How to Research when Writing Historical Fiction

Research is a critical step in writing.

Historical fiction especially, but research when writing any kind of fiction is imperative. Unless you’re writing about exactly what it is that you do all day, some research is necessary. Nothing throws a reader off like the misuse of a term. Anything that distracts from the narrative, or pulls the reader out of your world is something that hurts you as an author.

So what is the best way to go about your research? Yes, Google is your friend, but to truly immerse yourself in a time period or region, go a little deeper.

While reading other fiction novels set in the same era is recommendable, you don’t want to simply be regurgitating facts or scenes someone else has already written. To be truly unique and credible as a historical fiction writer, find your own take on the period, your own details to incorporate.

• Watch documentaries, or even T.V. series set in your time period. Downton Abby comes to mind.
• Go to museums with artifacts (and likely tidbits of information) from the period.
• Talk to someone with expertise in the area, whether it’s a museum curator, your grandmother, or in my case, my father-in-law, who worked as a sailor for his entire adult life.

My mom’s friend’s husband was also a sailor, and he told me that sailors don’t call ropes ropes, they call them lines. Imagine a sailor reading my historical romance set at sea. Laugh a little bit first, then imagine him snagging on the word ‘ropes’ because a sailor would never call them ropes, he’d call them lines. He just pulled out of my world, and maybe that’s enough for him to call it quits. At the very least I’ve lost credibility with him.

Not to say you shouldn’t do some research on the Interwebs. Of course you should. The Internet has a lot of great information to offer, but that’s just it. It has a lot. It can get overwhelming, especially if you come across conflicting information. Because no one can lie on the Internet, right? As much as we’d like to believe what we’re reading is correct, the truth is there’s no one regulating the information someone writes on a subject, no matter how professional the website looks. So what’s a more reliable source of information? Books.

Of course people can lie in books too, but the chances are lower, especially if you carefully vet your research books and get one from a reputable (somewhat large and well-known) publisher.

If you’re writing a novel where a major plot point is that the characters are building a house, read a book about building a house. Know that to lie the foundation you have to lay concrete and that the rafters are called beams. Or whatever, I don't know anything about house building, but you get my point. 

Learn the lingo. Know the specifics. It goes a long way in making your reader trust you. And when readers trust you, they’re more willing to immerse themselves in the world you create for them to enjoy.