Ground Research for Historical Fiction Writers

A few weeks ago, I took myself off for a few days on a kind of working holiday, to visit an area that I’m currently writing about in my next novel and do some ‘ground’ research.

All writers have to do research, but it’s particularly important for writers of historical fiction in order to make sure you’re getting the details right, as far as you can.  So, obviously most research is based in books, primary sources and articles, whether it’s concerning the social issues and concerns of the period you’re writing about, or the costumes, or what they ate and how they earned their living, and so on.  However, I do think it’s also essential to have some experience and knowledge of an area you’re writing about, even if it is just for one chapter.  The period I’m writing about for this chapter of the novel is set so many, many years ago, that the place would probably be unrecognisable to my historical characters if they visited today.  So, what is the point in visiting that area in this case?

My books tend to dip in and out of history, with a contemporary main story, interspersed with historical chapters that have some sort of link with the main story.  Without wanting to give away too many spoilers, this particular chapter in the novel is set in pre-historic times, so you can see the problem.  It is always difficult to see beyond the buildings, the roads, car parks, landscaped land to how a place might have been.  And I also know that the natural features would also have changed a lot since the time I am writing about.

So, was there any benefit to my visit?  Well, yes, for several reasons.  One – there is a modern section where my main character also visits that area, so of course, it was good to get a knowledge of the modern town, features and layout so that I can write that part with authority.  But what about the pre-history?

I got a very strong feeling of place for the opening scene of this chapter

At one point, trying to get away from the more modern and civilized world, and using Google maps as my guide, I drove down a single track lane, which took me through a hilly, wooded area where I could get glimpses of the river down below.  I got out of the car at one point and took the above photograph.  The whole area felt very old, despite the spattering here and there of some very high-end, modern houses set back from the lane.  Although it was very likely that the river would have been wider, the trees different, and perhaps even the hillside would have been shallower, I got a very strong feeling of place for the opening scene of this chapter, as the girl in this chapter walks through the trees, and down towards the river.

It may only contribute to a short passage of description, but just that little bit of experience, of knowledge, a sense of how the sun glances through the trees just there, the view down the hill – all those things can really enrich one’s writing to give a sense of place for the reader, in a way that is not possible when you just try to imagine it, or look at photos on the internet.

And, as well as all that, it’s very nice to have an excuse to get out somewhere – have a day, or a few days out, and have a bit of a break at the same time.  One of the little bonuses of writing – it’s not all spent hunched over a computer!