Following on from my previous post, Trying something Different, it seems logical to look at other aspects of writing a different kind of novel. The technicalities of subverting expectations within a story do not rest entirely on moving the constituent parts around. The linear path from beginning to middle to end is very well signposted … Continue reading No more Heroes and no more Villains
novels
Trying something Different
I am a writer. A scribbler. A scrivener. A wanna-be author. No matter what else I think inventing stories is just something that my brain does. I do not even need to be conscious of the fact. My brain is intent on coming up with another tale, whether I like it or not. The only … Continue reading Trying something Different
Why Race in a Historical Context is Important
Back in November 2019 I wrote a piece on now racism in Historical Dramas appears to be in the process of being erased from both cinema and television screens <link>. I recently got into an argument about this very subject again. I made a comment about Armando Iannucci’s latest version of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. … Continue reading Why Race in a Historical Context is Important
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
I very much enjoyed the 1987 movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy, but that is not what I am writing about. In my book, Eugenica, the protagonists use planes, trains, and automobiles to escape their pursuers. Well, actually they use the singular of each of those modes of transport. One plane, a De Havilland … Continue reading Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
The Science of Time Travel and the Implications of Killing People before they were Born
I wanted to write a story in which people mixed with dinosaurs. Seeing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had the idea of a lost world and Michael Chrichton had the idea of using recovered dinosaur DNA first, it really left me no alternative but to send my characters back in time. Yes, I was going … Continue reading The Science of Time Travel and the Implications of Killing People before they were Born
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings
At school my history teacher glossed over the Battle of Hastings. His lesson suggested that the Normans were a superior people who conquered the barbaric Saxons and brought civilisation back to England. I have always inferred that what he meant was that the Romans had civilised Britain originally but that the Saxons had created a … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 3 – My version of the Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings
On 14th October 1066 a Saxon army under the command of King Harold of England stood at Sentlache Ridge, some 7 miles north of Hastings. Duke Guillaume of Normandy led his army from the port to fight the decisive battle of the year. The Normans had invaded England on 28 September, but King Harold was … Continue reading The Battle of Hastings
Not a New Year’s Resolution
The holidays are over, and it is the start of a new year. I have never seen the point of making resolutions simply because the calendar has changed to a new page. I believe that resolutions should be made as and when necessary. I have not made a New Year’s Resolution, but I have determined … Continue reading Not a New Year’s Resolution
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
Continuing on from the Battle of Fulford Gate I approached writing about the Battle of Stamford Bridge in exactly the same way. I had received many positive comments regarding how I had gone about describing the action. It seems that I had hit on a successful technique for describing both the action from the point … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place only five days after the Battle of Fulford Gate. The Viking army, under King Harald Hardrada of Norway had won what appeared to be a decisive victory, destroying the Saxon’s Army of the North. Its leaders, the brothers Eorl Edwin of Mercia and Eorl Morcar of Northumbria had … Continue reading The Battle of Stamford Bridge
Peter C Whitaker 