Political license

I mentioned in an earlier post about brainstorming and then putting the ideas into scenes before starting to write. Well, in writing my stories the most important element is research. Because they are set in the ancient world, I wanted to make sure details of the period were included. Of course, as a fiction writer, I have political license to alter small features to suit my story.  That’s one of the great things about being a writer. You can change history, the perspective of ideals, include people from the past to do your bidding. Stephen King’s latest novel 11/22/63 is a prime example.

When researching for my manuscript, I used so many sources I actually started to keep a bibliography. It was astonishing how wide and varied the list got. I read and used books from Herodotus and Plato to modern theories on Atlantis by John Michael Greer. That’s not including fiction books I’ve read to keep the historical period alive in my head. The important thing for me, having read such diversity was the little details I could include in my books. I can take that piece of information and explore it in my story.

Now here’s a story that does take political license! The graphic novel 300. I know it’s a fictional account of the war between the Ancient Greeks and Persians (5th century BC), but I don’t recall reading King Xerxes having a rhino in his arsenal! A little too over the top for me, but that’s just my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I love fantasy but then I’m not the target audience.

I guess that’s the art of writing fiction.