CRAFTING HISTORICAL FICTION: THE CHALLENGE
Threading the needle…
The starting point to writing historical fiction feels like entering a dark room from a brightly lit corridor. When the stark contrast in photons hits you, you first go blind as you move from your mundane life to face the overwhelming mountain of historical facts in researching the period you want to write about. The information overload sets your brain on fire and numbs your senses. Crowded and confused, you are unable to see where you can place your story amidst the documented facts and events that actually happened and were recorded by historians, travellers, or those who witnessed them. You want to turn and run.
But slowly, as with darkness, your eyes adjust and fight back against the blindness. In the same way, your mind adjusts to the events of the period. And finally, just as the dark room gradually morphes into being, imaginary characters and the places they can occupy in your story, emerge from the chaos of your brain. And as you can see your way even in the dark, you see the story emerge in its complete form without disturbing the historical checkpoints, nestling within its confines, as if it was always there; that you did not create it, only discovered its presence.
Finding the magic between the lines…
In good historical fiction, the writer does not disturb historical accuracy or documented facts but weaves his/her story between the lines. You know the process had worked well when readers respond with, ‘Holy shit! So this is actually how it happened!’ The challenge for the writer is obviously how to achieve such a feat?
There is no magic formula. Each writer has his/her own approach to finding the solution. But there are a few rules of thumb you can follow. The first and foremost is that you must be passionate about the subject you are writing about. Without passion running through your veins, it is unlikely you will be able to complete such a mammoth task. Always choose a period you are passionate about. If you are not, it will devour you instead.
While writing historical fiction, it is very easy to get dragged down into controversy. History is often a flammable topic and many are the opinions that jostle each other about historical figures and events. While life would have been much simpler for the historical fiction writer if these opinions were of the same hue, alas they are not. More often than not, the opinions are contrary, leading the writer to a great question: Which school of thought to follow? The short answer to this dilemma is: None! That is why there is a second rule.
Diving into the research well…
The second cardinal rule historical fiction writers should follow is to always draw from primary sources. Identifying a primary source is simple. Whatever material you are reading as research, ask whether it has been seen or experienced by the writer personally, or whether it is hearsay or just personal opinions. If the answer is the latter, what you are referring to is a secondary source. What you can do now, apart from throwing this text away, is to find some references in it that will hopefully lead you towards a primary source. When you find it, apply the same check. If what you find is also a secondary source, alas you will have to keep going until you locate the Holy Grail – a primary source. That is, a text written by someone describing a direct experience.
Being sure; having a rationale…
That brings us to the third and final rule. What should you do when you wander into an area you are not sure about? Remember the dark room analogy? It comes to your rescue here. Sure, now you are seeing the room but still there will always be dark corners you cannot see, no matter how you try. Nor should you dream you will be able to. Your eyes have adjusted to the darkness and there is nothing more you can do. So the right thing to do in such case is to steer clear of what you cannot see. When you find gaps in the chronology or things you cannot trace back to a primary source, however interesting or sensational, do not use it! Historical fiction writers learn to kill their darlings long before the editing begins.
This is then more or less a gist of what one experiences in attempting to write historical fiction. Can you do so without going through the outlined process? Most certainly. Can a book written without following these rules become a bestseller? Hell yes! But will you be able to stand your ground when academics who have spent their lives studying the period question you about the fallacies in your work? I think not. But, if you follow the process detailed, honestly and completely, it will not matter which acclaimed historian stands before you. You will always be able to stand your ground, because you will not need anyone to tell you what happened in that era. You have lived it and breathed it yourself, through the eyes of the primary sources you followed. In such an encounter, there is always the chance the historian will learn more from you about the period than you from him.
Finding the joy…
Last and certainly not least, enjoy the process. If you do not, you will never complete it. Writing historical fiction extracts sweat, toil and tears. It feels like embedding a part of your soul in your writing. Maybe that is why historical fiction writers love to kill off so many characters. Writing a battle scene is like finding yourself fighting in the trenches. It is not for the faint hearted. But if it is for you, the only joy it can compare with is that of childbirth.
SHREYAS BHAVE, an Electrical Engineer from VNIT Nagpur, is one of India’s youngest experts on Railway Electrification. He also administers an entrepreneurial community at www.ourfirstmillion.org. Possessed of an abiding love for history from childhood, Shreyas was inspired to take on the challenge of writing fictionalized accounts based on historical record, supplemented by rich folklore. His Asoka Trilogy has remained on the bestseller list since its publication, as has Prisoner of Yakutsk, on the Netaji mystery. He is currently deep in the trilogy based on the exploits of Bahirji-Naik, the famed spies of Shivaji. Apart from writing, Shreyas enjoys song-writing, watercolour painting, and playing the guitar. He enjoys hiking up to the many hill forts of Maharashtra, replete with history and ghosts of the past.
Other books by Shreyas Bhave
Asoka Trilogy Book I: Prince Of Patliputra
Book II: Storm From Taxila
Book III: Nemesis Of Kalinga
Prisoner Of Yakutsk
Legend of Bahirji-Naik Book I: Raiders Of Surat
Book II: Seige Of Panhala
Book III: Escape From Agra
