Program structure
What you'll go through
- Research Without Getting LostBuilding a working archive and knowing when to stop
- Period VoiceDialogue, thought patterns, and values that differ from now
- Real People as CharactersLegal, ethical, and craft considerations
- Sensory ReconstructionUsing physical detail to make setting tangible without tourism writing
- Anachronism and IntentionWhen breaking period accuracy is deliberate and when it is a mistake
- Manuscript WorkshopFeedback on a scene set in a chosen historical period
About this program
Full overview
Historical fiction has two masters: the historical record and the story. Writers who serve one at the expense of the other produce either dry reenactments or anachronistic fantasies. The craft is in keeping both satisfied simultaneously.
This course addresses the research process, the ethics of invention, and the specific technical problems that come with writing characters whose assumptions about the world differ fundamentally from the reader's. Sensory detail, dialogue register, and period-accurate interiority are all covered through close reading and writing exercises.
- Primary versus secondary source use
- Dialogue that sounds period-plausible without being archaic
- Handling real historical figures as characters
- Where invention is acceptable and where it damages credibility
Ready to read between the lines?
Fiction isn't just stories — it's a structured way of thinking about character, tension, and world-building. Getting started with a trial means zero pressure to decide right away.