Scott Oden

Ah, well. We make the beds we live in, I guess. And this one is mine . . .

...out of --what? -- poverty? Depression? The feeling you should have gone to college when you had the chance (and the youthful energy)? If I had a time machine, I'd give 18-year old Scott a stern talking to (realizing it wouldn't work).

I'm having a Bad Brain night, guys. The world, work, stress about trying to live and thrive in a world that doesn't care if I do either . . .

All the "shoulda-woulda-coulda" recriminations are bouncing around in my skull. Not sure how to fix any of it. Not sure if one can even write one's way...

Age verification?

My first strongly worded letter was about some sub-standard copper I was duped into buying . . .

Age verification?

I worked at Blockbuster when JURASSIC PARK came out. On VHS.

Carved Horses and Curse Tablets Using Ephemeral Details to Illuminate Character

Using seemingly random bits of detail to shed light on characters . . .

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

All I did was ask if the post was an accurate reflection of the clause in question and I got blocked. C'est la vie . . .

I would rather write one book brimming with humanity, its ills and foibles, its beauty and its truth, than 1000 cookie-cutter books like this article describes . . .

The Blank Page Wherein I Confront My Nemesis . . .

Facing down my old nemesis . . .

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

The authentic sounds of musical instruments used in ancient times 🎶 #saturdayvibe

📹 Bilimtüel

An Empire of Air Historical Fiction as Art Restoration (or Art Forgery)

Historical fiction as art restoration, and in some cases . . . art forgery:

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

He blocked me for asking if the clause is accurate as written. So, yaay! I'm an unpublishable Boomer (actually Gen-X and I'm published quite well, thank you).

But is that clause that was shared true and accurate?

In the Legendarium, "Orc" is Westron, derived from Sindarin "Yrch"; the Hobbits, who spoke a colloquial form of Westron, called those creatures "Goblins".

The *why* is, as you've said, because it hearkens back to Beowulf.

Eumenes of Cardia!

Beneath the Steel, Silk, and Gold Reconstructing Achaemenid Daily Life from Fragments and Greek Distortions

Using incomplete information, biased opinion, and outright lies to build a believable world . . .

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

Historical fantasy might get more readers in today's market.

I need to find them and give them a read. I recall enjoying his Caesar trilogy.

Don't Light That Pyre Just Yet . . . A Look at Upcoming Titles in Ancient Historical Fiction

Went looking for upcoming ancient historical fiction titles, and I came away pleasantly surprised. The genre's not dead, per se, but it is kind of in hibernation . . .

Here's an overview of what's coming, courtesy the Historical Novel Society.

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

Have you read any of these (specifically, those four on the right)?

I have trouble finding the kind of historical fiction I want to read (more Gates of Fire; less Song of Achilles). I went looking, last night, for upcoming titles and they're a bit thin on the ground :(

#BookSky, I'm looking for recent and upcoming titles in the sub-genre of ancient historical fiction (straight HF, so no alt HF or historical fantasy), similar to GATES OF FIRE and the like. I'm most interested in Classic Mediterranean, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Phoenician, etc. Can you suggest any?

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Confession Versus Chronicle First vs. Third Person in Ancient Historical Fiction

The benefits and perils of first and third person, and how to decide which voice is best for your ancient historical fiction tale. Brought to you by the decision to turn The Persian from a third person chronicle to a first person confession:

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

Bring back the mass-market paperback!

The Architecture of Memory Frame Stories in Historical Fiction

A look at frame stories -- what they are, why use them, and how to make the best of them in your own work:

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

The Bugbear of Research How Much Is Too Much?

The key to any successful historical novel is research: how much, what sources, building your library, and when to stop:

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

History Is Written By The Victors Sometimes, though, the Defeated are More Interesting

Who IS Darius III, anyway?

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

The Dust of Jeweled Thrones What This Means For The Conan Novel

Either I've had an epiphany and come to my senses about what I need to be writing, or I'm a horrible person who likes to hook people with an idea, drag them along, then discard them. You decide!

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...

The Signal in the Noise On Claiming Mistakes and Making Them Right

Apropos of yesterday's thread . . .

open.substack.com/pub/soden/p/...