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A Historical Fiction Workshop
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Historical fiction is a perennial favorite amongst readers, but writing effective stories set in the past leads to unique challenges as the writer crafts characters, plot, setting, and dialogue. How can writers create fiction that captures a specific time and place without lapsing into stereotypes or becoming reductive? How do they create a believable world set in a specific historical period without falling into the trap of giving a history lesson?
In this workshop, participants will learn to write historical fiction by focusing first on character-driven storytelling. The class will focus on creating a world strong enough to anchor the reader in the past without setting or politics overpowering the story. Characters’ authentic needs and choices must become the central driving force of participants’ historical fiction.
The workshop will begin with a discussion of successful historical fiction novels and stories. Participants will examine what makes them work, why they stay in the reader’s psyche, and why their characters feel real. The class will then explore specific strategies for research, world-building, dialogue and language, setting, plot, cultural tradition, and the development of authentic characters in historical fiction.
Next, attendees will generate and/or explore these main elements in their own work by using prompts and a few writing exercises. Everyone will leave with specific tools for how to create historical fiction that feels both intimate and universal.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online, using the video meeting platform Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, June 17, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA’s Hannah Perry will offer a test session on Zoom. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the test session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Marjan Kamali’s most recent novel, The Stationery Shop (Gallery/Simon & Schuster, 2019) was one of Newsweek’s 30 Best Summer Books, a Real Simple magazine Top Editor’s Pick, an Indie Next Pick, and an excerpt was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Her debut novel Together Tea (EccoBooks/HarperCollins, 2013) was a Massachusetts Book Award Finalist, an NPR WBUR Good Read, and a Target Emerging Author Selection. Marjan graduated from U.C. Berkeley and earned an MFA from NYU and an MBA from Columbia University. Her short stories appear in the anthologies Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been and Tremors, and her essays have been published in The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Review of Books. Her novel Together Tea has been translated into Italian, German, Norwegian, Czech, and Slovak. Marjan was born in Turkey to Iranian parents and grew up in seven countries across five continents. She teaches writing at GrubStreet and lives with her husband and two children in the Boston area.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Hannah Perry at hannah@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information. Please note that mail delivery to the MWPA office is currently experiencing extensive delays, so please email hannah@mainewriters.org first if you would like to register by mail.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on June 7 at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION