Human history is filled with ugly people and events. Even some entire eras are horrific. So, how do you address this in your historical fiction without turning off readers or seeming like you approve? In an article for Writer’s Digest, Lynn Cullen discusses how to acknowledge these uncomfortable facts.
No human is perfect, so every writer of historical fiction is likely to uncover an ugly fact about a real-life person at some point. While it might be convenient to forget you learned this tidbit, Cullen says you shouldn’t.
In her historical novel about the research into the polio vaccine, Cullen learned about the animal experiments involved. She also learned that the only jobs African American men could get in connection with the research was handling those animals. However, instead of bypassing these facts or abandoning her project, Cullen leaned into them, creating a character who represented the animal handlers and who handled the work with dignity and compassion. “My hope is that by shining the light on things more comfortably kept in darkness, that the sacrifices of all those in the race for polio, not just the key players, will be illuminated, showing the breadth of this astounding moment in history,” Cullen writes. “There’s power in gratitude and in telling the truth. Embrace it.”
