Historical Fiction Writing Tips by Ellie Midwood

Historical Fiction Writing Tips:

If you’re an aspiring historical fiction writer or a reader wondering what makes certain books stand out, here are some not-so-secret “rules” to writing a compelling historical fiction story. 

Do’s: 

Do your research. I cannot stress this one enough. Thorough research is the holy grail of any historical fiction novel, so make sure to do your homework before even beginning to plot your novel. 

Research your setting. Some cities (and even countries!) changed their names and borders and some have altogether ceased to exist, so make sure to double-check all of these technicalities to make sure that the Nazis are sieging Leningrad and not St. Petersburg. 

Research the slang used by the contemporaries of your characters-to-be to ensure that some present-day expressions don’t make it into their dialogue. And if you want to be absolutely technical, research the slang of a particular country your story takes place in. For instance, “Quit your jawing, your cast-iron limb of satan!” is one of my personal favorite German curses from an extensive collection I have assembled over the years. Reads a bit different than “shut up, you a**hole,” which brings to mind an American drill sergeant and not a German officer, right?

Research small details that can make or break your novel. Here I’m not talking about something as major as the war ending in 1945 and not, say 1944, but such things as national currency that was used during the time period, food that was available, music people listened to, hair styles they wore, medicine that was in use (one of my personal pet peeves is when antibiotics somehow make it into a concentration camp when they were scarcely in use by the Allied military personnel; in Nazi Germany and all occupied territories they were simply unavailable and sometimes even unheard of).

As you can probably see by now, there’s no such thing as too much research. And your best help here will be not only historical studies written about the subject you chose to write about but also memoirs written by people who lived during those events and witnessed everything firsthand. I personally prefer memoirs as they offer an intimate insight into the world I’m writing about and provide certain precious little details that some historical studies, written by contemporaries, may omit or miss. And don’t discount fiction novels written by authors living in your chosen era: even though their plots are fictional, all of the details concerning lifestyle, slang, customs and traditions will be most authentic, so read them as well, both for entertainment and research. 

Make your characters multidimensional. There’s nothing more unbelievable and even boring than reading about a standoff between a very bad, evil Nazi Fritz Brandt and a very good Allied soldier John Hopkins. Make your protagonists flawed. Make your antagonists intriguing. Provide a fascinating backstory; explain what made one choose the side of good guys and the other one, follow in the steps of evil. Make your protagonists make mistakes and give your main “bad guy” at least one redeeming trait. Trust me, this will raise the stakes even higher and make your readers wonder what they would do in similar circumstances. 

Throw a bit of your own experiences in the mix. Granted, you haven’t actually fought in WWII but you did stand up for something you believe in at one point in your life or another. Did you go to a protest? Most likely your characters protested something too. Write a chapter about that. Did you witness a horrific accident? Most likely your characters witnessed some major horrors too; provide your own emotions as a basis for theirs—nothing comes out as authentic as this. Did you survive abuse yourself or, say, confronted a bully abusing a kid at school that was somehow different and therefore a target in a bully’s eyes? Write about that. Project your own experiences onto your characters and you’ll get yourself such authenticity that no imagination can ever produce. In short, write about what you know and write with passion and love. The readers will feel it, trust me.

And now for the dreaded Don’t’s. Granted, it all depends on your particular sub-genre (for instance, I wouldn’t advise to put too many military details such as tank names or dog fight descriptions into a historical romance novel) but there are a few don’t’s that are common among the genre.

Don’t invent too much. Rely on real historical events for the main plot canvas—WWII has plenty of fascinating tales of courage and resistance to write about, so use those, even if very loosely. In my own experience, readers love novels based on true stories or inspired by true events, so you can’t really go wrong if you stay close to the facts instead of making up something James Bond-ish with a protagonist who hops from a bomber onto a submarine and kills Hitler in the end, making it look like a suicide. In short, don’t suspend belief too much. 

Don’t rely too heavily on the happy ending. In WWII and particularly Holocaust fiction, there doesn’t have to be one. People gave their lives standing up for freedom and their beliefs and it’s perfectly fine if you kill your darlings in the end. Readers won’t hate you, I promise. Sometimes, a bittersweet story with a tragic but inspirational ending is much more compelling than an obligatory HEA, so give your characters the ending that fits their story, not something that you think is expected from you. 

And lastly, don’t write for the market or the bloggers or reviewers will be wondering whether they like a certain trope or whether a subject is too controversial—there will always be people who hate what you wrote and criticize the living daylights out of it, so don’t worry about them. Write a story that inspires you. If you write with passion for the subject, if you put your very soul into your characters, it will be evident from the pages and such passion is irresistible even for the most insufferable of critics. Trust me, every successful historical fiction author I know has a few of such “fans” who criticize every single book of theirs and yet line up for every new release, so keep doing your thing and don’t worry about them. Tell your stories of courage, of survival, of love and hate, freedom and tyranny and everything in between to keep the memory alive, to make people question their own choices, to inspire and to move. And all the best luck with your adventure! I already can’t wait to read your stories!

Buy Ellie’s latest book, The Wife Who Risked Everything here: https://geni.us/B0B2978P5Dsocial 

THE WIFE WHO RISKED EVERYTHING

Berlin, 1943: “Where’s your husband?” the SS man demanded.
“There’s no one home,” Margot said before they started tearing the place apart. “I’m alone here.” In his eyes was nothing but ice and death, and it occurred to Margot that only she stood between her husband and the soldier’s machine gun.In Nazi Germany, Margot refuses to buckle under the weight of Hitler’s tyranny.When she is fired from her job as a seamstress for being married to her Jewish husband, Jochen, she remains by his side. When her friends cross the street to avoid her, and her own mother rejects her, she stays loyal.When the Gestapo break into their home and steal their belongings, she remains steadfast. When they are cast into the street, homeless, she doesn’t waver.

When warplanes descend, the air raid siren blaring, and Jews are not allowed in bomb shelters, she refuses to abandon him.

When there are whispers of innocent people being deported to camps, including Germans married to Jews, she still won’t give in.

And when the Nazis arrest Jochen, imprisoning him with countless others, Margot decides to go down fighting.

Armed solely with love, Margot risks her life to protest outside the Gestapo headquarters. Inspired by her courage, soon there are hundreds gathered, shouting, “Release our men! Release our men!”

Can Margot achieve the impossible and save her beloved husband? Or when she comes face to face with the deadly SS guards, will she simply sacrifice herself?

Based on a true story, this incredible page-turner shows that, in the face of evil, love is power, courage is infectious—and the voices of many will not be silenced. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Lilac Girls will be utterly gripped by this heartbreaking and inspirational tale.

Readers love Ellie Midwood:

“AMAZING read! I loved this so much!… Sensational… One of the most inspiring love stories of all time… HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 100% 5 STARS!!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I loved this book so much!! Both beautiful and heartbreaking… I was hooked.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About Ellie Midwood

Ellie Midwood is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning historical fiction author. She owes her interest in the history of the Second World War to her grandfather, Junior Sergeant in the 2nd Guards Tank Army of the First Belorussian Front, who began telling her about his experiences on the frontline when she was a young girl. Growing up, her interest in history only deepened and transformed from reading about the war to writing about it. After obtaining her BA in Linguistics, Ellie decided to make writing her full-time career and began working on her first full-length historical novel, “The Girl from Berlin.” Ellie is continuously enriching her library with new research material and feeds her passion for WWII and Holocaust history by collecting rare memorabilia and documents. 

In her free time, Ellie is a health-obsessed yoga enthusiast, neat freak, adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew, and a doggie mama. Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their Chihuahua named Shark Bait

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Category: How To and Tips