Last week, I flew back from England after attending my fourth HNS conference in person. This time we were in Dartington Hall in Devon, the theme of the conference was “from the author’s page to screen and stage,” and I spoke on a panel with fellow writers Heather Webb and Kris Waldherr about authors as “adaptors” in retellings.
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| On the ground at HNS 2024 |
Throughout the conference, as usual, I took notes on the gems of wisdom shared by other speakers. I hope you enjoy this roundup of some of the best quotes…
“Nurses don’t say, ‘I can’t work today. I have nurses’ block.’” Bernard Cornwell urged us all to treat writing as a job and show up at our desks, even when we don’t feel like it.
“Go camping.” Matthew Harffy gave us all this unusual piece of advice for getting into a medieval mindset.
“People deep down are still people regardless of when they lived.” Sharon Bennett Connolly suggested getting into your characters’ heads by considering what has remained consistent about the human experience.
“Butterflies are best seen flying around.” Ian Mortimer uncovered what is problematic about traditional approaches to history and made an argument for historical fiction as the best way to “experience” the past.
“No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. No outline survives first contact with drafting.” Kate Quinn gave us this apt metaphor for how novels evolve beyond the planning stages.
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| Finola Austin (the Secret Victorianist) reporting from Devon |
“Give each person space to do the things they love. Writers are drawn to different story elements.” The two writers behind A.D. Rhine gave us this valuable insight into their approach to co-writing fiction.
“Static settings are uninteresting.” Deborah Swift suggested we bring motion to our setting descriptions to bring them to life for readers.
“[Adapting for the screen] is intellectually challenging and fun.” Diana Gabaldon disagreed with Bernard Cornwell about how involved authors should be in screen adaptations of their work.
“It is much more difficult to write about history that’s within living memory.” Jane Johnson cautioned us about the tweets you might receive if you get details wrong in late-twentieth-century-set historical fiction.
“If I’d known how much research was involved in historical fiction, I’d have written contemporary!” Helen Steadman jokingly suggested that for aspiring writers, ignorance is sometimes bliss.
“The key to being a writer is getting a dog.” Lisa Highton noticed a theme in the conference of writers having their best ideas when walking, with or without a furry friend!
“I just became obsessed with people who are dead.” S.G. Maclean shared her (all too relatable!) experience.
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| With Heather Webb & Kris Waldherr |
Were you also at HNSUK 2024? If so, I’d love to hear your conference highlights. Please stay in touch by following me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, or signing up to my monthly email newsletter here.
