4 Tips for Writing Great Historical Fiction

What is it that attracts us to historical fiction, mystery, and romance? For me, it is reading a well-developed plot and excellent characters with the added enjoyment of time travel. Whether the book takes place in Victorian England or pharaonic Egypt, our readers have certain expectations we need to meet to keep them coming back and pre-ordering our next book.

Tip 1: World-Building

Think world-building is just for the science fiction and fantasy writers? Not so! I would argue some of the subtlest world-builders are historical writers. They need to create a world that is (usually) background for their plot and characters to move through, invisible and yet there when the reader pays attention. A few careful details can sometimes tell a reader everything. It could be a description of walking near the Thames, like Karen Odden’s Victorian mystery An Artful Dodge: “I paused, resting my hands on the parapet, looking east, for it was one of the rare days in London when the sun cast the shadow of the bridge onto the river and scattered gold across the chop from dozens of boats. From below rose the rank smells of rotting fish and tangy brine, of filthy old stone and molding green muck crawling up the pillars.” Or describing what people in Regency England could tell about a woman from her dress, as Georgette Heyer describes in Black Sheep: “Abby was not obliged to study economy, and had had no hesitation in purchasing an extremely costly gown of figured lace, worn over a satin robe, which hung in soft folds to her feet, and ended in a demi-train. This, as much as the diamond aigrette in her hair, proclaimed to the knowledgeable that she had no intention of dancing”

But while descriptions are important, you don’t want to overdo it. Just because you spend months researching something for your book doesn’t mean your readers want to feel like they’re reading your months of research. They want small details, folded in as naturally to the story or dialogue as possible. Are your characters traveling somewhere? Don’t write about the history of travel from point A to B over the centuries, or how popular train travel is now. Decide which class your characters are traveling in, maybe have them consider why they are glad they are in first (or wish they were) and give a few descriptions comparing what they see in first to the third class. Then on you go!

Tip 2: Big Picture vs Character Focus

When you tie your book to a major historical event: a war, the Great Depression, etc. it can be tempting to want to focus on the big picture. After all, maybe it was your interest in the Civil War that started you on your writing journey in the first place. But remember, in historical fiction, you aren’t writing about the big picture. You’re writing about your characters and what is happening to them as they live through that big event. Your characters are only seeing a small piece of the world and what is happening in it. Do they even know they are in the middle of a Major Historical Event? As tempting as it is to think big, try thinking small: "what will affect my characters—and only my characters?" This might help you narrow your research. You don’t necessarily need to read every book on World War II, but you’re going to want to look for everything telling you about what it was like living in Brighton in 1941 if that’s where your characters live.

Tip 3: Research

We can’t talk about writing historical fiction without talking about research, because you can’t write historical fiction without doing research—and probably more than you think you’ll need.

Start with the basics of your plot and your characters. What time period is your focus? What city (or cities)? Then start writing a list of questions you might ask based on the book you’re writing. They may range widely:

• What clothes are lower-class women wearing in 1900 Paris?

• How much does it cost to take the train from Chicago to D.C. in 1895?

• What would a typical meal look like for my characters?

• What are the different eating establishments in 1760 London? Who is eating where?

• What kind of bed is my character sleeping on?

• Where are servants going on their day off in 1799 NYC?

• What jobs are open to my female characters?

What people wear, what they eat, and how they live are going to be things you need to know whether you write a historical mystery, romance, or fiction. Keep track of the books you read and take notes: treat it like a research paper, because you’re going to want to come back to these ideas again and again. Trust me, just reading a book and then thinking you’ve got it all won’t work. Assume at least one of your readers is going to know about the time period you’re writing in—and will call you out on it if you get something wrong.

Need some inspiration? There are groups that support historical fiction writers! Check out the Historical Novel Society and The History Quill as a few to get you started.

Tip 4: Emotional Truth vs Factual Truth

You can be an expert in a field and still have one problem: sometimes people think they know something (because everyone knows it) but it isn’t a fact. What do you do then? It depends on how important it is.

Is your fact that there were flushing toilets in the 1800s? That’s true, but not everyone will believe you. Ask yourself: is that important to your story? If your main character is a Victorian plumber, yes! It could be a big deal, and you should keep going, include some of the tidbits of research you’ve learned, and probably an Author’s Note talking about what you learned while researching. If it’s a throwaway line that happens once, you might as well cut that line and save yourself the inevitable headache.

What’s important to remember about writing historical fiction? You aren’t giving your readers a history lecture. You’re telling them a story, just as if you were writing any other fiction, mystery, romance, etc. You need a compelling plot, great dialogue, and characters your readers will relate to. You just happen to be putting all of that in a specific historical setting instead of a contemporary or fantasy setting. If you think of it that way, it might make you feel more at ease when writing the world your characters will be inhabiting.

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