Writing Historical Fiction

Think about a time in the past that interests you.  It could be Ancient Rome, Feudal Japan, Colonial America, The Aztec Empire, Medieval Scotland, World War I France, World War II Poland, the Civil Rights Era in the United States, the Civil War, etc.

Now, you are entering a time machine to go there and witness history. Close your eyes. Step into the time machine and listen to the machine's whirring hum as you are transported through space and time, back, back, to the most fascinating place you can imagine! This place and time has intrigued you...and there you are! You climb carefully out of the time machine. You look around. Whom and what do you see? What do you hear? What are people doing? What confuses you about your new surroundings? Remember as many details as you can, so that you can share your observations in a story about that time in history.

• Characters:All characters must behave in realistic ways.
• Problem:The characters are involved in a dilemma that is realistic for that period.
• Description:Places and events are vividly described.
• Setting:The setting is a definite time in history and a very real place.
• Plot:Real events are mixed with fictional happenings. The plot makes sense and ends with a logical solution.
• Dialogue:The characters' words reflect what people knew and thought about in those times.

Could you write a story about trying to change history?  A story about what it's like to be a child living during that time?  An alternative history where something changes the outcome [good or bad] such as Abraham Lincoln being saved, the South inventing better weapons to win the war, Germany developing the bomb first, etc.?  Maybe it's a love story or a drama about someone losing a family member?

Be creative and start with some brainstorming.

Then move on to coming up with a "story arc" if possible:

Another way of looking at it:

A common theme in science fiction or fantasy is revisiting the Holocaust, finding ways to go through time and kill Adolf Hitler, or showing what made Hitler become the villain he was.  Here are some interesting takes on that theme for you to watch in your own time.

One interesting article explains why you can't go back in time and kill Hitler: http://io9.com/why-you-can-t-travel-back-in-time-and-kill-hitler-1267520777

Another article is called, "Time Travellers: Please Don't Kill Hitler" and it makes some interesting points: http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/feb/21/time-travellers-kill-adolf-hitler

Twilight Zone
:more to come: