Recent discussions among historical novelists about dialogue contractions prompted me to do a little digging. I pulled a variety of novels from my bookshelf that were written in earlier eras to discover how those authors handled dialogue contractions. The results surprised me. Read about them here.
historical writing
Almost an Author post – Historical Writing Requires Attention to Detail
Writing historical novels requires greater attention to everyday details than when writing contemporary novels. Click here for a few examples of the types of topics a novelist may have to research.
Almost an Author post – Combatting the Noise Issue
Movies can have noise issues. Historical fiction writers who ignore all important news of the time period create noise issues.
Almost an Author post – Create Timeline of Novel’s Events
I guest posted on Almost An Author. In my post, I write about creating novel timelines, a helpful tool to keep novelists organized. Please check it out!
Almost An Author post – What Historical Authors Glean from Old Photos
Old photos give historical authors a wealth of information because they give unintentional glimpses into everyday life. Don’t overlook the value of these snapshots. Authors are invited to read my post on Almost An Author where I am a column writer for “History in the Making.”
Almost an Author post – Don’t Say

Don’t say “cool” in historical novels unless referring to the temperature! Click here to read my writing article on Almost an Author. I welcome your comments!