In an article for Writer’s Digest, John Winn Miller says you can spice up your historical novel by uncovering and sharing historical surprises. “These nuggets are not like Easter Eggs sprinkled into stories with hidden meanings or subtle references,” he says. “Rather they are fascinating discoveries that, like a mysterious umami, whet your appetite for more. That is why I love historical novels best when I learn something stranger than fiction while being entertained.”
Miller shares a few examples. Readers of Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series might know that Julius Caesar had been kidnapped by pirates as a young man, but not that he later returned and crucified them on crosses he forced them to build. Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels reveals the crucial role played by an obscure Union colonel named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
“A writer of historical fiction can’t pull off this kind of magic without meticulous attention to detail,” Miller says. Factual mistakes and historical distortions can be off-putting and push a knowledgeable reader out of your story.
Miller shares a number of surprising historical facts he learned while researching his latest novel, such as Britain’s use of 100-octane aviation fuel during World War II and Hitler’s use of pirates, an idea he stole from Winston Churchill.
