Your Guide to Writing the Perfect Story

Writing Historical Fiction Properly

As you have probably gathered, I've started writing about specific genres. Mystery was a hard one and historical fiction isn't much better. They are both very complex genres. But then again, what genre isn't?

The first thing I want to nail into your brain before this is that historical fiction is like any other story. There's only one real difference and that is that the story takes place in the past. You will have to treat it a bit differently from a present day novel, but you can still use plot twists, develop 3D characters, and use any of the other tips in this book. None of that is different. I think that all that should be fairly self-explanatory so I won't delve into it. I expect you to know by now what helps make a good story. Today I will be talking only about the things specific to a historical fiction novel or that are especially important. 

Something you should consider is that not all historical fiction are just that genre. Many simply take place in the past but are mystery novels or romance novels, etc. Know what you are writing.

1. Establish the Setting

The first step of writing any historical novel is to establish the setting. Pick a time period and somewhere for it to take place. I'm going to warn you that you will be doing a lot of researching so make sure it's one that intrigues you. Once you've done that, narrow your time period down to a specific year. In historical fiction, it is not enough to know just the general time period. A lot happened back to back in the past and you need to know what you are dealing with. 

2. Research

Now that you have found your setting, it's time to research! You should know the in's and out's of the year you are writing in and fairly recent events before that. Who is the leader of the country? What is the economic situation? The role of men, of women? Children? Remember that most of the research you do won't and shouldn't end up in your actual book. That's not why you are writing it. Your story shouldn't be a history textbook, it should have characters that face real problems -- ones that readers can still somehow relate to despite the different times. 

It will be tempting to include all of the information that you find, but believe me when I tell you only to include what is necessary for the story to go on without confusion from your readers. If they wanted to know about the time period in detail, they would have researched it themselves. Part of the researching process isn't about knowing what to write, but what not to write. You'll be very embarrassed if someone points out a false fact in your writing. Not to mention that it makes readers question your credibility.

3. Culture

This is the most important part of this chapter. The better you replicate the culture of the time you are writing in, the more intriguing and believable your story will be. This means that you should figure out how people dressed, spoke, and any common values and beliefs of the time. For example, in the early to mid 1900's women were expected to stay home to cook, clean, and care for their children. They weren't expected to get an education, much less a job. You also should recognize that older people spoke with different accents and were often more formal than we are now. Or, maybe in what you are writing, the setting was even less formal. It's the author's job to inform the reader of the customs. But make sure you don't tell them outright -- incorporate it into your writing. 

Another big cultural thing is religion. In Spain during the Renaissance it wasn't actually legal to be anything but Catholic. If they even suspected someone of having another religion, they would torture them until they admitted it and then they would kill them. 

Something else you should think about is literature and art of the time. You can't start talking about Harry Potter if the book hasn't come out yet. Consider the classics. You might even benefit from reading some of them if they have a direct correlation in your story.

This is starting to go back into research, but you should know about political and economical systems in the place and time your story will take place. Also make sure you are aware of the expectations of social classes and roles. Common beliefs is also something I brought up before that you have to know. Many people weren't educated enough or were too biased to believe anything but their own opinion and if someone did they were frowned upon. Things that don't seem like a big deal now might have been a big deal in the past or vice versa. 

Remember that your protagonist should have a distinct personality and an opinion on the events, people and issues of the times. It doesn't have to be your own opinion, but they should have one. People that write history textbooks are told not to have an opinion, but that is not the case for you, my friend. You have to pick a side. 

4. Don't Change Events

My biggest historical fiction pet peeve is when people decide they are going to write a story in the past and change history. You may think that as a writer, you have that kind of power, but you really don't. It's not your job to tell everyone how the past should have looked; not if you are interested in being published, anyway. So no, you can't make your character murder Hitler when he was a baby. Not in historical fiction anyway. I think there's another genre for that, called speculative fiction. I don't know much about it but if you are interested, by all means, search it up.

5. Real People are Iffy

I've seen stories that have been written from the perspective of a famous historical figure, like Martin Luther or Queen Victoria and trust me when I tell you that it almost always fails. Try and think of your own character. It will be more interesting for the readers to learn of someone new, as well as for the author. Not to mention that you won't have to worry about getting your facts wrong or angry historians chasing you down for changing something that Christopher Columbus said when he set out on his voyage. 

These real people can be mentioned, of course, and if you are willing to be a bit risky, you can even talk to them. Although, there will always be that threat looming in the background of historians ranting about how so-and-so didn't act like or dress like how you have made them, or that they would never be speaking to your character or the situation wouldn't have come up. Usually it's best to play it safe. 

That's all for historical fiction. I know that there wasn't that many tips but I even scrounged through some websites on the genre and they all seemed to have the same tips as me for writing this particular genre. In historical fiction, it's all about making the setting and characters realistic and just knowing your stuff. If you have that down, you've gotten through the easy part. The hard part is actually writing it and making it interesting. Don't forget that you still need to have a good plot. Thanks so much for your time in reading. You guys are great!