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Plotting Historical Fiction: 6 Steps for Crafting an Engaging Story Set in the Past
Plotting Historical Fiction
Plotting is very important in fiction. Got it? Cool, I'm outta here.
Oh, that’s not good enough?
Fine.
Historical fiction is no different than any other genre in this respect. Though, it can be a little more complicated.
Crafting a historical novel requires that you navigate the delicate intersection of history and imagination. If you're a writer who wants to breathe life into bygone eras, then you have a lot of work in front of you.
That is, developing a compelling narrative that remains faithful to historical truths.
And that is no small feat. You have to walk the line between honoring the past and entertaining modern readers.
Historical fiction is a genre that hinges on authenticity. Readers aren't looking only for entertainment but also for an experience that transports them into the past. And sometimes they are even looking to be educated.
The authenticity you put into historical details will become a bridge that connects our modern readers to your characters.
Related Post >>> Historical Accuracy: How to Write Historical Fiction with Unparalleled Authenticity
Yet, while historical accuracy is important, it can't overshadow the story's plot. Readers read books to be gripped by the struggles and triumphs of characters that resonate with their humanity, if they wanted only a history lesson they would pick up a textbook.
A compelling plot is the backbone of any successful novel, historical fiction or otherwise.
Today, we're going to dive deep into plotting a historical fiction novel and what that entails. I'll provide you with actionable steps to create a story that seamlessly merges historical accuracy with engaging storytelling.
We are going to explore the nuances of choosing the right historical setting, identifying key historical events, establishing a central conflict, and developing multi-dimensional characters within the context.
We will also review how to organize all these things into a traditional story structure.
Contents:
Step 1: Choose the Historical Setting
I'm going to assume you have some idea of the historical setting in which you're placing your story.
Writers of historical fiction need to deeply understand the time and place they are writing about. It really is what defines the genre.
Selecting a Specific Historical Era for Your Novel
Before you can write a historical novel you have to narrow in on a certain aspect of history.
Meaning: choosing the backdrop against which your story will unfold.
But the historical setting is more than just a stage for your characters to act on, it is what will dictate the tone and mood of your fiction.
Your choice of setting and time should resonate with the themes and conflicts of your story and it should also be what grips your readers and holds onto them.
Researching the Time Period
Begin by immersing yourself in all the available knowledge about the time period. Keep a journal and thorough research notes.
Dig into primary sources, historical accounts ,and cultural artifacts that offer you intellectual, emotional, but also physical glimpses of the past.
You must know your time period and setting intimately, and your research is about gaining those details and nuances that will really capture the essence of the time within your story.
Study everything from grand societal structures to the minute details of everyday life.
Marrying Setting and Story
Always keep your story in your mind as you research, stop and brainstorm every now and then to consider how your chosen time period and what you're learning intersects with your story's themes.
How does the setting enhance the conflicts faced by your characters? Does it serve as an appropriate backdrop to resonate with the emotions you wish to evoke in your reader? The setting is more than just an ornament in historical fiction it needs to be dynamic and the history must influence the trajectory of your plot.
Questions to Ask When Selecting a Historical Era for Your Novel
What historical era aligns with the themes and conflicts of your story? Or what stories come out of your research?
What emotions do the history and chosen setting evoke?
What is the mood and tone of the historical setting? What colors and what types of lighting do you imagine when visualizing this historical setting?
What are the specific events or cultural aspects that you can leverage to enhance your plot?
Step 1 To Do List
Do thorough research: Get into the historical resources and really understand your chosen time period. All details are important, from clothing, to customs, to politics, and values.
Understand the contextual relevance: Make sure that whatever setting you choose enhances your narrative's themes and emotions and ties into them nicely.
Make a list of cultural nuances: Create a series of lists that include small details you could include in your story to add authenticity. Make a list for cultural norms, beliefs, slang and idioms, forms of address, clothing, food, and much more.
Brainstorm the visual imagery: Take note of the images that pop into your mind when visualizing the historical era while doing the research. Write down what adjectives you can use what colors things are, what moods and tones come to mind, etc. Use these to add vivid descriptions to your stories that will better transport readers into the historical world you are trying to create for them.
Step 2: Brainstorming
Brainstorming is my favorite part of the writing process. It allows you to come up with a lot of ideas fast and really push your brain into thinking more creatively than it does on a regular basis.
I have a very specific way that I brainstorm for fiction writing, and I'm not going to explain it in this post because it is actually quite involved. But if you want to know how to brainstorm properly in a way that leads to productive thinking rather than reproductive thinking, then go to my post on brainstorming that will develop your creativity and lead to genuinely unique ideas here.
But let's assume that you know how to brainstorm productively. The first thing you are going to do after researching your historical setting is brainstorm how you will incorporate those details into a cohesive story.
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Characters
The first step in any good historical fiction is to create characters who are believable and relatable within your historical context. By this point you should understand the historical context in which they lived, but now it is time to brainstorm how these characters fit into it.
How will you write characters so that they feel real and authentic?
You may want to use historical figures or people based off of historical figures. How will their personalities fit into the story, what are the restrictions on their beliefs and value systems?
Brainstorm their motivations and their struggles, their strengths, and their weaknesses.
Think of ways to make characters who are both historically accurate but also emotionally compelling.
Scenes
Brainstorm scenes that you can write to showcase the nuances of your chosen era.
Think of ways to capture the locations, sounds, and sensations that will bring the past to life. Each scene is an opportunity for your reader to step into history but also has to move the plot forward.
Think up specific events or situations that your characters might find themselves in. For example, if your character is a soldier in World War II, you might brainstorm scenes that take place on the battlefield, and the barracks, or during a bombing raid.
While you brainstorm scenes, look through your lists of details and see which ones you could add into each scene to make it feel more authentic to the reader.
Storylines and Conflict
Also brainstorm ideas for multiple storylines that can intertwine like threads in and out of the main plot. These storylines could reflect different societal strata, ideologies, or areas of public life within the historical context.
But remember that each strand should contribute to the overall narrative and come together as a cohesive whole in the end.
Subplots can add depth and complexity to story lines, so generate ideas for how these different aspects could create conflict that keeps the reader engaged.
Conflict drives fiction, and historical contexts can offer a rich breeding ground for tension. Brainstorm how historical events, societal norms, and personal motivations will collide in your story to create as much conflict as possible.
Whether internal or external, conflict should be grounded in the historical research that you've done.
Themes
As you brainstorm, themes will probably emerge organically from the natural intersection of research and your imagination.
Fiction as with history is about human beings and the universal human experiences we all share such as love, power, and resilience. Brainstorm how those emotions and shared experiences will manifest within your story set in the boundaries of your chosen historical era.
Themes are important because they are what tie a tidy little bow around your book and keep the whole thing cohesive and together.
Questions to Ask When Brainstorming Your Historical Fiction
How can historical figures or archetypes be reimagined to fit your story?
What scenes will most vividly capture the essence of the time period?
How can intertwining storylines reflect the complexity of the historical context?
What conflicts arise from the collision of historical events and personal motivations?
What universal themes can be explored through your chosen historical context?
Step 2 To Do List
Create character profiles: Make detailed profiles of your characters or potential characters, and markdown how they blend historical accuracy with relatable individuality.
Create scene sketches: Outline key scenes that will showcase the historical backdrop and evoke targeted emotions in your reader.
Storyline mapping: Plot out the trajectories of your multiple storylines, make sure that they complement each other and enrich each other, but also that they come together in the end.
Make a conflict matrix: Identify the various conflicts within your story and their origins, considering their place in the historical setting.
Explore themes: Take some time to reflect on the themes emerging through your research and brainstorming. Consider how they resonate with the historical era and modern readers alike.
Step 3: Identify Key Historical Events
There are certain parts of the history you have chosen that are non-negotiable elements if you are to call your book a historical fiction novel.
It's important to identify these key historical events that will shape your story. These will become the framework for your plot and help you create a compelling narrative that is both historically accurate but also engaging for your modern-day readers.
So step three is about building a solid foundation for a real plot. In the last two steps you immersed yourself in the historical setting and you've put in a lot of the creative work to make it come to life in a unique way.
But here is where you anchor it in actual history.
Key historical events serve as landmarks that guide your story's development. They will provide context, create opportunities for conflict (which you should have already thought about at length), and lend your book credibility.
The Vital Parts of the Time's History
Identify the pivotal historical events that align with the themes and conflicts of your story. You should have brainstormed it all already, so this part is really about choosing the best ones.
The events you choose could be major turning points or lesser known incidents that resonate with your story's emotional impact.
By integrating these events, you interlace the personal relevance of your character's narrative with the real-life facts of history.
Creating a Timeline
You may know exactly what historical events you need to include, but weaving them into a plot can be a lot harder than it looks.
The best thing to do is craft a timeline that weaves your fictional characters and events into the historical occurrences. Decide where they need to be at what time and what exactly they need to be doing in order for your story to stay as historically accurate as possible.
This timeline will serve as your reference point, ensuring that your character's journeys unfold alongside with the ebb and flow of history.
By carefully aligning personal arcs and historical milestones you can create a harmonious rhythm for the plot points in your story.
Blending History with Fictional Elements
While it is important to be historically accurate in your portrayal of key events, it's also important to remember that you're writing a work of fiction.
This means that you have some leeway.
You are allowed to blend historical events with fictional elements to create a more engaging story.
One way to do this is to create fictional characters who are just caught up in historical events. With this type of story you can explore the impact of these events on ordinary people.
And it also allows you to create a more personal and emotional connection between your readers and your story because they don't go into it with any expectations.
Other writers blend history with fiction by using real historical figures as characters in their story.
This will add a sense of authenticity to your story and also allows you to explore the motivations and actions of these historical figures in a more personal and intimate way.
However, it can be a little tricky when you need to change the facts to serve the story. Especially if those people are still alive.
There is really no rule you have to follow for this, but I suppose my advice would be to stay as accurate as you possibly can.
If you have to go changing history completely in order to tell your story then why write historical fiction in the first place?
Questions to Ask When Choosing Key Events
Which historical events best resonate with your stories themes and conflicts?
What events in the history will provide the best opportunities for character growth and tension?
How do the events you chose reflect the societal norms and challenges of the era?
What are the best events to choose to create a timeline that seamlessly merges historical and fictional elements?
Step 3 To Do List
Select key events: Choose the historical events that best align with your narratives, and emotional and thematic arcs.
Create your timeline: Develop a detailed timeline that charts both real and fictional events.
Map character interactions: Consider how character's lives intersect with historical events and with other characters. How do these things drive their choices and growth?
Ensure emotional resonance: Explore the emotional impact of historical events on characters and their arcs. How do your chosen key events resonate with modern day readers? How are they relatable?
Step 4: Establish the Central Conflict
If historical novels are great for one thing it's conflict. Sure, conflict is important in any fiction story, but your job might actually be a little easier with historical fiction because the conflict is laid out for you.
History is all about conflicts. If there isn't conflict, honestly we don't even write events down.
The central conflict in your story is the primary opposition that stands between a character and their goals. It is the problem that the character must solve or overcome to achieve their objective.
In historical fiction however, the central conflict is usually based on real historical events or situations, or it can be entirely fictional but constrained by the historical context.
Now, with all the work that we've done so far in the previous steps it should be painfully obvious what the central conflict of your story will be. Heck, you probably already knew what the conflict was when you started and that's why you were drawn to this specific era of history in the first place.
Something important to remember here is that the central conflict of your story is not only about personal struggles for your characters but also reflects the societal upheavals of the era you've chosen.
Identifying Personal and Historical Struggles
Examine the individual goals, desires, and obstacles of your characters.
How do these elements interact with the historical setting?
The central conflict of your story needs to arise from a collision of personal motivations and historical circumstances. The conflict should resonate with your readers and also the era's challenges.
Weaving Conflict Into the Historical Context
Consider how the central conflict can amplify the historical turmoil and vice versa.
Your protagonist might be torn between loyalty to their family and loyalty to their nation during a time of war for instance. How is your character's pursuit of personal freedom intricately linked to a larger movement for social change in East Berlin? Etc.
In a story set during World War II, the central conflict could be the character's desire to help the resistance movement while also trying to avoid detection by the occupying forces.
Perhaps your character's arc in that situation has something to do with overcoming fear and putting oneself at risk for the greater good.
By intersecting these two elements you provide yourself with ample opportunities for tension and drama.
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The central conflict is like a lens through which your readers view the era and it's complexities. It needs to evoke the ethos of the time while still resonating with universal emotions.
The juxtaposition of personal struggles against the backdrop of historical events will add layers and depth to your story.
Questions to Ask When Establishing the Central Conflict
How does the central conflict of your story intersect both personal and historical motivations?
How can the conflict mirror societal challenges or the norms of your chosen era?
What emotions does the conflict evoke? And how do they align with the era while staying relatable to a modern audience?
Step 4 To Do
Decide on your character's goals: Dive into your character's needs and desires to identify potential conflicts. Make sure that these align with the tone of the historical era.
Integrate conflict within the historical context: Weave the origin of your conflict into the historical backdrop. Do this by ensuring that a real historical event acts as a catalyst for both the history's conflict and your character's conflicts.
Insert emotional resonance: Take care to ensure that the conflict evokes emotions that mirror both personal and historical struggles.
Step 5: Develop Multi-dimensional Characters
You can't really separate character development from plot development.
Stories are all about people, and they would be boring as all get-out if they didn't have characters. These characters need to be well-developed, engaging, grow and transform, and in historical fiction they also need to fit the historical context.
With the central conflict in place, it's time to populate your narrative with characters who are vivid and complex and bring the historical setting to life.
The development of your protagonist(s) is going to dictate the progression of your plot and become the number one decision-maker about where to be historically accurate and where to deviate from the facts a little.
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Entwining History and Character Motivation
Characters should embody the beliefs, values, and norms of their time, while also resonating with the universal qualities that make them relatable to readers.
Your characters are going to reflect the era's societal structures, challenges, and opportunities even as they develop in their own individual ways.
The best way to make sure that history and the fictional or fictionalized characters of your story meld together is by using real events as catalysts for your character's actions.
If we go back to our example about the American Civil War, you might have a character join the Army or become a nurse to help out with the war effort. That decision is prompted by the real event of war breaking out.
This not only ensures that your characters are grounded in the historical context but also gives them clear motivations for their behavior.
Using history as a catalyst for your characters will also help create tension and conflict.
Maybe one of your characters is a slave during the civil war who is in love with his master's daughter. His internal struggle with the decision to escape to freedom or stay and fight for the woman he loves will create compelling drama and conflict that's still rooted in the historical context.
I don't think this is a very difficult concept, considering your story is probably based on historical events like this in the first place.
Character Growth
Characters should evolve as they move through the events of history.
Their growth should be a reflection of the challenges and opportunities offered by the historical time period. Personal triumphs and failures of your characters should mirror larger societal shifts, creating a symbiotic relationship between character development and the historical timeline.
Remember also to give your character strengths and flaws that will not only make them interesting and relatable to modern readers but are in line with the societal norms of the time period.
For instance, it just doesn't make sense for a female character's strength to be her athletic ability if your story is set in a time where women wouldn't have a whole lot of opportunity to develop such skills.
Questions to Ask When Developing Characters for Historical Fiction
How can your characters embody the historical context while remaining relatable to modern readers?
What personal character motivations align with the era's challenges and opportunities?
How does your character's growth mirror the societal changes or growth of the time?
Step 5 To Do List
Create Cultural Context: Using the lists you created while brainstorming in step two, decide how you can develop characters by adding authentic details that reflect the period's cultural norms and values.
Map character motivations: Align your character's desires with historical events and challenges, map out on your original timeline when these motivations would arise within history.
Chart your character's growth: Plot out how your characters development will echo the era's historical evolution. How can your character's arc encapsulate that societal change?
Step 6: Outlining With the 3 (but not 3) Act Structure
With characters, conflicts, and your historical backdrop established, it's now time to create a solid framework that will house your whole story. This is where you take all those little details and the work that you've done so far and turn it into something solid.
You can really use any story structure you want but since it's the most popular and well-known, the three act structure will be what we use today.
It's a tried and true storytelling structure that provides a road map for pacing and character arcs as well as key plot points.
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Now, because I'm me and I like everything to be in neat and tidy little sections, I actually don't use the three act structure. I use a four act structure. The greatest part about this structure is how it evenly divides your story into four equal length sections.
Act 1 = the first 25% of your story; act 2 = 26% to 50% of your story, and so on.
What is a four-act structure? Well, it's the three act structure, but instead of having one big long act in the middle, I've cut it in two.
It makes more sense to my OCD brain. It is the same thing though, so if you prefer the original three act structure just recombine my act 2 and 3.
However you choose to do it, a solid structure will help you balance the needs of history and storytelling.
Act 1
In the first act, you establish the historical context and introduce your readers to the world and characters.
In historical fiction, this means that you need to set the stage by showcasing the societal norms, personal struggles of your characters, and the central conflict that will drive the story forward. Establish the tone and mood, and all the pertinent details about the history—anything the reader needs to understand about prior events to not be confused etc.
This act ends with a turning point that propels characters toward the heart of the conflict. This turning point should be a key event in your history that also acts as the event leading up to the major historical conflict.
Act 2
In the second act, your characters will be navigating the historical challenges while grappling with personal conflicts. In this act, develop the interplay between individual desires and the larger historical events.
Act 2 is about complicating the central conflict, heightening tension, putting your characters in front of obstacles, and forcing them to make pivotal decisions.
Amidst all this turmoil, your character's growth and evolution should mirror the era's complexities.
Midpoint
Right at the center of your story you have the main turning point or midpoint as some people call it. This is the point in your story where your protagonist has a huge revelation and comes to understand the conflict in a completely new light.
In a historical novel this should also be a turning point in the conflicts and historical events. this is where history takes a major turn like one side begins to lose the war, or something else enters the equation.
Whatever it is, it must be big and change the direction of the story and preferably and event that changed the direction of history.
Act 3
What I call act 3 some people call the second half of act 2.
That's silly to me, so I call it act three.
But in this act, your characters are facing obstacles and making decisions that affect their ability to solve or overcome the conflict. But after the turning point they are doing it from a different perspective.
Your characters now have the knowledge to actually make a difference. In this act, you begin unraveling some of the knots you made in the first and second act.
Act 3 usually ends with another turning point, usually in the form of a big defeat for your protagonist. That isn't always the case, but it is usually the best way to keep tension and create suspense for the climax.
In historical fiction, this is often the part of the history that is embellished.
Your character may be at their lowest three quarters of the way through your book, heading into the climax, and the social and cultural atmosphere should reflect that tension weather history allows for it or not.
I'd say 95% of the time though, this can be accomplished without losing too much historical accuracy.
Act 4
In act three for most, but 4 for me, characters face the climax of both personal and historical conflicts. This part of the story should be as exciting as possible and is where all extraneous storylines and threads will be brought back together and tied up neatly.
After the climax comes the resolution, which should be deeply rooted in the historical context, reflecting on the transformations and choices that the characters have undergone but also that society has undergone.
In this last act, tie up loose ends while leaving room for reflection. Allow readers to absorb the impact of the characters journey within the historical context.
Write an outline that places you timeline and all the details into the structure you have chosen. Some parts of the timeline may need to be shrunk or expanded to fit the structure and that is ok.
Questions to Ask When Structuring Your Historical Novel
How can the three act structure or any structure accommodate historical accuracy and compelling storytelling? If the three art structure doesn't work for you, is there another structure that works better?
Which historical details (from all your lists, remember?) can be integrated seamlessly into each act to enhance it?
How do you character arcs evolve in tandem with the historical progression?
How can you use the turning points at the end of each act to mirror significant historical events that propel the plot forward?
How does the pacing of each act align with the pacing of historical developments? How can you finagle this pacing to allow readers to experience the evolution of the era alongside your characters?
Step 6 To Do List
Break down your timeline by acts: Divide your narrative into three acts, or four acts, or however many you like, identifying key events for each phase.
Integrate historical details: Determine how historical events and settings could be integrated into each act.
Align character arcs with history: Ensure your character development aligns with the historical context at each act's conclusion. Even if character and history veer from each other, bring them back together at the end of each act to ensure cohesion.
Final Words
I have more to say, but this post is getting really long, so we will sum it up.
Plotting historical fiction requires a delicate balance between accuracy and creativity. It's important to do your research and understand the historical context of your story, but it's also important to allow yourself the freedom to create fantastic characters and enthralling plot lines.
When plotting, it's helpful to create a timeline or outline of major events and plot points and how those things fit together. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your story flows smoothly.
Otherwise you risk your story coming together like a puzzle finished by a 3 year old.
It's okay to take some creative liberties with history, but try to be as accurate as possible because otherwise you're not writing historical fiction anymore.
When in doubt, consult primary sources and historical experts to make sure that your story at least feels authentic.
Plotting is challenging for any genre and especially so in historical fiction. But with careful research and planning, you'll be able to create something that takes readers from their mundane modern lives and transports them into exciting episodes of our past.
It's not going to happen overnight, but keep writing and you'll get there.
How do you create authentic feeling historical fiction that is as accurate as possible?
It is important to conduct thorough research in the historical fiction genre but also know how to use that research to create a story that balances fact and fiction, is accurate but engaging. You have to consider the ways you portray characters, the details you put into settings and descriptions, avoid anachronisms and so much more.
To learn more about balancing fact and fiction while avoiding the worst historical accuracy mistakes, read my post on how to write authentic historical fiction here.
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