Creating History – Realistic Settings
When you are writing in an historical context, there is more to achieving realism than getting your characters right. In historical fiction, alternative history and historical fantasy, settings play a big part in your story. In fact, the historical setting should become almost like a character of its own – if you take the time to do it well. As with any aspect of fiction set in the real world (regardless of the era), there is a certain amount of research involved. A basic knowledge of the historical culture in which you are setting your book is generally not enough. To bring the setting to life you need to add details – and lots of them!
Books
The first thing to do is to make friends with your local library or bookstore. Writers are notoriously a penniless bunch, so libraries can be very handy, although some writers budget for a certain amount of books every month to help them with their research. Books generally contain a wealth of knowledge that can aid you in creating your historical setting. If your setting is quite popular, such as ancient Egypt or Tudor England, then you should be able to find books on every different aspect of life at the time, from everyday peasant life, to the life of royals, to architecture and customs. Unlike other mediums, you can be assured that most of the time the information in books is meticulously researched and verified so that you know the facts you are getting are just that – factual.
The Internet
The Internet is a fantastic research tool. It is a lot more convenient than carting books home from the library, and it is certainly cheaper than buying them all yourself. You will be able to find pages of information about almost any subject under the sun that can help you with your work. However, you will need to be more alert and more questioning when taking information from online sources. A website can be made by anybody who is so inclined, and because of this you can often not be sure that the information on a certain page is accurate. It is best to start with a reliable source, such as a university website, or a museum website.
Peer-edited sites such as Wikipedia contain a lot of information and can be a good source, but remember that these sites can be edited by anybody with the click of a button, and you will need to check the citations at the end of the article to ensure that it is legitimate.
Film and Television
Both of these mediums can be very handy when you are researching historical settings. Documentaries give substantially less information in their short running time than you will find in an average-length book, however they have the added advantage of giving you a visual look at the setting. Visual aids often include maps, video footage of the setting as it appears today, and re-enactments by fully costumed actors. These aids can help you to visualise the setting for yourself in a more effective way.
Similarly, fictional adaptations of historical events can be useful too. To see the characters of the era personified by actors, in detailed costumes and fully-researched sets adds a new dimension to how you see the setting. Remember, of course, to take these fictional accounts with a grain of salt – although the costumes and sets may be accurate, a degree of artistic license is usually taken with the script, and you will need to double check the facts before using any of these situations in your own work.
