research topics in historical fiction

17 Questions to Ask When Researching for Your Novel

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by Sarah Sundin

When I started writing my first World War II novel, I thought I just needed to read a history book, find some cute outfits for my heroine, and have her hum a popular tune.

You may now stop laughing.

Those initial research questions ended up raising more questions. I fell in love with the era and longed to bring it alive with thorough research.

Here are seventeen questions to ask when conducting research for historical fiction. Many are also useful for contemporary novels and when building a story world for fantasy or science fiction. You will not need deep research in every area, but you should be aware of them.

• Historical events You need to know the events occurring in your era. Even if your character isn’t directly involved, she will be affected by them. Be familiar with the preceding era too.
• Setting in historical context You may know your setting now—but what was it like then? Towns grow and shrink, businesses and streets change, ethnic groups come and go.
• Schooling What was the literacy level? Who went to school and for how long? What did they study? If your character breaks the mold (the peasant who reads), how did this happen?
• Occupation Although I’m a pharmacist, writing about a pharmacist in WWII required research. How much training was required? What were the daily routines, tools, and terminology used, outfits worn? How was the occupation perceived by others?
• Community Life What clubs and volunteer organizations were popular? What were race relations like? Class relations?
• Religious Life How did religion affect personal lives and the community? What denominations were in the region? What was the culture in the church—dress, order of service, behavior? Watch out for modern views here.
• Names Research common names in that era and region. If you must use something uncommon, justify it—and have other characters react appropriately. Also research customs of address (“Mrs. Smith” or “Mary”). In many cultures, only intimate friends used your first name.
• Housing What were homes like? Floor plans, heating, lighting, plumbing? What were the standards of cleanliness? What about wall coverings and furniture? What colors, prints, and styles were popular?
• Home Life What were the roles of men, women, and children? What were the rites of courtship and marriage? Views on child rearing? How about routines for cleaning and laundry?
• Food What recipes and ingredients were used? How was food prepared? Where and when were meals eaten and how (manners, dishes)?
• Transportation How did people travel? Look into the specifics on wagons, carriages, trains, automobiles, planes. What was the route, how long did it take, and what was the travel experience like?
• Fashion Most historical writers adore this area. What were the distinctions between day and evening clothing, formal and informal? How about shoes, hats, gloves, jewelry, hairstyles, makeup? Don’t forget to clothe the men and children too!
• Communication How did people communicate over long distances? How long did letters take and how were they delivered? Did they have telegrams or telephones—if so, how were they used?
• Media How was news received? By couriers, newspapers, radio, movie newsreels, TV? How long did it take for people to learn about an event?
• Entertainment How did they spend free time? Music, books, magazines, plays, sports, dancing, games? Did people enjoy certain forms of entertainment—or shun others?
• Health Care Your characters get sick and injured, don’t they? Good. How will you treat them? Who will treat them and where? What were common diseases? Did they understand the relationship between germs and disease?
• Justice Laws change, so be familiar with laws concerning crimes committed by or against your characters. Also understand the law enforcement, court, and prison systems.

Don’t get overwhelmed or buried in research. Remember, story rules. Let the story guide your research, and let research enrich your story. Your readers will love it.

Originally published by FaithWriters, October 8, 2012,  http://faithwriters.com/blog/2012/10/08/historical-research-seventeen-questions/ .

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Fantastic list of questions!!! Great stuff!!!

Thanks, Peter!

Great list of questions, Sarah! I’ll have to keep it handy. Thank you! 🙂

Thanks, Angela! I’m glad it’s useful.

Very pertinent topics. Under Transportation, I’d include animal use & care (maybe pets, too)

Under Home life, what was permissible conversation; any taboos? I suppose courtship & marriage rites include sexual more’s.

Perhaps some of this falls under Community life. And science progress of the era under Occupation.

So much to consider. Thanks for the help.

Thanks, B.D.! Great additions – I had a word-count limitation 🙂

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How to Research a Historical Novel: Escape the Research Rabbit Hole

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It doesn't take any research to know that historical fiction writers love spending time in history books, digital archives, museum exhibits, and library collections—and that's just in our spare time!

But how do we keep that research from overshadowing the actual writing of our books? How do you research a historical novel without getting lost in the research rabbit hole?

This guest post is by Susanne Dunlap, author of twelve works of historical fiction for adults and teens. You can find her newest book The Portraitist here and find all her books and courses on her website susanne-dunlap.com. 

Face it, none of us would write historical novels if we didn’t love the research. If we’re lucky enough to go to historical archives, the very smell of the dust, the idea that the materials and primary sources were handled by people decades or centuries ago, gives us a thrill.

And when we discover something others have overlooked, maybe that little fact that gives us something to hang an entire plot on—pour the champagne! History inspires us, it amazes us, it fascinates us—it torments us.

Research is wonderful and essential. But it can so easily commandeer all our time and energy.

How far do you need to go to track down a person or a date? What if you can’t go to places or get ahold of archival material? Do you have to know everything about the historical period and place and characters in your novel?

Won’t readers be waiting with red pens to circle any little thing you get wrong, or take exception to your interpretation of a historical character’s motives ?

And what about the sheer volume of material we now have access to, thanks to the Internet and online archives? One thing leads to another and then another and then another. Before we know it, weeks have passed and we’ve got tons of research but haven’t put a word on a page.

How to Escape the Overwhelm of Research

I had to let go of that tendency to remain mired in research in a hurry when I was forced to research and write a complete manuscript in a year. It had been sold on a one-page proposal.

As I wrote, I remember being certain that someone would take me to task for changing the year a composition by Chopin was published, which I had to do in order to make my story work. But no one cared in the end.

That’s when I first learned that the story comes first, history comes second—a lesson I've had to learn over and over. Story first, history second.

That may sound like sacrilege coming from someone who started writing historical fiction after being in the academic world—a PhD in music history from Yale.

In academic articles, it really mattered that I’d consulted every known source, verified everything and didn’t categorically state something unless I knew it was backed up with historical sources and facts. I learned that the hard way, submitting articles for peer review. Ouch.

When I chose to start writing historical fiction, the research obsession was still deeply ingrained. For the sake of readers and my own sanity, though, I had to learn how to subjugate research to story.

I don’t mean being inaccurate or anachronistic (when a detail is in the wrong time period such as a television in 11th century Europe). I mean becoming comfortable with the necessary limits and with using my own imagination to fill in any gaps.

When My Research Turned Into a Rabbit Hole

My novel The Portraitist is a good example. I started working on it—on and off—seven years ago. Then, I was researching Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, the bitter rival of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (protagonist of The Portraitist ), thinking she would be the focus of my story.

There was so much material about her, so many paintings, a Metropolitan Museum exhibition of her work, and her own three-volume autobiography—published when she was very old.

Not only that, but because she was the official portraitist to Marie Antoinette, I felt obliged to research everything about the doomed queen and the true events surrounding Louis XVI’s court.

Through that research, I discovered a close friend of Elisabeth’s, another artist: Rosalie Bocquet Filleul. What a story there!

She married the concierge of the Château de la Muette and became concierge herself after his death. She produced several pastel portraits of royals, and—perhaps more interesting—took a number of likenesses of her neighbor in Passy, Benjamin Franklin.

When I discovered that little fact I had to start researching Benjamin Franklin, his life and politics and how he ended up in that diplomatic residence next door to Rosalie Filleul—of whom he became very fond, not least of all because she was stunningly beautiful.

The rest of Rosalie’s story was poignant and tragic. She ended up guillotined because she auctioned off some chairs that belonged to the Château (I argue she was destitute and nearly starving).

So I wrote a manuscript that encompassed the stories of all three of these remarkable women. How could I leave anything out?

Turns out, I should have. That manuscript was a monster. Too long, too complicated, and I couldn’t do justice to any of the women. I had Too. Much. Information.

How to Set Research Limits

Now, of course we love stumbling on all that good stuff, those intriguing tidbits and interconnections. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that—there’s no “should” about this.

My point is that at some juncture, you have to let go of the idea of “everything,” or the idea that you have to be the expert, and set your limits.

What limits? You might ask. There are several ways you can rein in your research so it really serves your story.

Once you’ve done enough research to figure out the primary story you want to tell, map it out. I mean that both literally and figuratively. I’m not an outliner by nature, but I’ve learned—again, the hard way—that it’s important to know a few basic things:

1. The time period of your story present.

This may seem obvious. Of course you know what time period you’re writing in!

What I’m suggesting here is that you take a good, hard look at how much of that stretch of time you really want to use.

While there may be a case for covering the entire real life of a historical figure, that sort of endeavor is best left to a biographer. You’re looking for the period bounded by the exact moment that triggers the action in your story, and the exact moment when your protagonist’s arc of change is complete.

Put another way, the moment at which the story question is answered.

You’ll no doubt have researched things around this historical time period, and that’s good background information. But you only really need to look in depth at the historical events that directly affect your protagonist.

2. The places where the story is set.

This is possibly a little easier. I’ll give you a simple example: The Portraitist takes place before, during, and after the French Revolution. But it’s set entirely in or near Paris.

To get even more precise, the primary locations are the Louvre, Versailles, the Château de Bellevue, and a suburb of Paris called Pontault en Brie.

No doubt a lot was going on in other parts of France, and of course, there’s that whole American Revolution that had an impact on the French, but it didn’t impinge on my protagonist’s life. Not Adélaïde’s, in any case. (I axed Benjamin Franklin when I focused the story away from Rosalie.)

Once you have that all mapped out, you can get the vital everyday life information about how your characters get from place to place, how long it takes, whether it was comfortable or a huge pain, how much it might have cost, etc.

I did say you still have to do a lot of research, didn’t I?

3. The main characters.

Another obvious one, but if you keep reminding yourself that the focus is on your protagonist and one or two others, you might avoid amassing research that would only bog down your story if you tried to include it.

And maybe you’ll stop yourself from digging into the life of an interesting but peripheral character (did I mention Benjamin Franklin?) when you should be working on getting those words on the page.

4. Finally, give your research the necessity test.

This is simple: Ask yourself as you start diving into that rabbit hole if what you’re looking for is absolutely necessary.

If you don’t have that piece of information you’re looking for, will something important be missing from your book? Think it over. If the answer is no, then you're likely creating the dreaded info dump.

Once you’ve set your limits, organization is your best friend.

How to Organize Your Research

I have one word for you (and I’m not being paid to say this): Scrivener .

Even if you don’t want to use it as a drafting tool, it has so many great features, not the least of which is that you can use it to gather and organize all your research, even import Web pages so you don’t have to go hunting for that bookmark you forgot what you called or where you put it.

If you’re tech savvy, you can also add metadata to make it easy to search.

And if you’re REALLY tech savvy, you can sync it with another great tool, Aeon Timeline . It would take a long time to explain all the benefits of this app for historical novelists, so I’ll leave it to you to go and check it out. The good news is that neither of these apps is very expensive.

Of course, spreadsheets work too, if that’s your comfort zone. But I recommend at least giving these tools a look.

What you’ll probably find when you start organizing all your research is that having to do so gives a good view of what’s essential and what’s not. You can keep it all, but putting it in folders by priority or time span is a sanity preserver.

Do the Research, but Write the Book

My tips above won’t let you off the hook for doing good, solid research. But they may help you give yourself permission to be more focused, to not have to know absolutely everything.

Sure, you’ll write along and discover a gap in your knowledge that you need to fill in order to tie something together or provide a motivation—or just move your characters around from place to place. So be it.

Do that research when the need arises, don’t try to anticipate every eventuality at the start. It’s all about giving yourself permission.

You want to get that draft written. I want you to get that draft written. So embrace the limits and get organized!

Where do you get stuck in the research process? What tips have helped you learn when to stop, so you can get back to your writing? Share in the comments .

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How to effectively research historical fiction

I write a lot of historical fiction. All but one of my book manuscripts is historical, whether that’s set in the 1850s, 1940s, or eep – 1990s. It’s easier to write about a period you’ve lived through, but what do you do when everyone who lived during that time is long gone?

You could just base your historical fiction off what you’ve seen in movies, but that would do a disservice to your writing. Funnily enough, movies are not always historically accurate… So I’ve put together my top tips for how to research historical fiction.

Research helps build the authenticity of your historical fiction, whether that’s a Regency romance or a Victorian crime novel. I’ve found that researching books uncovers facts that have ultimately influenced the outcome of my story.

And while there will be times that you need to research while you’re writing – your character gets into a fight and you want to know a historically accurate rapier or gun ASAP – it’s important to do as much research as you need before you write your book. At a minimum, you should be able to answer all the questions outlined below.

Define your fiction’s limits

Before you start your research, you must identify the location and year/s of your book’s setting. This will help narrow your research.

After defining the limits of your fiction, the basic questions you will need to answer researching any historical novel are:

• What did the locations in my story look like at the time?
• What sort of clothes would my characters wear?
• What foods and drinks were consumed?
• If it’s set in a city, what landmarks were built at the time? Big Ben was still being built in the 1850s, so it will seem funny if it’s in your 1830s novel.
• How would people of the period perceive my character? What class are they? How do they fit in with the rest of society?
• What kind of employment was available? Don’t make assumptions about this. I assumed that early newsrooms were filled with men, but women played an important and documented role in both typesetting and editorial.
• What kinds of rituals and etiquette were observed?
• Are there any social issues I should be aware of that have modern consequences for readers? Things such as slavery, racism, and sexism of the period will bring out contemporary responses for readers. How will you address present-day concerns through the lens of the past?
• Who were the rulers/governors at the time?
• What wars and conflicts was the country/state/city involved with or influenced by?
• If you’re writing a crime novel, what were the procedures for law and order? Was it organised or more informal?
• What kind of transportation was/wasn’t used at the time?
• What technology was/wasn’t available at the time? Be careful to check the dates on inventions, particularly regarding communications and medicine.
• Were there common languages or languages for the elite and poor?
• Is there patter from the period you can use in dialogue?

What if you don’t know when or where your book is set? You might have a general idea of the period you’d like to write in. In that case…

Start broad, dig narrow

The first place you want to start is in general histories. A simple search of your library or favourite search engine for books on the period will turn up a plethora of results. Look for the best reviewed books and start there.

Another way to find the best books on a particular period is to look in bibliographies. What books are referenced again and again by researchers?

Many popular books about the Victorian era rely on Henry Mayhew’s London Labor and the London Poor, one of the first books to document firsthand accounts of poverty in London. It is an absolute must-read for anyone writing in that historic period. Rather than reading ten books which quoted the Mayhew, I just read the Mayhew.

What types of research resources are helpful for historical novelists?

Non-fiction books.

The obvious first place to start is with non-fiction books. The kinds of books that are often useful for filling in historic detail are:

• First-hand experiences and accounts
• Books documenting how people lived in the era
• Niche books relevant to your topic
• Photography and illustration books
• Costume books
• Dictionaries – useful for language

While the library is my first stop when looking for unique books (some of which can be expensive to purchase), the following sites have useful resources:

• Project Gutenberg often has first-hand accounts in the public domain
• Wikimedia Commons is a great resource for imagery from historic periods
• Better World Books, eBay and AbeBooks often have hard to find and ex-library books for a reasonable price

Maps are an invaluable research tool for the novelist, as you can mark them up and trace your character’s route through the city. I use maps a lot in writing fiction, both large printed maps that I mark up, and google maps.

Yes, I’m going to say it. I use Wikipedia to get a general overview of an era…

…but that shouldn’t be the only source of information you reach for. While it’s helpful for outlining the basic facts and characters in a time period, there are far more websites out there dedicated to particular aspects of history. I won’t tell you how to do a google search, because it’s probably how you ended up here.

First-hand documents

First-hand research doesn’t have to be difficult! Museums can provide vast sources of inspiration and ideas for your novel. While you can’t touch the exhibits, you can document your research while you look through a museum. And if you can’t get to a specific museum, many of them have online databases and images of their collections that you can access for free.

A great example of this was when I needed to find images of Wapping and the London Docks in the 1850s. I searched the National Maritime Museum’s archives and discovered sketches that Turner had done of the docks. While it would be too expensive for me to travel to London to see the locations (as much as I want to), I could get a sense of what it was like.

Unless you have a particular interest in a topic or are basing your novel on a real-life figure, it’s unlikely that you’ll need to handle first-hand documents from the period. But if you need to, you can access these texts from many state and national libraries. While there might be strict location and handling requirements on items, many librarians would be keen to help a novelist research their book.

Ask an expert

On that note, if you are writing about a very niche topic, don’t be afraid to ask an expert if you can’t find the information you need. I needed to know something specific about how the postal system worked in the Victorian era, so I emailed the postal museum who were more than happy to help. Experts are often excited to meet someone who is interested in their work.  

Visit your location

If you can visit the locations in your book, do! Make sure you take a notebook and jot down your impressions of the location. Think about how your characters would perceive and walk around the space. Take your time to absorb the atmosphere and take photos if permitted.

When I was writing a book based on the legend of Count Dracula, I was lucky enough to visit Transylvania. Not even Bram Stoker got to Romania (he based most of his ideas of Transylvania on a travel book). It’s a place I’ll never forget, and my writing was made richer for having gone there. Place is a powerful inspiration for story.

YouTube Videos

While YouTube is a relatively recent phenomenon, it has a vast amount of historical resources. Need to find out how an old gun works? Someone has made a video on that. Want to see a historical costume in action? Someone has made a video on that. I kid you not – I’ve used YouTube to see how both old cameras and guns worked for my novels.

Document your research

Now you might have all this amazing research, but don’t store it in your head!

Documenting is just as important as researching your book. Make sure you have a good note-taking system. Whether that’s a single paper notebook for all your research or using an online tool like OneNote or Evernote to keep it in one place.

Taking photos are also very helpful for documenting places – just check you’re allowed to in private locations and museums before bringing the camera out.  

Integrating your historical research into your fiction

While this topic could be a whole separate blog post on how to include historical details in your fiction, it’s important to integrate your research naturally in your work. While we might get obsessed with say, a certain shoe, if it’s not relevant to the story, you shouldn’t be giving a paragraph of backstory on a shoe.

Likewise, don’t be too obvious about integrating your research into dialogue. We don’t need tour guide characters who say, “And this is Big Ben, which was completed in 1859, and is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, not the tower itself. Now follow my umbrella…” A better way is to have characters comment from their perspective – “Gov, those builders better get on with finishing that tower.”  

Follow that damn rabbit

Some people will say not to go down the rabbit hole, but I say follow that rabbit. If you’ve stumbled across an interesting aspect of history that no one has ever written about, and you’re curious, keep going. Chances are that curiosity might spark something new.

I hoped this post has helped you learn more about how to research historical fiction. As always, if you have questions, hit me up in the comments below, and let me know how your research is going!

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5 Top Resources for Researching Historical Fiction

Mar 9, 2022 | Novels

When did the shag haircut first appear? How much did a can of beans cost in 1930? What about a crate of champagne? How many people lived in Atlanta in 1860? What was the most popular song in December of 1953? Love it or hate it, there’s no getting around research when you’re writing historical fiction.

Even if your story takes place in an era you’ve lived through, memories are far from perfect and evocative details can slip through the cracks.

As a former librarian, I LOVE research. Tracking down obscure details and poring over primary sources is like a treasure hunt for me. One interesting tidbit leads to the next and soon I’m following a trail of breadcrumbs to a tasty insight I would otherwise never have thought to look for. Alongside the facts you intend to uncover, research can surprise you with details that will enhance your story, invigorate your characters, and maybe even influence your plot.

Want to give it a try and join me on the adventure? Here are 5 places to start.*

1. NEWSPAPERS

Historical newspapers are a terrific resource for getting an overview of daily life in a community in any era. News articles and editorials let you know what was happening and what people were thinking about those events, but there’s so much more: police reports, movie/TV/theater listings, book reviews, community calendars, and advertisements. Read a few months forward and back from the time your story is set and you’ll imbibe a better sense of the language of the day, what things cost, and what was important in that community.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Many libraries provide access to ProQuest Historical Newspapers, a searchable online database with full-page digitized scans of newspaper pages, some dating back to the 18th century. Includes US, Canadian, and some International papers as well as American Black and Jewish newspapers. Smaller or more specialized papers may not be digitized and you may end up in a library basement, reading from microfilm or microfiche.

New York Times, January 7, 1917.**

2. PHOTOGRAPHS (mid-1800s on)

As writers we need to use all five senses when conveying an historical world to our readers. But for the author/researcher, there’s nothing quite like seeing a scene from the past. In addition to images that capture major historic events, more casual photos reveal landscape and architectural details, fashion, past-times, and all those wonderful human faces and candid expressions— that just might get you thinking about your own characters.

WHERE TO FIND THEM:

• Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
• Significant events in US History, the American West, Black soldiers in WW2, Japanese internment during WW2, Pearl Harbor, 1963 March on Washington
• GETTY: A fee is required to license or reproduce but viewing is free. Search their editorial collection of millions of news, sports, entertainment & archival photos by region, keyword, date and more https://www.gettyimages.com/

Students learning dentistry at Howard University, circa 1900.

Especially in urban settings, maps give a sense of the topography and scale of the historical location. How far was it from your character’s home to their school, the park, the riverfront, the bus station? What neighborhoods were nearby? Comparing maps of different dates for the same place can show how quickly a city is growing. Is your story’s locale a lazy place where nothing ever changes? Or a boom town with new streets stretching into the countryside every day?

• Sanborn Maps were made for fire companies to assess liabilities in urban areas in the 19th and 20th century and give a detailed view of neighborhoods. https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps
• Bird’s eye view maps. Hand-drawn maps that portray a city as if seen from above. Popular from the 1860s -1920s. Though not drawn to scale, they show the street grid, individual buildings, and major landmarks https://www.loc.gov/collections/panoramic-maps/?fa=subject:aerial+views&sp=3
• Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas, Austin is a good place to start for other kinds of historical maps of the world https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/hist_sites.html

Detail, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Allentown, PA 1897.

4. ORAL HISTORIES

Some of your best ‘finds’ may come from these recorded interviews, with usually ordinary people who have lived through historical events, talking about their personal experience. These are wonderful for understanding historical context and developing well-rounded characters. Though subjects interviewed are usually adults, they often reflect on their childhood. Oral histories introduce personal anecdotes and can tell you how people felt about historical events, plus attitudes towards health, family, religion, ‘progress’ and other issues.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Unless you are researching a major historical event, local/regional libraries, historical societies, and archives will be your best bet. Sometimes a simple Google search for your time/region/event + “oral history” can point you in the right direction.

“Hardly was a cabin built in the most out-of-the-way part of the mountains, before a large family of rats made themselves at home in it….They are very destructive, and are such notorious thieves, carrying off letters, newspapers, handkerchiefs, and things of that sort, with which to make their nests, that I soon acquired a habit, which is common enough in the mines, of always ramming my stockings tightly into the toes of my boots, putting my neckerchief into my pocket, and otherwise securing all such matters before turning in at night.” —Excerpt from Three Years in California (1851-54) by J.D. Borthwick.

When all else fails—talk to someone! Universities are full of experts on almost every topic under the sun and many are open to discussing their work with an interested and informed member of the public. And don’t overlook ordinary people. Chances are someone in your network has expertise that could be valuable for your research – from technical or professional knowledge to personal experience. Crowdsourcing from online message boards or interest groups can also yield unexpected gems.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, ASK A LIBRARIAN!

* Listed resources focus on US history. Other countries will have similar resources to varying degrees. **All images courtesy Library of Congress.

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ENGL 3025: Writing Historical Fiction: Doing Research for Your Writing

About this guide, pre-research the period and location, create a convincing picture, databases for finding details of the period, databases for researching specific periods, primary texts by period, historical newspaper databases, study secondary sources, sources used - find more tips there, get help with your research, document your sources, who wrote this guide.

This guide is primarily developed in support of the course ENGL 3025: Writing Historical Fiction. It outlines elements of research and provides links to resources and research tips.

While many suggested resources are available online, please note that research for historical fiction may require using print resources, visiting libraries and archives, and conducting personal interviews and research consultations.

• Identify the location and year(s) of your piece setting.
• Look at a variety of resources to immerse yourself in a period/event.

Search Summon

Search tip : Do a keyword search; for example, Berlin Wall

Limit to publications from a certain period

Look at different material types

Search the Library Catalog

Search tips

• September 11 terrorist Attacks, 2001
• March on Washington
• Subject headings may not be intuitive. Start with a keyword search, e.g., "9/11,” and then look at subject headings attached to relevant records. Then browse subject headings

Find personal accounts

Where to find them

Library catalog and suggested databases (scroll down for lists of databases).

• Correspondence
• Reminiscences
• For more results click the OhioLINK button on the results screen

Study details of the period

Look for clothes, jewelry, transportation, architecture, etc.in paintings, photographs, documentaries, etc.

• Library catalog

Search tip: To find images in the library catalog use the following keywords:

• Pictorial works
• Documentary photography
• Digital collections of museums
• For pieces set in Cincinnati: Digital Library of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamiltion County

Look at books/periodicals/media

created at the time of your story.

Where to find books

• Google Books
• Project Gutenberg

Tip : In Project Gutenberg explore bookshelves, e.g., US Civil War )

Where to find newspapers

Study historical maps

See " Digital Maps " in the Geography & Environmental Science Resource Guide. May of the maps listed there are historical.

Old Maps Online (multiple countries)

Some databases for researching specific periods include maps (click on the Information button for descriptions)

Research language

"...certain aspects of language can detract from the seeming authenticity of the characters’ words, and these include both archaic or “difficult” language, and anachronistic language or ideas, both of which, in their different ways, can throw the reader out of the illusion the novelist is trying to convey. " " Ancient or modern? Language in historical fiction " by Carolyn Hughes/

Helpful resources

See also “Find personal accounts” and “Look at books/media created at the time of your story.”

Verify information

Check dates, facts, etc.

Wikipedia is great for this! Libraries have even more resources.

• Online Reference Shelf

The Library provides networked access to many more full-text, primary source databases than can be listed here. Others may be located through the Library Catalog and Databases , which contains an alphabetical list of online resources related to Language and Literature.

All Periods/Long Full-Text Coverage

Middle english, early modern.

19th Century

Modern and contemporary.

• Newspapers/Research Databases (Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Secondary sources include non-fiction accounts, biographies, academic papers, interviews with historians and experts.

Follow academic discourse related to your historical period or event for different angles, recent findings, and bibliographies.

Secondary sources will also help you identify social issues of the period.

Suggested databases

" Helpful Research Sources for Historical Fiction Writers ." Write to Done.

"How to Do Historical Research for a Novel by Claudia Merrill.

"How to effectively research historical fiction" by Kat Clay.

" Historical Fiction: 7 Elements of Research" by M.K. Todd. Now Novel blog.

• All Online Research Guides
• Ask a Librarian (Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Coutny)

• Last Updated: Aug 1, 2024 2:47 PM
• URL: https://guides.libraries.uc.edu/histfiction

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Transform your writing life.

How to Research Historical Fiction

Writers often have a bunch of tabs open on their internet browsers. Sometimes we go incognito, because we look up some weird, weird stuff.

Crime and mystery writers might look up police procedures, stages of putrefaction, how to kill someone, types of poison…but not just that. Car models, flowering shrubs in a particular part of the world, average rainfall on a particular day. Train sounds, what color the Ligurian Sea is…you get the picture.

“You” being the reader. Details are important in fiction, because details help readers quite literally get the picture in their heads that makes the ‘fictive dream’ come alive.

Some genres, like hard science fiction or military thrillers, require some deep research or personal experience (or a degree!), along with a vivid imagination.

Historical fiction is similar in that you must either have time travelled, OR you must have a knack for researching.

Luckily, this knack is not such a secret thing. It can’t be learned.

A short story about a long process

I’m writing historical fiction again. It’s the second in a trilogy. Here’s the story of the first one, if you are interested in the sheer doggedness required to write a novel when your skills are insufficient. On that first novel I got through the initial draft, then realized it was thin because…details. Needed them, didn’t have them. Knew sort of how to get them, thanks to an undergrad degree in History.

For the next two years I read a lot of nonfiction about the time period. I also read some fiction set in that period, but not too much–I didn’t want to use the same details everyone else used. Also because I had deliberately set the story in a place and time where there weren’t many “comparative titles.” (Here’s an explanation of what comparative titles means, if you’re new to the term.)

Tip #1: Let your research serve the scene & not vice-versa.

All the time spent reading and researching led to one thing: a few close-ups of particular moments in time. Yes, I set an entire scene in a swimming pool on the Seine because I thought it was a cool venue–but the scene had to happen somewhere. The setting worked for the action and for the characters’ emotional arcs, so it was fair game.

Tip #2: Keep characters’ point of view in mind.

This first novel in what I believe will be a trilogy was from a male POV. Just one POV. He was a newspaper illustrator, so I had to remember that photos weren’t yet used much in the press ( The Illustrated London News used sketches, as did most other outlets at the time). I had to remember, for the 7 or 8 scenes where my character was sketching, that the form had certain specific limitations because they’d be made into engravings that the newspaper could print in multiple thousands of copies. They needed to have simple cross-hatching, enough white space for the image to stand out.

And on a more general level, I had to remember that my POV character would see everything from under a hat brim, at least in outdoor scenes. So I also gave him “hat head” in every scene set indoors (where he removed his hat at certain times) because it made me laugh, and because I think it made him more sympathetic.

Tip #3: Academic texts, newspapers from the time, weird websites, and primary sources are your friend

That particular historical novel has some characters that came from my own field of historical study as an undergrad, which was the Meiji period in Japan. During this time, the Japanese sent out “missions” to study the exemplars of everything developed during the 200 years Japan’s borders had been closed.

A mission might consist of a few dozen men. They went all over the world. They would tour shipbuilding facilities on the River Clyde in Scotland, study hospital design and breakthroughs in medicine in Holland and Scotland, scientific research and democratic structure in Germany, Western art in Italy, and so on. Wherever these missions went, they took a deep interest in all those working on the cutting edge of their field.

Because there wasn’t a lot of information out there on the internet on what it was like to be part of a Meiji mission, I got a library card for the local university. I pored over the academic texts and theses that studied that period from a number of perspectives and topics.

The internet is great, but it can also be full of misinformation. Websites, much as I love the people who blog on subjects dear to my heart, are simply a starting point to gather information and ideas for various plot turns.

Academic books and trade nonfiction from university presses, on the other hand, have been stringently researched, are heavily footnoted, have the most incredible list of jumping-off points in their bibliographies, and best of all, they dive deep into a particular subject in a way that most blog posts can’t. There is nothing like an entire nonfiction book on a subject to bring up your level of understanding. Five different books from five different angles is even better.

Newspapers are a goldmine for the comings and goings of famous people and for the advertisements for products and services.

Guide books from the historical time period (assuming it’s post-printing press) are invaluable for information on fares and schedules.

You can gain access to much of this stuff through the Internet, by the way! Internet Archive (a digital library), Victorian Voices (a fantastic compendium of journalism and other treats from the period), Project Gutenberg (lots of old books, including guidebooks) .

Libraries are another goldmine. Your local library card might get you free access to JSTOR and other databases for academic articles and primary resources . Here’s a website from Fordham University with some good links . Academic articles are a goldmine for historical novelists. Peer-reviewed journals publish articles that, although they have a slant, are as close to factually correct as we “modern” humans can be about our past.

Finally, if you’re really into the facts, you can get some records from governments and institutions. When I was researching cinematographer Gregg Toland for a novel about F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, I sent away to the state of California for a copy of Toland’s marriage certificate. They asked no questions! And sent me the info.

Don’t you love history?

7 tips on researching and writing historical fiction

Related courses, writing historical fiction, writing fiction with kate mosse, by leila aboulela, 28th feb 2023.

Leila Aboulela was born in Cairo, grew up in Khartoum, and moved to Aberdeen in her mid-twenties. Nominated three times for the Orange Prize (now the Women’s Prize for Fiction,) she is the author of five novels, including Bird Summons , The Translator , and Lyrics Alley , which was Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards. Leila was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and her short story collection, Elsewhere Home , won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award. Leila’s latest novel River Spirit will be published by Saqi Books on 7 March 2023.

Leila has been a guest speaker in special masterclasses for our Writing Your Novel students and a mentor for our Breakthrough Writers’ Programme – our initiative for under-represented writers. Here she shares some insights on how to approach historical research for a novel, drawing on her own experience of writing River Spirit, which is set in 1880s Sudan.

I’ve always loved reading historical fiction. There is something magical about stepping into the past, a tantalizing place where we can experience ways of life that have vanished. It was, though, only after writing contemporary novels, that I gathered up the courage to write historical ones. To be honest, the research put me off. The word ‘research’ conjured up hours spent in solemn libraries, studying historical tomes, wading through tedious facts and dates of battles. But it need not be like that. I found that research itself could be part of the creative process, that it could be inspiring and lots of fun. Here are the tips, based on how I did it.

1. Follow your fascinations

Read the history that interests you, rather than what you feel you should read. For River Spirit I went to the Sudan archives in Durham University. There, I came across a bill of sale for a slave girl. Her name, Zamzam, gave me an image of her. It was as if I knew her. This triggered my interest in nineteenth century slavery in Sudan. I began to research that topic. I had never intended the main character of my novel to be an enslaved woman. But how Zamzam became enslaved and how she found freedom, fascinated me and so I based my research on finding out more about the kind of day-to-day life she would have likely experienced.

2. Speak to the experts

I interviewed researchers who had written about nineteenth century Sudan. They pointed me towards specific books and papers – and saved hours of my time.

3. Read novels set in the same place and historical period

This was lots of fun because I could enjoy the fiction while at the same time feel that I was working! I picked up interesting, relevant details as well as the names of useful sources listed in the Acknowledgement pages.

4. Find your fictional characters in the footnotes of history

Many historical novels are based on minor figures in history, real people who are mentioned briefly in the footnotes. They might have played a minor part, or they were present when important things happened. Because little is known about them, they provide an opportunity for the creative writer to fill in the missing pieces.

5. Switch between researching and writing

Although I started off with the research, I didn’t devote all my time to it. If I felt creative, I would work on my novel. Sometimes I would keep writing until I got stuck and needed to research something specific. I remember my mum visiting me for a few weeks and to avoid walking around in a hazy daydream in her presence (which is what I’m normally like when I’m writing), I focussed solely on the research. But most of the time, I wrote and researched at the same time. One feeding the other.

6. Expect a longer editing process

Although I was careful, I ended up making the obvious mistake that historical novelists are inclined to fall into. My first draft had too much research! Information dumps, repetitions, ‘look what I know’ paragraphs. I had to cut and cut and cut again. I had to decide what was important to the story and what was not. The copy-editing stage took longer than with my contemporary novels. Lots of fact checking and another chance to trim down on non-essentials.

7. Accept that the research might never end

There are so many history books I could have read but I didn’t. Ones I started but abandoned because I got carried away with writing! The novel was going well and there was nothing more I needed to research. But it would be dishonest to say that I ever felt that I was finished with the research. Perhaps one can never finish researching a historical period. It is more about deciding when to stop and focus on the writing. The research can go on forever. At the end, it is the central story, and the characters who make up the novel, while the historical research remains in the background.

Get your hands on a copy of River Spirit , out 7 March.

If you’re working on a historical novel, why not join our specialist six-week online course: Writing Historical Fiction .

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60 historical fiction writing prompts

by The History Quill

We’re delighted to share this list of 60 historical fiction writing prompts to inspire your creative writing. We’ve put them on a historical timeline, starting in 399 BCE and ending in 1969. They cover a range of periods, places, and situations. Feel free to adapt them in any way you like. Enjoy!

You are one of the jurors at the trial of Socrates, who is accused of corruption and impiety. After the verdict, argument ensues about an appropriate punishment. You are arguing against the death penalty, but those around you seem determined to impose it. What happens next?

In Constantinople, the emperor Constantine decrees that Christians must cut all ties with their Jewish heritage or face execution. What does this mean for you and your family? How do you react to this new law? What do you choose to do?

You are walking out on the clifftop, and you see a fleet of Viking ships on the horizon. As you watch, you realise they are heading towards the coast. What happens next?

You are a member of Macbeth’s household. When King Duncan is killed, you realise that everything is changing around you. What do you do? Do you stay loyal to Macbeth, or do you leave and join those who oppose him?

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How to Research Historical Fiction and Nail Your Setting

You know you have to actually research historical fiction. 

You know you can't write your frontier romance using a few details you vaguely remember from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman . If you want to make the world of your story truly come alive for your reader, you have to understand that world.

You must be able to see the sights of your world vividly in your mind. You need to be able to share the sounds, smells, voices, and cultural norms with your readers.

But, if you’re a writer first and a historian second—or let’s say 84th—this may feel like a tall order. How do you become so familiar with a timeline that was never your own and still find time to actually write your nove l ?

How do you research historical fiction thoroughly and efficiently?

Don’t worry. Yes, you have a big job ahead of you, but I’m going to lay out a strategy that will simplify your path. I’ll give you tools for:

• Prioritizing categories of research
• Immersing yourself in the world of your novel
• Checking for accuracy
• Knowing when you’re done

Let’s start with narrowing your focus.

Keep a Running List of Questions

What do you actually have to research for your specific historical fiction novel ? 

If you set the perimeters too broad—”Shang Dynasty” or “Victorian England,” for example—you’re going to overwhelm yourself. You’ll also lose precious writing time learning details that aren’t relevant to your story. 

Before you start your research, make a list of questions you already know you need an answer to. This could include things like:

• What would my protagonist’s day to day life look like?
• How would they dress?
• Would my protagonist’s job actually exist?
• What behaviors would shock my protagonist’s parents at this point in history?

You don’t have to think of everything upfront. You’ll make new discoveries and think of new questions both as you research and as you write. Let your research list be a growing, evolving creature. 

Now, if you’re a pantser, you might find the bulk of your questions arise as you write your first draft. I still recommend creating and researching that initial list of “must knows” to avoid any plot-destroying errors as you write.

And immediately research any mid-draft discovery that has a major bearing on the trajectory of your novel. 

For example, if plot point one involves a letter arriving in Egypt exactly ten days after it was written in Oklahoma, make sure such a thing is even possible at the time when your story takes place.

What if I Don’t Have a Story in Mind Yet?

Maybe you’re wondering how to research historical fiction when you have no idea what story you want to tell. Maybe you only know that you love the world of 1920s France and you’d like to set your story then and there. In that case, I’d suggest what I always suggest:

Start with what thrills you.

Why are you so enthralled with this setting? Is it jazz that draws you in? The labor movement? Josephine Baker? Croissants?

Learn more about what interests you and start imagining what kind of stories might unfold in that world. 

Whether you have a story in mind or you’re building as you go, here’s how to research historical fiction, step by step.

1. Go to Google

Yeah, you probably didn’t need me for this tip. You probably already planned to use the internet to research historical fiction.

Most of us turn to Google instinctively, whether we’re looking for a casserole recipe or trying to find the name of the screechy-voice guy who was in that movie based on the book by the author who was involved in that scandal.

Go ahead and follow that impulse when you’re researching historical fiction. The Internet can save you a lot of time with quick answers to simple questions. 

However, be aware that anyone can post anything online for free. It doesn’t have to be true. So make sure you’re getting your information from a reputable source. (More on that in a bit.)

2. Go Deeper at the Library

Don’t stop at Google. Remember, your goal in researching historical fiction is not just to collect information about an era. You also want to gain a well-rounded understanding of what it meant to live in that era. Your librarian can help you with this in ways Google can’t.

In addition to housing biographies and history books, your library has the hook-up for old newspapers, maps, and photographs. Through your library, you might be able to access documentaries or old radio programs. 

Even if the collection at your local library is small, ask if they’re able to borrow any of the materials you’re looking for from other libraries. Your library card may also give you access to digital materials like academic journals, film libraries, archives, and more.

And if you’re really lost, tell your librarian what you need to know. “I’m writing a story about someone traveling across Scotland in the seventeenth century. I’m not sure what that would look like. Do you know of any resources that can help me?”

There’s a decent chance they’ll have something to suggest because librarians are magic.

3. Find Museums and Experts

This is where we progress from informative to immersive. 

If you have the ability to visit a museum that shines light on your setting, do it. Even better, take a tour. Museum tour guides give you way more information and deeper context than you’ll find on a placard.

Meanwhile, the contents themselves help you imagine days gone by with greater clarity. You can see the texture of fabrics, the design of a tool, or photographs of daily life. 

Too far from a museum that’s relevant to your setting? Consider:

• What museum would you visit if you could? Do they have any online resources? Maybe a virtual lecture series or virtual tours?
• Is there a museum nearby that features an exhibit related to your setting? Maybe you can’t get to a Japanese history museum, but you can explore Japanese art from your era in your local art museum.
• Who can tell you what a museum guide could tell me? Is there an expert on this era who might be willing to answer a few questions?

As you dig deeper, the details of your time period come into focus.

4. Collect Images and Video

Bring it all home. Photographs, paintings, furniture, clothing… whatever you’re finding out there, bring images of those things into your workspace. 

Treat these images like clues about life in your chosen era. How do people dress or stand to indicate their social ranking? How are children positioned in photographs? Are they shoved into the corners or primped and paraded? How would one move in that dress or sit on that gosh-awful chair?

If there’s video footage from your era, chase that down, too. 

5. Pretend You Live in Your Novel’s Timeline

You don’t have to go full-on Ren Faire. Just expose yourself to a few things that would be part of your characters’ daily lives. 

Read books, newspapers, and other published materials from your chosen time period. This step is an absolute must as it not only gives you a ton of cultural insight, it also helps you nail the voice of the era. How did people talk? What were the hot topics of the day?

Music and food also provide great immersion opportunities. What sounds, scents, and flavors would have colored your characters’ daily lives?

If your novel takes place in recent history, watch the movies or television shows that were popular at the time. Check out the art that defines your chosen era. 

Put yourself in the shoes of your characters (maybe literally if you have easy access to a costume shop) and see what you discover.

6. Actually Go There

This may not be realistic for you. But, if it is, you can learn a lot by visiting the physical location where your story takes place.

Wander the streets and compare them to photographs or maps from the era. If you can tour a building or home from your chosen time period, do it. Look for a local history museum. 

And definitely visit the library. They may have some obscure pieces of local history you won’t find anywhere else.

Now that you know how to research historical fiction, let’s talk about something extremely important. 

How to Research Historical Fiction Accurately

Misinformation and bias abound. Here’s how to navigate your research results wisely.

‍ Always note your source. Did you find your article about Regency marriage traditions at SmithsonianMag.com? Or from KrazyKoolHistoryFacts.net? Where is your source getting their information?

‍ Know the difference between primary and secondary sources. A primary source is anything created during the time period you’re researching—a document, a recorded interview, a shoe, whatever. A secondary source is created after the time period in question. 

The U.S. Declaration of Independence is a primary source. Your grade school history book’s explanation of the Declaration is a secondary source. 

Primary sources give you the most accurate account of the attitudes, voices, and direct experiences of the era. Secondary sources have enough distance to put the experience into a wider context. 

On that note:

‍ Be aware of bias. Always ask yourself what biases might be baked into both primary and secondary source material. 

That’s not to say you should discount material that comes from a biased source. In fact, much of our history is colored by the people who wrote it. There’s a reason most Americans think the temperance movement was a bunch of hyper-religious spinsters nagging men to stop drinking rather than a crusade to curb domestic violence. 

You can’t escape bias in your research. What matters is that you know when you’re getting a prejudiced take on history and that you seek an opposing viewpoint to get a more rounded picture. 

How to Know When You’re Done

Now that you know how to research historical fiction, here are some key signs that you’re ready to start writing:

• You’ve answered all the questions that directly impact your story
• You have a pretty firm grasp of the societal norms and structures that would influence your characters and conflicts
• The setting of your historical fiction novel is starting to take shape clearly in your mind
• Anything you have to guess about now will be an easy fix if your guess is wrong

Like worldbuilding, historical fiction research can become an easy excuse to procrastinate. Get your story rolling as soon as it makes sense. You can continue researching as you go.

One final tip: Use your Dabble Story Notes to keep everything you learn organized and at your fingertips as you draft your novel.

If you don’t have a Dabble account, I highly recommend checking it out. You can do that for free for fourteen days. No credit card required. Just click this little link and start your free trial.

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

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Research & Historical Fiction

• February 20, 2024
• Guest Posts , Research Tips & Techniques , Writing Historical Fiction

Author Helena P. Schrader appeared on the blog recently with insights on writing biographical historical fiction . Today, her topic is research and historical fiction.

There is probably no other genre of fiction which requires quite so much research as historical fiction . Indeed, many readers will be surprised to hear that the research required for writing good historical fiction is more comprehensive than that for writing straight history.

Over the years, I’ve done  a lot  of historical research . I did academic research for my dissertation. I did research for non-fiction histories on women pilots, the Berlin Airlift and, most recently, the crusader states. Each research project was unique and each came with its own set of challenges and rewards. The availability of primary sources varies from era to era and topic to topic. Access to visual records — paintings and photographs — can be radically different and the ability to visit locations or experience modes of transport depend on a variety of factors. Yet, without question the research required for a work of non-fiction was more narrowly focused than for fiction . Academic research particularly is about putting forward a new thesis or uncovering new sources for what is inevitably a narrow, highly specialized topic.

A writer of historical fiction, on the other hand, has to understand — and be able to describe — the entire world in which the characters live . For example, my non-fiction comparison of women pilots in WWII looked in detail at the process for recruiting, training, and employing women pilots in the UK and the US. It catalogued their rates of pay, their accomplishments, the public and official recognition they received. But it did not — and did not need to — talk about contemporary fashion, food, film and music. There was no need to discuss rationing or politics or social mores. Yet a novel featuring women pilots would need to depict these “extraneous” things and all of them would need to be research.

In addition, when writing non-fiction, an author uses her own voice. This can be as contemporary, chatty and informal or as sophisticated and erudite as the author wants. The author can decide what tone to set and what vocabulary to use. In a novel, in contrast, the characters speak (at least some of the time) and they have to sound like men and women not of the present but the age in which the novel is set . This is more than a matter of avoiding anachronisms, it is about learning what the contemporary slang, jargon, swear-words etc. were. 

As a reader, I have repeatedly been irritated by historical novelists who don’t do their homework with regard to these atmospherics. Too many novice historical novelists stop doing research when they know the chronology of key events. Others get both the facts and the window-dressing right (i.e. fashions, technology), but they don’t take the time to learn about the “soft” or more amorphous features of the age and society in which their novel plays out . Yet an understanding of legal systems, religious beliefs, social customs and sexual mores, for example, are arguably far more important than getting the cut of the dresses right. 

Fortunately for me, I love doing historical research precisely because it opens so many doors and provides so many insights into the diversity and complexity of the human experience.

As an aside, in a post on why she writes historical fiction, Helena said: Historical fiction can go beyond the historical record. It can “connect the dots” and extrapolate beyond the point where credible historians dare to go. A novelist can offer an interpretation of historical events and characters that completes the imperfect image left by the remaining evidence . It can build upon the eroded remnants and restore a bright, vivid and vibrant image of the past. 

Thank you, Helena. I am particularly struck by this last bit “the diversity and complexity of the human experience.” As you say on your website “Understanding ourselves by understanding the past.” An excellent reminder for all writers, especially those writing historical fiction .

Helena is the author of 19 historical novels and 5 non-fiction titles.   Her novels feature Aviation, the Second World War, Ancient Sparta, and the Crusader States.   Check out  her website .

For other posts on the importance of research to authors of historical fiction check out these posts:

• The Tyranny of Research. Bring it on!
• Ten Posts on Research Tips & Techniques
• Personal Diaries are Treasures

FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION   FOLLOW  A WRITER OF HISTORY . Use the SUBSCRIBE function on the right hand side of the page.

M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel is  THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE , a dual timeline set in Hong Kong. Mary’s other novels, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from  Amazon ,  Nook ,  Kobo ,  Google Play  and  iTunes . She can be contacted on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Goodreads  or on her website  www.mktod.com .

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I agree with everything Helena mentions in this posts, particularly about “an understanding of legal systems, religious beliefs, social customs and sexual mores, for example, are arguably far more important than getting the cut of the dresses right. “

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Historical Fiction

“i refused to be a war bride.” or, why i set my novels in nova scotia.

American Howard Norman on Finding His Literary Home in the Canadian Maritimes

Claire Messud on Writing the Past That Lives Within Us

“But the Ancient Greeks Didn’t *Sound* Irish…” On Capturing Voice in Historical Fiction

Writing Into Negative Space: Shining A Spotlight on History’s Sidelined Women

The Past Is Messy and Repeats Itself: The Trap of Fairytale Victory Endings in Historical Fiction

Raising the Dead from Paper: Katharine Quarmby on Fiction’s Friendly Ghosts

Genius Loci : On Unlocking the Spirit of Settings">Inspired By the Genius Loci : On Unlocking the Spirit of Settings

“Whatever!”: In Defense of Anachronism in Ancient Rome

The Rest is History: Andrew Ridker on Writing About the Recent Past

Reading Beyond London’s WWII “Blitz Spirit”

Is the Past a Literary Genre Unto Itself?

Jennifer Rosner on Crafting Evocative Historical Fiction That Honors the Past

25 Historical Crime, Mystery, and Horror Novels to Look Forward To In 2023

On Transforming Oral History Into Historical Fiction

On the Historical Fiction That Lives in the Space Between History and Myth

The challenges of writing fiction about the “darkest corner of the dark ages”, great women through the ages: a historical fiction reading list.

We Are in a Golden Age of Historical Fiction for People of Color

Karen joy fowler on decentering john wilkes booth in a novel about his family.

Amor Towles on Bringing a Historical Setting to Life

Why you shouldn’t read historical fiction to learn history, meg waite clayton on finding new ways to tell old stories, lauren groff on blending research and imagination in historical fiction, jonathan lee on the man who built new york city… only to disappear into it, the pleasures and pitfalls of fictionalizing the life of a great artist, support lit hub..

August 16, 2024

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•   How to research a historical novel

How to research a historical novel

Hannah kohler, author of the outside lands , offers some advice to anyone writing, or hoping to write, their own historical fiction..

Historical fiction can be a tricky genre to master. If you haven't done your homework it won't feel authentic but, on the other hand, no one wants to read a novel that feels like a school history lesson.

Here Hannah Kohler, author of The Outside Lands , which takes us from 1960s California to Vietnam, offers some advice to anyone writing, or hoping to write, their own historical fiction .

My first novel,  The Outside Lands , is set in 1960s California and Vietnam. When I wrote it, I didn't think of it as historical fiction — the period didn't seem remote enough — although novels set more than fifty years in the past are usually defined as historical.

My second novel,  Catspaw , is undeniably historical fiction: it is set in the California Gold Rush of 1849. I'm writing it in the British Library, surrounded by the library's vast and extraordinary North American collections. Shelved away in this soaring building are memoirs that will spark plot ideas, diaries that will inspire character voices, photographs that will help me visualize nineteenth-century America.

But if the library is a novelist's wonderland, it can also be a rabbit-hole — a place you can get lost for days at a time, encountering all kinds of marvels but ending up, like Alice, right back where you started. So how do you strike the balance between research and writing? Here are some things I've learned …

Don't write what you know

Write what you love. You'll be spending a lot of time in this particular historical period, with its strange habits, its ways of speaking and dressing, its appetites and peccadilloes. So make sure you're excited at the prospect of living in your chosen period for a couple of years. Your passion will be felt in the energy of your writing.

Don't know it all

Scientists solve problems by writing down the answer first, then conducting research to test their hypothesis. It's a smart and efficient way of getting to an answer in the face of an overwhelming amount of information. The same approach is invaluable in writing in historical fiction. Don't start with research. Establish your characters and narrative, and then be strategic about what you need to find out. Research as you write.

Less is more

Be ruthless about the research you include in your writing. Don't be tempted to show you've done your homework. We live in an age in which most readers have seen enough movies to have a basic set of visual assumptions about what different historical periods looked like. This means you can be sparing in building the historical setting of your novel. Only include historical details that advance your narrative. As for everything else you've learned — just feel it, sitting in your brain, giving you the confidence to write your story.

Sweat the small stuff… later

Whatever historical details you include, if you're aiming for realism, it's worth getting them right. This is particularly important when you're writing about a period that people remember first-hand: if you muddle your Snickers with your Marathon bars, readers will notice.

Even if you're writing about a remote past, accuracy in the detail — hairspray brands, newspaper headlines — helps create a setting that feels authentic. But sweat the small stuff as late possible —preferably when you're editing the final draft. Otherwise you'll never finish the thing.

But don't chase accuracy too hard

You're writing a work of fiction, not an exhaustive historical account. Research for inspiration. Research for authenticity. But don't chase accuracy so relentlessly that it gets in the way of telling your story. Remember you're dealing in fiction, not fact.

Disable your internet; put the books away. Your job is to write; and research can easily become just another way to delay writing. So keep research in its place — which is the thing that will inspire you, the thing that will help you create an authentic rendering of the past, but never the thing itself.

Hannah Kohler is currently the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence.

The Outside Lands

By hannah kohler.

The Outside Lands  is the story of people caught in the slipstream of history, how we struggle in the face of loss to build our world, and how easily and with sudden violence it can be swept away. With extraordinary skill and accuracy, Hannah Kohler takes us from 1960s California to Vietnam, capturing what it means to live through historic times. This powerful debut novel announces Kohler as a remarkable new literary talent.

You may also like

Hannah kohler on the books of the vietnam war, the best historical fiction books of 2024, and all time, summer reads if you like historical fiction.

Historical Fiction Prompts

… or story prompts, written and curated by me, Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, a historian and author.

With my writing prompts, you can use the original historical material to conjure up the world of the past. I publish exclusively to my newsletter, The Idea Catapult , on Tuesdays. Some of those articles appear below a few weeks later.

A few notes on how it works

These prompts inspire you to write very special (or very typical) scenes from a particular era.

1. You could write them as a rehearsal, to see if you’re truly interested in writing 400+ pages about this setting and time.

2. Or you could write them, and weave them into your novel.

Essentially, you invent the protagonists – I bring the historical background information. 

When working with the Historical Fiction Prompts, there are again two options. Have a look at the people shown in the image/film/footage or photo mentioned in my prompt, and choose one of them as your protagonist. Or if you already have your own protagonist , use him/her! Imagine them taking their place in the setting that the prompt provides. Put him right in the middle of the action. Imagine your chosen protagonist being confronted with the historical incidents.

Narrate what he encounters. Confront him or her with the unfolding situation.

Utilise the original historical material to conjure up the world of the past.

I see history everywhere. #100dayChallenge #5fantasticThings

Five fantastic things. For authors who want to write about the past.   Australian author Natasha Lester has a new book out! A historical novel set in Paris… Congratulations to you, dear Natasha, and may your beautiful story about “The Paris Seamstress” find many readers all around the globe. Invented a pseudonym. Will write a time travel novel. Yes indeed, history professors. Brace yourself, it will happen. Bought two new domains. For the new author… Read more …

Need to find a gift for someone who writes? Browse and plunder the Ultimate Gift Guide

                   Author, Choose Your Time And Setting >> French Atlantic and historical research by the sea 1945 | A Dance Club in Berlin View the original film footage from 1945.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=690g3nxG6AQ The explanation on the British PATHÉ website says: “Various shots of couples dancing in a nightclub. So… When waiting for coincidences is not enough Yes, there will be coincidences when you travel on location. Loads of… Read more …

Need to find a gift — for someone who writes? The 2017 Gift Guide for Authors, Writers and Literary Agents

                             Author, Choose Your Time And Setting >> French Atlantic and historical research by the sea 1945 | A Dance Club in Berlin View the original film footage from 1945.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=690g3nxG6AQ The explanation on the British PATHÉ website says: “Various shots of couples dancing in a nightclub. So… How To Protect Your Beard During The Night in 1890   Curated by Dr. Barbara Ellermeier,… Read more …

The Ultimate Gift Guide For Writers 2017

Aaaah, it’s that glorious time of the year again, when we wrack our brains asking ourselves: What do I gift to my loved ones? What could I buy for my lovely clients and colleagues? If you need to find a gift for an author, look no further. You want to spend between 10-120 Euros or USD? Then this is the only list you’ll need. Curated by Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, historical advisor for authors and the brain behind… Read more …

Writers block? Or researcher’s block? How to NOT waste your time while writing your historical novel

  Hello, I am Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, historical advisor to authors and publishers.  We know that our research materials don’t just fall into our laps … and the best historial details usually aren’t listed in Wikipedia. But when our local librarian overwhelms us, when the expert we’ve emailed doesn’t answer, and when browsing Pinterest leaves us even more confused, we end up fearing that we’re wasting too much time on research.   Because these 50,000 words… Read more …

Complete your novel — fast than ever — by utilising handpicked historical materials. How?

Who else wants to save time when conducting research for their novel.

Hello, I am Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, historical advisor to authors and publishers.  We know that our research materials don’t just fall into our laps … and the best historial details usually aren’t listed in Wikipedia. But when our local librarian overwhelms us, when the expert we’ve emailed doesn’t answer, and when browsing Pinterest leaves us even more confused, we end up fearing that we’re wasting too much time on research.   Because these 50,000 words of… Read more …

Write your historical novel [NaNoWriMo]

               Author, Choose Your Time And Setting >> Research Trip: A Medieval Lost Place, the Church near Alzey Writers block? Or researcher’s block? How to NOT waste your time while writing your …   Hello, I am Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, historical advisor to authors and publishers.  We know that our research materials don’t just fall into our laps … and the best historial d… Opportunities For Authors: Get Funding to… Read more …

Book research: “I don’t know where to start” [NaNoWriMo 2017]

         Author, Choose Your Time And Setting >> Why a research trip is worth the time (and the money!) When you explore the setting of your novel in person, on a research trip, you discover material you didn’t even know you were searching for.  Exploring your setting changes the way you see … The Ultimate Gift Guide For Writers 2017 Aaaah, it’s that glorious time of the year again, when we wrack… Read more …

Nanowrimo: Writer’s block? Or researcher’s block? How to avoid wasting time, when writing your historical novel

  Hello, I am Dr. Barbara Ellermeier, historical advisor to authors and publishers.  We know that our research materials don’t just fall into our laps … and the best historial details usually aren’t listed in Wikipedia. But when our local librarian overwhelms us, when the expert we’ve emailed doesn’t answer, and when browsing Pinterest leaves us even more confused, we end up fearing that we’re wasting too much time on research.   Because these 50,000 words… Read more …

But why isn’t there a novel about the liquid gold that made so many perfume créateurs astonishingly rich? A novel that tells the stories of the people who worked so hard to cultivate these plants? Receive the writing prompt .

Are you in need of an illness, sickness or some other form of human pain — and your novel is set in Elizabethan England? This extensive digital database provides an extraordinary insight into Elizabethan society. It can be a useful source for any novelist who wants to write about early modern England. Choose from 85,000 medical consultations, held between 1596 and 1634, right here .

>" /> Leave this field empty if you're human:

»Accidents and distempers, amputations and worms« In 1702, John Moyle has served as a sea surgeon in the navy for almost 40 years. Now old, he decides to write a how-to manual on practising surgery on a ship. His book »CHIRURGUS MARINUS« covers the most common diseases or wounds that sailors around the year 1700 A.D. might have suffered from. Therefore, it is an ideal resource for your seafare novel.

Write about Food in Iceland   Iceland – the Nordic country first came to my attention when I read Hannah Kent’s breathtaking novel BURIAL RIGHTS. Now, I discovered an amazing source with hundreds of historical recipes from Iceland. Browse the selection here, and write a scene.

Write about Australian Food in the 1860s   Battered kangaroo brains cooked in emu fat, anyone? Discover the best resource I know for authentic Australian recipes. Then, write a scene in which your protagonist prepares a TYPICAL Australian dish.

Why Isn’t There a Novel About a Ganerben-Burg Castle? A castle divided between multiple families … wouldn’t that be the perfect setting for a novel? Imagine: 3 to 5 different families, trapped in a confined space, sharing the same rooms, each and every day. It’s time for internal hostilities and atrocities. Conflict is inevitable. A very special setting that allows you to narrate a very special situation.

Write about Food from the German Democratic Republic Many childhood memories are connected to food — and those special foods cannot be bought any more. But what if you suddenly discovered them? Write the scene.

1945. A Dance with the enemy? It’s the end of the fraternisation ban in post-war Germany. Couples who have met and like each other, are *finally* allowed to meet officially for an evening out together. Narrate how a couple – a British soldier and a young German woman – who have just met, date for the first time.

Receive a new writing prompt from a historical location 1x per week.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

It's Time to Rewrite the Rules of Historical Fiction

Research has long been a backbone of the genre. But beyond the textbooks, there's a whole world of family stories that have not yet become history. They deserve their place in fiction, too.

When you write a historical novel, one of the most common questions you get asked is, how did you research your book? How, readers and writers alike ask, did you learn about the time you were writing about? Did you visit the places you wrote about? Did you conduct mountains of interviews with sobbing survivors? Did you pore through grainy archival footage to find little factoids no one had written about while locked in the bowels of library basements? There is a curious, almost voyeuristic desire to peer into an author’s process. Historical fiction is lived experience, often traumatic, made legible and digestible by the novelist, and people want to know what kind of instruments the author used to excavate said experiences. They want to see the way the pudding is made; they want to understand the ways you stitched the broken shards of history together.

Now that I’m publishing my first novel—a work of historical fiction set in 1930s and 1940s colonized Malaysia, called The Storm We Made , about an unlikely female spy and the impact of her actions on her three children—I’m facing familiar questions about my research process. The questions seem innocuous enough, and well within the realm of reasonable questions to ask of an author of historical fiction. Friends and well-meaning readers want to know which authors’ research processes I mirrored, whose methods I preferred, whose I found cumbersome. An easy question, a throwaway—something I should have no problem answering. They want to visualize my process. Did I scour old Malaysian newspapers, stain my fingers black? Did I lock myself up studying ancient and fragile tapes to understand what people wore at the time? Did I interview thousands of survivors? And even though it seems simple enough to answer, I admit—I am defensive, crushed by the specificity of their questions, terrified to confront the very simple truth.

Because the answer, I’m afraid to whisper, is I did none of those things.

Six months ago, my UK publisher invited me to speak about my book at events in London and Wales to drum up excitement. My first event ever was at a well-known festival, where typically 200,000 people would attend about ten days of programming consisting of book-related panels, speeches, parties, and interviews. At the signing line, my first ever, where I was signing advance copies of my book, a woman came up to the table. I remember very little about her except that her nails were painted a beautiful forest green. She held out her early copy for me to sign.

“Did you ever go to the labor camp from your novel?” she asked, her green nails tapping against the plastic signing table.

She was referring to the labor camp at Kanchanaburi on the border of Thailand and Burma, made famous by the movie Bridge Over River Kwai. It was at this very labor camp that I placed one of my main characters, a teenage boy who had never faced any hardship before his stint at the camp. Documented history indicates that at this camp, nearly 300,000 Southeast Asian civilians and Allied prisoners of war were subjected to inhumane labor conditions. At least 100,000 people died of starvation, exposure, and torture.

“Because I did,” she continued.

She told me that a few years ago, she had gone on a multi-day tour where she stayed in a camp and visited Hellfire Pass, a section of the railway that gets its name from scenes of emaciated prisoners laboring to build it by torchlight, in what looked like an imagined scene from hell. As part of the tour, she paid her respects to monks at a temple erected nearby, and she reflected on the unfortunate history of the land she was standing on.

“I can’t believe you didn’t go!” she said. “You should go sometime. It’s an experience.”

As she walked away from me clutching my book, my first instinct was derision. Ugh, I thought. Yet another tourist marching around death monuments to fulfill some morbid sense of achievement. I imagined her green fingernails drumming against the commemorative plaque of death as she exulted in her sightseeing achievement.

But later, I found myself filled with doubt. Had I missed a crucial opportunity for research? I had written a whole character who lived in a labor camp, who socialized with other boys like him, who endured the torture of adolescence while being tortured. My mind had chided the woman with the green fingernails as disrespectful, someone who reveled in her ignorance. But in fact, was I the one who, in not pressing my feet into the dirt that once housed the desperation of hundreds of thousands of men, the one who was thoughtless and disrespectful of the dead, and the survivors?

The first kernel of my book was written in a strange regurgitation. At the end of my first semester of graduate school in 2019, in a class led by the novelist Marie-Helene Bertino, she assigned us a final project—to write a short story based on a prompt.

“Write about someone who does something in a loop, repetitive. Give it stakes.”

I am ashamed to say I was not particularly diligent about this project. The semester was ending and I was ready to be done, plus in grad school everyone got As, so long as the assignments were turned in. I sat down to write, ready to cobble a few scenes together and finish my semester. Instead, five thousand words fell out of me in a two-day fever. I wrote about a teenage girl who had to run through a series of repeated and increasingly dangerous checkpoints during a war to get home before curfew. As she runs, desperate to make it home, she recalls the many difficult moments during the war that had gotten her to this point, praying that she would make it home before soldiers stormed the streets.

Before this assignment, most of my stories took place either contemporarily or in the 90s and early 2000s, all familiar timeframes to me. This was different. I remember being both relieved and tearful after I finished this story. I remember my voice shaking as I read the first paragraph aloud in class. This emotion confused me; I was certainly not alive during WWII, and these were not my recollections. What I had written, in my two-day fever was a scrapbook of stories my grandmother had told me about her life during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya—stories I had clearly internalized, stories that had been gestating in me for years, waiting for the right impetus to make themselves felt. This was the first etching of what has become The Storm We Made , a fever dream of lore that had lived inside me, remembered.

Can memory be research? More importantly, can secondary memory, stories passed down through time, unreliable, malleable—can these stories be considered research? Before the pandemic, when I went home to Malaysia, my then 90+-year-old grandmother would hand me a mug of Lipton tea and tell me the same three stories about her experience surviving the Japanese Occupation of Malaysia during WWII. She would talk about how she was almost killed by an airstrike, about a kind Japanese man who worked at the railway and sometimes secured her family extra food coupons, and about her brother who, while conscripted to a labor camp, was caged in a chicken coop for a year. But each retelling changed a little, and the details were switched—was it only her brother in the chicken coop or was he stuck in there with others? Was it an airstrike or a burning building? Was the Japanese man an administrator or a tutor? Oral histories, as evidenced by the spottiness of my grandmother’s memories, can be unreliable.

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Kali Fajardo-Anstine, in her remarkable essay, “ On Roots and Research ,” writes about how in college, she was afraid to contradict her white professor, who read from a textbook that called the Ku Klux Klan’s presence in 1920s Colorado simply a “social club.” This statement was in direct contradiction to the numerous stories Fajardo-Anstine had heard over the years from her own family, who told meandering anecdotes about the fear and violence the Klan had inflicted on Denver. But because of the inherent shakiness of oral history, Fajardo-Anstine worried that her family stories would not hold up against the professor’s textbook; she felt frozen, unable to defy. Like Fajardo-Anstine, I found myself second-guessing my grandmother’s accounts, setting aside the stories and memories passed down to me over the years. They cannot be accurate, I thought. And, similar to Fajardo-Anstine, there aren’t many records of the time period available for me to verify my grandmother’s recollections.

Then March 2020 arrived, and the world shut down. Libraries were mostly closed, and even the ones that were open felt dangerous to visit when the shelter-in-place order was in effect. Archives were unstaffed. My family in Malaysia had only one duty: the task of protecting my storytelling grandmother, the hero of my burgeoning novel. Once a sociable woman, her life became days of solitude because she had to be kept away from everyone—everyone was a potential carrier of her death sentence.

But still I felt compelled to write. For years when I have talked about my book, I have told people that I wrote the story first—I imagined things that happened and filled them in. But what really happened was I wrote from memory; from the stories I had internalized, but did not realize I carried within me. I wrote about a teenage girl’s friendship with a Japanese civilian that endured for years after the war. I wrote about a boy who disappeared early during the war and returned as a changed man after. I wrote about a mother who mixed gluey tapioca in with miniscule rice rations to keep her family alive. I wrote what I knew, and I was shocked to find that I knew much more than I thought I did. I did have help, though: my grandmother had gifted me her “memory book,” a brown notebook of loose anecdotes she’d started writing down in her older age, afraid to lose her memory. When I was done, I sent my manuscript to my history buff of a father, who did basic fact-checking for me. He reminded me that wartime dishware would have been enamel—not melamine, as I had presupposed. My uncle from Australia sent me a book of photos that he found—some of it government propaganda, but useful for me to understand how buildings looked at the time.

During the writing process, I often felt insecure about what I deemed were my insufficient research skills, my inability to find texts about the Southeast Asian history of occupation. I worried that without a binder of interview transcripts and a multi-page bibliography, I was nothing but an imposter to the genre—a disrespectful neophyte who shouldn’t be allowed into the halls of historical fiction.

Good historical fiction feels immersive. Despite the strangeness of the times, you, the reader, feel as though you are seeing the world through your narrator’s eyes, whether it’s a teen girl trying to hold her family together or a soldier marching to the front—it’s about the ability to become engulfed in the “story” part of the history, to feel the emotion and stakes of the moment, even if time has passed. And what is history if not stories passed down through time? The thing I had to realize was this: there simply isn’t much written about the histories of people living through WWII outside of the Western front. The history of colonized people continues to be written by those who colonize.

What is history if not stories passed down through time?

In order to write my book, I had to think of my family and my own ancestral stories simply as an earlier iteration of the research process. Our stories, because they have not been given their due attention, have not yet become history. This meant relying on less “traditional” methods of research. Instead, conversations with my grandmother, fact-checking from a history buff father, and a book of propaganda photographs had to be enough. This is not to say that I did no traditional research at all and wrote an ahistorical novel. The internet helped me fill in dates of major battles. But it was my family who helped me fill in the little things that mattered, the daily life that was lived—the “story” part.

Memories are records. Yes, there is a shakiness to memories and a patchiness to oral history. But the power of fiction is its ability to transcend the wobbliness of facts—to write shaky moments into concrete existence and make them sturdier than the historical event. Memories make for rich fiction because they are specific, personal evidence—yes evidence—of a life lived. As the documentarians of family histories that have remained ignored by the Western sources, we must trust and rely on the stories our families tell us, and on the histories our ancestors have lived. Our stories deserve their place in history, too.

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Researching historical fiction

I'm curious how historical fiction writers go about researching their books. I've been listening to podcasts with historical fiction writers and their research process sounds so intimidating (years of research, hiring experts and traveling). It seems difficult for someone not published and working a nonwriting job. Has anyone had luck researching on a budget? I do think it is important to do as much as you can, but sometimes it is not possible. Also, how do you get in touch with experts and are they resources for free or do they expect compensation?

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August 11, 2024

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From science fiction to telemedicine: The surprising 150-year history of long-range medical treatment

by Debbie Passey, The Conversation

In 1874, a surgeon in South Australia telegraphed wound care instructions for a patient 2,000 kilometers away. A few years later, in 1879, a letter in The Lancet medical journal suggested physicians use the telephone to cut down on unnecessary patient visits.

As the telephone and telegraph spread, the idea of telemedicine—literally "healing at a distance"—inspired science fiction writers to conjure up new ways of treating patients across great distances.

Real-world technology has developed in tandem with scifi speculation ever since. Today, certain kinds of telemedicine have become commonplace, while other futuristic tools are in the offing.

The radio doctor and the teledactyl

In his 1909 short story The Machine Stops , English novelist E.M. Forster described a telemedicine apparatus that, when telegraphed, descends from the ceiling to care for patients in the comfort of their home. His story is also the earliest description of instant messaging and a kind of internet—both important for real-life telemedicine.

In 1924, Radio News magazine printed a cover story showing the future "Radio Doctor." The cover depicts a physician examining a patient through a screen. Although the magazine story itself was a bizarre fiction that had little to do with a radio doctor, the imagery is evocative.

In a 1925 cover story for Science and Invention, US writer Hugo Gernsback describes a device called "The Teledactyl" (from tele, meaning far, and dactyl, meaning finger). The device uses radio transmitters and television screens to allow a doctor to interact with a patient. The added twist—the physician touches the patient using a remotely controlled mechanical hand set up in the patient's home.

Gernsback was a futurist and pioneer in radio and electrical engineering. Nicknamed the "Father of Science Fiction," Gernsback used fictional stories to educate readers on science and technology, and often included extensive scientific details in his writings. He helped establish science fiction as a literary genre, and the annual Hugo Awards are named after him.

From seafarers to spacefarers

The radio was important for early telemedicine. In the 1920s, physicians across the globe started using the radio to evaluate, diagnose, treat, and provide medical advice for sick or wounded seafarers and passengers. The radio is still used to provide medical consultation to ships at sea.

In 1955, Gernsback returned to the idea of distance medicine with " The Teledoctor ." This imaginary device uses the telephone and a closed-circuit television with mechanical arms controlled by the physician to provide remote patient care. Gernsback said the doctor of the future "will be able to do almost anything through teledoctoring that he can do in person."

In 1959, psychiatrists in Nebraska started using two-way closed-circuit televisions to conduct psychiatric consultations between two locations. This is considered one of the first examples of modern-day telemedicine. Early telemedicine networks were expensive to develop and maintain, which limited broader use.

In the 1960s, NASA began efforts to integrate telemedicine into every human spaceflight program. By 1971, a telemedicine system was ready for trial on Earth— in the Space Technology Applied to Rural Papago Advanced Health care (STARPAHC) program. Using a two-way television and radio connection and remote telemetry, the program connected Tohono Oʼodham people (then known as Papago) with nurses and physicians hundreds of miles away.

The internet and a pandemic

It wasn't until 1970 that the word telemedicine was officially coined by US doctor Thomas Bird. Bird and his colleagues set up an audiovisual circuit between the Massachusetts General Hospital and Logan Airport to provide medical consultations to airport employees .

From the 1970s onward, telemedicine started gaining more traction. The internet, officially born in 1983, brought new ways to connect patients and physicians.

Satellites could connect physicians and patients across greater distances without the need for two-way closed-circuit televisions. The cost to develop and maintain a telemedicine network decreased in the 1980s, opening the door to wider adoption.

In his 1999 science fiction novel Starfish, Canadian writer Peter Watts describes a device called the " Medical Mantis ." This device allows a physician to remotely examine and perform procedures on patients deep beneath the ocean's surface. In the early 2000s, NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations started testing teleoperated surgical robots in undersea environments.

The evolution of telemedicine has kept pace with advances in information and communication technology. Yet, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, telemedicine remained little used.

It took the global COVID pandemic to make telemedicine an integral part of modern health care . Most of this is consultations via video call—not so far away from what Gernsback envisioned a century ago, though so far without the robotic hands.

What's next? One likely factor pushing real-world telemedicine to match the dreams of science fiction will be developments in human spaceflight.

As humans progress in space exploration, the future of telemedicine may look more like science fiction . Earth-based monitoring of astronauts' health will require technological breakthroughs to keep pace with them as they travel deeper into space.

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