Hattie asked Melanie Dickerson:

Hi Ms. Dickerson, I'm working on a historical novel and I'm curious--at what point do you stop trying for 100% historical accuracy and allow yourself to take liberties with the historical time period? My book is set in the late Victorian era, and I'm struggling to decide whether to change certain plot points' details to fit the time period or to give in and change history to allow for the plot. Thank you, Harriet

Melanie Dickerson Hi, Hattie/Harriet! It depends on what kind of liberties you are talking about. You wouldn't want to have Queen Victoria die on any other date besides the one she died on, but you could always have a fictional town or street where things happen that weren't recorded in history. If it's a minor point in history, you might consider disregarding it for the sake of the story, but I'd be wary of changing history to allow for your plot. It's better to examine history and make your story fit into it.
I wish you well! And I hope you can figure out this dilemma. Oftentimes the simplest solution is the best.

flag