscure might mean you won't have time to research and complete the workshop, unless you've already done a lot of background work on it.
3. You are not limited to any specific time period or event. Just do it well.


Now, as for your hosts. Who the hell are we, and why are we even qualified to run this?

VFreie has an MA in Publishing with a strongly history-centric curriculum. dA-wise, she has been awarded two DDs and two DLDs on historical fiction pieces, and got another published in Alliterati Magazine."

doughboycafe has a BA in history (focus on 20^th century), another in archaeology,  and has had pieces of historical fiction published in several magazines. They write and get paid for it (mostly blogs and pr related), and moonlights teaching Lit courses at a small university on the side.

Does that make us the be all and end all? Not by a long shot. But we have some chops, and we want you all to know that you'll be getting real instruction, and not random speculation. We're working hard to make this worth your time and energy.


Which brings me to my last point: please understand that we are going to give you constructive criticism and critique. The whole point of a workshop is to help improve and guide, and we can't do that without sometimes pointing out where a piece could be better. Do not ever take this personally, we're here to help, not to tear you or your work down.

We also encourage you to comment on your fellow participants' work. The collective can be powerful and encouraging, so if you have time, please cheer on your compadres.

Don't worry about the logistics right now. There will be specific instructions in each journal to make sure you get the necessary feedback. For now, just focus on your story and start coming up with ideas on what you want to write.

Now that dA has a historical fiction category, we hope to fill it up with solid pieces. See you all tomorrow, my fellow historians!