What Makes A Historical... Historical?

This topic has been mulling around in my head for a while. In light of having to address it with the submissions pool, I'm going to try and do it justice here.

A historical is so much more than placing a man and woman in an era gone by. The little things count -- more than you would probably expect.

There is a level of detail expected with a historical romance that is, by nature of the beast, overlooked in contemporary submissions. If we, as contemporary authors, put into our manuscript, "the silver pickup", we have a pretty good idea what that looks like. Yes, we can create more vivid visuals by mentioning a brand name, mentioning short or long bed, dually, or king cab. But if you're just moving a character from point a to point b, we don't necessarily need that level of detail. (Arguable, but work with me for a minute).

If you put in a historical, "They climbed into the carriage and rode away." It'll work. Maybe. But you'll have a lot more success with passing the story off as a researched historical with something like, "They climbed into the landau and rode away." Right there, the word landau, does so many things. It sets setting (1743-forward). It creates a visual (used for luxury). It gives a rough idea how many horses are in front(two), it illustrates the seating room. If you take it a step further, you can add in one word "into the five-glass landau" - and now you've added the visual of glass windows (although careful, you might have changed your setting.)

A common error I see in historical submissions is lack of enough detail to give the story a historical feel. I'm not talking about disertations on the setting/politics/class structure. I'm talking about little interwoven adjectives that make pictures pop.

Since my expertise is with ancient civilizations, let me go here to exemplify further.

Knights are a common theme as are Medieval settings. When you have characters in historicals, you must consider their perspectives (POV again).

What's a knight do for a living? War.

What are the tools he uses for war? Horses, armor, swords, spears, sometimes crossbows/arrows. Strategy.

Is a knight going to know the difference between a short sword and a bastard sword? Or the difference between a kite shield and a buckler? Or a lunge versus a thrust attack? You betcha. By sight. Without having to consider it. Second nature.

If he doesn't, chances are he's not going to survive his first battle to go on and become the fearsome knight brought to his knees by our mighty heroines.

Is a peasant going to know those things? Most likely not. A sword is a sword. They are shorter or longer. They kill -- usually friends and relatives when territories are taken over and the serfs pay for a liege lord's failure. Frankly, most peasants weren't allowed to have arms, depending on the era/feudal society and area.

And then we get into a whole different aspect of detail... era-specific tools and details. Just like one wouldn't find a zipper in the Middle Ages, we aren't going to find full plate mail immediately following the Dark Ages. The suits of armor you see in museums, aren't common until the 13th-14th century.

So if you're writing about knights "Armor" isn't going to cut it as an adjective. "Sword" isn't going to illustrate anything specific.

And if you're submitting something in this era to me, be prepared to go through that litmus test.

In conclusion -- when you are doing historical writing, research, research, research. Just like a veterinarian would know a Pomeranian by name, your historical characters are going to know the tools of their trade intimately. Use those details to illustrate the key details that draw a reader in and make them believe they are literally walking through a different era. Use it as an opportunity to show off the things you've learned when studying the era you write about. But do it effectively. Blend it in. Paint the picture. Don't make it stick out like a sore thumb.

~Tori

Things That Make My Email Happy

Waking up to find a resubmission an author has put a lot of time and energy into, that really shines, is almost better than my morning cup of coffee. Authors who take the time, who step back away from the attachment to their story and are willing to look at it from an objective angle are gems. We editors know it isn't easy to hear the word, "But..." It isn't necessarily easy for us to say that word either. We know the likelihood of how it will be received.

The author who can move past the gut-reaction of, "No way. It's right this way." is the author who wants to grow and has the best opportunity at seeing career goals met.


This morning, I had an even more pleasant experience than revised resubmissions. Every once in a while, I'll have a story come our way that is incredible in one fashion or another, but there's an aspect of it I can't contract. Several months ago, I ran into this and spent several long hours in discussion with the author. To my delight, this morning, after weeks of consideration, the author decided to go with my requested needs.

It's a treat to run into this email before coffee. Made my day, I tell you.

On another note, in the near future I should have two more titles to present to you. Waiting on our wonderful artists to finalize covers. Both are books that I read before coffee.

Hm. I believe there might be a pattern there.

Revisions and Resubmissions

I'm pretty generous with offering resubmissions to authors when I feel a there's merit in a story. However, I must say it never fails to concern me when I do reject a manuscript, offer a resubmission, and the manuscript comes back within 48 hours.

I'm sure there are those of you who can whip out edits and corrections in the blink of an eye. Particularly those who have the ability to be a full-time author day in and day out. That said, I have yet to see a resub turned around so quickly that has met approval.

Please folks, if you're given the opportunity to resubmit, take the time to do it right. Don't race to get it done unless you're told "I need this in x amount of time." In my case, you have 90 days to send it back to me directly.

Take the time to sit down with a trusted critique partner and compare the editor or agent's reponse to what's in front of you. See if your modifications have met the request.

Don't rush. You get one chance to resubmit as a general rule. Don't let a good project miss the proverbial boat because you were excited. Make sure it is as correct as you possibly can get it. Then send it back to us.

And if you are one of those miracle-working authors who can do good, solid edits in a very short time. You might stretch out your turn around time to a week so no one perceives it was rushed.

Just my two cents!

Busy August

August has hardly begun, and I've been working like a fiend. I've seen some very nice submissions lately and requested two full manuscripts this week, as well as a full rosette.

Additionally two books have moved on to final stages of production, and I'll be excited to update my authors' coming soon stuff. When I have dates, I'll share a little information on the titles.

Speaking of -- there's a lot of great titles coming out this fall at The Wild Rose Press. I encourage everyone to check out our coming soon area and review the novels. If you're an author, please considering joining us in the Garden. Submissions are always open, and we're all excited about new work and new voices.

What catches my personal attention? Sexual tension from the get go. Not necessarily steam and physical interaction, but the set up and tension. Knowing that when these two finally cross that bridge and embrace the coming romance, the sparks are going to fly grabs me more than anything. This goes for both the genres I work in.

Individually:

Champagne -- I think it is more difficult in a contemporary setting to create a truely tortured hero. This is often more strong in historical and paranormal (usually because of the trend toward violent circumstances -- battle and death mainly) Therefore, when I discover them it's an exceptional treat. I also enjoy the beta hero a great deal. Heroinewise, I really like ladies who hold unique professions, and the profession influences the story. For instance: (and this is completely made up) a heroine who plays a bodyguard and has to look out for a physically powerful man would be really entertaining. Especially if she were petite.

Historical -- Aside from the given fact that I want to get lost in the history and experience it as if I were there, for a historical hero I am all about the alpha male. But... Here I like my alphas to have a weakness or soft spot that isn't commonly known. Can't resist pastries? Can't ride off to battle without his favorite hunting...mouse? Something small and almost obscure that softens his alpha nature. Heroines -- definitely strong women. But not so strong that they are always, always, combative with the hero. My favorite eras -- the older the better. I prefer the realism of eras where men and women had to work to survive, not necessarily the life of the wealthy elite.

While those are things that leap out at me -- in the end, a good story is a good story. That's what matters.

So keep up the writing!

~T