Happy Fall! Here's a blog to help aspiring historical fiction writers.
Who I am:
My name is Tracy D. Smith, and I'm a historical fiction author with two books out and one launching his winter. A question I'm frequently asked about my writing is how I gather the information for my books.
How I Select My Characters:
Almost all of my characters are based on real people. Many of them actually start with my own family history, then I take it from there. When I encounter an interesting person, I conduct a general search on them and gather as much information as possible. Included in the research are written accounts of long-past family members or people who were alive at the time, when possible. Some accounts of events are written years later and still contain valuable information. Here are some great sources for family history information if that's the route you want to take.
Marc McDermott in an article titled, Genealogy Writing, emphasized the importance in knowing your audience. Who are you writing for? Is this for your children, grandchildren or a wider audience?
I incorporate as many real people as possible into my stories from the same time period and location but often have to weave in make-believe characters as supporting characters to enhance the main ones. I ensure that the reader is informed at the end of my story which characters are real, and which are fictional, and I include photographs when possible
Where and How Do I Conduct My Research:
Primarily because my characters tend to be real people from history, I strive to learn as much as I can about them before writing from their point of view, which is a challenging task. I research birth certificates, death certificates, census records, and other relevant documents. One of the most helpful tools I find is family stories or accounts from others, including historical records of what was happening at the time. Some of the people I'm curious about don't have any stories written about them beyond their dates, but others have one or two, and a small group have dozens, including multiple accounts of the same story. That's when things get really exciting.
Written stories are the best! They bring characters to life. So do photographs. There's nothing like seeing a photo or a painting of the person you are researching.
A few weeks ago, I was in NJ doing a research trip, and a local historian showed me a nineteenth-century photo of my ancestors' eighteenth-century home! I was blown away. The roof of the house resembled an upside-down hull of a ship, which made sense because the owners were whalers and had utilized their shipbuilding skills to create their home. They were people, just like you and me. I felt a pull to learn more about them. What was their everyday life like? Why did they do what they did? I want to bring their stories to life again, and seeing the photo of their home did that for me.
I use the National Archives often when dealing with US historical fiction, especially on real people and events.
How Do I Write Character Points of View:
This part is tricky. Let's face it, although my goal is to be as historically accurate as possible, I didn't live in their time or in their body, so I don't know how they felt nor what they experienced. I can, however, research that time period, taking into account their culture, gender, family status, location, and other relevant factors.
I rely on firsthand accounts as much as possible, but written or oral accounts from years later, as well as newspaper articles, are also beneficial. Immerse yourself in their time period to gain a better understanding of what life might have been like for them.
Where Are Places to Look for Stories:
The library is one of the best places to start. Local librarians can be so helpful in pointing you in the right direction. Read, read, then read some more. Read books from your genre, from the time period you are writing about, and find interesting people or events at the time that you would like to include in your story.
How I Use My Research in My Writing:
Organizing my research is key to me. I prefer to have both a physical and an online copy. I'll take the information I've gathered and literally create one of those web charts you used as a kid, with the character's name in the middle. Then I draw a line to different attributes about that character, including their appearance and behavior. I also create a chart in Excel to keep my characters consistent.
It may sound funny, but sometimes I take a personality test for my characters to understand them better, such as an Enneagram test, Myers-Briggs, or a Testcolor. The results help me come up with ideas on how my characters would act in stressful situations, in happy situations, how they would cooperate with others, or not cooperate. The results also help me when creating supporting characters and what attributes to focus on.
You don't have to follow it to the letter, but it helps give you an overall sense of direction. Of course, you need to brainstorm and imagine what you think or want your character to be like. You can also do the inverse and pick a personality type, then write from that P.O.V. instead of making up one yourself. If you already know the person, or people have written about the person's personality, even better. In that same vein, make sure your timeline matches up, that you are accurate in your descriptions and the order of things.
Different Writing Methods:
There are numerous writing methods, and you can find dozens of books on each one. Do what works for you. You may be the type of person who only sticks to the outline, or you prefer more flexibility, so you write as you go. Whatever it is, try to be consistent and write. After your first draft, edit and write some more. The trick to writing a good book is write, write, write, then edit, edit, edit, oh, and did I mention edit, some more :) Ask people you trust to give helpful feedback and be open to change. You got this. You'll never have it done if you never start.
Happy writing!
