Constructing Medieval Japan for a Novel
Introducing the reader to an unfamiliar constructed world takes patience, care, and research.
tales from the autumn creek land
Dealing with the Fantastical in a Novel
Historic fiction is a slippery slope. I am currently writing about Japan in the historic period in and around the Gempei War—a war of historic record. My main character is Yamabuki, a female warrior, a person who is recorded in some annals, but whose life is almost unknown. How much can a writer make up while entertaining her audience, while staying more or less faithful to the period? Some writers will go completely around this problem....
Yamabuki book launches -- pillowbook of a samurai
“The Pillow Book of a Samurai,” has been long in coming. I have been thinking on the main character, Yamabuki, for some time now. It’s a genre that is narrow and under served, at least in my view – heroic women who are more than superficial characters. I have been working at this, off and on, for a number of years, with my day job usually pushing away writing time....