I’ve come across some gems that I may not have found on my own. I always follow footnotes to the end bibliography in search of more to read, especially published primary sources. They can also point us in the direction of other resources. They can help us plan our novels from the onset, letting us wade through much history in order to zero in on the few essential tidbits. General history books are excellent starting points. Rather the creativity is called upon when doing research. Not for fabricating a layer of history (though, of course, some fabrication does occur), as canny historical fiction readers often will not allow anything less than accurate. Here’s where fiction writers again draw on their creativity. I’d been to Edinburgh and Scotland, but not to the past. I’d been to both places, but not sixty years ago or ninety years ago. I didn’t know the anticipation of waiting for the Skye ferry, before the bridge was up. But I didn’t know how it felt to navigate the streets of Edinburgh during WWII blackouts or wait in the queues to buy rationed groceries. I climbed high and felt the winds coming off the sea across my face. I walked the contours of the green hills and shingle beaches. I drove north, across the bridge, and visited the Isle of Skye. I knew how the streets ran through the city, how the cobbles felt after a rainstorm, how the parks smelled in the springtime.
While writing Letters from Skye, I lived in Edinburgh. Like artists, we paint an overlay of history on a place, so vivid that a reader can imagine the scenes as we do. Even if we are familiar with our setting, we have to add to it. Historical novelists especially must draw on their imagination. With nothing but words, we create characters, situations, dialogue, sometimes whole worlds.
Writers of fiction must, of necessity, be creative. Here’s Jessica talking about some of the more unique aspects of researching history for the novels she writes. I’ve connected with Jessica many times on Facebook but it was when I read her novel Letters From Skye, that I really came to appreciate her wonderful writing style and story telling skills. I’m delighted to have Jessica Brockmole on the blog today.
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