Historical Detail
in Fiction

By Johanna Tucker

 

 

Wouldn’t you love to go back in time? I don’t mean to yesterday morning when you forgot to put the bins out. What about a Regency drawing room, or the court of Henry VIII? I’d kill for it – figuratively, of course. As a writer of historical fiction, I would love to step outside my door and experience the world just as my characters do. Darn those lazy physicists for not inventing me a time-machine. 

The fact is, to write a rich and authentic historical novel you have to know a LOT about life in those times. How would your characters have spoken? What would they have worn? What sounds and smells would have greeted them when they walked out the front door? You need to know the answers to these questions and a whole lot more. 

Science fiction or fantasy writers can construct their world to suit themselves – what luxury. Historical writers have to research.

 

Research is such a drag – I want to WRITE! 

Too bad. Unless you are a university professor who specialises in the period when your novel is set, you will have to devote some time to research. 

My biggest tip: write about a time period that fascinates you. If immersing yourself in research is nothing but a chore, then you’re writing the wrong thing. Passion will help get you through the challenges of research and it will glow off the page of your finished product.

 

Do I have to know everything?  

Of course not. It’s impossible to know everything. Not every detail about the era will be relevant to your characters or plot either.  

But don’t breathe that sigh of relief just yet. Even focussing only on what’s relevant to your story, there’s still a vast amount to know.  

Errors will alienate your reader. Do you know the difference between a coach and a curricle? Adoring fans of Regency novels certainly do. They will quickly lose faith in your writing if you tell us that six people climbed aboard a curricle. They might even hurl your book against the wall in frustration.

 

So what are the best sources?

 

• I’ll start with an easy one: other novels set in your chosen time period. The more you read, the more information you will absorb about the era. Try to find authors whose works are well researched and rich in detail. Then check your facts with other sources - don’t believe everything you read in a novel.

 

• Non-fiction, historical reference books are an excellent resource. Typically, the information is detailed and reliable. I would recommend building up a collection of such books if you can. You will refer to them over and over again as you write. A book on fashions (for example) is useful both for fact checking and as a source of inspiration. Look for books online, in your local bookstore and in the local library.

 

• I can’t go any further without mentioning the internet. It’s often at your finger tips while you’re writing. How did writers get by without it? I truly have no idea. Of course, there is more information on some time periods than others. If you’re writing about the Regency then you could spend a lifetime trawling through the pages of Jane Austen devotees. If you are writing about 4^th century Mongolia you might find resources harder to come by. But beware, internet sites are not always compiled by experts. They can also be superficial, not giving you the depth of detail you really need. Don’t start and end your research here.

 

• Museums. I can’t recommend this source highly enough. Go and gaze upon some artefacts from your chosen time period. This will help you to come up with authentic and vivid descriptions.

 

• Movies are another great way to visually experience the world you are writing about. DON’T use these as your only resource. Script writers, costume and set designers are not always faithful to reality.

 

• Check your local university, or online, for relevant history courses. These can be particularly useful if your story relates to the wars or politics of the time.

 

More tips

 

Researching widely, perhaps on seemingly pointless tangents, can trigger unexpected new ideas for scenes or threads in your plot. 

Designate time for research and time for writing.  Don’t stop writing the moment you find a hole in your knowledge. If I did that, I never get anything done. I just leave a gap (eg. where the description of the heroine’s ball dress will go) and carry on. Later I will sit down with a reference book in front of me, perusing various designs and fabrics and decide on how I will dress my heroine.

 

Don’t overdo it 

Here’s something I’ve learned the hard way: no one will fall in love with your story because of its comprehensive detail on fabrics or furniture. Excessive detail slows the pace and is just plain boring to read. So resist the temptation to weave every fact you have learned into your story.

 

What about using real people? 

If you’re going to include real historical figures in your story, remember that you can’t change history. You can invent conversations, thoughts and motivations as long as they don’t contradict known facts. One writer’s Napoleon may be a very different man from another’s – but neither can put him in Jamaica in June 1815, instead of Waterloo.

 

In a nutshell 

The message of this article is a simple one. Write what you love! If you love historicals, then face it, you have to research. Information and inspiration come from a range of sources (I’ve listed six). Try to use each one of these. Then don’t overdo the detail you include in your story.  

Who needs a time machine after all?