Researching and writing a historical fiction novel - Claudia Merrill

Writing The Past

In this episode, we chat with Claudia Merrill, an Australian writer based in Vienna. Her genre is historical fiction with a bit of fantasy mixed in, and she’s currently writing a novel series set in ancient times. With her stories, she brings mythology and folklore to life through the lens of history.

We discuss what it’s like to research and write historical fiction, including the best tools to use, how you can prevent burnout, navigating seasons when it’s difficult to write, and the key to building a strong author platform.

You can keep in touch with Claudia on her Instagram account, or check out her blog. You may be especially interested in her article on how to do historical research for a novel, featuring some Notion templates to help you get started.

Timestamps:

(00:15) - Introduction to Claudia

(01:06) - The significance of regular, everyday historical people’s lives

(02:29) - What led Claudia to want to write historical fiction

(04:00) - How to organise your research process in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming

(06:00) - Using Notion to organise your notes

(07:30) - Balancing writing with life commitments

(11:40) - Preventing burnout as a writer

(12:50) - Navigating seasons when it’s difficult to write

(15:30) - Tools that support the research and writing routine—see Claudia’s blog article with Notion templates here

(16:30) - Claudia’s experiences working with a publishing house, and what it showed her about the industry

(20:25) - Building a strong online author platform

(22:52) - Claudia’s advice to her past self as a historical fiction writer, letting go of perfectionism and “all or nothing” thought patterns

(24:24) - Finding a balance between the research and writing process

(28:35) - All about first drafts

(30:25) - Learning to be present at every stage of the writing journey