Say you are researching the popular Regency Era. You type “Regency Era” into the subject line of your search engine. I got 1,090,000,000 results! It’s great to know that there is so much information available about the Regency Era. It will make writing about it easier.
However, if I read all the results, I’ll never have time to write a book on it, much less have time to sleep. So how do I focus on what I need? Let’s begin with something more specific: Regency Clothing. I get 1,600,000,000 results. Many of them are focused on selling me period costumes. Great if I’m going to a costume ball, but not to write a book. How do I get the background on what people wore in that during that time so I can write about it? Let’s try Regency Fashion or even more focused Regency Women’s Fashion. Good, now I’ve got websites which provide a description of the gowns the ladies wore. For example, they are described as “high-waisted flowy gowns.”
It is important to have these descriptions, as well as some drawings, because you will need to describe these gowns in your book so your readers can “visualize” them. It makes them feel as if they are there with the characters. Now, you just need to consider which color the gown will be. Will it be a lovely pure white overlaid with a rich rose pink or an emerald satin that reflects the light like the stone as the fabric rustles?
Remember that description, in the right place and in the right amount, is one of the important details you can include that makes your book a historical fiction book that works and gets good reviews. Without the specific era in which the book is set, and the details you add to make it rich and flavorful, it could take place anywhere.
These are also the small details that your readers will be looking for to determine whether the book was well researched. That’s right, readers do care about this. Many readers will be searching the same websites as you are for more information on the era because they like it or because they want to know more about it. It can be the difference between being realistic and great or being improbable, which means readers are not likely to finish the book and may give it bad reviews.
What kind of details would you add to your novel to give it flavor?
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I wish you success in your writing journey.
Phina