Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/ScribesAndMakers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ScribesAndMakers</span></a> 24th April 2025. Show us an image that inspires your creativity (with source in the alt text.)</p><p>That would be this, a deeply ambiguous medieval symbol, the Cross of Santiago, worn by the knights of the Order of Santiago.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
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#HistFic
14 posts · 9 participants · 2 posts today
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/ScribesAndMakers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ScribesAndMakers</span></a> 23. Do you have deadlines? External or self-imposed?</p><p>No, I don't have deadlines, possibly because I don't have an agent or a publisher yet. It could be that I will look back on this time as the most enjoyable part of writing. Creating without stress.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WritersCoffeeClub" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WritersCoffeeClub</span></a> 24: How comfortable are you with ambiguity as a reader? As a writer?</p><p>I *love* ambiguity when I find it as a reader, and as a writer, I like ambiguities that only some readers will see. Like perfume, it shouldn't be overdone.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WordWeavers</span></a> Apr 23: Do you plan your themes, or do they arise from your writing and then get tweaked in edits?</p><p>It's not either/or, it's both. Some of the themes are planned from the beginning. Others arise from the process. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Sara Powter<p>Book 2, "The Emancipate Potter", is now available on Kindle Unlimited. <br><a href="https://mybook.to/TheEmancipatedPotter" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">mybook.to/TheEmancipatedPotter</span><span class="invisible"></span></a> <br>Sorry - I forgot to add it. <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Books" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Books</span></a> <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BookSky" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BookSky</span></a><br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/BookChallenge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BookChallenge</span></a> <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a><br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/historicalfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>historicalfiction</span></a><br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AustralianHistoricalFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AustralianHistoricalFiction</span></a><br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ChristianHistoricalRomance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ChristianHistoricalRomance</span></a> <br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StepBackInTime" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>StepBackInTime</span></a><br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/sarapowter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>sarapowter</span></a><br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p>
MJ Porter<p><a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/TheLastKing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TheLastKing</span></a> is 5 years old, and for one day only, it is FREE on Amazon Kindle. Enter the HUGE competition <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/bookbirthday" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>bookbirthday</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p><p>books2read.com/u/31RBva If you've been with Coelwulf, Rudolf, Icel, Edmund and Pybba since the beginning, then you're probably with me in trying to work out how five years have gone by since the first book's release. There are now ten books in all, as well as a short story collection, Coelwulf's Company, and the prequel series featuring a…</p><p><a href="http://mjporterauthor.blog/2025/04/23/thelastking-is-5-years-old-and-for-one-day-only-it-is-free-on-amazon-kindle-enter-the-huge-competition-bookbirthday-histfic/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="ellipsis">mjporterauthor.blog/2025/04/23</span><span class="invisible">/thelastking-is-5-years-old-and-for-one-day-only-it-is-free-on-amazon-kindle-enter-the-huge-competition-bookbirthday-histfic/</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/PennedPossibilities" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PennedPossibilities</span></a> 649 — What research did you conduct for your WIP, and did you uncover anything surprising or fascinating?</p><p>I have read everything I could find on the plague of 1347 - 9 and am still researching 14th-century Europe. Lots of fascinating discoveries, like The Entity (Vatican intelligence service), city-states and nation-states, military religious orders, and the evolving interactions between Christianity and Islam around the Mediterranean.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WritersCoffeeClub" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WritersCoffeeClub</span></a> 21st April: What "established" writerly traits don't really apply to you? </p><p>I don't write for a living (thank God) so I can afford to be relaxed about rejections. I don't stress about deadlines, and I don't drink or smoke. I don't have an agent - although I'd like to have one - and I haven't yet got upset about a review. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WordWeavers</span></a> 22. Would your story work in a vastly different setting?</p><p>"The Plague Angel" might work as a near-future dystopian movie, but I think we have too many of those already.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/ScribesAndMakers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ScribesAndMakers</span></a><br>April 21. Do you create for a certain niche or do you hope to have as broad an appeal as possible?</p><p>I'm writing <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a>, and I hope to have a broad appeal. However, because I *don't* include magic, fantasy, and dragons in my writing, I may be mistaken. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WritersCoffeeClub" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WritersCoffeeClub</span></a> 20 April: What role does religion play in your writing?</p><p>I'm currently <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> set in the 14th century, when religion was at the centre of *everything*, so it plays quite a significant role. That said, human nature being what it is, people then were still people, and neither angels nor devils.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p>One of the benefits of being a "planner" in <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> is that the task of actually getting words onto paper presents itself in manageable portions. I never have an endless void to fill. So today, I am writing the final chapter of my prequel (W/T "The Blood Cross"), which will link the reader to Chapter 1 of "The Plague Angel." That way, I have a known end point to work toward in the chapters I still have to write. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WordWeavers</span></a> Have you ever learned something about yourself from your characters?</p><p>Not from my characters exactly, but from the act of creating them, from the process of writing, I have learned (for example) that I've been trying out dialogue in my head since childhood. Now I realise what it is, and I get to write it down. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WordWeavers</span></a> 4/18 What would it take for your MC to become violent?</p><p>In Chapter 1 of The Plague Angel, my MC stabs a violent drunk who was attacking a girl. But it wasn't an act of heroism. It was the act of a trained soldier carrying out a mission. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p>Writing the prequel to The Plague Angel is proving an eye-opening exercise in character development. Setting out the background to the hero's interesting mix of skills learned and places visited has created a personality with harder edges. It has also bled into Chapter 1 of The Plague Angel, which now includes an incident of casual violence which wasn't in the original, and which changes the tone of the opening. Characters eh...? You never quite know what they're going to do</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WritersCoffeeClub" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WritersCoffeeClub</span></a> 17. Do your real-world tastes show up in your writing?</p><p>Not much. In <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a>, it's best to stick to historical context, so apart from sex, almost everything else is different.</p><p>My taste shows mainly in the language and <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> style I choose. </p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WordWeavers</span></a> Apr16. If your MC wasn’t involved with the story, what would they do with their life?</p><p>He would still be a member of the Order of Santiago on secondment to The Entity, but probably investigating embezzlement of Church funds by corrupt clergy.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
MJ Porter<p>It’s happy release day to Men of Iron, the first book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/newrelease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>newrelease</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/MenOfIron" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MenOfIron</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p><p>It's happy release day to Men of Iron, the first book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/newrelease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>newrelease</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/MenOfIron" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MenOfIron</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> Listen to me waffle about it.</p><p><a href="http://mjporterauthor.blog/2025/04/15/its-happy-release-day-to-men-of-iron-the-first-book-in-the-dark-age-chronicles-trilogy-newrelease-menofiron-histfic/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="ellipsis">mjporterauthor.blog/2025/04/15</span><span class="invisible">/its-happy-release-day-to-men-of-iron-the-first-book-in-the-dark-age-chronicles-trilogy-newrelease-menofiron-histfic/</span></a></p>
MJ Porter<p>It’s happy release day to Men of Iron, the first book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/newrelease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>newrelease</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/MenOfIron" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MenOfIron</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p><p>It's happy release day to Men of Iron, the first book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/newrelease" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>newrelease</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/MenOfIron" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MenOfIron</span></a> <a href="https://mastodonapp.uk/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a></p><p><a href="http://mjporterauthor.blog/2025/04/15/its-happy-release-day-to-men-of-iron-the-first-book-in-the-dark-age-chronicles-trilogy/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">http://</span><span class="ellipsis">mjporterauthor.blog/2025/04/15</span><span class="invisible">/its-happy-release-day-to-men-of-iron-the-first-book-in-the-dark-age-chronicles-trilogy/</span></a></p>
Howard Aiken<p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/ScribesAndMakers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ScribesAndMakers</span></a> 4/14 Would you enjoy living in a creative village/house/shared accommodation?</p><p>I'd want to test it first to see if it worked / if I could work in that environment. For me, writing is solitary, not a group activity. And I'm not sure how I'd contribute to anyone else's creativity.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/histfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>histfic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.scot/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writingcommunity</span></a></p>
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