Women Write History 2024
Many women’s stories have been lost to history – lost, discarded, forgotten, censored, erased. But there is a movement in the world of historical fiction, where women authors are uncovering these stories, reclaiming them, and giving a voice to these forgotten women.
This is what was celebrated at the Women Write History event this year, which took place last Saturday 23 March at Eltham Library. It was my first time attending the event (I hadn’t previously heard of it) and I had no idea what to expect; but by the end of the day, I was thrilled with my choice.
I had heard of the event through the socials of one of my favourite authors, Alison Goodman (I’ve previously written about her Lady Helen series and The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies). She was one of several historical fiction authors speaking on the day; the others were Robyn Cadwallader, Leah Kaminsky, Christine Bell, Marion Taffe and Wendy J. Dunn, along with Keren Heenan who hosted a writing workshop.
There was a comment during the day’s introduction about the sense of anticipation in the air, and I felt it too. I think it was the intimate setting – about thirty of us tucked into the back of the library – and the fact that we were a group of like-minded women, all willing to spend our day discussing and listening to discussions about women and history.
The day’s schedule
The day was split into four sessions, with breaks for morning tea and lunch (all catered for, which was amazing! How is this event free?!). I’ll share some brief insights from each session, which should give you enough of a taste to decide if you would like to attend next year’s event.
Session 1 – The Sameness & Difference Of Historical Fiction
Much of the conversation in this session centered around the authors’ finding tension between the similarities and differences of the time they are writing about and modern day. While times have certainly changed, people are often the same: their desires, motivations, strengths and weaknesses.
As Marion Taffe pointed out, we are products of our past and “this has been someone’s world at some stage”. There is a lot to learn from history and often we are fighting the same fights.
Robyn Cadwallader spoke of “allowing a story to be told”, rather than preaching, as this can often help us understand our world better. One understanding that has emerged from writing history, for example, is that the need for men to control women has always been there.
The Women Write History 2024 event was held at Eltham Library
It was interesting to hear how the authors balanced remaining historically accurate with empowering their female protagonists with enough agency so they can connect with modern readers. These were some of their comments:
“When I write, I’m interested in women pushing the edges.” – Robyn Cadwallader
“Does the story reflect society or does society reflect the stories it’s told?” – Marion Taffe (I absolutely love this quote)
“There’s always been exceptional women – they just didn’t have a voice. They weren’t the scribes or historians.” – Christine Bell
Ultimately, they all agreed they could create protagonists who pushed the boundaries of their time enough to create personal resonance for modern audiences.
Session 2 – Writing About History From The Female Other
As mentioned in session one, most of the scribes and historians documenting history have been men – so how do you write from the perspective of a woman from a time that has passed?
Where possible, the authors access women’s own words through diaries and letters from the period, where they can sometimes peer beneath the veil of how women presented themselves in society at that time, to read what they were actually thinking and feeling.
Where there are gaps in the knowledge of characters or the period, this is where the author’s imagination comes into play. What would your character’s deepest fear be? What events of the time would shape their perspective? Are there any aspects to them that would make them an outsider?
Christine Bell, author of No Small Shame, shared how in writing an ordinary woman during the first world war, she had her character push the edges by beginning to question things in her world, and through small wins.
Regarding characterisation, Alison Goodman said, “I look for the seeds of modern thought in the time”. In addition to the above, Goodman shared how she constructs what people have called “female-forward action scenes” – which, as she points out, are simply action scenes! She considers three things:
The physical action: the physicality of the character, what the bodies are doing
The emotions: what is driving that moment of violence
Value and attitudes: how the characters feel about themselves afterwards
Session 3 – Researching History & Historical Other
This session looked at writing the historical other through lenses other than gender. Some of the factors the authors said they consider are:
Where are the levels of power in an exchange, and is that power benevolent or malevolent
Where are the tolerances and intolerances of that society
Are these character/s more or less enlightened
Different classes and race
Author Leah Kaminsky shared some questions she likes to ask:
Where do we slip into evil?
What would it have been like if I was a woman in this era?
Overall, it comes down to staying true to your protagonist’s point of view within their world. And while it can be easy to get bogged down in research or details, the key is to keep a forward momentum through the story.
Session 4 – So You Want To Be Published
In the final session for the day, the authors came together to share their various publishing journeys, and some tips on approaching agents and publishers. So without further ado!
Write the best manuscript you can
Run it by a reputable editor/agent
Put energy into your query letter and synopsis (or as Alison Goodman said, “put on your movie voice”
Be persistent; it’s a long game
Final thoughts
‘The Dark Days Club’ signed by Alison Goodman
It was a fantastic networking opportunity and a chance to hear from talented authors in the historical fiction genre. There’s not too many settings where you can casually walk up to an author and start chatting over a chocolate brownie, before getting your book signed (a definite highlight!). There were also plenty of opportunities for questions during the Q&A at the end of each session.
To be in the know for next year’s event, I recommend following Wendy J Dunn on Instagram or checking in at her website, wendyjdunn.com
