Top-Down History vs. Bottom-Up Storytelling in Historical Fiction

Top-down history and bottom-up storytelling are two different approaches to writing, as award-winning author Susan Carol McCarthy explains. Historically, stories have been told and shared about great men doing great things. About 75 years ago, writers began looking at how these major historical events affected the average citizen. When writing top-down history, the focus is on the facts and events. Bottom-up storytelling, which is McCarthy's writing preference, is looking at the human heart during...