D I SCOVER / A WORLD OF INSPIRATION
E veryone loves historical fiction these days – think Downton Abbey , The Crown , Bridgerton , The Great . And when it’s done well, whether it’s a tall tale set in the past, or a story meticulously researched and retold to be as close to the truth of real-life events as possible, it can be absolutely captivating. Today, it’s a genre that’s enjoying a fresh resurgence in popularity, with readers relishing the way such books both entertain and educate. In Australia particularly, writers are now mining the rich veins of our own history to bring some of our amazing heroes, heroines and villains to light. At the same time, many people are also researching their own family trees with sites like Ancestry, MyHeritage and Findmypast, and tracing their lives back in time. As a result, many are attempting, for the first time, to tell their stories as historical fiction, either to be published commercially or produced in small numbers for their own families and friends. It can be a challenge, but if you bear in mind a few helpful pointers, it’s really worth the effort. With my latest historical novel, That Bligh Girl – about Mary Bligh, the daughter of Governor William Bligh, infamous for the mutiny on the Bounty, and then as the victim of the 1808 Rum Rebellion – I first researched what her character would be like. From the events she lived through, that can be either obvious or nuanced. She, for instance, was the only person who tried to stop the 300 soldiers of the Rum Corps marching on Sydney’s
BOOKS REWRITING HISTORY Think you have what it takes to write your own piece of historical fiction? Author and journalist Sue Williams shares key tips on crafting captivating recreations. Words SUE WILLIAMS Photography LORRIE GRAHAM
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DARE SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2023
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