Make history

Masterclass: Writing historical fiction

Join us to learn how to bring the past to life through fiction.

We’ll look at how to investigate and interpret real people in history or invent your own characters, how and what to research, building an accurate historical setting, and different approaches to voice and character.

What you’ll learn:

• What works and what doesn’t in historical fiction
• Creating credible people from the past
• World-building for historical fiction and historical-based fantasy
• Approaches to voices and dialogue
• Research tips, tools and information sources
• How to integrate research and imagination (subtly, of course).

We’ll discuss the all-important questions of how to present an imagined setting based in historical reality, and ways to imagine the perspective of a person from the past in a voice that appeals to modern readers.

It will include teaching, writing exercises, conversation, bad jokes, and possibly Tim Tams.

We’ll also make time for:

• Exercises and tips to use in your writing
• Questions and discussion.

I’m Kelly Gardiner, I’ve published twelve books all set in the past, and I’ll be your teacher for this masterclass. I’ve taught historical fiction in universities and community settings, and my internationally-published academic research often focuses on historical fiction and biofiction. So I know (and write) the field.

If you’d like to know more about me and my work, there’s information right here.

Who’s it for?

This masterclass is for emerging writers, people in the early stages of their writing careers, or any writers who are interested in creating fiction set in the past. It’s suitable for writers of historical romance, crime or fantasy as well as people writing any of those genres for middle-grade, young adult or adult readers. If you’re an experienced writer, but looking to set fiction in the past for the first time, you’re very welcome, too.

It will work best for people with an existing project or concrete idea to which you can apply what you learn.

Details

Date and times: 

25 May, 2025 (completed)

Next class date: TBC

Where: Meeting Room, 1st floor, Carlton Library, 667 Rathdowne Street, North Carlton, Victoria (across from Curtain Square).

Here’s a map to help you find it.

Cost: $145 or $130 concession.

This course is designed for small group learning, so class size and ticket numbers are limited.

You’ll also be invited to our private online writing community, where you can access free resources, keep in touch with each other, and stay up-to-date on writing and publishing opportunities.

During the masterclass, you’ll receive slides and handouts, including writing exercises and tips.

If you have any questions, you can contact me here.

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

– William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun, 1951.