Historical fiction. It has to be my favorite genre! Not only do I enjoy reading it, I also enjoy writing it. And as I have read and written it, there have been a lot of things that I've noticed. Sometimes it is simple things that will make or break your story.
Characters
1800 - You have this kid who says cool.
Actually, it wouldn't be a kid at
all -- it would be a child. And "cool" is totally out of his century.
1750 - All of the families have 2-3 children.
Depending on the culture, some of
the families would have had 2-3 children, but that was probably due to deaths
of children (during childbirth, as infants). Otherwise, if you're speaking
English culture, families would have had larger families.
1550 - "I'm just kidding."
What? Your character is having a
baby goat? Nay. He would be in jest.
980 - "This is my dad."
The first known use of
"dad" is 15th century (how do I know that? Simple online search). He
would most likely be "Father."
How does your character dress?
How do they speak? How do they interact with others? What do they call their
grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles? How do they spend their days? What is
their occupation? The answers to all of these questions help set the tone of
your historical fiction novel.
Setting
What is the terrain? What do the
houses look like? Are the streets crowded and dirty or clean and free of
clutter? The more you describe, the more the reader "feels at home"
in your story.
Food
What did they eat? Did they have
crackers then? Soup? Bread bowls? Salads? Dressing? You could omit these
details, or you could do a little research and make your story authentic.
Items
She looked around the parlor.
What did she see? Were there
couches (or were they called sofas or settees)? Did the windows have curtains
or drapes? What were the colors? The ambience? Going from the parlor, what is in the kitchen?
A butter churn? What about the barn? Are the walls lined with tack?
Things to Remember
Don't assume. Do not assume that a
published fictional book is accurate. It might be a good place to start with
research, but don't use it as the encyclopedia.
Research pays off. But be sure
that you're researching in the right places. The internet has great sources and
the library has great books, but anyone today can have a website or publish a
book. Check your information -- if you find 2-3 places that say the same thing,
chances are you're pretty accurate. And remember: the best place to find solid
information is in original documents, newspapers, etc.
Read books that were published in
your era. If you're writing in the 19th century, you have a world of books you
can obtain that were written in the
19th century! And who would better know their century than those authors?
Writing historical fiction is the
best tool to learning history -- and you will unearth some pretty amazing treasures
as you research! Don't let the magnitude of work discourage you from writing.
Learn as you go, and be willing to test your historical authenticity.
What makes a historical fiction
novel authentic to you?
What hints do you have for writing historical fiction?
3 comments:
I really enjoyed this post! I LOVE reading and writing historical fiction, and I know I need to work on this more. It's weird how the smallest details can affect the book!
I find this the most challenging part of writing.:( I love historical fiction though.:)
@ Jesseca and Salinn - right there with y'all about loving historical fiction but finding the information hard to weave into writing. :)
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