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The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction: Researching and Writing Historical Fiction
Once Upon a Time, IT WAS NOW... While a historian stands firmly planted in the present and looks back into the past, a historical novelist has a more immediate to set readers in the midst of bygone events and lead them forward, allowing them to live and feel the wonderment, fear, hope, triumph, and pain as if they were there.In The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction, best-selling author James Alexander Thom (Follow the River, From Sea to Shining Sea, Sign-Talker) gives you the tools you need to research and create stories born from the past that will move and inspire modern readers. His comprehensive approach includes lessons on how and use historical archives and conduct physical field researchRe-construct the world of your novel, including people and voices, physical environments, and cultural contextAchieve verisimili
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2010
About the author
James Alexander Thom
25 books434 followersJames Alexander Thom (born 1933) is an American author, most famous for his works in the Western genre. Born in Gosport, Indiana, he graduated from Butler University and served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a former professor of journalism at Indiana University, and a contributor to the The Saturday Evening Post. His fifth wife, Dark Rain Thom was a member of the Shawnee United Remnant Band until its dissolution; the Thoms presently live in the "Indiana hill country" near Bloomington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 29, 2011
I enjoyed this book, but felt the author talked too much about his own historical writings. I also believe some of his research methods are outdated. He talks about using index cards for research and going to a library. Every bit of this can be done online and there are writing programs that function in the same way as index cards. He did have good advice about seeing history in a new way and not always believing the research you read.
All in all, somewhat helpful.
All in all, somewhat helpful.
February 21, 2024
Buku ini ditulis oleh James Alexander Thom (selanjutnya JAT), pengarang fiksi sejarah Amerika Serikat masa kolonial. Menurut halaman Wikipedia mengenainya, karya-karyanya terkenal karena "their historical accuracy borne of his painstaking research", yang kalau boleh saya terjemahkan secara bebas berarti "akurasi sejarah yang diperolehnya melalui riset yang cermat".
Dalam bukunya ini ia mengutarakan bahwa cara kerja penulis fiksi sejarah hampir-hampir seperti sejarawan. Fiksi pada dasarnya merupakan karya imajinatif, tapi label "sejarah" membuatnya memikul tanggung jawab agar tidak asal-asalan dalam menyajikan informasi kepada masyarakat pembaca. Dengan begitu penulis fiksi sejarah mengampu peran untuk mengedukasi masyarakat mengenai sejarah dengan cara yang menarik lagi menyenangkan. Fiksi sejarah dapat memantik minat pembaca terhadap sejarah agar mempelajarinya lebih lanjut. Karena itu, untuk menulis fiksi sejarah, di samping menguasai teknik-teknik penulisan fiksi, perlu juga mengetahui cara sejarah disusun.
Dalam penulisan sejarah itu sendiri mungkin saja ada yang diada-adakan. Betapapun sejarawan berusaha sedemikian rupa menyampaikan kenyataan, mungkin saja dipengaruhi oleh subjektivitas. Malah mungkin kita pernah mendengar bahwa sejarah ditulis oleh pemenang. Dalam kerjanya, sejarawan pun bukannya tidak membutuhkan imajinasi walau porsinya tak sebesar pengarang fiksi. Selain itu, interpretasi terhadap sejarah terus berubah dari masa ke masa, seiring dengan munculnya fakta-fakta baru. Baik sejarawan maupun penulis fiksi sejarah rentan berbuat kesalahan, misalnya karena berpegang pada data lama atau saklek dengan interpretasi tertentu. Mereka perlu bergaul dengan sesamanya, aktif mengikuti perkembangan informasi. Dalam hal ini, penulis fiksi sejarah yang serius, yang dalam risetnya bertindak tak ubahnya sejarawan, mungkin saja menemukan fakta-fakta yang disembunyikan, sehingga melalui karya fiksinya itu dapat menghadirkan kenyataan alternatif. Sekalipun karyanya itu "hanya fiksi", tetap dapat membantu pembaca untuk meluaskan sudut pandang.
Sejarawan tampak memegang tanggung jawab lebih besar dalam menghadirkan fakta, sedang penulis fiksi sejarah terselamatkan oleh label "fiksi". Walau begitu, ada saja sekalangan pembaca yang mengandalkan fiksi sejarah untuk memperoleh pengetahuan sejarah, menganggap apa pun yang diceritakan merupakan gambaran sesungguhnya akan kondisi hidup pada masa lampau sekalipun sudah jelas itu karya "fiksi". Penulis fiksi sejarah sebaiknya tidak bersikap arogan, kalau perlu memberikan peringatan mengenai bagian mana yang dapat dipercaya sebagai fakta sejarah dan mana yang karangan belaka. Jangan sampai karyanya menjadi bahan hoaks, menyebarkan fitnah mengenai tokoh faktual yang diangkatnya. Buku ini mengungkit cerita rakyat Indian Shwanee yang pesan moralnya mirip dengan ajaran agama Islam, bahwa fitnah itu lebih kejam daripada pembunuhan. Maka sesungguhnya penulis fiksi sejarah juga memiliki tanggung jawab moral.
Peran lain penulis fiksi sejarah adalah memahamkan pembaca akan konsekuensi-konsekuensi dari perbuatan manusia di masa lalu terhadap masa kini, sebagaimana dinyatakan JAT dalam bab empat belas, "By reading stories of the real past, they will come to understand more about how the modern world became what it is. That's important for anyone to know, because, as I said, we are living with consequences."
Kalau sejarawan menghadirkan sejarah untuk melihat ke masa lalu dengan cara pandang masa sekarang (looking back), penulis fiksi sejarah harus membawa pembaca seolah benar-benar berada di masa itu (living in the historical moment, looking forward; the past is the present, it's happening NOW.) Penulis fiksi sejarah juga ibarat pemandu wisata ke masa lalu, yang tugasnya mengakrabkan pembaca dengan suasana masa lalu yang sudah asing bagi orang masa sekarang; ada hal-hal yang dulu ada, sekarang tidak, dan sebaliknya.
Setiap detail harus diperhatikan dengan saksama, bukan hanya mengenai cara hidup melainkan juga sampai ke cara orang-orang dalam masa itu melihat dunia. Penulis fiksi sejarah harus bisa membedakan antara cara pandang masa kini dan cara pandang masa lalu. Terlebih pada masa lalu kebanyakan orang masih buta huruf, wawasannya lain dari sekarang ketika ilmu pengetahuan sudah jauh lebih berkembang dan informasi tersebar luas. Perlu diinsafi bahwa orang yang buta huruf tidak berarti lebih bodoh daripada yang melek huruf; mereka bisa saja lebih cerdas dalam hal lain, misal dalam intuisi, membaca tanda-tanda alam, dan seterusnya.
Karena prinsip akurasinya itu, JAT tak hendak melihat sejarah dalam kacamata romantis tapi realistis. Apa adanya. Sejarah tidaklah lebih indah daripada masa kini, bisa jadi lebih brutal--tidak politically correct tidak juga jatuh dalam selera pasar.
Ketika editor meminta JAT untuk menambahkan seks dalam naskahnya, padahal dalam sejarah yang ditulisnya itu bukanlah hal yang relevan (tidak sebagaimana media sekarang menseksualisasikan segala sesuatu), ia mengakali dengan menghadirkan imajinasi suami yang sedang dalam peperangan sehingga berjauhan dari istrinya.
Contoh lain, JAT mengkritisi sebuah novel berlatar Amerika Serikat abad 19 yang menampilkan adegan pemungutan suara, di mana di situ seorang budak kulit hitam serta seorang wanita Indian dapat mengajukan pendapat mereka--menunjukkan demokrasi. Padahal data sejarah yang ada tidak dapat diandalkan untuk mendukung adegan tersebut. Lagi pula, kaum Indian sudah demokratis sejak dahulu kala; yang tidak punya hak suara hanyalah wanita kulit putih.
Lahir pada 1933 (dan sudah meninggal dunia pada 2023, hanya kurang lebih 1-2 bulan sebelum saya memulai membaca bukunya ini), JAT adalah penulis senior yang tidak terbiasa menggunakan komputer. Malah di bagian akhir, terkesan ia rada sentimen dengan generasi kini yang terpaku pada layar ponsel dan renggang dengan sesamanya berikut teknologi komputer itu sendiri. Maka dalam pengalamannya selama berpuluh-puluh tahun sebagai penulis fiksi sejarah profesional, ia tidak mengandalkan internet tetapi menggunakan cara-cara manual seperti mengunjungi museum, perpustakaan, serta tempat-tempat berlangsungnya kejadian sejarah dalam karangannya, mendatangi keturunan tokoh sejarah yang ditulisnya serta bergaul dengan komunitas penggemar reka-ulang sejarah, membuat sistem pengelolaan data yang rapi dan dapat diandalkan bila sewaktu-waktu mati lampu, bahkan kalau perlu mempelajari keterampilan atau melakukan eksperimen sehubungan dengan tokoh atau adegan dalam cerita. Saking mendalamnya riset yang dilakukan, bisa-bisa ada pengalaman transedental; didatangi "hantu" orang yang hidup pada masa itu, misalnya. Karena terkondisikan dengan cara-cara lama itulah, JAT tidak menyarankan internet. Sekali lagi, penulis fiksi sejarah mesti bertindak tak ubahnya sejarawan yang perlu memverifikasi data sampai ke sumber asalnya.
Fiksi sejarah yang dimaksud dalam buku ini sebetulnya adalah yang mengangkat tokoh yang benar-benar ada, yang terdapat data-data bukti hidupnya. Fiksi itu dapat dibawakan melalui sudut pandang tokoh sejarah itu sendiri, ataupun tokoh fiktif tetapi masih berkaitan dengan tokoh yang benar-benar ada. Meskipun begitu, menurut hemat saya, sekalipun fiksi sejarah itu sekadar menggunakan latar masa lalu, sedang para tokoh semuanya fiktif, tetap ada baiknya perhatian terhadap detail semacam itu karena fungsi karya fiksi seyogianya dulce et utile, bukan hanya memberikan penghiburan melainkan juga pengetahuan, dalam hal ini pengetahuan mengenai kehidupan di masa lalu.
Selain mewanti-wanti soal akurasi, di belakang buku ini mengingatkan pada teknik-teknik menulis fiksi yang baik, selazimnya buku petunjuk menulis, misalnya agar menampilkan pembukaan yang memikat sampai akhir cerita, mengembangkan pancaindra, menggambarkan pengalaman traumatis sedetail mungkin, menghindari anakronisme, klise, deskripsi yang bertele-tele, serta dialog yang tidak alami. Bahkan, khusus fiksi sejarah, jangan masukkan detail yang walaupun dipahami pembaca sekarang tapi belum relevan pada masa lalu yang diceritakan.
Dalam bukunya ini ia mengutarakan bahwa cara kerja penulis fiksi sejarah hampir-hampir seperti sejarawan. Fiksi pada dasarnya merupakan karya imajinatif, tapi label "sejarah" membuatnya memikul tanggung jawab agar tidak asal-asalan dalam menyajikan informasi kepada masyarakat pembaca. Dengan begitu penulis fiksi sejarah mengampu peran untuk mengedukasi masyarakat mengenai sejarah dengan cara yang menarik lagi menyenangkan. Fiksi sejarah dapat memantik minat pembaca terhadap sejarah agar mempelajarinya lebih lanjut. Karena itu, untuk menulis fiksi sejarah, di samping menguasai teknik-teknik penulisan fiksi, perlu juga mengetahui cara sejarah disusun.
Dalam penulisan sejarah itu sendiri mungkin saja ada yang diada-adakan. Betapapun sejarawan berusaha sedemikian rupa menyampaikan kenyataan, mungkin saja dipengaruhi oleh subjektivitas. Malah mungkin kita pernah mendengar bahwa sejarah ditulis oleh pemenang. Dalam kerjanya, sejarawan pun bukannya tidak membutuhkan imajinasi walau porsinya tak sebesar pengarang fiksi. Selain itu, interpretasi terhadap sejarah terus berubah dari masa ke masa, seiring dengan munculnya fakta-fakta baru. Baik sejarawan maupun penulis fiksi sejarah rentan berbuat kesalahan, misalnya karena berpegang pada data lama atau saklek dengan interpretasi tertentu. Mereka perlu bergaul dengan sesamanya, aktif mengikuti perkembangan informasi. Dalam hal ini, penulis fiksi sejarah yang serius, yang dalam risetnya bertindak tak ubahnya sejarawan, mungkin saja menemukan fakta-fakta yang disembunyikan, sehingga melalui karya fiksinya itu dapat menghadirkan kenyataan alternatif. Sekalipun karyanya itu "hanya fiksi", tetap dapat membantu pembaca untuk meluaskan sudut pandang.
If you become a historical novelist, be as accurate as you can be, but don't declare to the world that you can't be doubted. ("Chapter Thirteen. HOW MUCH CREDIBILITY?")
Sejarawan tampak memegang tanggung jawab lebih besar dalam menghadirkan fakta, sedang penulis fiksi sejarah terselamatkan oleh label "fiksi". Walau begitu, ada saja sekalangan pembaca yang mengandalkan fiksi sejarah untuk memperoleh pengetahuan sejarah, menganggap apa pun yang diceritakan merupakan gambaran sesungguhnya akan kondisi hidup pada masa lampau sekalipun sudah jelas itu karya "fiksi". Penulis fiksi sejarah sebaiknya tidak bersikap arogan, kalau perlu memberikan peringatan mengenai bagian mana yang dapat dipercaya sebagai fakta sejarah dan mana yang karangan belaka. Jangan sampai karyanya menjadi bahan hoaks, menyebarkan fitnah mengenai tokoh faktual yang diangkatnya. Buku ini mengungkit cerita rakyat Indian Shwanee yang pesan moralnya mirip dengan ajaran agama Islam, bahwa fitnah itu lebih kejam daripada pembunuhan. Maka sesungguhnya penulis fiksi sejarah juga memiliki tanggung jawab moral.
Peran lain penulis fiksi sejarah adalah memahamkan pembaca akan konsekuensi-konsekuensi dari perbuatan manusia di masa lalu terhadap masa kini, sebagaimana dinyatakan JAT dalam bab empat belas, "By reading stories of the real past, they will come to understand more about how the modern world became what it is. That's important for anyone to know, because, as I said, we are living with consequences."
Kalau sejarawan menghadirkan sejarah untuk melihat ke masa lalu dengan cara pandang masa sekarang (looking back), penulis fiksi sejarah harus membawa pembaca seolah benar-benar berada di masa itu (living in the historical moment, looking forward; the past is the present, it's happening NOW.) Penulis fiksi sejarah juga ibarat pemandu wisata ke masa lalu, yang tugasnya mengakrabkan pembaca dengan suasana masa lalu yang sudah asing bagi orang masa sekarang; ada hal-hal yang dulu ada, sekarang tidak, dan sebaliknya.
Setiap detail harus diperhatikan dengan saksama, bukan hanya mengenai cara hidup melainkan juga sampai ke cara orang-orang dalam masa itu melihat dunia. Penulis fiksi sejarah harus bisa membedakan antara cara pandang masa kini dan cara pandang masa lalu. Terlebih pada masa lalu kebanyakan orang masih buta huruf, wawasannya lain dari sekarang ketika ilmu pengetahuan sudah jauh lebih berkembang dan informasi tersebar luas. Perlu diinsafi bahwa orang yang buta huruf tidak berarti lebih bodoh daripada yang melek huruf; mereka bisa saja lebih cerdas dalam hal lain, misal dalam intuisi, membaca tanda-tanda alam, dan seterusnya.
If you have enough information, everything will make sense. If it doesn't make sense, you need to keep digging. .... Everything you have learned in life can count as research material, if it's relevant to the story you're going to tell. .... You must resist the propensity to see history only as you want to see it, you must look for reality beyond what you were raised to believe. .... You must know much more than you write. ("Chapter Four. MODIFYING THE TRUTH")
Karena prinsip akurasinya itu, JAT tak hendak melihat sejarah dalam kacamata romantis tapi realistis. Apa adanya. Sejarah tidaklah lebih indah daripada masa kini, bisa jadi lebih brutal--tidak politically correct tidak juga jatuh dalam selera pasar.
Ketika editor meminta JAT untuk menambahkan seks dalam naskahnya, padahal dalam sejarah yang ditulisnya itu bukanlah hal yang relevan (tidak sebagaimana media sekarang menseksualisasikan segala sesuatu), ia mengakali dengan menghadirkan imajinasi suami yang sedang dalam peperangan sehingga berjauhan dari istrinya.
Contoh lain, JAT mengkritisi sebuah novel berlatar Amerika Serikat abad 19 yang menampilkan adegan pemungutan suara, di mana di situ seorang budak kulit hitam serta seorang wanita Indian dapat mengajukan pendapat mereka--menunjukkan demokrasi. Padahal data sejarah yang ada tidak dapat diandalkan untuk mendukung adegan tersebut. Lagi pula, kaum Indian sudah demokratis sejak dahulu kala; yang tidak punya hak suara hanyalah wanita kulit putih.
If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism. If you steal from many, it's research. (Wilson Mizner dalam "Chapter Five. SEARCHING AND RESEARCHING")
Lahir pada 1933 (dan sudah meninggal dunia pada 2023, hanya kurang lebih 1-2 bulan sebelum saya memulai membaca bukunya ini), JAT adalah penulis senior yang tidak terbiasa menggunakan komputer. Malah di bagian akhir, terkesan ia rada sentimen dengan generasi kini yang terpaku pada layar ponsel dan renggang dengan sesamanya berikut teknologi komputer itu sendiri. Maka dalam pengalamannya selama berpuluh-puluh tahun sebagai penulis fiksi sejarah profesional, ia tidak mengandalkan internet tetapi menggunakan cara-cara manual seperti mengunjungi museum, perpustakaan, serta tempat-tempat berlangsungnya kejadian sejarah dalam karangannya, mendatangi keturunan tokoh sejarah yang ditulisnya serta bergaul dengan komunitas penggemar reka-ulang sejarah, membuat sistem pengelolaan data yang rapi dan dapat diandalkan bila sewaktu-waktu mati lampu, bahkan kalau perlu mempelajari keterampilan atau melakukan eksperimen sehubungan dengan tokoh atau adegan dalam cerita. Saking mendalamnya riset yang dilakukan, bisa-bisa ada pengalaman transedental; didatangi "hantu" orang yang hidup pada masa itu, misalnya. Karena terkondisikan dengan cara-cara lama itulah, JAT tidak menyarankan internet. Sekali lagi, penulis fiksi sejarah mesti bertindak tak ubahnya sejarawan yang perlu memverifikasi data sampai ke sumber asalnya.
Fiksi sejarah yang dimaksud dalam buku ini sebetulnya adalah yang mengangkat tokoh yang benar-benar ada, yang terdapat data-data bukti hidupnya. Fiksi itu dapat dibawakan melalui sudut pandang tokoh sejarah itu sendiri, ataupun tokoh fiktif tetapi masih berkaitan dengan tokoh yang benar-benar ada. Meskipun begitu, menurut hemat saya, sekalipun fiksi sejarah itu sekadar menggunakan latar masa lalu, sedang para tokoh semuanya fiktif, tetap ada baiknya perhatian terhadap detail semacam itu karena fungsi karya fiksi seyogianya dulce et utile, bukan hanya memberikan penghiburan melainkan juga pengetahuan, dalam hal ini pengetahuan mengenai kehidupan di masa lalu.
Selain mewanti-wanti soal akurasi, di belakang buku ini mengingatkan pada teknik-teknik menulis fiksi yang baik, selazimnya buku petunjuk menulis, misalnya agar menampilkan pembukaan yang memikat sampai akhir cerita, mengembangkan pancaindra, menggambarkan pengalaman traumatis sedetail mungkin, menghindari anakronisme, klise, deskripsi yang bertele-tele, serta dialog yang tidak alami. Bahkan, khusus fiksi sejarah, jangan masukkan detail yang walaupun dipahami pembaca sekarang tapi belum relevan pada masa lalu yang diceritakan.
August 18, 2013
There were many things I liked about this book, but a couple of things that weren't great. First off, I love that he wrote this because there is barely anything like it out there. Also, this man seems to be a genius at research and it showed. He gave great tips for it. On the other hand, he spoke about himself and his own interests too much. That's perfect for a different kind of book, but not for guidebooks like this. Thom writes American historical fiction. Great for him. But he needed to also write for people who want to write about 1920s France or Ancient Rome or the Vietnam War or Tudor England. Also, while he gave a huge wealth of tips for research, he needed to give better advice on actually writing. He said, description is very important, but didn't give many tips on how to do that, at least, not nearly as many as he did with research. So my advice is: go to this book when you're about to enter the research phase of your novel. But turn to a more general novel writing book when trying to actually write it.
March 21, 2013
I've been working on a novel off and on for over two years. Every time I think I'm ready to finally write it, I realize I have gaping holes in my research, and with the research comes new plots and the need for more research. I thought I was doing something wrong and wanted some tips on how to write it, and I got them. While Thom focuses primarily on American history and I am looking at the near East, I was still able to extract the information I needed to move confidently forward, knowing I'm on the right track.
September 16, 2017
My initial view of the book was rather unfavourable. The initial chapters seemed light on practical advice and heavy on anecdotes and memories of the author. Because his focus is on American history, I found the first few chapters a little bit light on practical advice and a bit heavy on points that do not apply to my own research.
Moreover, the book is now quite dated. This is apparent in two main aspects. The author and the contemporaries he interviewed (at the time of writing) could not have foreseen the immense repository of knowledge and content that the internet would become. They cannot be expected to have anticipated that in time, crowd-sourced transcription projects and the determined digitisation of private and publicly held collections of documents would allow so many people access to content that they might never have imagined. The second aspect is that the field of microhistory has evolved tremendously in the last decade. What the author affectionately refers to as "buffs" have now morphed into writers of wonderful microhistories that delve into a once unimaginable depth of detail about aspects of history.
All that being said, by the end, I found I'd quite enjoyed the books and it has given me much to consider as I deepen my own research and writing so I'm very glad I read it and thank the author for writing it! Now I'm going to go read his other books!
Moreover, the book is now quite dated. This is apparent in two main aspects. The author and the contemporaries he interviewed (at the time of writing) could not have foreseen the immense repository of knowledge and content that the internet would become. They cannot be expected to have anticipated that in time, crowd-sourced transcription projects and the determined digitisation of private and publicly held collections of documents would allow so many people access to content that they might never have imagined. The second aspect is that the field of microhistory has evolved tremendously in the last decade. What the author affectionately refers to as "buffs" have now morphed into writers of wonderful microhistories that delve into a once unimaginable depth of detail about aspects of history.
All that being said, by the end, I found I'd quite enjoyed the books and it has given me much to consider as I deepen my own research and writing so I'm very glad I read it and thank the author for writing it! Now I'm going to go read his other books!
July 16, 2018
Good, comprehensive look at the responsibility historic novelists have to history as a whole, and the individuals who have lived in it, live in it now, and will live in it. Sometimes rambling in style, but always to illustrate a point, this book is helpful for instilling in writers the importance of good research.
December 12, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much. It gave some good advise on how to approach writing historical fiction and provided a lot of food for thought. I had many questions about the genre and this book answered a lot. The examples were helpful and I appreciated the author’s perspective from his own experience.
October 10, 2022
2.5, meh! Just a bunch of anecdotes and a little about research. Should be titled The Art and Craft of Writing *American* Historical Fiction. 1/3 about Lewis and Clark. Probably a very good book if you want to write books that happen solely on American soil before the 1900s
June 23, 2017
Learn from a master! Excellent reference book for those interested in writing historical fiction!
August 13, 2021
DNF
Maybe helpful for one who hasn't done any historical writing at all. Maybe. I didn't take away much new information, and I found the tone to be a bit folksy for my liking.
Maybe helpful for one who hasn't done any historical writing at all. Maybe. I didn't take away much new information, and I found the tone to be a bit folksy for my liking.
August 26, 2021
Enlightening—but more importantly, entertaining to the last word. This fellow's a good writer and he knows it damn well. There's a gruff, good-humoured cockiness to the thing that I love.
January 4, 2022
A useful reference tool.
August 8, 2022
*3.5
Very helpful and informative, but the author’s tone got on my nerves and it felt like most of his advice was centered around a very very specific type of historical novel.
Very helpful and informative, but the author’s tone got on my nerves and it felt like most of his advice was centered around a very very specific type of historical novel.
December 12, 2023
[2.5]
March 19, 2019
Outdated and America-centric, but it can't be helped considering the background of the author. If you have done any sort of academic research before, I wouldn't recommend this book. If you're looking for writing 101, look elsewhere. The author has limited pages on writing itself and spends a lot of time on historical accuracy.
I do appreciate his excruciating research in writing his books, however, and I'll definitely check one out in the future. The part about genealogy was intriguing as well, which reminds me of the investigative methods used in Evil Has A Name: The Untold Story of the Golden State Killer Investigation. Worth checking out. 3/5.
I do appreciate his excruciating research in writing his books, however, and I'll definitely check one out in the future. The part about genealogy was intriguing as well, which reminds me of the investigative methods used in Evil Has A Name: The Untold Story of the Golden State Killer Investigation. Worth checking out. 3/5.
May 19, 2013
Most writing books I've read can sit comfortably on a scale with Technical on one side and Inspirational on the other. James Thom's The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction definitely leans toward the latter, and that's not necessarily a bad thing if you know what you're getting into. There are plenty of excellent craft books out there that will serve you better on the technical aspects (Dwight V. Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer comes to mind).
The primary message in Thom's book is that you're not ready to write historical fiction until you can be there. Thom's examples are largely based on the American frontier, because that's what he writes about, but the idea of truly knowing the language, sights, sounds, smells and behaviors of times past apply to anything we generally call historical.
Now, I love reading historical fiction and I wouldn't be surprised if I decided to write a book someday in the classical manner, taking fact checking and verisimilitude (a word Thom mentions often) to the nth degree. But for my current project, I'm not looking to focus on specific recorded events or people, but more in a grander sense. What's to be found here for those of us who want to base our story in a certain time and place but not be beholden to utter historical truth?
Thom answers this in a small aside, pointing out the differences between a scholarly piece and so-called "bodice rippers", or "factless fiction". He takes the high road and doesn't look down on those that prefer to write the latter. In fact, he says that those types of books are often the gateway to "the hardcore stuff" (my words, not his). So long as the writer is honest about his intentions, there is no issue here.
The wonderful thing about this book is that many of the pieces of advice Thom hands out can aid both types of writers. We can pick and choose our levels of accuracy to sustain our story and reach our target audience.
Concerning research methods, as noted by other reviewers, Thom does show a bias against abusing the computer. I think it's a good admonishment. The Internet has been an amazing addition to the writer's toolbox and should never be dismissed.
The problem occurs when we stop there.
There's usually a lot more depth to be found in books and actual site visits. It's easy to read someone else's description of a California Sequoia or even see a photograph, but as the special individual you are, you can experience its majesty in your own way and apply that experience in your own voice. You may not even find such a tree majestic at all, but I can guarantee that standing next to one is an unparalleled experience.
Overall, Thom's book was well written and his thoughts have certainly enticed me to pick up some of his fiction.
The primary message in Thom's book is that you're not ready to write historical fiction until you can be there. Thom's examples are largely based on the American frontier, because that's what he writes about, but the idea of truly knowing the language, sights, sounds, smells and behaviors of times past apply to anything we generally call historical.
Now, I love reading historical fiction and I wouldn't be surprised if I decided to write a book someday in the classical manner, taking fact checking and verisimilitude (a word Thom mentions often) to the nth degree. But for my current project, I'm not looking to focus on specific recorded events or people, but more in a grander sense. What's to be found here for those of us who want to base our story in a certain time and place but not be beholden to utter historical truth?
Thom answers this in a small aside, pointing out the differences between a scholarly piece and so-called "bodice rippers", or "factless fiction". He takes the high road and doesn't look down on those that prefer to write the latter. In fact, he says that those types of books are often the gateway to "the hardcore stuff" (my words, not his). So long as the writer is honest about his intentions, there is no issue here.
The wonderful thing about this book is that many of the pieces of advice Thom hands out can aid both types of writers. We can pick and choose our levels of accuracy to sustain our story and reach our target audience.
Concerning research methods, as noted by other reviewers, Thom does show a bias against abusing the computer. I think it's a good admonishment. The Internet has been an amazing addition to the writer's toolbox and should never be dismissed.
The problem occurs when we stop there.
There's usually a lot more depth to be found in books and actual site visits. It's easy to read someone else's description of a California Sequoia or even see a photograph, but as the special individual you are, you can experience its majesty in your own way and apply that experience in your own voice. You may not even find such a tree majestic at all, but I can guarantee that standing next to one is an unparalleled experience.
Overall, Thom's book was well written and his thoughts have certainly enticed me to pick up some of his fiction.
February 14, 2014
Well, to close off History Month here on The Mad Reviewer, I decided to review this non-fiction book on how to write historical fiction. Because why not? I picked this book up on speculation because I’m an amateur writer in my free time and I love to write historical fiction (which ends up being utter crap). So now I can review it from a reviewer’s and a writer’s perspective.
James Alexander Thom is a man that doesn’t fool around when he writes; he never sugarcoats the truth. The truth is, you will have to do you research on somewhere besides the internet, you likely will have to talk to experts and your journey to writing your novel will be a long one that isn’t always rewarding. To help readers understand what writing in the past is like, he uses a wonderful ‘river of time’ analogy that is surprisingly helpful. He gives practical advice on how to find good sources, dialogue (which always seems to be a problem in historical fiction), setting and historical accuracy. In my opinion, he gets a bit too high-and-mighty when it comes to historical accuracy, but that’s to be expected when you’ve been writing historical fiction as long as he has.
The best part of The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction is the real-world examples of the lessons he’s trying to teach prospective writers. One of the best examples he gives is when his wife was writing about her girlhood hero and got frustrated halfway through the research because she wasn’t the perfect hero she thought she would be. But when she researched more, she realized that the woman was flawed, imperfect, but tried to make the best of her situation and do what was right for her people.
That brings up an important point: historical figures likely are not who you thought they were once you start conducting research. For example, when I wrote a short story about Cleopatra, I did a lot of research. At first I despised her for being so stupid as to lose Egypt to the Romans, but when you look at her whole situation, it was amazing she held on as long as she did. That’s why James Alexander Thom emphasizes the importance of research both online and offline.
This is probably the best book I’ve read on writing historical fiction. I’d highly recommend it.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
James Alexander Thom is a man that doesn’t fool around when he writes; he never sugarcoats the truth. The truth is, you will have to do you research on somewhere besides the internet, you likely will have to talk to experts and your journey to writing your novel will be a long one that isn’t always rewarding. To help readers understand what writing in the past is like, he uses a wonderful ‘river of time’ analogy that is surprisingly helpful. He gives practical advice on how to find good sources, dialogue (which always seems to be a problem in historical fiction), setting and historical accuracy. In my opinion, he gets a bit too high-and-mighty when it comes to historical accuracy, but that’s to be expected when you’ve been writing historical fiction as long as he has.
The best part of The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction is the real-world examples of the lessons he’s trying to teach prospective writers. One of the best examples he gives is when his wife was writing about her girlhood hero and got frustrated halfway through the research because she wasn’t the perfect hero she thought she would be. But when she researched more, she realized that the woman was flawed, imperfect, but tried to make the best of her situation and do what was right for her people.
That brings up an important point: historical figures likely are not who you thought they were once you start conducting research. For example, when I wrote a short story about Cleopatra, I did a lot of research. At first I despised her for being so stupid as to lose Egypt to the Romans, but when you look at her whole situation, it was amazing she held on as long as she did. That’s why James Alexander Thom emphasizes the importance of research both online and offline.
This is probably the best book I’ve read on writing historical fiction. I’d highly recommend it.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
March 14, 2013
I'm all over the place with my reading. Usually I have a books in about every room, all in some state of incompletion. One book I finished recently The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction by James Alexander Thom, who has good insite into writing about the genre. But I was a little put off by some of his chapters. Especially the one dealing with credibility.
Thom states that many scholars of non-fiction snub their noses at historical fiction. While he gives the merits of both, he has an entire section degrating what he calls 'costume porn'.
Novels are supposed to trasnsport the reader to another time and place. It's entertainment. And whether you dislike the genre or not, it sells--and sells well. Walk into a big chain book store and you can see it for yourself. Or second-hand book stores have shelves and shelves of romantic fiction. The first historical fiction book I can remember reading was in fact a historical romance by Catherine Hart. I still have this book. More for sentimental reasons than anything. I tried reading it again a couple of years ago and cringed at the wooden dialogue and obvious anachronisms. I know there are plenty of great historical romance novels out here. Many writers in a historical critique forum I belong to, write great historical romance. But if it wasn't for the forum, I wouldn't read this fiction. My palate has changed over the years. Now require something with a bit more substance.
Thom states that many scholars of non-fiction snub their noses at historical fiction. While he gives the merits of both, he has an entire section degrating what he calls 'costume porn'.
Novels are supposed to trasnsport the reader to another time and place. It's entertainment. And whether you dislike the genre or not, it sells--and sells well. Walk into a big chain book store and you can see it for yourself. Or second-hand book stores have shelves and shelves of romantic fiction. The first historical fiction book I can remember reading was in fact a historical romance by Catherine Hart. I still have this book. More for sentimental reasons than anything. I tried reading it again a couple of years ago and cringed at the wooden dialogue and obvious anachronisms. I know there are plenty of great historical romance novels out here. Many writers in a historical critique forum I belong to, write great historical romance. But if it wasn't for the forum, I wouldn't read this fiction. My palate has changed over the years. Now require something with a bit more substance.
April 2, 2013
Surprised at how poor this "millions of books sold" author is with transitions. Many of his sections end mid thought.
Also I am offended by his wife's unintroduced, uncredited chapter on genealogy. Why would you leave a reader suddenly questioning why you said "my husband". My grandmother is Cherokee so I'm very familiar with Native American research. (Yes actually documented.) This lady comes across as a bitter, know-it-all. Much better ways to educate people than to call your readers stupid.
The book wasn't a total loss. The first three chapters are very repetitive. I think this would have been more honestly described as a memoir. There are better books on historical writing (and much, much, much better books on Native American genealogy and research).
Also I am offended by his wife's unintroduced, uncredited chapter on genealogy. Why would you leave a reader suddenly questioning why you said "my husband". My grandmother is Cherokee so I'm very familiar with Native American research. (Yes actually documented.) This lady comes across as a bitter, know-it-all. Much better ways to educate people than to call your readers stupid.
The book wasn't a total loss. The first three chapters are very repetitive. I think this would have been more honestly described as a memoir. There are better books on historical writing (and much, much, much better books on Native American genealogy and research).
August 28, 2010
This book had some very good advice regarding writing in general, and some tips on writing historical fiction. Its major drawback was that it was very focused on specifically writing American historical fiction, which made several chapters completely irrelevant to anyone not writing historical fiction set in America. The author was also very Internet unfriendly. Yes, the Internet may not be the most credible source of information, but to almost completely disregard it was, in my opinion, another major drawback.
Regarding the format of the book - PDF - Writer's Digest Books really need to start publishing their e-books using formats that are more e-reader friendly.
Regarding the format of the book - PDF - Writer's Digest Books really need to start publishing their e-books using formats that are more e-reader friendly.
December 20, 2011
This is a fine book, but is serves more as the biography of an author of historical fiction than what I was looking for, which is a tool to help me become an author of historical fiction.
Really, the only useful chapter was Chapter 11 - Songs, Smells and Sensations. This held real advice. The rest of the book is his musings.
This is not to say it is a bad book, it just isn't what I'm looking for.
Really, the only useful chapter was Chapter 11 - Songs, Smells and Sensations. This held real advice. The rest of the book is his musings.
This is not to say it is a bad book, it just isn't what I'm looking for.
August 3, 2013
If you are interested in writing historical fiction in 18th and 19th century America, this book may provide some help for you. However, Persia Wooley's book on writing historical fiction was more thorough and helpful re: the details of writing any kind of historical fiction.
This author spends a lot of time discussing the books he has written and the books other writers that he knows have written. Not particularly helpful. I really learned nothing new from this.
This author spends a lot of time discussing the books he has written and the books other writers that he knows have written. Not particularly helpful. I really learned nothing new from this.
September 10, 2011
Any researcher worth their salt knows the tips and tricks that Thom and his wife discuss. Hopefully a writer is a bit of a researcher - even if they're making up a world out of whole cloth, they are still "researching" that world. If you've done any research on your own on any topic, you don't need this book.
March 9, 2012
I did not enjoy this book--the author's voice did not draw me into it. In fact, the way he kept referring to himself and his writing really turned me off of this book. I do not mind at all when writer's talk about their work--that's the whole purpose of reading a book where they are trying to teach you the craft of writing. I guess I just don't like this author.
May 7, 2010
Excellent insight into what all is involved in writing a historical novel. While it touches some on style, the main focus is content and driving home the idea that the story must draw the reader in with verisimilitude. To use a cliche, the devil's in the details for Thom.
Read
July 30, 2012In some ways, this was a very good overview of writing historical fiction. Thom is a seasoned pro, and he has many helpful insights into writing. The book is peppered with amusing and interesting anecdotes from his writing career.
not-read
November 1, 2010Interview With Speer Morgan
January 25, 2011
A friend gave me this book, and while it contained nothing new or eye-opening, Thom's stories of his own writing were interesting and fun.
February 13, 2011
This is a good book for beginner researchers in historical fiction, and for anyone who enjoys anecdotes about a writer's life and adventures in writing.
March 4, 2012
Very good book providing insight into the methods and practices of a superb "historical fiction" author.
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