In an article for Writer’s Digest, Piper Huguley shares five research tips for writing historical fiction. “Research is a word that leaves a bad taste in many a mouth, probably because they have been taught from teachers and professors (not ones like me I assure you) that they need to build stacks of virtual or physical index cards to complete the process,” she writes. “Maybe that’s true for your collegiate research paper, but not for writing the historical novel.”
Huguley’s tips include:
- Go primary. Use letters, autobiographies, and newspapers whenever possible. However, if you are writing about marginalized people, you might find these resources scarce, Huguley warns. As an alternative, find sources that reflect individuals similar to the person you’re writing about.
- Get your hands on everything secondary, even if it is questionable. “Even if your secondary source is questionable, they have bibliographies that can be helpful,” Huguley says. “Examine them and then track those down so you can see for yourself what was said.”
- Travel to the place you are writing about. If you can’t travel, go online to find current and historical photos. “Looking at the physical topography of a landscape can give you a feel for how you should write about a place,” Huguley writes.
- Historical reenactments can be helpful, but be careful. Movies, television, and other reenactments can provide inspiration, but double-check your facts. These presentations are dramatic and will often shape facts to their needs, or simply get them wrong.
- Have fun! “I don’t care what people say, research is FUN,” Huguley says. “Let history inform your characters and be the backdrop of their lives. Historical fiction is, above all, fiction. Dig to find out what you can about the past, but then, let your imagination and the all-important author’s note at the end of your book, fill in and explain the rest.”
