How to Write a Great Book

When working on Glamour and Glass I took the complete works of Jane Austen including her letters. converted them into a word list and made that my spell check dictionary. That flagged every word in my manuscript that Jane Austen did not use which allowed me to cut some words. You have to walk a fine line between using language that feels accurate for the period and that is also understandable. Remembering that you are writing for modern readers. Well and words that shift depending on on the what you're writing. Words that shift are actually often less of a problem. But then you also have words that are totally appropriate for the period that just don't sound right. Joe Walton calls this the