in #ColonialHistory, historical fiction, The Writing Life 672 Words

To Write or Not To Write Historical Short Stories? What do you think?

Calling all historical fiction fans: I need your help with something!

I mentioned in May 1, 2023 blog post, Some of the Books I Read in April 2023 that I was toying with the idea of writing some historical short stories related to the historical novel I’m working on. I’d read that suggestion in Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novels, by Rayne Hall as a way to create interest in the characters in one’s novel before that book’s publication.

Since I need to grow my mailing list greatly before I publish the novel, it appears I’ll have plenty of time to write a few short stories. The process should produce various benefits to me and my potential readers.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

In addition to my novel readers getting a head start in learning about some of the book’s characters and the 18th century world in which they live, such writing will help me flesh out the characters and get better acquainted with them. You and I can both get a good grasp on what makes them tick.

I’ve been brainstorming ideas for the stories. If it all works out like I envision, I will self-publish the stories in an ebook collection. My timeline is written in pencil with a big eraser nearby. If nothing else in the last year of self-publishing two local history books and trying to self-publish a family cookbook, I’ve learned that flexibility is a necessity.

Readers, what do you think? If you’re a fan of historical fiction, let me know what you think of this project. Would you enjoy getting acquainted with some of the characters in my novel(s) and the world in which they live in the 1760s and 1770s before getting to read the novel(s)?

Characters such as Elizabeth Steele who had tavern in Salisbury, North Carolina? George, who was a slave in The Waxhaws in South Carolina? Oliver McNair, who was educated at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and ended up in The Waxhaws? Betty Jackson’s story of family obligations in The Waxhaws?

Would you be interested in reading such short stories while I continue to work on my novels?

In the meantime… if you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter yet, please visit my website at https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com and click on the “subscribe” button. In return, you’ll receive a free downloadable copy of my first historical short story, “Slip Sliding Away” and you’ll receive my e-newsletter every other month. Do it right now!

Since my last blog post

My research last week for my historical fiction writing focused on how food was cooked in the southern colonies in the 1760s and 1770s. I have a growing appreciation for how time consuming it was to prepare a meal then.

A funny thing happened to me at the public library the other day. I had been given some soft mountain mint and was eager to find a book with good information about how to root it. I typed, “how to grow mint” in the library system’s search engine. The response I received was, “Nothing found for how to grow mint. Did you mean ‘how to grow marijuana’? View 13 results.” It’s sort of a sad commentary that the system has no books about how to grow mint, but 13 books on how to grow marijuana. a sign of the times, I suppose. (Before you try to enlighten me, yes, the library had plenty of books about growing herbs. I just started by looking for one specifically about mint.)

Until my next blog post

Take time on this Memorial Day in the United States to remember and give thanks for those who gave their lives in the military service of our country.

I hope you have a great book to read.

Take time to enjoy friends and family.

Remember the people of Ukraine.

Don’t forget to give me some feedback about my short story plan!

Janet

23 thoughts on “To Write or Not To Write Historical Short Stories? What do you think?”

  1. Hi, Janet. I’m old school when it comes to short stories. I think they should be able to stand on their own, not just point potential readers to a novel. I freely admit that this is a bias on my part, however, and probably not representative of historical fiction readers in general.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I think your idea is phenomenal Janet. Yes! Of course it would be beneficial and I am sure readers would appreciate getting to know the characters better. And researching like you are doing will add much to the novel. That was pretty funny at the public library! Well I again applaud your effort, your discipline and diligence at work and I am sure that will pay off in the end. Take good care and enjoy the Springtime. Here we’ve managed to stay out of the horrible rainstorms that affected most of the country and we’re enjoying nice spring weather. All the best!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. That’s an interesting perspective, Liz. The stories I have in mind would be stand alone giving backstory information on characters in the novel(s). One wouldn’t need to have read the short stories before reading the novel(s). I’d still need to weave backstory into the novel(s), of course. This is a new concept that I wasn’t familiar with until I recently read Rayne Hall’s book. Can I assume that you’ve known of authors who successfully or unsuccessfully did this? Your comment really casts a different light on the idea and gives me something to think about. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I appreciate your feedback on this, Francis. I’m receiving mixed opinions so far. Thanks for taking the time to express your thoughts on the subject. It feels like early April here. Has been raining for days and temps in the 50s… highs have been 25 degrees below normal. We’re usually enjoying hot weather by now. It’s been a very dreary holiday weekend. Glad you’re getting some sun! Best regards!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Thank you, Rebecca. I’ll put your name in the “YES!” column. I’ve received a mix of comments so far, so I have much to think about. Thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. The examples of this type of short story I’ve read haven’t worked very well, mainly because the characters were underdeveloped, there wasn’t a satisfying character arc, and there were confusing loose ends.

    To create standalone stories related to the novel, one approach might be to have the plot of each story focus on each character being faced with some kind of challenge (physical, interpersonal, cultural, etc.) that arose from the place, time, and circumstances in which they lived. This could introduce readers to your characters and the setting of the novel(s) while still providing a statisfying short story that is self-contained.

    How have other readers of historical fiction weighed in on your question?

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Thank you for your additional input, Liz. That’s pretty much what I had in mind to do but, with your comments, I’ll now know what to pay special attention to so each story will be complete in itself. Thanks so much for helping me know what I need to do to make these stories successful.

    Several other readers have indicated they thought I should write the stories. One said the characters sounded interesting.

    Now the difficult part… writing the stories!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Thank you for your feedback, Barbara. I’m already giving away a short story to the people who sign up for my newsletter, but you make a good point. I could give these stories away, too. What I’ve had in mind is to bundle them with other historical short stories in an e-book. Still turning the idea over in my mind. Thanks for your thoughts!

    Like

  21. Oh dear! Could you please try again to subscribe to my list and let me know if you still don’t have success. If this happens to you again, I’ll need to find out what the problem is. No one else has told me they couldn’t subscribe, but it’s been a while since I was notified of a subscription. I definitely need to get this figured out. Thank you so much for letting me know you ran into a problem. And thanks for your feedback about historical fiction and short stories!

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.