Unleashing Creativity: How I Became a Historical Fiction Writer

My love for history started when I was eight-years-old and grew into a full-blown hobby.  In the fall of 2013, I decided to make a career from my passion.  I enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in History, online.   I never thought, nor did I ever dream of becoming a historical fiction writer.  All I ever wanted was to become a famous historian.  So, how did I end up pursuing a historical fiction career too?  It found me. Southern New Hampshire created a social media website to help online students connect with each other.  But most importantly, SNHU wanted to make us feel part of their physical campus; therefore, they created our online campus called “Connect."  Here, I met interesting people from all walks of life.  From historians to English and Creative Writing majors, I found online students that held the same ideals and passions as me.  But like many connections, some of us grew outside of Connect and found an "after-school hangout," Facebook.  Out of twenty or so people, I was the only one that was a history major, the only one that didn’t have a passion for creative writing, the only one that wrote stories just for fun. After a year, I formed two major passions, which consumes the majority of my time. I won’t have it any other way.  I love historical research.  Plus, through my fiction works, I can travel back in time and experience the past.  Every historian dreams of traveling back in time to experience the past.  I do just that with my writing.  Word has become my time-travel machine.  My imagination is my map -  the plugin that guides me to whatever historical period or event I want to explore.  Thus, I am living out my dreams and enjoying every bit of it. Lynette Lee