Activity

@northerner @ashira

… I am writing fantasy. Historical fantasy, that is. I have never claimed to be an honourable historical fictioner 😛 In my stories I have never used the names of the real societies or even referenced the real names of the religions or philosophies practised during those times. I do get your point though. I have started and then stopped reading a particular book because all the characters have inexplicably modern mindsets regarding sexuality which stood out like a sore thumb against the rest of the setting and greatly irked me.

Reading about historical societies is one of my main sources of inspiration. When doing my research, I try to think of what potential conflicts would be interesting to write about and that’s how I come up with the ideas for my plots. When I say that I do not care about historical accuracy, I mean that I will do things like merge elements from different societies or eras of that same society if I think it will make things more interesting. (e.g. there are many different eras in ancient Chinese history but the societal beliefs have remained largely similar due to the common influence of Confucianism so I am comfortable with borrowing elements between them).

Though we research as much as we can I do not think it is possible to 100% depict every detail accurately and I know some imagination is required so I am open to creative liberties when it comes to stories set in/inspired by history. If not, why not read something actually written by someone who lived in that era instead? That is bound to be more accurate than whatever we modern folks can come up with.

Regarding characters, I believe that they are the main vehicles through which we can depict the mindsets of that time. The societies that I write in tend to be in the Far East and so were unreached for much of history. While some Asian values hold true (e.g. respecting parents), I encounter difficulty in portraying moral dilemmas at times since the people, if one wants to be accurate, really do not know God. Therefore I place importance on writing characters and their arcs well to show the truth/lie in the historical beliefs.