Alternate History

[jeregenest]

Four tips on writing Alternate History by Harry Turtledove is interesting, there seems to some other interesting articles here.

Comments

[balthial.livejournal.com]

I'm going to take minor issue with his "Use as many primary sources as you can" thing. Primary sources are great, but unless you spend a lot of time researching a given period you're likely to misinterpet them. If you just look at a few period sources, your modern slant on them is likely to be much worse than a historian's. Of course if you have the luxury of (and patience for) reading reams of them, you will get a good idea of what's going on.

[ezrael.livejournal.com]

Does he mention that he really, really wishes the South had won the Civil War?

[shiffer.livejournal.com]

It's implied.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

He also wishes Byzantine had never fallen. Though I think I'd prefer the later.

[princeofcairo.livejournal.com]

The thing that most interested me is that none of those tips relate to writing alternate history; they're all tips for writing historical fiction. This would explain a lot.