To Write a Historical Novel
To write a historical novel you have to obey basic laws. The more obvious: you need some specific knowledge about the time period in which you place your heroes. Nonetheless, keep in mind that the most important word in the phrase “historical novel” is “novel”.
Whatever the time frame you choose, you will have to gather information about three main points.
1 - The way people lived at those times (a few examples). The more recent the past, the trickier the details. For example, if a baby was born in 1900 in London, can you describe how he was vaccinated against the smallpox? No. But you could describe how his mother received the vaccine!
2 - The political regime. Usually, it is easy to know which regime ruled a country at a given time. If your story takes place in a harried era, make sure your datation is right.
3 - The fashion. The quickest, easiest and nicest way to get a picture of the fashion at such time is to pay a visit to a museum. If you write about a people or a time for which there are no visual testimonies, you are free to invent what you want without risking of receiving learned readers’ corrections.
The best way not to be wrong is also the best way to write well: write only what is needed to tell the story. If a description is useless to explain what is happening, do not write it. Not only your reader will be thankful, but you will also avoid historical traps. Do not write it, even if you are a specialist of what you describe! Of course, for your story ringing true, you need to sprinkle it with details, but choose them wisely. A historical novel is not a textbook.
Though classified as a genre in itself, a historical novel can also belong to another genre. There is no reason for a love story not to take place in the 16th century or a detective story in the 11th.
It is an open genre: take advantage of it and double your readership.
Tags: historical novel | how to write | how to write | writing | writing | novels | novels
June 14th, 2008 at 11:51 am
It can also be a good exercise for students who want to learn writing, either during a language stay or in a writing workshop.