TIPS FOR WRITERS OF HISTORICAL FICTION

 

Prolific writer of historical novels set at sea, Antoine Vanner (pictured with a friend above), kindly agreed to allow me to feature his famous tips to writers  as a guest post.  All of them are well worth considering and following.

“My five tips for writing historical fiction”

 1. Don’t start unless you know your chosen period intimately – politics, values, ideologies, personalities, main events etc. etc. It’s the sort of background one builds up over years and keeps adding to via new publications. (And don’t ever, ever rely on TV documentaries!). 95% of this knowledge will never show up directly in one’s writing but it furnishes the environment in which one can imagine the plot playing out and the characters acting.

 2. Your plot is paramount and must keep readers asking (a) what happened next? and (b) do I care what happens to these characters? Work and rework the plot and then rework it again, before starting writing. Block out the plot in bullet points and then divide them into chapters. Then do it all again. You can modify as you write, and as opportunities present themselves, but it’s hopeless to start without a Mark I Plot and Plan.

 3. Use timelines when plotting – fictional action in parallel with actual historic events. It’s also useful to make timelines for main characters to ensure their stories link. Use maps – not only real ones, but hand-drawn ones to help visualise the action – anything from an entire country down to a village. Consider distances and times of travel – especially when seasonal changes can impact on journeys. Drawing maps also raised possibilities – e.g. there’s a stream and a bridge in the village. What could the impact be of a flood, and the bridge being destroyed at a critical moment? At sea, what about monsoon, hurricane and typhon series?

 4. In addition to your background knowledge, research the speciality information relevant to the current plot and don’t get drawn in further than needed. This applies especially to “hardware” such as ships, armaments, medical concerns, victualling, fuel demands etc.

 5. Have short CVs [resumés] for all secondary and some tertiary characters. You may not use all the information directly but it will help when visualising how they would behave.

 And – block letters here! – MAKE SURE THEY’RE PEOPLE OF THEIR TIME, WITH ITS VALUES AND OUTLOOKS, FEARS, PREJUDICES, LIMITATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE ETC. AND NOT JUST 21ST CENTURY PEOPLE IN RE-ENACTORS’ COSTUMES!

You can follow Antoine Vanner and his interestingly complicated hero, Dawlish, here.

I recommend the series for its pace, authenticity, characters, and excitement.