For any good historical fiction (which I hope mine is), you need two things: a good story and accurate history (at least for me the history has to be accurate).
So, when I first had the idea for Worthy of Trust, I knew the first thing I had to do after I had the broad plot line down was research. I love research – at least I do when I have a reason and goal for the research. I deep dived into the American Revolution, particularly Dr. Joseph Warren, General Benedict Arnold, the northern theater of the war, and medical practices of the 18th century. I read dozens of books and scoured countless websites for any and all information that might be useful.
The problem is, you’re never really done researching; every new thing you learn leads you down another rabbit hole, there are always new books or author talks or lectures or . . . Somehow, without quite knowing how, you have mountains of information, lists of dates and names and events, most of which you could never possibly use. Where to even begin? How to narrow down what parts of history to use and which to set aside? It would be so easy to get overwhelmed by it all and never write a word.
So, if you’re thinking about writing historical fiction – or interested in my process of going from history to story – here are some suggestions.
Choose a time to stop researching and start writing. This doesn’t mean that you can’t – or won’t – do more research (believe me, you will), but you have to get your first draft down on paper. Once you have a draft and know the direction your story is going, then you will most likely need to return to researching and double checking facts, but you can do so with better purpose and are hopefully less likely to get lost down a random rabbit hole.
While researching, keep careful track of what books you used and keep careful notes. Bookmark all helpful websites. You never know when you will need to find a piece of information again or double check that how you wrote an event or described a character is accurate. Nothing is worse than wasting time trying to track down where you found something to begin with.
Have a timeline for your plot. I think in this regard, historical fiction can be a little easier than other types of fiction. The war or campaign or event ends which most likely will give your story a natural ending point. It might be harder to decide when to begin – at one point (and for quite a few drafts) Worthy of Trust’s first chapter was in 1770 instead of 1775. Determining what is backstory for your character and where this particular story begins is essential. Once you have the beginning point and the end point, you are able to start lining up historical events and the fictional ones you are creating.
Know your characters. You need to have a solid grasp of your main character’s motivation and obstacles (just like any other story). What would they know? Experience? What is their view of the world? Their backstory? How would they react in any given situation? Once you know your main character, they can help you determine what parts of history you will need to include.
You also need to have a solid grasp of your secondary characters, especially any who were real people. Find primary sources related to those people and a variety of good secondary sources. Compare and cross reference. Determine their motivations and obstacles, too. What pieces of history are vital to their storylines and character development? Which of those historical events also support your overall storyline?
What events are essential and which ones overcomplicate? You will need to determine which historical events must be included, either because they are essential to the storyline or because they are too important, historically, to leave out. But there will be other events that you will have to cut, and that can be a difficult decision.
For example, in Worthy of Trust, I made the decision to cut several events, such as the Battle of the Cedars, from the end of the Canadian campaign – events that one of my main secondary characters, Benedict Arnold, was heavily involved in. In order to keep the story moving forward smoothly and coherently, these events had to go. Would they have added action? Yes, but confusion they would have caused the reader and the fact that my main character wouldn’t have been involved, meant they had to be cut.
It might also be necessary to alter events slightly or shift them in time to fit your storyline. If you do this, keep notes so you know what you’ve changed and why.
The devil is in the details. You will need to determine what historical details are essential to bringing your world to life, move the story forward, and give the reader greater understanding of your characters and the events. There will be other details – fascinating details – that will only bog down your story or overwhelm the reader and your storyline. You most likely need to know where each major historical player is at every moment, each and every regiment present at a certain battle, and the names of random players who cross through your story, but does your reader need to know them to understand the story?
For example, in Worthy of Trust, one of the events in the siege of Fort St-Jean, and my main character, Whitley, treats the first wounded and mourns the first men to die from their wounds. I have the names of each of those soldiers, but in a novel already replete with names, my readers didn’t need to know them.
Figuring out this balance is tricky and will take time – and many edits.
There is, of course, so much more to the writing process, but for me, these five things have been very helpful in wrangling the history into story form. As with any story, other sets of eyes to edit and question are necessary because sometimes you get so buried in the history that what you have come to know innately is not so obvious to your readers. If you are starting your own historical fiction writing adventure, I hope you enjoy it and wish you the best of luck!