Writing Historical Fiction - article

One of my favorite areas to work in is historical fiction. The best authors in the genre are passionate about getting the history right, but because it’s fiction, they get to use their imaginations too. The characters may go places or have relationships we don’t know they had, but the underlying setting and background information has to be accurate. For example, maybe you’re writing a book set in England several hundred years ago, and you want to mention a rose? What kind of rose grew in England at that time of year? Some of your readers are going to know that, so you need to make sure those kinds of details are completely accurate. You have to be careful about how you use the fictional elements and make sure that you’re grounding them in fact. But at the end of the day, it is fiction, so you get a certain amount of license. It’s important to pick a character that will resonate with readers. Gillian Bagwell, one of my authors, wrote a book called The Darling Strumpet that came out to fantastic reviews. It’s about Nell Gwynn. She was an actress in the time of the Charles II just following the restoration. Gillian Bagwell made Nell fascinating, because she’s passionate about this period and about the theater, and as a result the era came alive on the page for readers. I think the opportunity to get into the head of this really interesting woman is what has made the book so appealing to people.

Share this story
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
  • The author's learning center is an exceptional site to visit for all of us Gamers should try online real money blackjack with low deposit to get cheap casino games easily and i think there is a lot of things discussed in the article which is about historical fiction. Thanks for this article.

  • This site inspired me a lot because of there work and their information for us. Get edu birdie services to learn more new updates for their thesis work. I gained a lot of useful information from here about my studies and also in our country situation. I think this is a great source of getting updates.

  • I have written three books based in the 17th century, following the lives of a family. The two initial characters are caught up in the Civil War. She is the daughter of a strip farmer and he is the son of a merchant. Finding out about the housing of the poorer members of society, and things like household items and cooking, has been very difficult as most books tell you about the homes of the gentry but I have had great fun researching everything. Thank you for such a helpful article.
  • Thank you for reminding me about the importance of accurate detail. What is challenging is the translation of modern terms and names for things into the historical language of the characters. For example, the Meso-American people of the Pre-Columbian era, which is the setting for my book "In the Days of Lachoneus", would certainly not know the Latin names for the genus and species that I find in the encyclopedia today. They knew about monkeys and toucans and frogs and snakes and oak trees and fan palms and mahogany trees. Living close to nature, they surely would have had distinguishing names for all of the varieties. But I have no way of knowing what they would have called them. So I am choosing to use generic descriptions - red monkeys, orange toucans, poison tree frogs, striped snakes, etc. Readers who know Central America will hopefully recognize the things I am describing without the anachronisms of modern terminology.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    so glad you liked this interview Jacqueline. Thanks for the positive feedback.