Though it seems like a strange oversight now, when I first started sending out my novel to agents, I didn’t actually pitch it as historical fiction. Despite writing a story that is very much set in the past (and despite having always been the most drawn to stories that were)… somehow I didn’t see myself as a historical novelist.
Perhaps this was because I was convinced that proper historical fiction writers were people with training and qualifications who actually knew what they were doing. I read an interview with Leila Aboulela recently, which summed up my fears perfectly:
'To be honest, the research put me off. The word ‘research’ conjured up hours spent in solemn libraries, studying historical tomes, wading through tedious facts and dates of battles.'
And it was that, absolutely that, that put me off.
This actually wasn’t the first time I shied away from writing historical fiction. Years ago, when I started my Creative Writing MA, I was working on a contemporary story set in a crumbling manor house. One of our tutors was Colm Toibin, and his main comment on my work was ‘this should be set in the 1930s’. (As an aside, though Colm Toibin maintained that no one lived like that anymore and so my story wasn’t convincing in a contemporary setting… in a tutorial a week or so later he told me a delightful story about having just visited some friends who lived in a falling apart tower that sounded straight out of Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle. I decided it was better to just enjoy the anecdote rather than point out the contradiction.)
Regardless of whether or not people do still live in crumbling manors, I think I probably would’ve been much more drawn to the story I was trying to write if it’d had a historical setting. At the time, however, I wasn’t quite brave enough to take the leap. I tried for a bit longer to make the story work in a 2010s setting, and when I couldn’t, I let it go. (Though, of course, clearly I didn’t completely let it go, because I happen to currently be working on another novel set in a crumbling manor house).
Years passed before I finally felt brave enough to have a go at writing something historical. And, as it turned out, I discovered that you actually don’t need to spend hours in solemn libraries with historical tomes. Indeed, I actually discovered research can be… fun?!
We’re lucky to live in a time where all manner of historical resources are available to us online. Aside from reading a wide selection of non-fiction books, I’ve used all sorts of other fantastic resources. Some of them are super obvious, while some I stumbled upon more or less by accident. I’ve shared a big selection below in case you, too, could do with a little reassurance that historical research isn't as scary as it sounds.
Reading fiction and watching films and TV shows set in the period you’re interested in. Yes! This counts! Obviously you have to be aware that other writers and producers might’ve used artistic licence in the development of their projects and that you’ll want to double check facts if you want to ensure historical accuracy. However, other people’s stories can be a great way to build up your general awareness of a historical period and feel as if you’re immersing yourself in it.
Using Wikipedia as a starting point. Again, I’m well aware that Wikipedia can be very problematic in terms of accuracy (if you’re in any doubt on this, I’d recommend reading this article on 'the great toaster hoax’). However, there are few better ways to get a quick overview of almost any topic you can think of. I generally use Wikipedia as a helpful tool to pick up threads of what I want to research in more detail.
Finding archival footage on YouTube. You do not need me to tell you that there is a whole treasure trove of stuff on YouTube. But… there is a whole treasure trove of stuff on YouTube and that treasure trove includes amazing archival footage. Two things that have been particularly helpful for me via YouTube have been screen grab videos to remind me exactly how you logged onto dial up internet in the early 2000s (who could forget those beeps?!) and some archival footage of a 1960s swimming lesson that my wonderful friend found for me when I was fretting about the accuracy of a single line about swimming floats.
Reading historical texts from The Wellcome Collection. If you’re researching anything related to health and medicine, the Wellcome Collection is an amazing and completely free resource. I’ve used it to read scanned copies of books published in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, read medical articles from the 1930s and flick through annual reports published by sanatoriums and convalescent hospitals.
The Vogue archive. Here’s one you can really get lost in… and I say this from experience. The Vogue archive allows you to browse covers and articles from every issue of American Vogue since 1892. You have to pay for full access, but you can enjoy a huge amount of information with a free account.
Historical Ordnance Survey maps. How do I know that my house was the last one to be built on the street? Or that the road layout in one of the settings in my current WIP changed significantly between the 1920s and when I lived there ninety years later? Or that a path featured in my post-WW2 novel used to be called Love Lane? Well, that’ll be my habit of looking anywhere and everywhere up on the National Library of Scotland’s historic map finder. (It covers maps for the whole world, not just Scotland.)
Academic papers. I’ve spent a lot of time combing through academic papers using Google Scholar, particularly as part of the research I’ve been doing into the history of post-viral illness. Many papers are behind paywalls, though some universities offer free JSTOR access for alumni ( I haven’t managed to jump through all the hoops to make this happen for myself yet…). You can also try emailing the authors of papers you’re interested in to ask if they’ll send you a copy — the academics I know have told me they’re always happy to get requests like that.
Estate agent particulars and local planning permission portals. Okay, so yes, sometimes I browse this sort of thing purely to satisfy my curiosity… but on occasion they’ve been an easy way to find a floor plan to help me visualise how a particular historic home (or type of home) might’ve been laid out inside.
Art UK collection search. The Art UK website lets you search the name of any art gallery to get a full list of everything they have in their collection, including the date they acquired it. I found it really helpful when I was writing a scene set in a particular art gallery and wanted a clearer idea of what might have been on display.
Old photograph collections. One of the most useful books I’ve found for my current WIP is a collection of historic photographs from the Derbyshire town it’s set in. It was published by the local history society in the nineties, and my copy somehow made its way to an online secondhand bookshop. I’m not sure how easy it is to come across this sort of thing, but it’s well worth a look.
If you’ve got any suggestions of your own, I’d love to hear about them!
Books I’ve enjoyed recently
A combination of a great reading streak and having left seven weeks between newsletters means that there are a lot of books I want to recommend!
The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz (Yes, this does happen to have been written by a friend of mine, but you can still trust me when I say it’s my book-of-the-year-so-far!)
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli (Such a beautifully nuanced book about the loss of a spouse.)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Absolutely as good as everyone says it is.)
Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth MacNeil (Such a vivid, engrossing novel, set in a Victorian circus.)
There’s Been a Little Incident by Alice Ryan (Such a lovely exploration of an extended family coming together.)
The Lamplighters by Emma Stones (Such a fascinating premise, pieced together beautifully.)
Art, clothing and architecture from the time period always gets me right in the proper head space. Whatever I can do to almost smell it. Going to museums is one of my favorite things for research.