London Writers' Salon

#180: How to Write Historical Fiction with Maggie O'Farrell, Ruta Sepetys & Stacey Halls — Research that Sparks Story, Non-Linear Structure & Authentic Dialogue (Compilation)

Episode Summary

Novelists Maggie O’Farrell, Stacey Halls, and Ruta Sepetys on turning research into living scenes, building non-linear structure that still feels clear, and writing voice and dialogue that make the past feel immediate.

Episode Notes

Timestamps:

00:01:30 Maggie O’Farrell

00:26:14 Stacey Halls

00:49:33 Ruta Sepetys

You’ll learn:

The importance of "reading like a writer" to reverse-engineer time, tense, and technique from books you love.
How to structure a non-chronological narrative using flowcharts and “breadcrumb trails” so readers never feel lost.
Where to look for small, specific historical details that unlock character, scene, and momentum.
A practical way to treat research as idea-generation, not “homework you must finish” before you start drafting.
A simple plotting method (index cards + one-sentence scenes) that helps you see the whole book at a glance.
Why a first draft is allowed to be rough, and how that mindset can help you write faster and finish.
How “writing toward a feeling” can guide structure when you can’t see the whole plot in advance.
Ways to keep going through the long middle by focusing on the work itself, not external noise.
How to use collaboration and expert readers to pressure-test cultural and historical authenticity.

Resources & Links:

About the authors:

Maggie O’Farrell is the bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, noted for lyrical prose and inventive structure; her craft insights span sentence-level cadence, non-linear timelines, and historically grounded voice.

Note: Our episode with Maggie was done in collaboration with Arvon, the UK’s leading creative writing charity. Arvon believes everyone can benefit from the transformative power of creative writing. It hosts residential, online and community-based writing courses and events, embracing over 6,000 people each year, tutored by some of the most respected writers in the UK today. Find out more at arvon.org

Stacey Halls is the UK author of The Familiars, The Foundling, and Mrs England, known for vivid period settings, propulsive plotting, and character-driven suspense; she outlines with index cards and drafts quickly before deep revision.

Ruta Sepetys is a Lithuanian-American novelist (Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea) whose work uncovers suppressed histories with YA-accessible clarity; she emphasizes collaboration, ethical research, and a clear “why” for every project.