Anna and the Mystery of the Triple Minor (Part 1)

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In this post:
The truth about longway dances of Jane Austen’s time
How to perform a longway dance in a historically correct way
Tips for depicting a ball in your novel
Preview: Dance instruction and music to come in part 2

Dear Regency Enthusiast

A couple of weeks ago I took part in a workshop in Old English Country Dances*. First-hand experience of the culture and techniques of the regency era can be very enlightening for writers (see my post on Five Methods of Research). Indeed I came across very helpful facts – and a dark secret of contemporary country dance teaching. Fancy that: All the longway dances from Jane Austen’s time are today deliberately taught historically incorrect. Shocking! Why are the dances usually done incorrectly? How were they really performed? And what should you know to when you write a scene with a ball for your novel? Continue reading →

Regency-Explorer-Quiz: Who is “Mr X”?

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Regency-Explorer.net is in search of “Mr. X” !

Here is a little quiz for all History Sleuths: Who is the historic person described below?  Read all about his appaerance, his characteristics and his life up to the year 1815.

Questions to answer:

Who is X?
Who is A?
Who is B?
What is the name of Y?
What is the name of Z?

Write your answers in the comment field below. There are glory and honour to gain – as well as the fun of solving a quiz.

Enjoy it!

Here is your challenge:

Name:       X
Birthday: xx. xx. 17xx / London.
Profession: writer
Appearance:

  • Figure: tall, straight and upright in carriage
  • Countenance: His steps are short and firm, his approach cheerful, almost dashing
  • Hair: black and straight, parted in the centre
  • Eyes: brown, brilliant, reflective, kind and gay, with a look of observant humor Continue reading →

Managing the Characters – Part 3 of 3: Sample Biography and Quiz

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In the first two parts of this series, I wrote about ways to manage the characters of a novel. I discussed

I also mentioned that it is useful to write a biography for each character. While it is a lot of work, there are certain benefits.

How does a biography help?

Continue reading →

Managing the Characters – Part 2 of 3: Tools and Free Download

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Welcome to the second post of this 3-part series about keeping track of your characters – the one with The Free Download. In the previous post, I covered what pieces of information about your characters you could and should define.

You have now created a lot of data for each character. How to handle it? The answer depends on your preferences. Here are some options: Continue reading →

Managing the Characters – Part 1 of 3: Attributes

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Your novel features many characters. Each of them has individual characteristics of appearance and behaviour. You might easily remember the long dark hair of your heroine and the aquiline nose of your hero. But remembering every bit of information about every character is likely to be a challenge. It is advisable to list those attributes somehow.
Continue reading →

Writer’s Travel Guide: Forde Abbey

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Forde Abbey is located 3.6 miles from Chard, Somerset. It was founded as Cistercian monastery in the 12th century. Its interior is mostly covered in oak panelling and plasterwork. Thus, those preferring the more splendid Georgian style may be reluctant to visit Forde Abbey. However, it is well worth having a closer look at it.

From 1814 to 1818, you would have met Jeremy Bentham at Forde Abbey. He was known as one of the most important social reformers of his time. He had rented Forde Abbey from its owner. He wrote several books there, turned to radical politics and entertained some of the greatest thinkers of the early 19th century, among them the economist David Ricardo and legal reformer Sir Samuel Romilly.

Continue reading →

5 Methods of Research for Historical Writers

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Research is immensely important for writers of historical novels. A good knowledge of the historical background helps to straighten the plot, gives credibility to its characters and brings the story to life.

Research also is fun.

If you aspire to write a Regency novel, here are five conventional and unconventional methods of research for you:

Unconventional methods of research
Continue reading →

Got Stuck in Your Story Line? – Pick a Chance Card!

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Writers are free to make use of any creativity technique they can think of. Brainwriting and Mind Mapping, for example, are well known.

Another intriguing technique is incorporating chance, i.e. random thoughts, into your creative process in order to trigger ideas. In a previous post I have suggested using chance cards when being stuck in creating a plot.

Picking cards? Are you serious?

Continue reading →