An Introduction to. . . Historical Fiction

Welcome to this month's introduction to. Today we're going to be covering historical fiction, a genre that made up much of my young reading years. Royal Diaries, My America, classics of all sorts filled my days. I read less of it now, but I still enjoy a well written one.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is a genre that takes place in any era in the past. Whether that's the 1970s or 200 BC, you can find almost any era you may wish. The setting is an integral part of the story and they often revolve around real historical events or people, although not always. They can vary from extremely accurate to more loosely based, depending on what you want. It can help shine lights on new topics and times that people may not have know about.

An important thing to note about historical fiction is that it requires research. Lots and lots of research. You need to know how people dressed, ate, lived, and even talked in your chosen era. If you're basing it around a real world event or person, then you need to dig deep into their lives. This can be off-putting to many people, but if you enjoy research, then this is the genre for you.

Sub-genres

• Historical romance. A romance, but set in the past. Many may involve various members of royalty falling in love with normal people.

• Historical mystery. Basically a mystery in a different era. Sherlock Holmes is an excellent example, although he actually wrote it in when that was the time. These can be fun because detectives have less to work with than we do today.

• Time travel. Time traveling is also often found historical fiction/science fiction mixes. Whether it's to change the past or learn from it, we just can't seem to leave the idea alone.

• Fictional biographies. These take the life of a real person and bring it to life with action, plot, and dialog. Some are highly accurate, while others are more loosely based. But they can be fun to read and write.

• Nautical and pirate fiction. Ahoy and avast and all those things. Pirates and ship sailing are another common type of historical fiction. From Horatio Hornblower to Treasure Island, these books fill our hearts with the longing for an eye-patch and the open ocean.

• Alternate history. This is where the author decides to see how it would go if events played out a little differently, or changed a few facts. It normally falls more under speculative fiction, but I thought I'd include it here, since there's some overlap. My Lady Jane is an excellent example.

Tropes

• Royalty. Is it just me, or every time you turn around you're bumping into another historical fiction about a prince/princess/queen/king of some sort. Not that I'm complaining, because as I've said before, I love princess and knights and castles and gorgeous dresses.

• War. There have been so many wars in the history of the world, it's impossible to avoid them. I may not enjoy war books as much, but many people do, and with a variety of war to chose from, everyone can find something for them.

• Ancient cultures. Romans. Greeks. Egyptians. Scottish. They're all over the place and make for interesting settings with their amazing culture and violence. (Roman gladiator fights, anyone?) I'm just as game for them as the next person.

• Westerns. Who can resist cowboys, gunslinging, and horseback riding? Westerns are very popular and while not for everyone, they can be exciting.

• Historical figures. There are also an abundance of real people populating the pages of historical fiction. Alexander Hamilton, Queen Elizabeth I, Clara Barton. If they aren't the main characters, the characters will often be around them or run into them during the story.

• Magic/supernatural. These things make their appearance more often than you might think in historical fiction. I guess we just like the thought of magicians or supernatural things in this setting. Plus, people back then were more superstitious, so they would be more likely to believe that sort of thing.

To Avoid

• Overly-modern protagonist. Unless the person you're writing about is proven to have 21st century thoughts and ideals, don't give them to your character. I know, people a long time ago could be racist and sexist and wrong, but that's the way they thought. Stick to the facts unless necessary.

• Cleanliness. Things were a lot dirtier in most previous eras. Things were covered in soot and dirt and they smelled terrible. The streets were full of trash and excrement. You don't need to go overboard, but if something is shown as squeaky clean, readers get suspicious. But don't go overboard on the era language either. Just stick in the middle.

• Modern words and phrases. Nothing can interrupt a story like something you know characters in this era would have said. Like a 15th century character saying okay, which wasn't used until the late 19th century, I think. And so on. Try to be accurate and don't forget to look it up if you're not sure.

• Boring characters. Sometimes the main character looses their personality in favor of focusing on the plot or historical event. But unless the character in good, why should we care about anything that they experience?

• Over-done stories. Some eras have been done. Romans, Greeks, World War II, and so on. Why pick a era that's already been done over and over when there are so many interesting historical times and events you could cover? Find something that interests you and go with that. Make the story and the period your own.

Example Books

The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle- Avi

Gone With the Wind- Margaret Mitchell

The Witch of Blackbird Pond- Elizabeth George Speare

Island of the Blue Dolphins- Scott O'Dell

The Hired Girl- Laura Amy Schliltz

The Wild Queen- Carolyn Meyer

Anne of Green Gables- Lucy Maud Montgomery

Alex and Eliza- Melissa de la Cruz

Have you written any historical fiction? What's your favorite era? Tell me in the comments.

An Introduction to. . .

Fantasy
Science Fiction