You’ll
notice that a lot of writers set their novels and short stories in places they
either live in or have lived in. This may seem provincial, but in fact, it makes
for good writing. If authors know a place well, they can create a realistic
setting, an intriguing background for their writing. Setting is one of the
important components of any piece of fiction.
My adult
mystery series, featuring amateur sleuth and psychic librarian Kim Reynolds,
consists of four novels: THE INFERNO COLLECTION, THE DROWNING POOL, THE TRUTH
SLEUTH and THE BAD WIFE, all set in Central New Jersey where I lived for forty years.
But what about
historical fiction, writing about times and people of long ago? The answer here
is that writers need to do research. The fact is that every type of fiction, contemporary or historical, requires a certain
amount of research, some more than others.
I believe
the best fiction combines elements of what we actually know with research into what
we need to find out. I’m no fan of info dumping in fiction, but writers do need
to read and discover a lot more information than they will actually use in
their work before they begin writing.
A good
way to find out about a particular period in time is to peruse available
reference books at your local library on the period. Examine time lines first.
What important events were happening in the world, in that particular country
and in the geographic area, historical as well as political? How did people
dress? What did they eat? What were their general beliefs? How were women treated? Your library catalog
will allow you to locate appropriate books that you can borrow as well.
Reference librarians can also provide helpful input.
One
historical novelist suggests writing the book first and then researching
the areas that need filling in. But I prefer immersing myself in an historical
period and setting before starting to write. It’s true there will always be
some essential information that requires further research. However, that should
be part of the revision process.
I tried
to seamlessly incorporate the culture and history of the turbulent historic
West into my novel THE KILLING LAND. The characters represent the viewpoints
and prejudices of those times. A lot was going on in the Arizona Territory
My main
character, Mary MacGreggor, is no cream puff, but as a settler coming from the
East with her family, she discovers life in the West poses many challenges that
she was unprepared to contend with. The reader discovers them right along with
Mary.
There’s a
lot of satisfaction is both reading and writing well-researched fiction whether
historical or contemporary. Which do you prefer?
