Astrid Cartesian, Author

Astrid Cartesian | Substack Author of adventure and action novels. Working on OPERATION NACHTHEXEN as my first adventure historical fiction novel.

I’m finally on Substack!!

substack.com/@astridcarte...

Progress report: Chapter 7 is done. It only took four drafts and one complete structural overhaul. This is normal. This is fine.

Historical fiction pet peeve: Characters who speak in modern idioms. Your 1943 Soviet pilot would not say 'no cap' about her mission success.

The Night Witches had mechanics who could patch a plane with fabric and prayers and get it airborne again. Engineering under pressure is its own kind of magic.

When people ask about my 'writing process,' they want to hear about inspiration and craft. What they get is 'I read Soviet military documents until my eyes cross.'

Galina Brok-Beltsova was a navigator who flew over 800 missions. Navigators don't get enough credit. They did the math that kept everyone alive.

Writing rule I break constantly: Show don't tell. Sometimes you need to tell because showing a Soviet aviation briefing in real-time would bore everyone to tears.

The 588th had a 100% volunteer rate. Nobody was assigned there. They all chose it. Every single one. Let that sink in.

Today's word count: 0. Today's research: 6 hours of Soviet partisan tactics. Sometimes you don't write, you just fill the well.

Character development tip: Give them a mundane problem alongside the life-threatening ones. Frostbite and fear of disappointing your commander can coexist.

The Po-2 cruising altitude was about 3,000 feet. Low enough to hit with small arms fire. High enough that crashing was always fatal. They flew there anyway.

Historical fiction writing: 20% research, 20% writing, 60% questioning if you've got the details right enough that someone won't yell at you on the internet.

Natalya Meklin flew 840 missions and was shot down twice. Twice. And she went back up. Sometimes the numbers tell the whole story.

The difference between 'she flew the plane' and 'she wrestled the stick against crosswinds while her navigator shouted corrections over engine noise' is why I revise.

Every historical fiction writer has that one book they consider their 'bible' for the period. Mine is a Soviet aviation manual from 1941. It's 600 pages of technical specs and I love it.

Fun research fact: Soviet military rations in 1943 included 500g of bread daily, 150g of meat, and 35g of sugar. Your characters need to eat. Don't forget logistics.

Writing action is easy. Writing the quiet moment before action when everyone knows what's coming? That's the hard part.

The 588th wasn't the only all-female Soviet aviation unit. There were also the 586th fighter regiment and 587th bomber regiment. The Night Witches just had the best nickname.

Plot hole discovered: My character couldn't have seen that from that altitude in those conditions. Back to the aviation manuals. Again.

Today I learned you can't just say 'they flew north.' You need to know wind patterns, cloud cover, moon phase, and whether the ground was frozen enough for landmarks. Historical accuracy is exhausting.

The Night Witches flew U-2 biplanes before they were renamed Po-2s. Same plane, different designation. History is full of bureaucratic rebranding even during wars.

Writing sprint update: 2,000 words. Half of them were 'cold' and 'dark' and 'fear.' Winter scenes are repetitive until you find 47 different ways to say freezing.

Someone just asked if Operation Nachthexen has a love triangle. No. It has Soviet aviation engineering, partisan warfare tactics, and survival against impossible odds. That's the triangle.

The research phase of historical fiction: where you learn 10,000 facts and use 47 of them. The rest just haunt you with their irrelevance.

Historical fiction people: Do you care about author's notes explaining what's real vs. fictional? Or does it break immersion?

The Eastern Front in spring: mud that swallows trucks, airfields that become swamps, and somewhere the Night Witches still flying. Weather was never an excuse.

Writing is just controlled obsession with imaginary people and we've all agreed this is normal.

Why the Night Witches? Because their story has everything: Courage, innovation, friendship, loss, triumph, and consequences. It's perfect narrative and perfect history.

The urge to info-dump everything you've learned about Soviet aviation regulations vs. the need to have a readable story. This is the eternal struggle.

The Astrid Cartesian promise: Real history. Real danger. Real women. Zero BS.