How Historically Accurate Should Historical Fiction Be?

Historical novels are an interesting and enjoyable way to learn about historical events, characters, or time periods. While fictionalized, many authors rely on historical, geographical, and other research to create an ambiance within their novel that is believable and translates historical reality--well, at least as much as anyone can who isn't able to go back in time and experience events for themselves. But even if we could time travel, how true would our description of history be?

Since all history is interpretation, and all interpretation is by nature subjective (or biased), even historians don't always agree with each other on the causes, meanings, or realities of historical events. All one can say for certain is that at some point in history, this or that human wrote that this or that thing happened. Possibly there are records to prove an event happened. What events mean, or the realities surrounding events are interpretations. Even contemporary perspectives of characters and events are often colored by biased interpretation, and altered by things added or left out, or by the filters through which events and characters are viewed. Historians or historical writers can sometimes create the illusion of clarity while actually providing a very fuzzy picture, and the older the historical era or event the more this is true. 

Into this fuzziness good historical fiction writers dive!

Historians sometimes accuse historical novelists of 

Is Technology Causing Us to Lose the Personal Touch?

Photo from http://www.textkills.com/?p=780

Some question whether technology is really good for humans. Just look at any college campus where most of the people you see are shuffling down the halls, and sidewalks too, eyes glued to a tiny handheld screen, thumbs tapping at a furious pace. No one appears to be talking to anyone around them. It would seem that technology has replaced personal communication, and many complain that it has, and that it's unhealthy for us. Even worse, they claim, we're addicted to it.


Recent changes in grammar school education might also appear to support this conclusion, as more schools are no longer teaching cursive writing. In this digital age, many feel cursive writing is no longer needed. Others wonder how these children will ever be able to take notes or send hand written letters. They complain the personal touch is disappearing from our written communications, and that it's one more indication we have an unhealthy dependence on technology.

On the other hand, 

My Picks for QR Code Generation Software

So here are my picks for QR Code Generators:

Online business cards: 

I pick ScanMe.com for ease of use, security against data loss (contacts are saved on smartphones and online), and multiple mobile app platforms. Go here for instructions on registering your online business/calling card and downloading the mobile app to your device. Previously you had to have a Facebook account to register (login) at ScanMe and create your QR code. Now ScanMe also allows use of LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to register. Simply tap the contact buttons on the "contact" screen of the person's QR code you've scanned to connect with them. On the down side, everyone you want to connect with must have an online ScanMe account (and hopefully a smartphone with the ScanMe mobile app) to make it really useful. 

Scan.Me is an alternative that

Social Media Lab at Midwest Writers Workshop 2012

Facilitators at writers workshops may suggest that writers need to develop a social media platform to aid in marketing their books, and even offer some ideas as to how to do this, but how many offer hands-on training with a consultant (or tutor) in a computer lab?

This year Midwest Writers Workshop (MWW12 held in Muncie, Indiana July 26-28, 2012) offered attendees FREE social media tutoring at a computer lab loaned by Ball State University's English Department. Creative Writing Professor Cathy Day and four Creative Writing students (Ashley Cassandra Ford, Tyler Fields, Spencer McNelly, and Maye Ralston) operated and staffed the social media lab. Ball State IT employees installed and kept the computers operating well throughout the conference.

The Social Media Lab was kick-started Thursday evening, July 26, with a social media panel moderated by Day, and presented by the social media tutors (Ford, Fields, McNelly, and Ralston) and social media guru Jane Friedman.

Photo by Deborah Lucas

During the panel