Why I Write Historical Fiction
I am an author who writes primarily in the historical fiction genre, whether it be secular history or Biblical history. I combine those two because of their similarities.
A fair question would be, Why do you write historical fiction?
To answer that question, let's first look at the two similar yet different historical genres.
Secular History
I define secular history as history that is recorded in historical records and is generally accepted as factual. Thus my last novel, Dead Eye Will, concerns the War of 1812 and early American, especially Michigan, history up to 1836.
Such history can be hard to nail down simply because of differing viewpoints. This creates problems for an author, sometimes forcing him/her to make decisions as to which "facts" to believe and accept.
Biblical History
I define Biblical history as history that is recorded in the Bible and is therefore known to be factual. People who do not believe in the Bible would deny its accuracy, but their objections have been debunked thoroughly.
Biblical history is therefore reliable. A researcher, however, has difficulty when trying to match Biblical historical records with secular records. A good example are Biblical records pertaining to Egypt. Egyptian records are so varied and so wildly unsupportable that dates, for example, are unreliable, to say the least. This is why there is so much controversy as to when certain Biblical events actually took place.
I use the simple yet effective conceptual tool of always treating the Bible as the authoritative resource with the secular facts as helpful or explanatory.
So, Why do you write historical fiction?
First, I write in this genre because it is exciting. So far, my primary area has been Biblical Historical fiction with an emphasis in Genesis. It is exciting to track down the facts and incorporate them into my novels.
Second, I write in this genre because I find it enlightening. Researching the Bible causes me to learn more about it and about the people and places mentioned therein.
Third, I write in this genre because it is the one area I can write where the facts are truly reliable! In a world where truth is often muddied, it is always refreshing to know there are some things that you can accept as absolute truth.
Fourth, I write in this genre because my faith grows. By this I mean that knowledge tends to increase one's faith as long as that knowledge is dependable. Many dependable facts are reported in the Bible and those facts build up my faith.
Secular fiction shares some of the same attributes such as exciting and enlightening. But secular history suffers from its inaccuracies. In some ways it is more challenging than Biblical history simply because you have to really dig to find the truth. In researching secular history the researcher always must remember that much of man's recorded history is shaped by political considerations, whereas Biblical history is shaped by God's agenda.
Both of these forms of Historical fiction demand much effort on my part. I find both to be exciting, challenging, and instructive.
Perhaps more important is the pleasure I derive when I have written a novel that others say brings history alive! To hear such comments truly makes me feel good. In the case of Biblical fiction I derive a sense of satisfaction when someone tells me that they had to read the Bible to see if what I said happened actually happened. And in the case of secular history, I like it when people discover historical facts they didn't know about (a distinct possibility considering today's politically correct history books).
R. Frederick Riddle
A fair question would be, Why do you write historical fiction?
To answer that question, let's first look at the two similar yet different historical genres.
Secular History
I define secular history as history that is recorded in historical records and is generally accepted as factual. Thus my last novel, Dead Eye Will, concerns the War of 1812 and early American, especially Michigan, history up to 1836.
Such history can be hard to nail down simply because of differing viewpoints. This creates problems for an author, sometimes forcing him/her to make decisions as to which "facts" to believe and accept.
Biblical History
I define Biblical history as history that is recorded in the Bible and is therefore known to be factual. People who do not believe in the Bible would deny its accuracy, but their objections have been debunked thoroughly.
Biblical history is therefore reliable. A researcher, however, has difficulty when trying to match Biblical historical records with secular records. A good example are Biblical records pertaining to Egypt. Egyptian records are so varied and so wildly unsupportable that dates, for example, are unreliable, to say the least. This is why there is so much controversy as to when certain Biblical events actually took place.
I use the simple yet effective conceptual tool of always treating the Bible as the authoritative resource with the secular facts as helpful or explanatory.
So, Why do you write historical fiction?
First, I write in this genre because it is exciting. So far, my primary area has been Biblical Historical fiction with an emphasis in Genesis. It is exciting to track down the facts and incorporate them into my novels.
Second, I write in this genre because I find it enlightening. Researching the Bible causes me to learn more about it and about the people and places mentioned therein.
Third, I write in this genre because it is the one area I can write where the facts are truly reliable! In a world where truth is often muddied, it is always refreshing to know there are some things that you can accept as absolute truth.
Fourth, I write in this genre because my faith grows. By this I mean that knowledge tends to increase one's faith as long as that knowledge is dependable. Many dependable facts are reported in the Bible and those facts build up my faith.
Secular fiction shares some of the same attributes such as exciting and enlightening. But secular history suffers from its inaccuracies. In some ways it is more challenging than Biblical history simply because you have to really dig to find the truth. In researching secular history the researcher always must remember that much of man's recorded history is shaped by political considerations, whereas Biblical history is shaped by God's agenda.
Both of these forms of Historical fiction demand much effort on my part. I find both to be exciting, challenging, and instructive.
Perhaps more important is the pleasure I derive when I have written a novel that others say brings history alive! To hear such comments truly makes me feel good. In the case of Biblical fiction I derive a sense of satisfaction when someone tells me that they had to read the Bible to see if what I said happened actually happened. And in the case of secular history, I like it when people discover historical facts they didn't know about (a distinct possibility considering today's politically correct history books).
R. Frederick Riddle
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