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Historical Fiction Elements

March 13, 2019 By Aline Soules

In historical fiction, a story is made up but is set in the past and sometimes borrows true characteristics of the time period in which it is set. That story can appear in movies, novels, even poetry (e.g., Omeros, by Derek Walcott, or Brébeuf and His Brethren, by E.J. Pratt). One of the most succinct blog posts on the elements of historical fiction was written by M. K. Tod in 2015, 7 Elements of Historical Fiction (https://bit.ly/2ChaCo1).

Many of the elements she describes are applicable to all story making–plot, character, dialogue, and so forth–but one is particularly interesting for this story genre, namely “world building.” Of course, all stories have “worlds”, but historical fiction calls for a world that requires extensive research into what Tod says are “the customs, social arrangements, family environment, governments, religious structures, international alliances, military actions, physical geography, layouts of towns and cities, and politics of the time.” She then quotes Harry Sidebottom, author of Warrior of Rome:

“The past is another country, they not only do things differently there, they think about things differently.”

She continues by listing an extensive list of “topics” to consider when conducting research into the period of your story (please see Tod’s post for the list).

Among the comments is one by “jazzfeathers”, who basically expressed concern about lecturing rather than presenting the historical setting, but also commenting that, sometimes, readers would like to be lectured. In response to the dilemma of how much historical “fact” to include, Tod compared Conn Iggulden, who is sparing, to Sharon Kay Penman, who includes extensive historical fact.

Finding the balance in any writing is never easy, but I recommend Tod’s post and subsequent discussion. It may be four years old, but it’s timeless.

The Research Dilemma

February 21, 2019 By Aline Soules

Magnifying glass — Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnifying_glass

Until I retired to write, I spent my formal working life as an academic librarian. As part of that job, I engaged in research and writing, along with helping others in their research and writing work. I regularly faced this question: If I don’t find what I’m looking for, is it because it isn’t there or did I miss it?

This dilemma is less intense for fiction writers, even historical fiction writers, because we aren’t conducting original research that must be complete and accurate or where results will affect life and death decisions, but we still face the same dilemma. If our work doesn’t come across to the reader as ‘authentic,’ the fictive dream is broken and the reader’s gone. That requires extensive and intensive research.

There are also certain historical periods that are fanatically known and researched by professionals and amateurs alike. Examples include the American Civil War and World War II. If a devotee disagrees with the tiniest fact that we’ve researched and swear is correct, he/she/ey can pillory us in a review that goes viral. Readers will accept fictional characters, but any real characters, the setting, the details must be as accurate as possible.

One of my adult students wrote about his favorite books by Mary Renault. She wrote fictional novels set in ancient Rome and Greece, a period he enjoys and he’s a fan, partly because she wrote good stories and partly because she conveys the authenticity that comes from a deep knowledge the period. Her main characters were fictional, the rest was not.

I can think of other fiction writers who carry that same authenticity. I am not a huge fan of historical romance, but I’ll read a book by Georgette Heyer anytime. She knew the manners, the culture, the diction of the historical periods where she set her books.

I was born in Scotland. Well-meaning acquaintances will draw my attention to historical fiction set there. Once, I was offered a book set in 16^thcentury Scotland. I began reading, but gave up when I encountered dialogue that included the phrase “No problem” in response to a favor one character had bestowed upon another. I found this so egregious, I couldn’t continue.

When I get discouraged about my research—just one more fact, just one more book to read—I remind myself that my goal is to transport my reader to another time and place, as well as tell the reader a story. I think about the phrase “no problem,” and I return to my research with renewed vigor.

The Joy of Year-End Lists

January 29, 2019 By Aline Soules

*Image credit:*https://www.bookdepository.com/bestbooksever

Although some people lists annoying, I revel in year-end lists, especially of books. What have I read? Not read? Do I agree with the list? Do I not? It’s like being given the mast of a ship against which I can test my sails. Even a month into the new year, I still go back to the lists. Here are some to consider:

you get the idea. There’s plenty of overlap, but that, too, is one of the good things about these lists. The overlap is instructive, whether it shows popularity or reader interest or just plain great writing. That’s what to look for, if you’re a writer. The great writing. Have at ’em.

“Truth” and “Fictive Truth” in Historical Fiction

January 26, 2019 By Aline Soules

*Image credit:*https://u.osu.edu/rotblatt3hseportfolio/2017/11/28/a-fork-in-the-road/

Writing fiction means making choices, but historical fiction adds another dimension to that process. So far, I’ve read well over a hundred history books about the period in which my novel is set (World War II). I’ve been warned that fans of WWII historical novels will find every error I might make, anything that isn’t “true.” Yet, this is fiction and I am making choices that are bound to introduce non-truths because they are made-up people. What I aim for is the “ring of truth,” what’s believable, expecting that it will carry “fictive” truth and that the details that are true will allow the reader to stay in the fictive dream I create. Thinking about this made me look up the definition of these words and phrases.

Starting with “truth,” I discovered that many of the definitions included the word that was being defined, e.g., “the quality or state of being true.” Finding this unsatisfactory, I looked at the suggested synonyms: veracity, truthfulness, verity, sincerity, candor, honesty, genuineness. That helped. But another definition provided something closer to what I hope to achieve, i.e., “that which is true or in accordance with fact and reality.” While the focus is still on truth as “the fact of the matter” and “what actually/really happened” and “the case,” the phrase “in accordance with fact and reality” spoke to me.

I may not offer 100% of “the facts,” because I’m not writing a history, but I do aspire to offer a story that is “in accordance with fact and reality” to offer a form of “truth” that is inherent in the plot of the story (the foundation of which is actually “a reported fact”) and, more importantly, in the characters, their relationships, and the way they deal with what’s around them.

The third definition I encountered was “a fact or belief that is accepted as true.” The plot of my story is “a reported fact,” but it was reported by one individual to another and the second person told me the story, making it third-hand. This immediately calls into question what the first person said and didn’t say, what the second person said and didn’t say, and what I, the third person, remembers and doesn’t remember. What’s left out is often as important as what’s included. Yet, in all three cases, the story is “accepted as true.

Next is the definition of the phrase “fictive truth.” Willow Naomi Curry wrote “that fictive truth allows one to explore possibilities and dive into motivations that literal truth can only speculate about. Rather than simply reflecting reality, fiction can reach into its mysterious, hidden, contradictory depths and bring them into the light. In a way, it becomes truer than the truth” (https://medium.com/@willathewisp/what-cat-person-taught-me-about-writing-reading-and-the-infinite-potential-of-fiction-580614541162). I agree, but the key phrase is “in a way.” Is it “truer than the truth” in a way? Or is it simply how one person sees or thinks about what is “true”?

The concept of truth is a slippery slope. In my historical novel, I want to be “true” to facts, as much as I can, but I also know that I can never be entirely true to those facts and that my interest really lies in the exploration of those “mysterious, hidden contradictory depths” that Curry describes.

Writing from the Self

January 3, 2019 By Aline Soules

Image credit: http://www.newarkthinktank.org/wrs_poetry

Recently, Justin Cox reminded readers of this quote:

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Connolly, 1933, as quoted in the patron-only January newsletter of Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/home

As timely today as it was in 1933, this statement reminds me that I’m a writer. Yes, I’m an author, too, but, even if I hadn’t published anything, I’d still be a writer. I choose to write on a computer, but if we were back in cave life, I’d etch on the walls with a rock. It’s who I am.

I’ve always written, even as a child. When I was born in Scotland, only some Christians celebrated Christmas. For families who did celebrate, one neighborhood “rule” was that we children had to sit down and write thank you letters for our presents on Boxing Day (Dec. 26). Most of my friends were dragged to this. I thought it was fun. I was a writer, finding different ways to say thank you. My thanks were more enthusiastic the more I liked a particular present. My most eager thanks were for gifts of books.

I never thought about becoming an author when I was in “single digits.” But I knew I was a writer. And I always will be, as long as I can pick up a pen or clack on a computer.

As I enter another year of writing, the quote also reminds me why I’ve come to writing historical fiction. We can call this quote timeless because we have the distance that enables us to realize its continued validity today.

The lessons of history, in whatever form they take, are hard come by. History is what has been written down, both in primary and secondary sources. That, inherently, means bias. What we choose to write also implies what we haven’t written down, what’s lost. As I read extensively in researching my novel, I’ve become more and more aware of the fragility of knowing what really happened. My novel is set in Europe in WWII and much has been written, but always from a perspective and often from a set of constraints on the writer. Or is the writer an “author” in this case? Sometimes no, if the writer never intended for the words to be read, but sometimes yes, if the writer was aiming at sharing those words with others, from a small group of family members to formal publication.

When I read these many works, I seek what really happened, if it’s possible to know that, and I seek the writer’s “self.” It’s very important to me to find the “authenticity” in the work, to know that the writer truly believes the words he/she/they have put on the page. I want a writer who conveys passion and conviction on the page, someone who gives me deep-seated belief in the subject matter, even though I am that writer’s “public,” planned or otherwise. I need the one who writes for the public, but only one who has found and written from “self.” And I strive to be that writer myself.

The Gift of the Public Domain

December 29, 2018 By Aline Soules

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/en/copyright-free-creative-commons-98566/

Reading a Facebook post by Jane Friedman, she reminded readers that important works will come into the public domain on Jan. 1, 2019. Of course, there are also movies, music, and works of art coming as well. Of particular importance, as The Atlantic pointed out, is the fact that a whole year’s worth of copyrighted works are affected. In 1998, the Sonny Bono Copyright Act extended the term of copyright, meaning that we spent about twenty additional years “waiting” for key works to be available publicly, without copyright control. Works first published in 1923 will be opened for us to create new works or simply read them without the addition of a copyright fee. Lifehacker (https://lifehacker.com/these-1923-copyrighted-works-enter-the-public-domain-in-1825241296), also noting this seismic event, has provided a long list of works (scroll down for their list of chosen books).

The one that haunts me is the short story, Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street. This, plus an unfinished short story called “The Prime Minister,” were the basis of her novel, Mrs. Dalloway, published in 1925 (meaning we need to wait two more years to get our public domain hands on it). I love this work for its interiority. The reason I like books with interiority is, for me, full interiority is unique to books. Setting, character, and plot can be found in books, movies, and TV, but interiority is elusive. What’s going on inside a character’s head can be interpreted and partly conveyed by actors, but full interiority, conveyed by the author directly to a reader, can only be fully available in books. Mrs. Dalloway isn’t the only “interior” book in the world, but it’s the one that gave me an “aha” moment when I began writing myself.

As the Lifehacker article points out, not quite everything published in 1923 will come into the public domain, only works with an authorized publication in 1923, so you have to check, but we are finally beginning to see a true expansion of the public domain and that’s the ultimate gift for the new year.

I suggest that you find a book on the list and indulge yourself in the new year by reading it, knowing that it will be there for you, your children, and your children’s children. Maybe one of the books on that list will prompt an “aha” moment, as I experienced. That’s what the gift of reading and the public domain has to offer us.