Hello, friends!
Today's post is a continuation of the “World building: real-world locations, real time” (click here to read), but today, I'll show you some tips on how to write your real-world location from the past. This setting is perfect for writing historical fiction, historical fantasy, social commentary and so on.
Let's get into it!
Research, research, research - as I always repeat. Good research is the basis for a good story.
On the next pages I'll point to some important questions you should be able to answer for your book. It's a list of important things to think about while writing.
Starting off with:
BUILDINGS. Check which significant buildings existed in the era you chose:
• Which ones still exist to this day?
• Which ones were being built?
• Which buildings existed in the place of the ones you know stand there today?
• How different did they look compared to the present times? Why?
Pay special attention to the town square, churches, prisons, schools and universities.
Highlight what the location was significant and known for.
PEOPLE.
• What is the name of the town's mayor? How did history come to remember him? Why?
• Were there any significant personas living in the town?
• Is there a dominant religion present? How does it affect the people?
• What is a typical lifestyle for the people in that era in that location? What jobs do they typically hold?
• What is the poor VS rich gap?
• What are some day-to-day problems that the locals had to endure? Is there crime?
• How is the MC living and why?
BACKGROUND.
• Were there any significant socio political/economical happenings at the moment?
• Revolutions, wars, conflicts?
• How does it affect the MC?
• What are the dangers the MC has to face because of it?
• What is the relation between the place and its surroundings?
• Are there any festivals? Rituals? Customs Traditions? Economy?
PLOT.
• How does the era influence the plot?
• Which problems am I going to add to the story that are coming directly from the era the story's set in?
• What challenges caused directly by the era is the MC going to go through?
WARNING.
It's a must to research about the location you're writing about in order to avoid historical inaccuracy. There are some thin lines between fiction and facts, so look out for that!
Examples of what IS acceptable to be inaccurate:
→ adding a non-existent famous artist, writer, professor
→ adding a magical passage or a place only seen by the chosen ones etc
→ adding non-existent books, movies, songs,...
OTHER THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
→ language - a character from XVth century won't be using the same words as a character from XXIth century
→ know the societal norms of the time - who had it the worst, who wouldn't be listened to, who would be hated for just who they are…
→ make the characters knowledgeable of what's happening around them - they're living in the era, so they shouldn't be completely oblivious to what's happening around
→ don't make the characters “know-it-all”. It's good to decide beforehands which character cares for politics more, and which character only knows the basics
AVOID:
→ Simplifying a culture from the past into stereotypes & overlooking its complexity
→ Man rescuer and woman victim trope
→ Mentioning things that didn't exist in the era
→ Misrepresenting the events of the time
→ Ignoring societal hierarchies, structures and class distinctions of the time
→ Ignoring the appropriate manners of the time
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