When writing historical fiction, it’s important to be aware of your timeline. Timelines are significant in all genres of writing, but in historical fiction, they are imperative.
Why does your timeline carry so much weight? True history is becoming a thing of the past in most books and schools, so as writers who strive for excellence, we need to be sure the history of our novels is true and accurate. The truth and accuracy of your timeline is part of that—keeping historical events in proper sequential order and in the correct years.
How can you keep your historical facts in order, especially if you’re a pantser? As a historical romance writer who has always been a pantser, I have learned to become a “plantser” (that’s someone in between a pantser and a plotter). I research my time period and I make hard copies or handwritten notes of major historical facts and events, and I keep them close at hand as I write my novel.
Pacing is also an important part of keeping your timeline accurate. Determining how many historical events you want to include in your novel is key in creating your pacing. If you’re planning to create a series of historical fiction novels, you need to have a clear vision of what events will take place in each book of the series. You have to weave your fictional characters and story into that historical timeline and framework.
If you love including as many historical events as possible, like I do, this can become quite a challenge. You can collect so many historical facts and events that it can prove difficult to decide what to include in your story and what to leave out, which will also depend on your timeline.
The historical facts and timeline can be worked into every aspect of your story—the description of your setting, your characters’ clothes and dialogue. It doesn’t all have to come out in the plot. Painting your history throughout your novel brings balance and gives your readers a complete picture that allows them to experience a different time period as they are immersed in your novel.
What about your readers? Many people who read historical fiction read about their favorite historical time periods and already have a good bit of knowledge in regard to that time and its history. If you make an error in your historical facts, your readers will let you know, and that could be via a personal email or a book review posted on a prominent book site, either of which may not be kind and respectful.
As historical fiction writers, we should strive to create a story woven throughout historical events that satisfies both us and our readers.
Kelly F. Barr lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She is married and has three sons. She writes historical romance. She has also been a blogger for ten years, and every Friday, you can find her Flash Fiction stories posted for your reading pleasure. She loves her family, including the family dog, books, walks, and chai lattes.
You can find her online at:
- Website: https://kellyfbarr.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellyb_26
- Facebook: Kelly F. Barr, Writer
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