In this episode of Speaking in First Draft, Nola and Colette discuss how to write fictional narratives about real people, and why the themes of the French Revolution are still relevant today.
Speaking on Historical Flights of Fancy
Historical Fiction
Summer of 1977
Summer is a time of glee and adventure. In New York of 1977, summer was a time of chaos and despair.
From the Ancient Diary of an Unwilling Globetrotter
SHANGQIU, CHINA- 1294, a year of new promises and renewed ambition, but life is far from perfect for Zhao. What happens when her worst dream comes true- traveling across the infamous Silk Road?
The Woman on the 13th Floor
A journalism student inadvertently stumbles upon her college dorm’s dark history as a psych ward, and the hauntings that have plagued its halls for decades.
The Watchtower, an Excerpt
Two Japanese American twelve-year-olds in World War II relocation centers, hatch a plan of escape. But something unexpected happens on the day they plan to leave.
Civil War: An Excerpt
In this multi-perspective historical science fiction piece, a grandmother and granddaughter communicate in order to understand how a civil war changed the world they once knew and kept them away from loved ones.
Forging Melody
Set in London in 1892, two women meet at an art exhibit for famous (and recently deceased) painter Wil Finch. Through their brief encounter, we find out what makes them admire his work so much.
Ye Olde Voicemaille
Have you ever wondered what would happen if medieval serfs had answering machines?
Goodbye Berlin
My family’s suffering in Russia, Poland, and Germany during World War II prompted me to reflect on the values of courage, perseverance, hope, and the price of war. My great-grandmother’s ordeal in occupied Russia during the Battle of Stalingrad inspired this story, about a single mother’s sacrifice amid the inferno of war.
Agatha and the Naming
“Agatha and the Naming” is the story of me, in a way trying to claim my place in my family’s history. While Agatha’s struggle is name-based, mine is skill- and future-based. She gets to meet her namesake while I still question mine.
Day One
Katerina was alone, but it hadn’t always been like this.