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Guidelines for writing Poems, Stories and Tales

Miles or Kilometers for historical fiction?

Asked by: Patricia Simmons

(Depending on the time, e.g. Tolstoy in the 19th century, a Russian might use “versts”, which are just a bit more than a kilometer.) On the other hand, if you were writing an American Civil War novel, use miles, because that’s what nineteenth century Americans used.

What are the rules for historical fiction?

Ethics: Rules for Writing Historical Novels

  • Don’t invent history. …
  • Try to be fair. …
  • You can leave doubt about what happened. …
  • Keep the chronology as accurate as possible. …
  • You can leave things out. …
  • Complete historical truth is unknowable. …
  • How to test if you’ve done a decent job?

Which is more accurate km or miles?

A mile is longer than a kilometer. One mile is equal to 1.609 kilometers.

How do you write a historical fiction book?

How to write historical fiction in 10 steps

  1. Tell a fictionalised (but accurate) version of a true story. …
  2. Tell a true story with some creative license. …
  3. Use real events as the backdrop for your mostly fictional story. …
  4. Use a true story as the inspiration for your fictional story.

Which came first miles or kilometers?

History of Miles and Kilometers

In history, miles as a unit was used by ancient civilizations. On the other hand, kilometers only came into utility in the 1790s.

How long should a historical fiction novel be?

100,000 words

The high-end romance novel word count is 100,000. Historical fiction: Fleshing out an imagined historical world lends itself to a higher word count, so historical fiction tends to be closer to 100,000 words.

What makes a good historical fiction book?

To write good historical fiction, one needs to uphold a healthy balance between research and creativity, and while your story may include real events and people from a specific time, this genre gives fiction writers so many new opportunities to tell a completely unique story.

Why is km better than miles?

Kilometer and Mile are both units of distance. In the United States and the United Kingdom, distances are measured in miles.
Comparison chart.



Kilometer Mile
Meters 1 km = 1000 m 1 mile = 1609.344 m
Inches 1 km = 39,370 in 1 mile = 63,360 in
Kilometers 1 km = 1 km 1 mile = 1.609 km
Miles 1 km = 0.621 mi 1 mile = 1 mile

How many Kilometres Makes 1 mile?

1.609344 kilometres

How many kilometers in a mile 1 mile is equal to 1.609344 kilometres, which is the conversion factor from miles to kilometres.

Which countries use kilometers?

Countries that use KM/H

Albania Algeria Angola
Singapore Slovakia South Africa
South Korea Spain St Lucia
St Maarten St Vincent and the Grenadines Sweden
Switzerland Syria Tanzania

Why does the UK use miles instead of km?

Answer has 7 votes. Historically the road network in England was established by the Romans who measured in miles. The metric system was first introduced to France by Napoleon at a time when they were at war with England. This is why the English were reluctant to adopt metrification.

Does America use miles or km?

The United States is the only real stronghold of the imperial system in the world to-date. Here, using miles and gallons is the norm, even though scientists do use metric, new units like megabytes and megapixels are metric as well and runners compete for 100 meters like everywhere else in the world.



What year did miles change to kilometers?

The metric system was introduced in the Netherlands in 1816, and the metric mile became a synonym for the kilometre, being exactly 1000 m. Since 1870, the term mijl was replaced by the equivalent kilometer.

How can you tell that this is historical fiction?

Historical Fiction is set in a real place, during a culturally recognizable time. The details and the action in the story can be a mix of actual events and ones from the author’s imagination as they fill in the gaps. Characters can be pure fiction or based on real people (often, it’s both).

Does historical fiction have to be accurate?

Just because you were inspired by the past it doesn’t mean the story should be historical fiction. There are so many ways of getting around that if you’re not aiming to make your story historically accurate, you can still use past events as inspiration!

Can historical fiction be written in first person?

Unless you’re writing in the form of letters or journals, make sure any first-person character has a good reason to be telling his story. People tend not to like people who notice themselves too much or describe themselves or seem overly aware of how others perceive them.

What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

Historical writers face other minor ethical issues. Integrating history with your own fictional characters. Choosing a POV that is both relevant and appropriate. Clarifying when you’re writing historical fiction and when you’re writing the fictional character’s take on that history.



Can I use historical figures in fiction?

According to WD’s legal guru (and close friend) Amy Cook, writing about historical people is perfectly fine and won’t put you in any legal danger.

Can you use real people’s names in historical fiction?

Using real people in your fiction—whether they are correctly named or not—can be legally hazardous. If an author includes enough details that a specific fictional character is identifiable as an actual person, that person could possibly pursue legal action.