Historical Fiction: The Basics

     Hello everyone! Since the last time I've posted, I've finished the second draft of Empty Alibi (!!!), finished my read-through of the second draft, and started my third draft. In addition I've began plotting for Letters to the Dead (see the My Writing tab at the top for more info on that story).

     With the school year winding down and Camp Nano finished, I'm hoping to post more on here. I'm starting a series on historical fiction -- I'm not claiming to be an expert on writing it, but a lot of this will be what I've learned since I started and resources I've found. Wee!

         If you've been here since pre-NaNao last year, you'd remember a post I made talking about my NaNo project - a historical fiction mystery. At that time I had not written any historical fiction or mystery ever, so the whole event was one big learning experience.

     I went into my first draft knowing the very basics about my era and winging most of it as I went. A lot of late night research and frantic checking of EtymOnline and my trusty 1920s guide was involved. 

     Honestly, I could call this post Historical Fiction: How Not To Do It, because trust me, I know. I used to think I wouldn't write historicals for two reasons: a) I considered myself a dystopian writer (*cringing because PAST ME, ALMOST ALL OF YOUR DYSTOPIA IDEAS SUCKED, WHY DID YOU NOT SEE THIS*) and b) historical fiction, quite frankly, scared the crap out of me. 

      Research? Historical accuracy? What? Never? In any universe? It always seemed like such a big commitment. And for some reason I always thought of historical fiction as being set in the 19th century - and I didn't really want to write about corsets and courtships. 

       Again. *cringes at past me*

       So now that you know my background concerning historicals...we can talk about fun things, like deciding how to nail down location and time, and incorporating historical details into your story, and FASHION. Pop culture. Edumacating yourself on your era. 

       Can you tell I really love historical fiction?
      I don't even know what this post is gonna look like, guys, so bear with me.

Feat. one of my favorite 1920s photographs. Because. '20s.

Historical Fiction: The Basics

     So you have a historical fiction idea. Or you like the idea of historical fiction, but don't yet have an idea. 

      Honestly, the thing I'd say is most important is to immerse yourself in history. I am a huge history nerd. I love it. I love history. 

      Pay attention during history class. Look up things that seem interesting afterward. 

      Something I've always done (even before I knew I liked his-fic) was to think about what people my age were like during that time. What was it like to be a fifteen year old on the American Homefront during World War 2? How did girls my age spend their time in the '20s? What did teens do for fun around the turn of the 20th century?

      Historical fiction - at least to me - is about bringing history to life. The best historical fiction I've read makes me feel like the people in the story could have been real.

      Code Name Verity. I can see Maddie and Julie. I can see them being real, I can see girls in the '40s who had lives similar to them.

      Mattie in A Northern Light. How many other Matties were there? She felt alive.

      Henry in Across a War Torn Sky. There must have been a thousand other Henrys, right? What was that like? 

      So now that I've waxed poetic about history...

      What happens next? (Or, in my case, what should happen next?)

      

       You have the idea. You have a character, or two, or three. You might not have a plot yet, but it's a story, and it won't leave you alone. 

       What next?

        If you don't already, start trying to pick a decade for this story to take place in. Eventually (obviously), you'll need to narrow it down to a year, but right now, a general idea is all I ever need. I knew I wanted Empty Alibi to be set in the '20s after seeing some of the dresses from that era. Letters to the Dead was set in the 40s because the music from that decade really seemed to fit the characters. 

      Start reading about your era. Watch films from it if possible. Pinterest has a History section - take advantage of that! Start yourself a Pinterest board, if that's your kind of thing. 

      More than anything, start trying to get to know your decade. I don't know, maybe I'm weird, but I love getting to know eras of history. It's like making a new friend, if you can pardon my strange analogies. 

       What was the music like? The fashion? What movies, TV shows, or radio programs were popular? 

        My advice would be this: do not do what I did in November. Seriously. Take your time with your research. Find out what your characters are like, and how their culture and time period affects them. Get to know your setting and era before you write. 

        I mean, it will turn out okay in the end. Empty Alibi is on track now. I have my research done. 

        But it will save you a lot of time, headaches, and late nights spent researching. 

        So that's it. That's the 'basics' of historical fiction. I'm not sure how much sense this post made, but I am hoping to continue this series. I've got several posts planned following this same idea -- if there's one thing I love talking about, it's history and writing.