Why I Write Historical Fiction - A Guest Blogpost by David Wessel
David K. Wessel is a retired U.S.diplomat and amateur historian turned novelist. When it comes to writing aboutGermany between the two world wars, he relies not only on his family stories,but on his Rutgers University history degree (where he focused on the WeimarRepublic) and a life-long interest in his subject matter. Wessel is one of sixchildren born to Karl-Heinz Wessel, the primary character in Choosing Sides– and the coming sequel, Changing Sides.
Ihave always loved the old adage: “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in hisshoes.” I believe that before ascribing motive to the actions of anotherperson, one should attempt to understand his/her/their life experiences. Beforecriticizing someone or assuming negative intent behind the words they speak, weshould try to appreciate where they are coming from. Before criticizing othersfor what we see or hear them do, we should make an effort to see things fromtheir perspective.
Whatare the challenges they have faced? How have their thought processes beenformed? What events have they been influenced by? How have they been shaped bythe world in which they live? What is their history?
Inthe words of the renowned scholar and Pulitzer Prize winning author DavidMcCullough, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” It is thekey to understanding the thoughts and deeds of an individual – and is especiallycritical to understanding the words and actions of societies.
Butthe recording of factual history – a description of past events with the datesand locations in which they occurred – does not get into the soul of theparticipants. Well written historical accounts of days-gone-by do explore thepreceding events that shaped the participant’s actions. And the best writers ofhistory, like McCullough, provide insight into the thinking and intent of theprotagonists. But their writing, as good as it is, does not leave the readerwith a true understanding of what it would have felt like to be in that time andplace.
Forthat, we need historical fiction. As E. L. Doctorow, author of BillyBathgate, Ragtime and other wonderful novels said: “The historianwill tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.”
WhenI decided to write the story of my father’s childhood - growing up on bothsides of the Atlantic in the years between the two world wars - I wanted to dojust this. I hoped to portray what it must have felt like for Dad. In writingabout an ordinary family torn apart by Hitler’s Germany, my aim was to developthe reader’s understanding of what it meant to live in that time and place.
Howdid my family’s experiences in World War I and the post-war years lead to anemigration to the United States? Why did they move back to Germany just a yearafter Hitler had come to power? What was it like for Dad to be placed in theHitler Youth? How did the family’s meeting with der Fuhrer himself comeabout? How did my immediate family respond to the Nazi takeover of theircountry? And what did the extended family, who remained, feel about it all?
While writing the first draft of ChoosingSides I worked at getting the story down and making sure I had the factsright. I focused on placing the family lore into historical context, buildingmy own understanding of the circumstances behind the family’s multiple movesfrom northern Germany to southern New Jersey. The result was, in the estimationof my dear wife and ‘first-reader,’ a 90,000 word term paper with a personaltwist. It was, at best, something a few of my family members might read. But itwas dry and lacking in emotion and devoid of any character development,description of settings, dialogue or buildup of personal feelings and tensionbetween family members. If I wanted anyone else to read it, I needed to livenit up.
I needed to change it from abiographical history to historical fiction. In doing so, I wanted to use thepower of fiction to draw the reader into the souls of my characters – my father,his parents, his aunts and uncles and cousins, his schoolmates and friends. Ihoped that I would enable the reader to understand the difficult choices myfamily members made as Hitler ascended in power and their country descendedinto chaos and despair.
How well I have achieved my goal is,of course, a matter for readers to decide. But I must say that the exercise ofgetting the family stories down on paper and placing them in the context ofthis terrible period of history has certainly given me, as the author, a levelof understanding that is much deeper than I had before I started. I hope itwill do the same for my readers.
Blog Host Helena P. Schrader is the author of 25 historical fiction and non-fiction books, eleven of which have one one or more awards. You can find out more about her, her books and her awards at: https://helenapschrader.com
Her most recent release, Cold Peace, was runner-up for the Historical Fiction Company BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 Award, as well as winning awards from Maincrest Media and Readers' Favorites. Find out more at: https://www.helenapschrader.com/cold-peace.html
