How To Write A Historical Novel And Love It by TL Clark – Review by Rebeca Elliott Figueiras
How To Write A Historical Novel And Love It by T.L. Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I didn’t necessarily pick this book intending to get back into writing, but the way the author has given guidance including the use of checklists has alleviated the feeling of being overwhelmed at the concept of writing to publish. They don’t hide the fact that writing is hard work, but the way forward is broken down into manageable steps.
The advice was given in an easy-to-understand way as it was written in a casual (and entertaining) style rather than strict formal instructions, which made the advice feel more accessible to me. In addition to this, the layout and formatting of the book made it easier to follow and if I want to refer back to it, I’m confident I’ll be able to find the information with ease.
The exercises/tasks at the each of the chapters were a nice touch, offering the chance of putting the lessons learnt into practice. I particularly liked this as I am very much a learn through doing person, so this really helped me see the value in what was said.
It was clear that the author put a lot of time into creating a very helpful guide, drawing on their own experiences and research to make the process easier on others who wish to write historical novels.
A bonus in my opinion is that I don’t think the advice given is necessarily limited to the historical novel, but could also be transferred into other types of writing.
I really enjoyed reading this as it got me excited to start considering start to finish what I could do to take the leap into published work, and who knows maybe I’ll actually finish one of my many drafts. Either way I found this enlightening, informative and worth the read!
