Welcome Writers!

The purpose of this blog is to help writers develop better historical fiction in any genre, in any setting:  historical adventure, historical romance, historical mystery, or even "historical" fantasy, or fantasy books that have a "pre-modern" type of setting.  The blog will consist of occasional articles written by a professional historian and university professor who is also an aspiring writer.  The intended audience is mainly new, unpublished authors, but those who already have a foot in the door may find some of the ideas and information presented here useful.

Here are some of the things you can expect to find here:

- Advice and tips about researching historical details, etc., for your project. 
- Articles dealing with frequently asked questions about a wide range of historical subjects.
- Thoughts on how to best develop historical plots, characters, and settings.
- Practical advice on working historical elements into a scene without interfering with your story.
- How to develop strong and punchy, historically accurate period dialogue.

About me

As noted above, I am a history professor who also writes historical fiction.  I have published articles and books as an academic, but I have not yet published my fictional work, except what is available for free, online, at The Adventures of Henry Innes site.  I typically write or completely revise one manuscript a year, in addition to my academic writing.  Unlike most new writers, I consequently have some familiarity and experience with the publishing process, editing, revisions, etc., and, as a professor, I teach historical writing.

"William Lailey" is not my real name - it's a pen-name.  My real name, unfortunately, happens to be the same as that of a well-known, rather controversial author.  I also publish academic works under my real name, and since there is some overlap between my scholarly work and my fiction-writing, I use the two names to keep the non-fiction and fiction genres quite separate. 



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