By Siri Mitchell
As an author of historical novels, I want my
stories to be true to the times, I want them to feel authentic, but I don’t
want them to read like a history book. Here are a few tips I’ve found to keep
story front and center. I try to remember that:
1. A little goes a long way. Research as
much as you possibly can and then try your best not to use more than a tenth of
what you learned. What readers most want is a compelling story, not a string of
quaint ideas and little-known facts strung together into a narrative. Fiction
readers are wily. They can tell when you’re trying to educate them and when
you’re simply hoping to entertain them.
2. It’s not about me. The things you find
absolutely fascinating about eras of the past are probably things that your characters
would have seen as commonplace. The key in deciding what details to put in and
leave out is seeing the setting through your characters’ eyes. If they wouldn’t
notice or remark upon something, then neither should you.
3. Tunnel vision is a good thing. Once I
step into my character’s point-of-view, I must only use metaphors and
comparisons to things he or she would have knowledge of or experience with. My
character might never have seen an ocean (so no ‘waves of fear’, no ‘swept in
like the tide’, being adrift, or the scuttling of anything). My characters
might never have seen a glittering jewel (no emerald-green eyes or ruby-colored
gowns). If my character is an urban dweller there should be no references to
‘robin’s egg blue’ and maybe not even to a clear sky depending upon the era in
which you’re writing.
4. I should check my modern-day prejudices
at the door. There are lots of things that can make a writer squeamish about
the past, especially when it’s viewed from a modern perspective. Don’t believe
children should be seen and not heard? Don’t think anyone should be required to
wear a corset or marry strictly to further family ambitions? Your characters
likely did. You need to let your characters be true to the times, no matter how
backward they may seem to you. Let them be the product of their era’s and
prejudices, view those things just like they did: matter-of-fact, without guilt
or apology.
5. My
story isn’t over when it’s over; and it doesn’t start when it starts. Don’t
just research your novel from first page to last. You need to know where your
characters came from and where they’re going. What kinds of thoughts and
attitudes were ‘old-fashioned’ during your characters’ era? And what would it
have looked like for them to be forward-thinking? What was history leaning
towards and what was it retreating from?
When I keep these tips in mind, then my story
steps to the forefront and history stays where it’s supposed to: in the
background.
______________________________________________________________________
Siri Mitchell is the author of a dozen novels.
Among them are the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists Chateau of Echoes, The Cubicle Next Door,
and She Walks in Beauty. A graduate
of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in
many different levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived in
places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Readers can visit Siri at her website: http://sirimitchell.com
Twitter @SiriMitchell
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sirimitchell/
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