Writing historical fiction requires attention to detail and adherence to historical accuracy, including fashions, culture, dialogue, and politics. Careful research is necessary, especially for lesser-known settings. Alternative history presents challenges, as does portraying war and historical figures as complex individuals.
One of the appeals of fiction writing is the writer’s ability to create their own world by paying attention to reality only as far as it would facilitate the storytelling. More than in other genres, writing historical fiction requires careful attention to detail to maintain a willingness to suspend readers’ disbelief. There are also several conventions of historical fiction to keep in mind. Depending on the specific genre of historical fiction such as historical fantasy, alternate history, or period piece, historical fiction can be more difficult to write but more rewarding. An advantage may be that works set in the real world require less world-building on the part of the author.
The job setup determines how much research is required. Some settings, such as Nazi Germany or the Roman Republic, are extensively researched and information is readily available to readers; historical inaccuracies can therefore be easily spotted. Other settings are less known to the average reader. Additionally, settings further into the past tend to have less reliable information available due to records being lost or altered over time. When writing a historical novel, the setting must be chosen carefully.
Adherence to fashions, culture, dialogue, and dress politics are important to the integrity of the narrative when writing a historical novel. For example, many American locations prior to the 1960s and 1970s had a highly conservative culture. A character with liberal views is unlikely to exist or be socially accepted during such times. This will affect the storyline and characterization.
Counterfactual, or alternative, history presents another common problem when writing a historical novel: the historian’s fallacy. This occurs when writers treat historical figures as making decisions with full knowledge of the consequences. Another problem is the butterfly effect, which is small changes that occur over time. The further back in history a writer sets the point of divergence in an alternate timeline, the more drastic changes will occur.
Fictional works dealing with warfare should be handled with extreme care. War rarely has a pure black and white morality; even the “heroic” side of a war can commit atrocities. When writing historical fiction, authors must also be careful not to oversimplify the causes of war. Instead, they should try to portray war by acknowledging its complex web of cause and effect.
Similarly, it can be tempting to portray famous historical figures as outright heroes or villains. They should be written as people, with flaws and/or redeeming qualities. Writers should do their best to obtain speeches, photographs, and other relevant data on historical figures whenever possible.
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