By multi-published historical author Keli Gwyn!
Ruthy suggested I blog about giving a historical story a dated feel, a timely
topic I was eager to explore.
• Interesting,
varied word choice and use of the English language in a way that is appropriate
to era, setting, characters, etc.
As an author of historical romance, a command of period-appropriate
language is important to me as well as my readers. It’s nice to see that it
ranks so highly on an editor’s desired elements list as well.
But how does a writer go about creating that period-appropriate
language? I have a few tips to share, but I wanted to give you more than I
could come up with on my own.
Because my stories encompass only a narrow slice of history, I got brave
and sent out a zillion emails to some of the best and brightest stars in
inspirational historical romance, asking them to provide tips for their periods
as well. The generous authors flooded my inbox with a wealth of information,
resulting in a post so meaty that I’m issuing each of you a virtual steak knife
and fork. Enjoy the feast!
Basic Tips for Creating Period-Appropriate Language
Here are eight techniques used by many writers of historical fiction.
• Read other novels set during the time period you’re writing about.
Find the best-written ones you can and absorb the language from them. ~ Lori
Benton
• Purchase the audio version of a book either written
during that time or written in the language of that time and listen to it 10
minutes here, 10 minutes there, while you are writing. It's also a good way to
break writer's block! ~ MaryLu Tyndall
• Watch movies set during your time period, those whose creators have
taken pains to make accurate. You’ll get a good sense of dialogue. ~ Lori
Benton
• Be ruthless when it comes to anachronistic language. Cull any words
or phrases that were not in use at the time of your setting. This makes the
period language stand out better, and it makes your reader trust you. ~ Erica
Vetsch
• I check the age of words in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
to ensure they were in usage during the timeframe of my story. I also check
expressions in The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine
Ammer. If a word was in usage but has a modern ring, I don’t use it, as it may
take readers out of the story. ~ Janet Dean
• Although the dictionary might show that a word wasn’t in use during
your period, bear in mind that words are often used in speech a decade or two
before they appear in the dictionary. To find out if a word was used in my time
period, I perform a search using Google’s Advanced Book Search feature. By
inputting the word or phrase and a date range, I can quickly find out if the
word appeared in print during the time my story takes place. ~ Keli Gwyn
(That’s me!)
• Be fearless when it comes to using an unusual word that you know is
historically accurate, but be sure to use it in a context that makes it plain
to the reader the meaning of the word. Readers of historical romance love to
both learn something new while they are reading and affirm their knowledge when
they come across an unusual word that they know. ~ Erica Vetsch
• Be careful not to over do it. When giving your characters a voice to
authenticate an historical time period, it's best to season your dialogue
lightly so the reader won't be stumbling through the text, especially when
working with early centuries and unusual languages. ~ Carla Gade
Creating Period-Specific Language
The following tips are broken down by period. I suggest reading them all
because there can be overlap in language between periods. Some of the
suggestions could be modified for a different era as well.
• I keep a running list of time-period lingo. For the middle ages that
includes words like ’tis, methinks, behoove, etc. From my list, I usually
assign my main characters one or two medieval words as dialogue “tags,” which
then give a flavor of the time period without overwhelming the reader.
• I keep in mind the ranks of those speaking. For noblemen, knights,
and ladies, their language would have been more respectful, refined, and
courteous, whereas a peasant would have sounded less educated and plain.
• • • • •
Since I write medievals, and since people in medieval times
spoke the equivalent of the way The
Canterbury Tales were written—in middle English—and since most modern
readers, including me, can’t even decipher middle English and certainly don’t
want to read an entire novel in it, I have a few little tricks for making my
books “sound medieval.”
• First, I don’t use a lot of contractions.
• Second, I try not to use modern words or expressions,
things that will “sound modern” to my readers.
• Third, I throw in medieval terms where appropriate, terms
that can be figured out through context.
• To enhance the Colonial flavor of my stories, I like to sprinkle
expressions and words that were used during that time period. Since they are
often unfamiliar, sometimes extinct, or the meaning has changed over time,
it's important to weave the definition into the context of the passage.
Be sure to let your reader know that a fortnight
lasts two weeks and allow your heroine to speak of her gown, not her dress, as dress was not used as a noun until a
later era.
• Even during the same time period there can be cultural contrast.
In a couple of my books, I distinguish a colonial New
England resident from the British newcomer through their distinct
voices and word usage. Early America was also a time of immigration, which
gives further opportunity to establish unique voices.
• • • • •
• Immerse yourself in books either written during the
period in which your novel takes place or about the period. For example, my
last novel, The Ransom, was set in Jamaica in 1692, so I
gathered as many colonial books set in the Caribbean that contained pirates as
I could and spent at least an hour or two a day reading them.
• While reading or listening to period books, make a
list of distinct phrases used during that time and frequent it often while you
are writing. They used some pretty weird words in colonial days that we no
longer use. Egad, Ergo, Bad cess, Anon, Forsooth to list a few. This can also
be done for certain dialects and accents such as pirate talk or British
cockney.
MaryLu
Tyndall, author of The Reckoning,
Book 5 in the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series, coming July 2015
Frontier/Revolutionary/Early Federalist
• For my frontier novels, I use the rich, colorful speech
common to the Appalachian region of the 18th-century, much of which has lasted
to the present time. I sprinkle in ‘tis’ and ‘twas’ and such to give a flavor
of the time period without smothering or overwhelming the story.
• I love using figures of
speech that aren’t cliché or hillbilly
but truer to the region. For my 19th-century novels I had to make the leap from
folksy to genteel speech, which is more formal and stilted.
• • • • •
• For taking readers back in time by the use of language, I like to
read primary sources like letters, journals, essays, diaries, sermons and
novels written during the time period in which my novels are set (Colonial,
Revolutionary, early Federal periods). There’s no better way to absorb the
mindset and language and modes of expression.
• Word choice makes a big difference. Ideally, the
language will have a period feel without sounding stilted or overly formal.
Before: The girls’ unpopularity stemmed from
their thrift store clothes and their uncle’s crazy behavior.
After: The cause of the girls’ disgrace was a
reputation-shattering combination of unfashionable gowns and their uncle’s
eccentric behavior.
• Rhythm is important too. Watching your favorite version of Pride
and Prejudice can remind you of the cadence of Regency-speak.
Before: “Let’s just say that now I’m twice as
nervous. There’s no way the earl will overlook my lack of experience.”
After: “Suffice it to say that if I was
nervous before, I’m doubly so now. The earl is not likely to overlook my lack
of experience.”
Western Americana/Mid-Victorian
• I select words, slang and idioms to give a sense of stepping back in
time. For example: Squire for Justice of the Peace. No-account for worthless.
Set store by for esteem. Hightail it for rush off.
• I give quirky secondary characters poor grammar since many people
didn’t get more than a grammar school education. For example: Ain’t for isn’t.
Seed for saw. I heerd tell for I heard. Though it can be done, I rarely use
poor grammar for the hero and heroine.
• I use forms of address such as ma’am or miss when a man is
addressing a woman. Children refer to their parents as Ma, Pa, Mama, Papa,
mother and daddy, not mom and dad.
Janet Dean,
author of The Bounty Hunter’s Redemption,
coming January 2016
• • • • •
• One way I create a historic feel for my stories set in the 1860s and
1870s is to use more dated words for common items. Garbage can becomes dustbin.
Mirror becomes looking glass. Vest becomes waistcoat. Often these are British
terms, which were more common in the Victorian Era before the Americanization
of the English language.
• As much as possible, I incorporate the customs of the day. As an example, my
characters eat dinner as their midday meal. Supper is in the evening. I had a
grandfatherly reader thank me for this, saying his family used those terms when
he was a boy.
Keli Gwyn (Yup. Me again J )
Gilded Age/Late-Victorian
• Use old-fashioned words - Quite, Indeed, Honestly, Goodness and others
along those lines. Watch out for modern phrases and check the origins of names.
I once wanted to use the term paddy wagon, but found it wasn't even around
until the turn of the century.
• Sprinkle in authentic facts - Knickerbockers, The New York
Four-Hundred, different models of carriages true to the decades you're writing.
I enjoy adding real department stores as well as having my ladies shop on The
Ladies' Mile.
• A great way to get a feel for a specific era is to read memoirs penned
during that time. One of my favorites set in the Gilded Age is "King
Lehr" and The Gilded Age, penned by Elizabeth Drexel Lehr. It gives a
marvelous taste of New York high society through the eyes of one of the great
society ladies, although, factually, it leaves a bit to be desired, but the
formal manner in which it's written is a great tool to use to authenticate a
novel with a Gilded Age setting.
• My WWI-era novels are a mix of upper-class and working-class
characters, so I had to make sure their dialogue was appropriate not only for
that time in history but also for their social status, education level, and region
of the country (Arkansas). Online etymology dictionaries and sources for
early-20th-century slang became invaluable. Googling those terms will bring up
several helpful results. One interesting fact I learned was that the first
known use of the word “teenager” was after 1921, and since my novels ended in
1921, I had to rethink how I referred to my teenage characters.
• • • • •
• The closer we move to the modern day, the lingo
becomes less distinguishable, but there are still very clear distinctives in
word choices and phrasing.
Before: It's
from someone Grandmother knows, Mrs. Ragan. My room is next to hers and she's
supposed to chaperon me as more of a favor to Grandmother than anything else. I
can't imagine we'll talk much, since she's more interested in high class
company.
After: “It’s from Grandmama’s distant
acquaintance, Mrs. Ragan. My room adjoins hers and she’s providing escort for
me, but I believe it’s more a formality than anything else. I don’t suspect
we’ll engage in much conversation since she cares little for the society in
which she is traveling.”
Word choice and phrasing matter: the way the phrasing
happens gives a sense of another time :-) (or at least I think so) "…engage
in much conversation" - yeah, we don't talk like that nowadays.
• Here's another example:
“A penny for your thoughts?”
She slowed her pace to a stop and
looked up, Sam’s Fedora low over his eyes. He looked like he belonged in one of
those new moving pictures.
“Oh, I have an entire purse full of
thoughts, but most of them revolve around a single coin.” She hoped for a grin,
but knew she failed.
The simple change of pocket to purse set the
stage a little differently. Now it helps that I add some more period lingo in
there, like Fedora and, but the turn
of that single word gives it a different flare.
Classic
Films: The most realistic way I’ve found of obtaining practical knowledge on the dress, common language
and war-time culture of the 1940s is to watch classic films. It’s a visual mode
of being drawn into story with the sights, sounds, mannerisms and
idiosyncrasies of the time. While you can’t do this with every historical time
period, it’s a luxury in abundant supply for WWII era writers. (And as a big TCM fan, I’m happy to take advantage. Who
wouldn’t want to spend hours watching Cary Grant?)
Real-life
Heroes: First-hand accounts are powerful voices of the past. If you’re
able, interview someone from this era who would understand your character. Was
she a nurse? A woman on the home front? Perhaps a survivor of the Holocaust or
a soldier fighting on the front lines? Read letters and books containing
first-hand accounts to understand the flavor of the language. Watch interviews
(or conduct them yourself if you’re able), as these stories are authentic.
You’ll find emotion packed into these individuals’ experiences that will
translate to the pages you write, and help endear your character to readers’
hearts.
• • • • •
• Think globally. WWII thrust people together from all over the world.
GIs picked up phrases in French, Italian, and Tagalog, and children in Morocco,
Britain, and New Guinea spouted American slang. Use bits of local color in your
dialogue to bring your characters and your setting to life.
• Sprinkle in slang and/or military lingo. Use well-chosen words and
phrases for color and authenticity, and define your terms in context for easy
readability. Your readers will have a "swell" time.
• Research and use dialogue to reference the time period, but not so
much that the reader gets overwhelmed by it. For my 60's time frame in Yesterday’s Tomorrow, I used sayings
that most people would know - "swell, groovy, holy cow …" but again,
sparingly. You want the reader to get a good sense of the era, but don't overdo
it otherwise they'll get bored and start rolling their eyes.
• Describing clothes and items can also be a great way to drop the
reader into the right time period, as long as you don't suddenly have your hero
making a call on his cellphone in 1967 … :-)
Final Thoughts
While establishing period-appropriate language is important, we don’t
want to become so stressed about that element of our stories that we cease to
have fun writing them. Here are some wise words on the subject…
• Don’t sweat the language in your first draft when
you’re trying to get that story out. Do pay attention to your word choice when
you edit and polish, weeding out modern-sounding phrases and words. ~ Lori
Benton
I liked what one author had to say in response to my request.
• I so wish I could help you, but I have no tips. I have no idea what to
do besides check every single idiomatic expression even if it seems like an
oldie or even if it seems like there's no other way to say it but that way--and
then I generally have to ax them and put in something else non-idiomatic. Other
than that, I'm clueless. I just write...
Melissa’s last three words carry an important message. There comes a
point in a historical writer’s career when s/he no longer has to stop and think
about creating period-appropriate language. The writer’s voice has developed to
a point that such language is part of it, and the words flow effortlessly. OK,
maybe not quite effortlessly, but they do come more easily.
My hope is that if you’re one of those learning to create language for a
period-set story, you will reach the point where you can say, as Melissa did, “I
just write.”
If you have questions about using period-appropriate language in your
historicals, please share them in the comments. I will answer those I can.
Several of the authors quoted in the post will be stopping by to answer
questions as well.
Ruthy here! I am so pleased to host Keli today, she is one of the sweetest, most amazing women I know and she thinks I'm nice, so right there I knew I had her fooled! Keli has graciously offered to give away two copies of her beautiful Love Inspired novel PLUS BONUS FEATURE I LOVE SO MUCH!!! Keli's sending the second winner a personally designed "Seeker" notepad!
And she did her own graphics....
And she wrote a great post.
And she totally rocks hats and period clothing, the brat!
(Ruthy sighs and frowns and causes more wrinkles... then sighs again!)
Come on in, leave a comment or a question for Keli or any of her delightful advisors today and we'll put your name in a very old-fashioned saucer (wouldn't be a cat dish back then, you know!) for the drawings!
Keli's book:
And the delightful notepad!!!!
