Questions tagged [historical-fiction]
Fiction set in a particular historical era and location. Exploring and experiencing the historical setting is generally the focus of this genre.
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How do I make a historical fiction book seem real?
I am writing a story tentatively called Planes And Towers. It is a historical fiction book about siblings, Molly and Jacob Johnson, who are going on a trip to New York on September 11, 2001. They are ...
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How can we avoid legal action from the family of a deceased dictator who we're caricaturing?
As we are writing a comic book, we find ourselves blocked by legal issues: The script contains fictional and real political elements including disputes and dialogues between dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu ...
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Is it cultural appropriation to write historical fiction with a character from another culture, using elements of that culture and language?
I've been thinking about writing a historical fiction novel about the Korean War. It is told from the perspective of a Korean character and includes many elements of Korean culture and language. I am ...
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How to refer to different versions of a character?
In my historical spy thriller, there are five different characters named Miku that our protagonist has to fight. So initially, they're refered to as Idol Miku, Vampire Miku, etc. etc. etc. But then ...
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How much artistic license with history is needed for historical fiction?
I'm writing historical fiction and I'm at the research stage.
My question is how much artistic license and fudging things with history do you need to do or should you do?
The setting's the recent past ...
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Fictional settings & fictional towns - how to be realistic with geography for a realistic setting?
I've been writing a short story - and the setting is semi-important to it, it's not just a backdrop.
It's historical fiction of a sort - the 2000s is the era it's set in. Would this qualify as a ...
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In historical fiction, should the narrator call the characters by their last names or by the nicknames used by other characters?
I'm writing a historical fiction. For context, it's about Robert Oppenheimer and how he swapped lives with a modern-day kindergarten teacher.
Here's a little piece of dialogue between him and his ...
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Is it morally right to base a novel on a tragic historical event?
I'm writing a historical fiction based on a historical tragedy where many people died. It's a very specific setting and situation, but I'm not using the names of any of the real people involved in the ...
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Moving Historical Figure to Different Century?
Hello historical fiction writers! What do you think about moving a minor historical figure to a different century, but in the same historical epoch? Maybe this figure was alive too early or late for ...
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Why use "a throb of sensation" when referring to arousal?
I found this in Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas, set in Victorian England.
She felt a throb verb of sensation noun.
Shouldn't "sensation" be an adjective instead?
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Are there any science fiction books (or historical fiction) which don't have specific "main characters", which talks in generalities instead?
I am considering how to write a "fiction" book about the far distant past (millions of years ago), like some sort of historical or science fiction book. I'm not sure if there is a specific ...
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What does the social idiom "not received" mean?
I am struggling with a use of the word "received" that I have never seen before, in conjunction with a social status in 19th century America. Specifically, in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With ...
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Could I use non-English characters and expressions in a novel?
Currently I'm outlining a novel, mostly for fun, based in 9th century Norway. The closest to writing Old Norse names I can get is by using Icelandic characters like the ð and þ and the occasional á ...
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Is there a good reason to use a fictional country in a world with an alternate earth?
Is there a good reason to use a fictional country in a world with an alternate earth? I see a lot of TV show where we have an alternate history on earth and where we see Russian, American people ...
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Are there good books/references that list things that might have been politically dangerous to do during medieval times?
Are there good books/references that list things that might have been politically dangerous to do? I see webpages about tropes and they're helpful for quickly finding out what kind of plot elements to ...
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