Writing Historical Fiction Archives

The Forgotten War

… ever heard of it? Yeah, I hadn’t really either. Beyond hearing about a For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, I didn’t understand the time period or the events of this war.

When I was researching for my World War II novel, Arms of Deliverance, one of the autobiographies I read was from a man who was a B-17 bomber pilot over Europe — but before that he was an American volunteer for The Spanish Civil War.

I had never heard of this war before so I started researching, and I was soon fascinated. Some people call it “the first battle of World War II” because it’s where the Nazis first tried their hand at modern warfare.

What was The Spanish Civil War about?

Ordinary people tried to take over the country from the Spanish (fascist) Government and military, and people around the world came to help them fight. Other European countries also got involved. Most of them sided with the fascist Spanish Government. In fact, Germany jumped into the fight and German pilots bombed Madrid after the people took over the city. German bombs fell in Spain long before they hit the French or English soil.

The Research Begins

As I started by researching this time in history, unique characters who had an impact started to form in my mind.

For this series, I dove into the lives of an American artist, a few international volunteers, a Basque priest, and a German pilot. I researched the real people first, and then the plot for my novel built around them.

Writing from a Different Worldview

The most difficult part about writing about The Spanish Civil War was dealing with the political climates of that time. One of my characters, Deion, is African American and he is part of the Communist party. Today’s reader has a different view of what that means than people in 1930 did. In the 1930s, many people found hope in Communism. In a country that was still segregated, the idea of “equality of men” was a huge draw, especially for African Americans.

Even though the political climate was hard to grasp at times, I really liked researching the Spanish culture. Bullfights and flamenco dancing both found their way into these books!

My characters surprised me the most thought. In fact, at the beginning of A Valley of Betrayal, I added a minor character because my protagonist, Sophie, needed a ride across the border into Spain. As it turns out her driver ended up being one of the major players in this series. Who knew?

When God Showed Up

This series was very challenging because I knew nothing about The Spanish Civil War before I started. Yet, I felt sure that God was leading me to write these books. I felt Him asking me to take a leap of faith, and during the writing process, God (again) taught me to trust Him.

When God gives me an idea for a novel it is so BIG. I mean there is so much to pull together. Yet, God has shown me time and time again that He is faithful. He gives me ideas, leads me to the right research books, and even brings people into my life to help me!

The Prayer that Changed Everything

While I was researching this book, I was having trouble finding out about the German pilots who bombed Madrid, mostly because they did so in secret.

I also didn’t have much information about the planes they flew … this was especially troublesome since one of my main characters was a German pilot! At my whit’s end, I prayed about it. “God, you were in Spain in the 1930s, PLEASE lead me to the information that I need to know.”

During that time, a man named Norm Goyer contacted me because he was working on his family tree. He was a sweet old guy in his 80s, and he wanted to know if we were related. It turns out, we weren’t related, but Norm ended up being an airplane expert and consultant for movies! In fact, he’d actually flown the very planes that I needed to write about!

Norm ended up helping me research my German pilot in Spain. What an awesome gift from God!

This showed me that whatever God brings before me, He also has the power to help me succeed.

The Lessons I Learn

It’s been years since A Valley of Betrayal released, but I still find myself sharing the stories about this forgotten war over and over again. I also share the story about Norm, and how God proved himself to me. I mean, come on, I could have easily ignored an inquiry about my genealogy … since I was in the middle of writing a very complicated novel!

Yes, I learned about The Spanish Civil War as I wrote, but I also learned to trust God more.

God provided Norm just when I needed him. And now every time I struggle with finding just the right research I remember when God showed up. He always shows up in this book-writing business.

Today, I want to urge you to tell one person about this “forgotten war.” How cool that you now know a piece of history that most people don’t!

Also, take time to share with someone a personal story of a time God answered one of your prayers in an amazing way. You’ll never know how it’ll encourage them!

Finally, consider picking up A Valley of Betrayal. It’s fun for me to know that I’m bringing history to life for readers. While most of the country has no idea what this war was about, my readers not only know but they can also see God’s hand in history in ways that would otherwise be forgotten.

My Spanish Civil War Series is available here https://triciagoyer.com/spanish-civil-wars/

How about you? What’s your favorite historical time period to read about in a novel? Also, when was a time that God showed up to you in an unexpected way?

Read the original post at Inspired By Life and Fiction.

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Writing Historical Fiction, Tricia Goyer — The truth about writing historical fiction is you don’t need as many facts as you think.

When I first started writing, the last thing I wanted to write was historical fiction. I thought it would be tooooo much research. The truth is . . . it is!

But I also discovered I LOVE research, and writing historical fiction has become a love of mine. A few things I’ve done while researching for my historical novels:

1. I’ve interviewed a Holocaust survivor in a village in Austria just a few minutes from where he was liberated.

2. I’ve taking a tour of an Alaskan bay and saw the swish of a whale’s tale.

3. I walked the cobblestone streets of Prague—the very streets Nazis once marched down.

4. I wandered through a Jewish museum in Frankfurt, Germany, and learned of the horrors done to Jews over generations.

5. I’ve interviewed a ninety-three-year-old rancher in Montana whose parents were homesteaders.

6. I’ve chatted with a woman who was a riveter for B-17 Bombers in Seattle during World War II.

History is fascinating! The people are fascinating. The hard part is making sure my historical novels aren’t entirely about the history. Historical fiction should not be boring!

Yes, the piles of shoes and clothes found upon liberation of the concentration camp amazes me, but I always have to ask myself, “Is this information vital to my story?”

Facts can weigh down your novel, no matter how interesting the facts are.

When I first started writing historical fiction I researched way too much. When I wrote my first historical novel From Dust and Ashes,

I learned about the places the prisoners came from, their lives before the war, their lives after the war, how they got to the death camps, and what happened afterward.

One of the fascinating things I read about was Displaced Person Camps. Those who survived the concentration camps went to these camps until they were able to find their way home. At these camps families were reunited or people discovered the deaths of their loved ones.

When writing From Dust and Ashes I wanted to include this information; after all, I’d spent so much time learning about the camps. So in the middle of my story my characters left their location, went to one of these camps, looked for someone (who wasn’t there), and then returned. The scenes were powerful and emotional, but they had no place in the story . . . and my editor pointed that out.

In the end those chapters were cut. I was sad (because now I’d spent time writing those scenes, too), but it was worth it. The book was better for it.

So while researching for historical novels is important, don’t let the research take you on a rabbit trail. It’s a waste of time, and it’ll most likely need to be cut.

Today, when I sit down to write my historical fiction, I figure out what’s going to be in the novel and what information I’ll need; I’ll research only that. Of course, sometimes my research will uncover a gem I have to add, but for the most part I focus only what I’ve already determined my story needs.

So write history! Write it well! Don’t be afraid to write historical fiction. But don’t let too many facts get in the way of writing a beautiful story. You do need the facts—just not as many as you think.