#WordWeavers 13. If your MC was a music genre, what genre would they be?

A bit niche. Songs sung in Spanish but to Arabic music. The music of al-Ándalus.

#writing #writingcommunity #histfic

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Andalus

Latest blog. We don't just repeat the lives of our forebears, we build on them. So it isn't "the circle of life" it's the spiral.
Places too change and evolve while staying the same. A cathedral becomes a mosque or vice versa, and ancient immortal gods may live on under new names #writing #writingcommunity #histfic
#amquerying
bit.ly/3DFqLGO

#PennedPossibilities 610 — What are the most significant sounds we hear in your WIP?

In a medieval abbey, the most significant sound is probably the bell, summoning the faithful to prayer eight times every day.

Or perhaps the sound of plague graves being dug.

#writing #writingcommunity
#histfic

#ScribesAndMakers 11. Is travelling/vacation good for your creativity?

Yes, if I'm aiming to convey an authentic sense of 'place'. I'm currently writing about Fez in Morocco, and it would be great to visit it and get to understand its geography and scenery.

#WordWeavers 10. What is the most useful skill your SC has?

Sister Anne, the 17-year-old we meet in Chapter 1, has the very useful skill of survival. Her "miraculous" rescue from an ugly assault at a roadside Inn is part of a story arc which sees her unshakeable belief in miracles carry her not just through the plague but into a career as a renowned scholar and writer in her later life.

#WritersCoffeeClub 10. How do you handle the physical strain of writing?

Luckily, I don't usually find writing a physical strain. I write on a laptop, so I can write wherever I like. I do find that it helps my creativity to take exercise breaks (usually just a walk), particularly if I've been sitting down for a long time.

#PennedPossibilities 608 — Does your MC have any nicknames?

Not exactly nicknames. More like aliases. In the current book, he calls himself Ricardo, because English speakers find it easier to pronounce than his code name, Agiel. But his real name is Argilo Lopez.

#ScribesAndMakers 9: What would your best creative life look like, keeping it realistic?

Easy. I would be a successful author writing the books I want to write. That's it.

#WordWeavers 9/3: Could you survive a day in your MC’s shoes?

I'd probably survive a day, but everyone would be wondering what was wrong with me.

My MC is literate in several languages. When he was young, he spent time at sea and learned carpentry (he's now a master carpenter), and in his time in the army, he learned how to make boots and shoes. I'd love to have his skills, but I don't.

#WritersCoffeeClub 8/3: Happy IWD! Which female author has inspired you most?

Hilary Mantel, Queen of #HistFic. No contest.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/7. Many authors write the book they couldn't find. What does your work offer that you couldn't find elsewhere?

A story in which the women don't behave as men would like them to behave. In which knowledge is celebrated, in which most literate people are bilingual or trilingual. A story in which the location and its long history is almost a character in itself. A story in which the hero is not required to be violent, aggressive or vengeful

#WritersCoffeeClub Day 6: How do you feel you can further develop as a writer?

I find it hard to see beyond the books I'm currently writing, but I will feel I've developed as a writer if I can successfully write books in genres other than #histfic.

#WordWeavers MC POV: You get to spend a fun night out with anyone. Who do you choose and where do you go?

I would choose Gianetta Portinari as she was before we got married, and we would go to our favourite eatery in Genoa.

#PennedPossibilities 603 — How would you describe your MC’s handwriting?

He has both the cursive Latin script of a 14th-century scribe and a moderately good formal Arabic script. He learned to write Arabic after he learned Latin, but spoke both Arabic and Spanish at home.

#ScribesAndMakers 1/3: What are your goals for the month?

Same as last month:

1. Send out three more queries.
2. Write more of the prequel to "The Plague Angel".
3. Continue my campaign to popularise #histfic as a genre.

#ScribesAndMakers 28. Shameless self-promotion.

I've written the kind of debut novel I would love to read. That's well-researched historical fiction exploring the different responses people have to extreme situations (in this case, the arrival of the plague in 1348). There is a good storyline, with drama, love of life, friendship, and hope. There is also death, despair, and the human search for meaning in life.

Sadly, most literary agents don't even have #histfic on their wishlists. *Sigh*

#PennedPossibilities 600 — Growth: How exactly do you see your writing evolving?

Can't say "exactly," but I'm working on a prequel to my finished manuscript, and if I ever get published, I have ideas for a sequel, too.

Beyond that, medieval geopolitics and the shift in wealth and trade from Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast of Europe could be the arc of a whole series of books.

Anyone? #amquerying #histfic #historicalfiction

https://mastodon.scot/@technorow/114077158941359285

I'm also on Bluesky. Are you?

#writingcommunity #writing #amquerying #histfic
https://bsky.app/profile/howard-aiken.bsky.social