Howard Aiken 📚

#WritersCoffeeClub day 31: In terms of writing, how did this month go for you?

Not bad. Volume 1 of the trilogy went out to the first beta readers slightly ahead of schedule. It's an exchange arrangement, so I've been beta reading manuscripts too.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity
#writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub October 26: "How culturally diverse do your casts tend to be?"

It varies according to the story. Book one of the trilogy spans the Mediterranean and the cultures around it. Book two, set in 14th-century Oxfordshire, is much less culturally diverse.

#writing #histfic #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 25/10: Does 'destiny' have a role in modern fiction?

Destiny exists in our imaginations. I enjoy writing plotlines readable either as destiny or coincidence. Both can deliver unlikely outcomes.

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#WritersCoffeeClub – 23 Oct. Have you ever written a story-within-a-story? (mise en abyme!)

In Volume 2, I included a fairytale told by the hero to a friend. It was a version of the oldest known tale and great fun to write, possibly because I don't usually write fantasy /magic.

#writing #histfic

#WritersCoffeeClub – 22 Oct. What inspiration have you taken from historical figures or events?

I write real-world historical fiction, so historical events are my starting point. I also include some real historical figures, but only a few.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity
#writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 20. What role does death (or undeath!) play in your work?

Not a huge role in Volume 1, except for the mysterious death of my hero's father. Vol 2 is set during the plague of 1347/9, so death is an almost constant presence.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 19. How do you keep track of dates and events in a WIP?

I use spreadsheets. I know the year each character was born in, and the dates of the real-world events happening around them.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub – 18 Oct. Do you tend to incorporate supernatural elements in your work?

I write real-world #histfic. No magic, no dragons. But belief in the supernatural has always been with us, so yes, it appears in my books - as hallucinations, coincidences and religious faith.

#writing

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/16 How much does your vocabulary change for different projects?

For my #histfic trilogy, the vocabulary includes Latin, Castilian, Italian, and Arabic words and (I hope) excludes 21st century words or phrases. The story picks its words.

#writing #writingcommunity #writesky

Hi. I'm looking for #histfic beta readers who can give me reader (not writer) feedback. Novel-length story set in the 14th-century. No magic/dragons. Looking for feedback before year-end. Can't afford to pay, but willing to read your manuscript in return. 77k words in .docx or .pdf
Anyone?
#writing

#WritersCoffeeClub 14/10: Talk about a book that surprised you: how was it not what you expected?

The Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris. It looks heavy and intimidating before you start, but is a delight to read. Excellently researched, with a great sense of place.

#books #writing #histfic #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 13 Oct
Are you motivated to write by internal drive or external goals?

At the moment, the drive is entirely internal. I fantasise that one day it will be at least partly external, and someone is paying me to write.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 12/10: Do you prefer to use real-world settings or to invent new ones?

Real-world, always. Current trilogy set in the 14th-century. Of course, the real world includes dreams, hallucinations, bizarre coincidences and superstitions.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity
#writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub – 11 Oct. Have you ever written an unlikable protagonist?

If I was writing children's books, I would worry about whether my protagonist (or any other character) was likeable. I write #histfic, so I worry about whether my characters are credible human beings.

#writing #writesky

#PennedPossibilities 809 — Define the genre(s) of your WIP for curious readers and those who are new to the hashtag.

My "Cruz Espada" trilogy is real-world historical fiction. Also known as "hard #histfic".
That means no magic, no dragons, and consistency with known history.

#writing #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/10: Have you written a likeable antagonist?

I write real-world #histfic, so even if an antagonist is fictional, I try to make them human. I'm tempted to rethink this policy as I look at the characters now dominating US politics 🤔.

#books #writing #WriteSky #writingcommunity

Hi. I'm looking for #histfic beta readers who can give me reader (not writer) feedback. Novel-length story set in the 14th-century. No magic/dragons. Looking for feedback before year-end. Can't afford to pay, but willing to read your manuscript in return. 77k words in .docx or .pdf
Anyone?
#writing

#WritersCoffeeClub 7/10: Have you ever gone away somewhere special expressly to write?

No. But I sometimes visit cities and other places where I've set scenes, to get a feel for their general geography and look for their 14th-century features.

#writing #histfic #WriteSky #writingcommunity

Evidence continues to mount that the 2024 Presidential election was hacked - but no-one wants to know??

#PennedPossibilities 805. Can you tell us about a “nightmare” of your MC’s that came true?

My hero's first encounter with armed conflict (on the winning side) turns out to be a real-life nightmare, which leaves him traumatised.

#writing #histfic #writesky #writingcommunity

#WordWeavers 6/10: Does your story involve any events that would make it into history books?

I write real-world #histfic, so the history books are my starting point.

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#WritersCoffeeClub 6/10. What size casts do you tend towards? Why?

Larger than usual, but driven by the story. Book one of the trilogy spans 25 years of my hero's life story. Book 2 spans one year but is set in a closed community during the plague.

#writing #histfic #WriteSky #writingcommunity

I mention astrology, which was a respectable subject taught in 14th-century universities, but only briefly.

#WritersCoffeeClub Oct 5: Have you ever included real-world disproven science in a work?

My #histfic is set in the 14th-century, so scientific theory hasn't progressed beyond the Greek philosophers. Most people believed the sun orbited the earth, but so what?

#writing #writingcommunity #writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 4 — What's a sure sign an author is a master of their craft?

They write characters the reader can see and hear. They engage the reader on every page, no "filler" text just to boost the word count. And they tell stories with real meaning.

#writing #histfic #writingcommunity

#Wordweavers 4. Choose a holiday that people in your world celebrate. What gift would you give to your MC?

"My world" is 14th-century Europe, so the big holiday is Holy Week (Easter). I don't give Easter presents, but perhaps an Easter Sunday dinner.

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#writesky

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/10: How do you transition into writing mode?

Writing mode isn't hard, especially when I'm in the middle of a story and I know where it's going. Editing mode, on the other hand, needs coffee, treats, and absolutely no distractions.

#writing #histfic #WriteSky #writingcommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/10: Do you tend to include prologues?

Sometimes. Though it may simply be a chapter taken out of sequence and used to start the story with an appropriate 'bang'. In my current trilogy I'm also using epilogues to link between books.

#writing #histfic #WriteSky #writingcommunity

#WritersCoffeeClub 1/10: Have you written in an epistolary format?

In my current WIP, I sometimes use epistolary sections to end chapters. I've never written a whole book in that format.

#books #writing #histfic #WriteSky #writingcommunity

#WordWeavers 30/9: Which author, from any time, would you want as a mentor?

Someone who does real-world historical fiction *really* well. Hilary Mantel or Robert Harris. Can't choose.

#writing #histfic #WriteSky #writingcommunity