About

Historical Fiction Writing with Kathleen Alcala 

Six Sessions on Wednesday Evenings 

October 14th - November 18th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Co-sponsored by BARN and Field's End

Course Fee: $195. Register here to reserve your spot now. Class limited to 12 partipants.

A six-week course on shaping historical fiction into a form that appeals to a modern audience. We will focus on the emotional development of your characters, as well as setting, scene, and dialogue, in order to find the commonalities between your characters and your readers. Sensory detail draws the reader into the story, but we must also empathize with the characters. One of the most successful genres in both commercial and literary publishing today, the timeless appeal of a beautifully imagined historical novel is one readers of all ages find irresistible.

Each session will consist of a focus on a specific topic, and techniques for achieving those ends. This may involve a writing exercise. We will then comment on work by individual writers in the class, as made available to us. Here are our sessions:

The course will conclude with a discussion of how to approach an agent or editor, cover letters, the synopsis, and possible markets.

INSTRUCTOR:  Kathleen Alcalá’s trilogy on 19^th Century Mexico – Spirits of the Ordinary, The Flower in the Skull, and Treasures in Heaven – was published by Chronicle Books. Kathleen is also the author of a short story collection, Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist, and most recently, The Desert Remembers My Name – On Family and Writing from the University of Arizona Press. Her work has received a Western States Book Award, two Artist Trust Fellowships, and she has been designated an Island Treasure by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge.