Historical fiction authors have to ensure the content they turn in is accurate and authentic. Have you watched movies whose script and storyline are based on books? Do you ever wonder how the producers could have turned out content that is so accurate regarding the language used and the period and yet produce work that can keep viewers glued to the screen?
Well, this is thanks to great authors who can bring their storytelling to life. If you want to be a great factual author, here are a few tips you should consider to help you balance the validity and the originality of your story.
Do Your Research And Fuse Your Characters With The Past
To do your research, you will have to read and experience excellent literature references. It would help if you allowed yourself to soak in the period and get used to living in it. Try to understand what daily life in the period consisted of and how you can bring it out thoroughly with your words.
This will enable you to have a very original foundation for your work.
Once you have gotten yourself acquainted with the period you’ll be writing in, allow your characters to bring the era to life. Don’t just try to explain what should be expected in the period.
Let your readers live through your characters. For instance, let them feel the fear gripping them as the Salem witch is tied up onto the stake to be burned. Let them coil up in disgust as your character is drowned in a sea of bodies wasted by the Black Death.
Use The Internet To Your Advantage
If you need to make a description of certain places or buildings, the internet will help you much with this. Also, if you need to estimate distances traveled by people in the past, you’ll be surprised at how much the internet can help you. However, while using the internet, you should be careful because there’s also a lot of inaccurate information out there and a lot of plagiarized work.
