Susanna Calkins
Bringing in Research While Telling a Compelling Tale
In this session, Susanna will discuss what she has learned about writing historical fiction as a historian-turned-novelist, as well as share her own path to publication. In particular, she will focus on such questions as: How can we contextualize our stories historically without just dumping information on our readers? How can we make our dialogue seem authentic, without sounding stilted or archaic? How much historical research is "enough"? In this discussion, Susanna will offer some strategies for avoiding the most common pitfalls in writing historical fiction.
Susanna Calkins writes the Lucy Campion historical mysteries, which are set in seventeenth-century London. Holding a PhD in history, Susanna works at Northwestern University where she directs learning and teaching programs for faculty, offering sessions on such things as providing feedback and learning from failure . As a member of the Midwest Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, Susanna runs the Hugh Holton critique program, in which established authors provide detailed feedback on unpublished manuscripts.
9-9:30 AM registration and socializing 9:30-12 PM program
