Jason Queen
asked
Donna Huber:
The genre I write within is historical fiction. I just finished my second novel which is the second in a series set in Virginia in the 1930's. How important do you think it is for historical fiction authors to be specific and accurate as to their setting? I struggle with that and created a fictional town as opposed to referencing the specific name and location of the town in Virginia my story is based on.
Donna Huber
It's fine that you have a fictional town but you need to be accurate in customs, any real people, technology, dialect, dress, etc. These small details are what will make your story come to life for the reader. There is room for some creative licensing but I recommend adding a note at the end to correct any inaccuracies that resulted in fitting the story to your timeline or due to lack of historical record. I recommend reading other books set during the time period that you are writing in to see how they incorporate the historical details. Check with your library for historical records - like old newspapers and personal archives - for the period and region you are writing about. If your local public library can't help you, check with your closest public university as many have resources that outside researchers can access. Historical fiction stories require a lot of research. If you don't want to do the work required for an accurate historical story, then consider writing historical fantasy where you can play with facts more.
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