Writing Historical Fiction with Judith Starkston
 
Writing Historical Fiction with Judith Starkston
Writing Historical Fiction with Judith Starkston
04/02 - 04/16/2020
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Zoom
Course Description and Details

Writing Historical Fiction with Judith Starkston

 

 

Course Description: 

Writing historical fiction requires an additional set of skills along with the essential tools of all fiction writers. This course will drill down into the specific artistry of historical fiction and its subgenres (such as historical fantasy, historical mystery, time-slip). A good writing class helps students integrate new skills into their own practice. We will reach that goal both by dissecting models (outstanding and problematic) and by generating/reworking passages of students’ manuscripts. Topics will include: balancing accuracy and storytelling, building historical worlds with powerful emotional effect, using primary documents for rich scenes, developing immersive setting without overburdening the story, creating engagement and believability with historical details, and composing convincing dialogue from the past.

 

Duration: 

3 Weeks

 

Genre Type:

Historical Fiction

 

Course Type: 

Presentation, Discussion, Workshop, Revision

 

Course Level 

Intermediate, Intermediate-Advanced

 

Dates and Times:

Thursdays, April 2-16, 2020

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

 

Pricing: 

$149/Regular   $119/Student


Instructor Bio: 

Judith Starkston writes historical fantasy set in the Bronze Age world of Hittites and Greeks. She holds degrees in Classics, from University of California, Santa Cruz (B.A.) and Cornell University (M.A.). She taught high-school English, Latin and Humanities. Her debut novel, Hand of Fire, was a semi-finalist for the prestigious M.M. Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction. Her second novel, Priestess of Ishana, won the San Diego State University Conference Choice Award. Her other publications include the novel Sorcery in Alpara, the short story “A Season for Death” in SoWest: Desert Justice, and articles and reviews in Historical Novels Review and The New York Journal of Books. She is represented by Richard Curtis.