Okay, so this is my final handy writing tip for anyone interested in this wide-ranging genre. The last post was about reading an eclectic range of books set in the past; in this post I will go further and suggest that you can also import ideas and tropes freely from thrillers, crime novels, sci fi, fantasy, ghost stories, romantic fiction, life writing, travel books, graphic novels and literary fiction. It's also useful to stockpile ideas and inspirations from other art forms - films, visual art, music. You may want to write a book set in the past, but that doesn't limit your creative research (as opposed to your factual research).
Richard Lee, founder and chairman of the Historical Novels Society, suggests that it is not accurate to talk about historical fiction as a genre at all. He says: 'The first self-evident point to make is that historical novels are not a genre. ‘Crime’ is a genre, ‘romance’ is a genre, ‘literary’ is a genre. Historical novels can be any of these. The defining characteristic of historical fiction is merely that it is set in the past.'
This is a useful and freeing way to approach historical fiction. And feeding your writing habit with your knowledge and passion for writing in all genres makes sense if you want to write a historical novel that is fresh and original. (If this sounds counter intuitive, it isn't. The more you read, the more ideas you will have, and the more bizarre and brilliant juxtapositions you can make. Fact.)
You don't have to write a zombie mash-up, or fan fiction, or an overtly genre-busting novel. The sky is the limit, and you can write any kind of book you like. Writing historical fiction isn't synonymous with writing escapist costume dramas. There is no need to constrain your imagination, your language or your originality. As long as your story takes place more than sixty years ago, and as long as the thought of it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you can go anywhere you like.
Good luck!
