As writers of historical fiction, there’s a lot of things I can’t just make up. I mean, there’s the big research: What happened in this historical event? Who was there? What were the consequences? But then there’s the intermediate stuff: How would someone insult someone else in this period? What was popular in art & music at this time? What were the laws around property? What was taboo? But then we get down to the minutia. The little stuff. You know? Clothes, guns, horses & swords.
It can be hard to get that stuff right. Especially if you think you know your stuff and you find out you don’t. What do I mean?
- Calling an early 17th century firearm a breech-loading flintlock when those things don’t get popular until the middle of the century.
- Calling a French Knight’s horse an Arabian, when it would probably be a draught horse.
- Calling a French Crusader’s sword a saber, when it was probably a bastard sword.
- Calling an antebellum woman’s bodice French cut, when they went out of style in the 16th century.
So what’s a writer of historical fiction to do?
Below is a list of freeish resources you can try before you spend hours and C-Notes on Amazon. I call them freeish because all four of these areas can lead you to buying a lot of books online. I’ve even included Problems and Pluses so you can evaluate which sources will be a better starting fit for you.
WARNING: These are beginning resources! As you jaunt into the rabbit hole of research for your novel of historical fiction, you may need to get more information than these sources will provide. It may entail an afternoon on Amazon ordering books, a trip to a museum in a far-away city, or even ordering college level texts from your local college book store.
1) Wikipedia. The first thing I would do is go to Wikipedia. Wikipedia gets a bad rep as being inaccurate, but that just isn’t true. Especially when you’re dealing with non-controversial topics like the Battle of Lepanto or the Siege of Malta. They have perfectly scholarly articles on everything from grain cultivation to the evolution of swords.
Problem: You do have to be pretty clear about what you’re searching for. If you don’t know a term, like Falchion Sword, it’s going to be a long day.
Pluses: Every article does have a bibliography, which allows you to do more research. Oh, and it is free.
2) YouTube. I have replaced head lights, cooked middle-east food, installed a medicine cabinet and formatted my novel in MS Word, just by watching YouTube videos. YouTube can be a valuable resource. And if you’re visual, like I am, the medium of video will help you learn. You can watch men fight with broad swords, load and fire a cannon, learn the steps of a Victorian Square Dance, and much more!
Problem: Occasionally, you will find a YouTube Channel where someone has some kind of agenda and will skew the evidence accordingly. Watch out for these! Check to see how many subscribers they have; the more the better. Check out companion pages – those might be more mainstream. While the search engine is a tad better than Wikipedia’s, it is so easy to get mired in the weeds of YouTube. If you’re not careful, you can waist dozens of hours just watching cat videos. Beware!
Pluses: There are some truly academic YouTube Channels like the British Museum and This Day in Tudor History. Find them, watch them, and take good notes! Oh yeah, it’s also free!
3) University and Public libraries. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where a large university exists, or a large public library, you can take advantage of their collections. Librarians are trained to help you figure out exactly what you need. They will hold your hand and help you in your search. In addition, there is inter-library loan. If the book you’re looking for isn’t at your library, they will be happy to ask for it from another library.
Problems: Parking can be a mess. You can end of spending the entire day and not find anything satisfying. If you live near a university library but you’re not an alumni, it might get a little tricky trying to get a membership card. (Every university library is different.) Also, remember to renew on time and return on time, or else those fines can get steep.
Pluses: Not only are the chances of finding the perfect resource more possible here, the chances of you finding other resources for your research are raised considerably. There’s also microfiche, old periodicals, journals and other cool stuff! Libraries are fun! The librarians are super helpful And oh, it’s free!
4) College Professor. Getting hold of a college professor who’s an expert in a field where you have questions can be a gold mine! Like the librarian, a college professor can really pinpoint the information you want and need for your story.
Problems: It can be hard to find such a professor and it can also be hard to get them to reply. Please understand, it’s not that they would avoid you, but professors can be busy. Also, perhaps an email isn’t enough? That would mean going to his or her office hours, finding parking, finding their office, and taking notes. Lots of notes. You might leave with a dizzying bibliography. If that doesn’t sound like a problem, then don’t worry about it.
Pluses: If you find the right professor, you could create a life-long resource, a beta-reader, and a friend for life. At the very least, they will be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to the latest research on your topic.
I hope these resources inspire you to write great historical fiction. Happy writing!