Some wonderful advice from historical novelist, Liza Perrat, on how to breathe life into your novels.
I
was initially drawn to historical fiction because I love history, and
historical novels bring it closer to us in an entertaining fashion. I have only
just set out on my third historical fiction adventure, so I’m far from being an
expert, but this is what I’ve gleaned about this fascinating genre so far.
It
appears very few historical fiction writers have university degrees in history.
Most authors of historical fiction are, first and foremost, novelists who must
master the craft of good fiction in the same way as contemporary novelists.
Knowing how to write a good story, which hooks readers and keeps them turning
the pages, is as vital as getting the historical details right.
Yet
we do have to get those period customs and technological details right. Our
ancestors had very different attitudes about many aspects of life than people
of today. What was your heroine’s relationship with her husband, her children, the
people with whom she lived? Did she use cutlery and plates? What job might she
have had? Would she have been literate? Historical fiction falls flat on its
face when the characters jump off the page as modern-day people dressed up in
period garb, and details like this can be frustrating to research. But these
days, with all the historical resources available, and the internet, authors spending
the time and effort can usually discover those golden nuggets that will bring
their story to life.
Besides spending
hours online and frowning over the barely legible print of yellowed letters,
postcards, diaries and old books, there’s nothing like spending time
in a place, trying to imagine how it might have looked, felt and smelled, in
the past. Readers like
to sense the spirit of place –– the vegetation, the seasonal light, the odours.
It pulls them into the story, makes them empathize with the characters, and
provides a stage on which they can visualize the story. But
readers will quickly become bored with history lessons, so information should
be integrated into the story, without it coming across as school textbook.
Historical monuments and
structures evoke the past
and I like to study them as
closely as possible, and take lots of photographs (preferably minus any lurking
tourists!).
A walk around the rural French village in which I live gave me the idea for Spirit
of Lost Angels, the first novel in my historical series, set during the
French Revolution, and recently published under the Triskele
Books label.
On the banks of the Garon River, I came upon a cross named croix à gros ventre (cross with a big
belly). Engraved with two entwined tibias and a heart shape, it is dated 1717
and commemorates two children who drowned in the river. Who were they? How did
they drown, and where are they buried?
I felt the urge to write the story of these lost little ones –– to give
them a family, a village, an identity. The Charpentier family and their village
of Lucie-sur-Vionne were thus invented –– backdrop to a series of tales
encompassing different generations of L’Auberge
des Anges (Inn of Angels). For Wolfsangel,
the second novel in L’Auberge des Anges
series, I visited the haunting
memorial of Oradour-sur-Glane, site of the tragic WWII massacre.
Local fairs, festivals and events also provide great sources of
inspiration for the historical fiction novelist. One I know well is the annual
bush peach festival. What’s the big deal about peaches, you might ask. Well this
is not simply a succulent fruit with flesh the colour of blood. The bush peach
is grown alongside the grape vines. Susceptible to the same diseases as the
vines but quicker to develop the signs, vine growers plant peach trees next to
their vineyards to warn them of potential problems. The bush peach has been
part of the arboricultural patrimony of this region since the seventeenth
century so, despite its questionable history as martyr, even the humble peach
is firmly anchored in the village history.
If you are fortunate enough to live in a historical place, local people
may provide insight into past professions. One of the characters in Spirit
of Lost Angels is a rémouleur
–– an itinerant knife-grinder or sharpener. Local resident, Georges, is a
vestige of this
profession that dates back to 1300. Lugging his odd-looking bicycle along to
the marketplace every Saturday morning, Georges sits amidst the convivial
banter, punnets of raspberries and strawberries, the boudins and saucissons,
cycling in earnest to sharpen our knives and scissors.
On a personal note, I have to say that whilst bookshops
are crowded with novels about famous king, queens and emperors, I find more
interesting, and identifiable, stories that focus on the commoner, the peasant,
the itinerant –– the greater segment of a population.
Even
though historical fiction has become a hot genre in recent years, with many
historical novels featuring on bestseller lists, many more contemporary novels
appear. So, it seems that to interest a publisher, or to gain a readership in
the case of self-publishers, a historical novel must encompass the qualities of
a contemporary novel –– well written and highly polished –– coupled with
historical accuracy.
Some resources I have found useful for writing historical fiction:
Historical blogs such as:
Books:
How to Write
Historical Novels by Michael Legat
The Art and Craft of Writing
Historical Fiction by James
Alexander Thom
Writing Historical Fiction by Marina Oliver
Liza Perrat grew up in
Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife. She has been living
in rural France for the past twenty years, where she works as a part-time
medical translator. Since completing a creative writing course ten years ago,
several of her short stories have won awards, and been published widely in
anthologies and small press magazine. Her articles on French culture and
tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Today
and France Magazine. She has completed four novels and one short-story
collection and is represented by Judith Murdoch of the Judith Murdoch Literary
Agency.
Spirit of Lost Angels is available as
an e-book or paperback on Amazon and Smashwords.
Her short story collection –– Friends,
Family and Other Strangers from Downunder –– is currently available as
a FREE download on all Amazon sites.
For more information on Liza, or her novel, please visit
her website: www.lizaperrat.com or www.triskelebooks.com
Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Flash 500 Humour Verse Competition
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