Any novel that is set in the past is considered an historical novel. The historical fiction genre often overlaps with other genres. For example, it’s quite possible to write historical fiction that is also romantic, or adventure fiction that is set in an historical setting. Historical fiction can be one of the most entertaining genres and has nearly limitless options.
What Time Period Should I Use For My Historical Fiction Novel?
What era do you like? Really, you can use any time period at all. And you can set your novel anywhere in the world. There are no limits. You can write about cavemen, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, or even the Industrial Age. You can write a tale set in India, or perhaps Victorian England. You could devise a story that revolves around the Inca or the Mayan, giving your readers a glimpse into some truly exotic cultures. Perhaps you’ll decide to tackle western fiction. You can let your imagination take flight.
Sometimes there are so many choices that you, as a writer, may not be able to choose. In this case you might want to come up with your basic story first. You can then determine which time period and place best suits your plot.
The Rules of Historical Fiction
It can seem that with so much variety and so many available time periods that rules would not apply. However, quite the opposite is true. Historical fiction can be tricky, especially because very often you’ll have an audience that already has some knowledge of the era you’ve chosen.
The only way to keep your readers happy is to follow the rules of the era. And this means research. Once you have determined your era and location, you have to learn everything you can. Discover the intricacies of the location, perhaps even visiting your chosen locale, if it’s feasible. If you want your audience to stick with you until the very end, you’ll have to make sure your locations are real and believable.
Learn everything you can about the way people behaved in the era you’ve chosen. Try to determine correct language patterns, behavior, and dress. Make detailed notes and perhaps even try your hand at sketching your locations and people. Search for authentic details to bring your story to life.
Be careful of using real characters from history. While it’s great fun to try to capture the spirit of historical figures, it’s also far too easy to turn them into something that is far from historically accurate. If you do decide to include historical figures, keep their roles in your stories to a minimum. Your readers will appreciate it.
Historical fiction should be fun and exciting. Choose an engaging plot, intertwine it with historical facts and figures, and get creative. Before you know it, you’ll have mastered the basics of writing fiction and have at least started writing your first book.
Crime fiction is often related to, but not the same as, mystery fiction. If you can see yourself creating an engaging plot that revolves around who committed a crime, why they did it, and how they pulled it off, then you might be the perfect fit for this exciting genre.
What is Crime Fiction?
Crime has existed for thousands upon thousands of years. It’s no surprise, then, that crime fiction is not a new genre. Early crime fiction, at least in its modern day form, can be dated back to the 19th century. Edgar Allen Poe was one of the very first crime fiction writers, and is often credited with inventing the very first ‘detective’ character.
The crime stories of Edgar Allen Poe had a great influence on later writers. He created tales where the detective (though this word was not in use at the time) would follow a series of clues to uncover the details of the crime. Often, the audience was left to try to piece together the clues right until the very end of the story.
One of the most popular crime fiction writers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, often used this model when he created perhaps the most famous of all detectives, Sherlock Holmes. Using the works of both Poe and Doyle as models of how crime fiction should be structured, it can be said that crime fiction is a genre that details crimes and their detection, sometimes with emphasize on criminals and their motives.
The Sub-Genres of Crime Fiction
Crime fiction has evolved substantially since the time of Edgar Allen Poe. Today, crime fiction is often divided into several sub-genres, since it is difficult to fit all ‘crime fiction’ into a single category. The ‘standard’ crime fiction novel, if there is a standard at all, might be detective fiction. This sub-genre typically involves discovering who did it and how they did it.
A variation of these them is the inverted detective story. These tend to focus less on who did it and more on catching the ‘who’ in question. These tales often involve a great deal of adventure and drama, sometimes crossing over into the adventure fiction genre.
Some of the other sub-genres in crime fiction include:
- Police fiction;
- Legal drama;
- Capers;
- Spy stories; and
- Psychological thrillers.
Many crime fiction writing styles don’t fit neatly into one sub-genre. There is a great deal of variety, and something this can be confusing to a new writer. If you’re interested in writing a crime fiction novel, choose your favorite sub-genre and start reading (this can be consider your ‘research’). When you’re ready, put pen to paper. Before you know it, you’ll be writing your first book.
Adventure fiction is probably one of the oldest fiction genres. When cavemen sat around the fire, telling each other their hunting tales, but exaggerating them until they bore little resemblance to the truth, they were telling tales of the adventure fiction genre. This genre can be fun and exciting, but unless you have a real passion for adventure and its many components, you should probably look to another genre when writing your book.
What is Adventure Fiction?
It is sometimes difficult to define adventure fiction, because it can so easily slip into another genre. Indeed, it is possible to write a fantasy adventure, a crime adventure, or a science fiction adventure. Many authors combine the elements of different styles to come up with something unique and thrilling, while at the same time trying to stay true to the adventure genre.
Perhaps a good description for adventure fiction might simply be a tale that places the hero (or heroine) in nearly constant peril while dealing with nearly constant mayhem or chaos. So, if you were to write a book that started out in this style, but then had several chapters where not much in the way of peril or chaos happened, your story might not be termed adventure fiction.
Adventure fiction absolutely requires a villain. And your readers will expect this villain to have a serious and negative effect on your hero. The hero in an adventure story usually has everything thrown at him all of the time. He has to rely on his skills and wits to get him out of any situation, because there is no ‘magical’ rescuing or long-lost friend to save the day. He has to be the one to save the day, or your audience will regulate your so-called adventure story to the back of their bookshelves.
Adventure Fiction Takes Many Forms
The decision to write an adventure novel doesn’t mean that you’ve suddenly limited in your options. Adventure can be woven into almost any setting. If you like spies and secret agents, then write an adventure story that has your hero trying to track down an elusive and brilliant spy.
Adventure novels can center around disasters, such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, or perhaps around terrorism. War is always a popular topic, and adventure themes are quite easily woven into these settings. And if you enjoy the paranormal, try your hand at writing a paranormal adventure book.
There are so many choices when it comes to writing an adventure novel. Consider some of these as potential ideas when you finally sit down to put pen to paper:
- High finance or big business;
- Techno-thrillers;
- Legal stories;
- Aliens;
- Political or religious tales; or
- Adventures on the high seas.
Adventure fiction is fast-paced and entertaining. If you can write a novel that moves quickly, has an engaging plot, and never stops supplying your audience with action, then the adventure genre might be for you. If it is, then get started.
