Creating a Series

This is my last blog about Kathleen Duey, but I think this information is important. She has written over fifty books—many of them historical fiction. I have found a pattern in her series. She picks an historical setting and places a character in it and then writes a short vignette about the time. She weaves in as much information as she can about what’s happening.

The time frame of the book may only be a few days, or it may be a few months, but it’s not long. For instance in her American girl Dairies she gives a glimpse into the lives of children who had to flee the South at the end of the Civil War. They were on a river boat coming up the Mississippi. The boat was overloaded with Northern soldiers returning home, and the engine exploded. The voice of the young protagonist was well done and the action was suspenseful with high drama. In one of her Hoofbeat books about the American Revolution, the time period took in only a few months before the war started, but we had an inside glimpse of the Boston Tea Party and the British troops infiltrating the countryside. It also had good voice and fast action. That series has young girls who love their horses. Can’t go wrong with that combination!

So my thoughts are: When writing an historical fiction book, an author doesn’t need to capture an extended period of time. It can be short and concise. Just make sure the voice is well-defined and the action fast-paced.

Thanks for listening. I love writing for this blog because it makes me think and dig a little deeper than I otherwise would. Happy summer! Mind’s crazy. How about yours?

Christy Monson

http://christymonson.blogspot.com/

http://prophetsinperson.blogspot.com/