What are the benefits of historical fiction?

Historical fiction has the power to make connections between the past and present in ways that facts and dates sometimes obscure. It brings people out of history and sets them beside you at the table—whispering, laughing, fearful. And it can lead its readers in pursuit of the historical record.

What is the problem with historical fiction?

Historical fiction is in itself a contradiction, lies pretending to be the truth; Some historical novels fail to reflect the strangeness of the past, dressing their characters in authentic-looking clothes but giving them modern sensibilities.

What are the challenges of writing history?

The major challenges to historical research revolve around the problems of sources, knowledge, explanation, objectivity, choice of subject, and the peculiar problems of contemporary history. Sources The problem of sources is a serious challenge to the historian in the task of reconstructing the past.

How is historical fiction different from historical fact?

The difference is perhaps that the novelist declares that the account is fiction, and the historian calls it speculation. The historian uses speculation to bridge between one known fact and another, the novelist uses the imagination to create a story which links all the facts. There is more of course.

What makes a good science fiction story?

There’s nothing your mind can conceive, that cannot be expressed in a science-fiction story. You can go really crazy and venture out of all boundaries of common sense and contemporary possibility, and come up with unique, unrivaled ideas that you won’t find in any other story.

What is worldbuilding in science fiction writing?

Worldbuilding makes up for at least half of the science-fiction writing process. The larger your world (i.e. more planets, societies, or types of technology), the larger that “half” gets. You practically have to write two novels: one is a biography and radiography of your world, and one is the actual story.

Should science-fiction be a consequence-heavy choice?

After all, a consequence-heavy choice should be an actual choice, not a guess. The commonly accepted definition of science-fiction is more or less this one: “a genre dealing with an imaginary but plausible reality that is based on scientific advancement.”

What do you think about sci-fi fans?

Sci-fi fans reeeally know their shit. Chances are high they know the genre way better than you, and some of them even ace the sciences you drew from. Trust me, editing takes a whole new meaning in this light.