Why Write Historical Fiction?

Having been fortunate enough to enjoy another lovely, cosy Christmas, attention naturally turns to the oncoming New Year, and what it might bring.

I'm hoping, of course, to experience success with my first, self-published novel. I plan to take part in local literary events, wherever possible, meet potential readers and hopefully lots of other local authors. My second book is underway, and after a few rewrites seems to finally be taking shape.

The success of this New Year depends very much on my readers' reception of my book. I wrote it because the idea has always been there - actually, it formed out of several different ideas that fortunately worked well alongside each other. It was a subject matter I've always loved - the Victorian era, its customs and culture and of course, one particular literary custom of the era: creating 'legendary' monsters, which seemed to have been steeped in history for centuries and yet were entirely created from the authors' own imaginations.

If you have followed my journey from the start, you will know that I have encountered stumbling blocks because of the subject matter of my book. It hasn't fit in with the 'current catalogues' of the publishers I have applied to. So, coming to the end of this year, which started with a finished manuscript and ended with 10 publisher applications that ultimately resulted in my taking the bull by the horns and self-publishing, I can't help but wonder - why write historical fiction?

I'm not the first 21st-century author to do it. Many successful titles of this century date back in their subject matter to bygone times. I've been fascinated and gripped by the new TV adaptation of 'The Miniaturist', and feel guilty for not having discovered and read the book already! Books such as 'The Essex Serpent', 'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher', and the epic 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell', are historical novels with amazingly complex plots, which have all been hugely successful. There is clearly great demand, still, for historical novels, whether or not they contain an element of fantasy, and not necessarily written in the era they portray. The readers who have enjoyed these books, and many others like it, must have many reasons for selecting them. And the authors themselves, must have been enthused to write them, again, for varied personal reasons.

As a (relatively inexperienced) author of historical fiction: here's my view. I intend to continue writing in this genre, because, although my books haven't been written by an author from the era, they pay homage to these times. They recall our ancestry and the past generations that have led us to where we are now. They reinvigorate literary traditions that were greatly popular in their own time, and have stood the test of time. They give us a chance to revive language; words and phrases that might be lost and forgotten. One of my favourite parts of writing historical fiction is researching the origins of historical words and phrases - when were they first used? Where do they originate from? Has their use changed over time?

That is not to say that I don't appreciate novels set in our time, or looking ahead to the future. They are all necessary and important - they all combine to create a varied and exciting wealth of literature that we can devour, according to our own preferences.

I hope you have all had a wonderful festive period. And if your New Year's Resolution includes more reading, perhaps 'An Artist's Muse' might find its way onto your reading list?

If you are a reader, or writer, of historical fiction, or even if you aren't, I would love to hear your thoughts on this post!

Best wishes,

D.E.W

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