Weaving Historical Events in Fiction

Myra here. Delighted to welcome back one of my dearest writer friends, the amazing and talented Carla Stewart! I’ve known Carla for close to ten years now, since we met through our former ACFW chapter in Tulsa. We’ve critiqued together, celebrated  together, and commiserated over the ups and downs of the writing business together over lunches at the Cheesecake Factory. Since I moved to North Carolina four years ago, we now keep in touch regularly through email, and the joy of friendship never dims!

Here’s Carla now, to share with us how she weaves historical events into fiction—and does it so engagingly! 

Wow! EIGHT years for Seekerville. And to think, I knew you when… Nothing thrills me more than your success and the spirit of community you’ve brought to the blogosphere! And coffee – you always have coffee!! Let’s just say, I’ve been a fan a long time, and I’m so honored to be invited to chat with you all today. Thanks, Myra! 

I’ve always marveled at people of the past and the obstacles they’ve overcome to accomplish great feats. That element of what makes real life people tick and pushes them toward their goal or enables them to survive insurmountable setbacks fascinates me. Which may be why I’m a writer. It’s my way of unraveling life’s tough questions. I don’t strive to mold history to fit my stories, but to plop my characters into actual events or circumstances from the past and watch what happens.  

Which leads to the question of why include real events and people in our fictional works. 

• Verisimilitude – I admit I love this word and drop it into conversations whenever possible. It is the quality of seeming real. Weaving historical events into your fiction helps suspend disbelief for readers and establish credibility for you as an author.
• It broadens the reader’s understanding of history. In Stardust, I used polio as the backdrop and wove the fear of this dreaded disease into the plot. Some younger readers had no idea of the impact this disease had on society or even what an iron lung was. In one sense, I’m preserving history for future generations who might read my book (they will, right?). 
• Highlighting a little known event in history can add enjoyment for the reader. In A Flying Affair, I used both a widely-known event from the past (Charles Lindbergh being the first person to fly across the Atlantic) with a lesser known one (the first Women’s Transcontinental Air Race). These became the bookends for the novel. The air race has been many readers’ favorite part. 
• Pay-off for the reader. By experiencing how characters in past eras lived hard lives and overcame obstacles gives readers strength in handling today’s problems. 

So…history is full of every kind of situations imaginable. How do you choose what events to write about? 

• Know thyself. What historical eras do you enjoy? You’ll be living in this time period for many moons, so make sure it’s something that fascinates you first. 
• Know your characters. What are their beliefs? Their hot buttons? Their passions? The Hatmaker’s Heart, which is set in the Roaring Twenties, featured a milliner’s apprentice. I knew a portion of the book would be set in England and would involve making hats for a royal wedding. A quick Google search, and I discovered the wedding of the decade—Prince Albert to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons. Perfect!  
• Know your limits. Since this is NO LIMITS month on Seekerville, I understand that, with a little dream and the energy to pursue it, you can achieve anything. Truly! But, you don’t want to overwhelm readers with so much history that your story gets lost in the muddle. Sprinkle in historical elements, but focus on one or two events. Your writing will be tighter and your stories more focused. And there are NO LIMITS to where a well-crafted, brilliant novel might take you! 
• Know your angle. How often have you read a book and thought that it sounded just like a handful of others? Dig deep and bring fresh details into your work. 
• Know and trust your sources. Consider the “weight” of your source – government documents and primary sources (diaries, written material from the era) carry more weight than Wikipedia or a random blog article. 

Roles your characters might play in an historical event: 

• Observers of the event. Tie it to their emotions at this moment in the plot. 
• Maids, hatmakers, chauffeurs, cooks, solicitors, classmates, photographers – anyone who might have insider knowledge of the thoughts and actions of “real-life” people from the past. 
• A secret best friend or confidante of an historical figure.
• Participants in the event – I used this in A Flying Affair by inserting two characters into the air race without changing the true outcome of the race but gaining an insider’s view. 

Weaving the threads together: 

• The goal is not to change history but to cast a fresh light on it with your fictional characters. 
• The event must have an emotional connection to your plot. Any story set in war times has myriad possibilities for gripping drama, both in the war itself and the people left behind.
• The event must raise the stakes for your character and contribute to the story arc, again lending the aura that this really might have happened. 

Forgive the cliché, but the devil is in the details. Here are some things to watch for: 

• Timeline/dates. You may have to tweak your original thoughts to line up with the historical event you are using. It’s far better to adjust your story’s timeline than to get the date (or year!) wrong for something like D-Day. 
• Slang. This can be a good marker or doorway to the time period, and please refrain from letting your historical characters use modern phrases. 
• Likewise, don’t impose modern views on historical characters. Some things to keep in mind: Gender roles, social customs (things like calling cards in Victorian times), political hot buttons – every era has them. History is rich with its own rules and views and that’s what you want to portray to your readers. 
• Facts and fads. Modes of transportation. Brand names. Fashions and hairstyles. Household items (Did you know electric toasters were available in the 1920s even before radios?). Songs and movies. Do your research. Accuracy builds trust with your reader. 
• Keep your perspective: Someone will always know more than you so don’t obsess over every tiny thing. Readers want a great story, not a history lesson. 
• Above all, relax and have fun! Visualize yourself in the event you have chosen to weave into your story and breathe deeply. What do you hear? What is that smell? Is the corset you’re wearing gouging into your ribcage? Is the cave you’re hiding in with Confederate soldiers cold or damp? There truly are no limits to where you’re imagination can take you! 

You guys are awesome! It’s so nice to be here and spend time with friends. Thanks for having me! Party on! 

BIO: Award winning author of six novels, Carla Stewart’s passion for times gone by is reflected in her heart-warming fiction. It is her desire to take readers to that familiar place in their hearts called “home.” She and her husband live in Oklahoma where they attempt to keep up with the adventures of their seven rambunctious grandchildren. A Flying Affair  is her newest release which has been called rich and complex. Daredevil Mittie Humphreys navigates her heart as well as the skies in this beguiling adventure of grit and determination during the rollicking Roaring Twenties. Learn more about Carla and her books at www.carlastewart.com. 

Carla has graciously offered to give away a copy of A Flying Affair to one of our Seekerville visitors today! Just mention your interest in a comment!

Where to find Carla online: 

Website: www.carlastewart.com

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChasingLilacs 

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/carlastewartauthor 

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3335371.Carla_Stewart 

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/chasinglilacs/    

BUY books link (various options):  www.carlastewart.com/books/