I am a student of history and a writer of historical fiction novels. My stories take place in a certain era and I include people from history to help tell a fictional tale. In my third novel, “A Darker Shade of Greed,” the story takes place in the year 1920. Prohibition began under the 18th Amendment and became the law of the land. It was also the year the 19th Amendment was ratified by the states, giving women the right to vote. This was a good setting for my novel. Along with my fictional character, a private detective named Joshua Oates, I populate my novel with historical figures like Babe Ruth, the biggest sports attraction of his time, Damon Runyon, writer, sports reporter, and playwright, and old Bat Masterson of old west fame. Masterson was a newspaper columnist that year. 

In writing historical fiction, the first thing I would advise is to do your research. Before I can give him a voice in the story I had better know all about Mr. George Herman “Babe” Ruth. I grew up reading about the Babe and his impact on baseball. As a fan of the game, I knew of his home run record, his best seasons as a baseball player, his time spent with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, and his baseball stats. He hit 714 home runs; at the time he retired it was an unbreakable record that stood for over half a century. He was also a darn good pitcher when he was with the Red Sox. I knew he had a hard childhood and was not formally educated. I read three different biographies on the big fella and learned his manner of speech from film clips he was in. My research helped me give a credible voice and behavior to the Babe Ruth character in my novel. 

The year 1920 was also the beginning of the period called the Roaring Twenties. My characters reflected this era in many ways, through their manner of speech, the way they dressed, and how they were entertained. Be accurate with facts for the year you are writing about. It was an election year in 1920 and I included references to presidential candidate Warren G. Harding, who would be elected president that year. Damon Runyon was an avid observer of the people around him. He also dressed to the nines, as they say, so I described his clothing when I introduced him in my novel to his friend, the private detective Joshua Oates. I also included references to the emerging music scene called Jazz. All this adds to the flavor and atmosphere to immerse the reader into the story. I also like to include interesting facts from history that one critic of mine described as “incorporates absorbing and revealing anecdotes about historical figures that allow for a broader evocation of the era.” 

What are the don’ts in writing historical fiction? Number one is do not plagiarize. If you are referring to historical facts about a place, describe it in your own words. If you quote directly from a source use a footnote to credit your source. Do not use a character in your novel that could not possibly have been there at the time of the story. For example, if your story is about your character meeting Wild Bill Hickock in 1890 in Alaska this would easily confuse your readers. Research on the internet would show that Hickock could never have been to Alaska in 1890. Fans of the western legend would know he died on August 2, 1876, in the town of Deadwood, in what is now South Dakota.

To sum up, do your research and give your readers a taste of the time in history you are writing about and know your historical figures you may include in your novel. I find the research to be fun as well as informative.