Ground Rules for Writing Historical Fiction

YOUR CHARACTERS VALUES, BELIEFS AND MOTIVATIONS MUST BE EVIDENT

YOU MAY INCLUDE IMAGINARY CHARACTERS

MAJOR EVENTS AND THE STORIES CONTEXT MUST CONFORM TO THE HISTORICAL RECORD (CAN BE SUPPORTED WITH HISTORICAL SOURCES)

YOUR CHARACTER DOES NOT JUST DESCRIBE EVENTS, BUT PRESENTS THEIR HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Questions to ConsiderHOW CAN I USE LANGUAGE AND DIALOGUE TO CREATE AN AUTHENTIC SENSE OF THE TIME PERIOD?

HOW CAN I MAKE MY CHARACTERS AUTHENTIC, WITH PERSPECTIVES THAT REFLECT THE TIME AND PLACE IN WHICH THEY LIVED?

WHAT EVIDENCE DO I HAVE THAT THIS IS WHAT MY CHARACTERS WOULD BELIEVE OR DO?

WHAT OTHER OPTIONS MIGHT MY CHARACTER HAVE, GIVEN THIS TIME AND SETTING?

More

WHAT IS MY POINT OF VIEW?

FROM WHAT OTHER POINT OF VIEW COULD I HAVE TOLD THIS STORY?

HOW ACCURATE OR PLAUSIBLE IS MY STORY?

HOW DOES MY STORY HELP OTHERS UNDERSTAND THE PAST IN WAYS THAT OTHER SOURCES DO NOT?

Approaching Your Dossier CluesYou got ‘em, now what?

HYPOTHESISE

DEVISE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

USE HISTORICAL RESEARCH TO PROVE YOUR HYPOTHESIS

Gender?

Nationality?

Social Class?

Occupation?

Allies or Axis?

Armed Forces or Civilians?

Religious?

Geographical location?

Personal Moral Code? Belief System

Marital Status? Family?

Use this graphic to guide

your questions

Record the Process

Use your blog to record your process, from the most basic of assumptions about your WW2 identity to the most complex construction, ensure that you are recording your

ideas and research

My blog can be found here: http://msstyles10hg.blogspot.com.au/