On Writing Historical Fiction for Children:
Techniques for a Creative Writer
Rachael Igo
Honor 401
Justine Martin
11 December 2013
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Writing Historical Fiction for Children:
Techniques for a Creative Writer
History texts are notorious for being dry and referred to as boring. I met with Jacqueline
Arnold, a professor here at MSU and former middle school teacher. She said many students have
a hard time relating to all of the factual information present in text books and feel like they have
to memorize and regurgitate those facts. This detaches them from history and they are unable to
relate to it and learn from it. (Arnold) The book The Joy of Children’s Literature has a section on
historical fiction and the importance it plays in their academic lives. “Reading personalized
accounts of history as told through the eyes of realistic characters connects children to life as
people experienced it then—whether in their own parents’ generation or many generations in the
past” (Johnson 209). This is why I want to write historical fiction for children. Books were a
big part of my childhood. I want to provide good books for the next generation. I did not enjoy
history as a child but I love historical novels now. I want to help make history more relatable to
children. In order to be successful, I need to research concepts and techniques to consider when
writing in this genre. What information about writing historical fiction for children is beneficial
to a creative writer?
Beyond What a Textbook Can Do
So what about historical fiction makes history so much more interesting than a history
text book? In my opinion, the answer is the personalization of it. Catherine Woolley wrote a
section about this genre in her book Writing for Children. She explains to writers how the
author’s tough to the story can add so much meaning to a child. “You will need to create a sense
of history by giving your subject a role in events that actually took place, by personalizing
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history as textbooks cannot do. You will liven your book with action. You will use some
exposition to tie scenes of action together and advance the narrative” (111).
Historical fiction can be very helpful in grade school social studies classes. These books
can be used as trade books to supplement history text books. They can help students feel more
connected to the subject. Students got all the facts from the text book but were able to explore
the historical events through the trade books. These supplements add a lot of detail that are not
provided in the “dry” text books. (Arnold; Silverblank 1)
The Basic Techniques: Characterization
Before I set out to write, I need to know general information about writing in this genre.
The book Essentials of Children’s Literature has a section dedicated to historical fiction and
goes into depth about it and the necessary characteristics. “Historical fiction must be evaluated
for its story strength. It must tell an engaging story. The author must develop rounded, complex
characters with whom children can identify. The author should also develop a universal theme
that is worthy and thought provoking without being didactic” (Tomlinson 152). I think these are
very good characteristics to refer to. I think the characterization in historical fiction is key. In
my books I want to make up a fictional character who is experiencing historical events around
him or her. My readers need to be interested in that character so they can engage in the story and
be able to understand the historical concepts taking place and develop their own opinions about
them.
One good principle I learned through my research was to make the protagonist a child.
The Everything Guide to Writing Children’s Books by Lesley Bolton taught me this technique.
“Your readers will want to read about characters like themselves and their peers, therefore it is
best to try to keep adult characters to a minimum. While including adults will be necessary in
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some instances, let the main character (a child) solve the problem or handle the conflict. It an
adult steps in to save the day, the child loses his or her sense of independence” (Bolton, 28). I
never thought about this concept before, but now I think it is a wonderful concept. It makes
perfect sense that children want to read about other children. I agree that if an adult solves the
main conflict, it takes away from the magic of the story by making children seem unreliable. If
children read stories of other children stepping up to the plate, then they too can receive the
courage to make a big change in a small way.
The Basic Techniques: The Characters
What types of characters need to be present in historical fiction and how should they be
portrayed? The book Write your own Historical Fiction Story by Tish Farrell explains three
different types of characters: the hero, the villain, and real-life characters. “Your protagonist, or
hero, will be shaped by the times he or she lived in, just as you are. But to make a good story,
the character must challenge the system in some way” (Farrell, 22). I never thought of making
the hero go against the grain. This sounds like a wonderful concept for me and I plan on using it.
The book then goes on to describing what the villain should be like. The villain can be a person
or even a bad situation. It is important to not make the villain obvious, and suggests having the
villain start out as the hero’s friend. With regards to real-life characters (historical figures that
really did exist) the text recommends portraying them as “walk-on” characters who pop in and
out of the story. (Farrell)
The Basic Techniques: Setting
The settings of historic books are important to communicating the history. The
Essentials of Children’s Literature also touches on this necessity. It explains that the time period
needs to depicted with complete accuracy. “Details such as hair and clothing styles, home
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architecture and furnishings, foods and food preparation, and modes of transportation must be
subtly woven into the story to provide a convincing, authentic period setting. The characters
must act within the traditions and norms of their times” (Tomlinson 153). I found this a good
point to consider and it helps me know what additional research I will need to conduct before
writing a book. Along with the idea of sticking to the time period was introduced an interesting
concept to consider when presenting the language or dialect of the time period. In certain time
periods, people spoke in different ways than they do today. Some of these dialects can be
considered strange to children and they might find it difficult to keep up with the story.
(Tomlinson). This made me realize that I will have to make the choice between completely
depicting the time period and writing dialogue in a way in which my readers can understand. I
see myself most likely sticking with the second option.
Another technique about displaying the setting I discovered through my research is
incorporating the five senses. The Art of Writing for Children, Skills and Techniques of the Craft
by Connie C. Epstein explains this approach in detail. “When the author includes such sensory
detail in narrative, readers are pulled into the scene as they recall their own associations with the
experience; it comes alive for them” (Epstein, 15). I thought this was a very good technique to be
used when writing historical fiction. As a writer in this genre, my job will be to draw my readers
into the story so they can live the history through my characters and learn from the experience.
What better way to draw them in, than with their senses?
Being Truthful Yet Considerate
The Joy of Children’s Literature warns writers to be aware of the maturity level of their
readers. Historical fiction needs to be written in a way they can understand and they need to be
able to cope with the cruel parts. (Johnson) “Yet the past cannot be ‘tidied up’ in such a way as
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to mask the truth, accuracy, and importance of historical events. One way for the writer of
historical fiction to mitigate the harshness of the past is to provide a mediating voice and
consciousness that has suffered through the events and now comes to tell their meaning” (215). I
agree with the fact that history should not be sugar coated. Children need to know the whole
truth from the beginning and should not be lied to. I like the idea of using a character’s voice to
lead children through thinking about tough times in history. I can see myself writing a child’s
thoughts about a drastic situation. This will help my readers to think about the situation in a
healthy way, or show them how to think about it if they don’t know how.
The article Shoulder the Sky by Mollie Hunter supports the argument of telling the truth
to children when it comes to history. She strongly urges writers to not lie about historical events
or to sugar coat them. She articulates how innocent children are and how, because of their
absence of a safeguard, are more prone to believe anything told to them. Lying to them about
history would be a slap in the face. “The child reading the historical novel is also part of history,
and to tamper with the known facts is to mock both those lives and the reader’s apprehension of
what they meant” (Hunter 133).
The Development of Events
Through reading Writing Books for Children by Jane Yolen I learned to develop the
events in my stories slowly. “The author of a nonfiction book must remember this simple rule: A
steady development of events or facts makes for a steady reader. If you allow yourself many
digression or detours or irrelevancies, your book will be too complex for even the most
sophisticated reader. Like a good mystery book, the good historical nonfiction book unfolds its
clues” (Yolen 83). I really like the mystery book simile. As a child I loved having Nancy Drew
read to me. Now that I think about it, the books were exciting because the suspense was dragged
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on by having the dramatic events spread out as opposed to all at once. I will definitely consider
this approach when I write.
Conclusion
As a creative writer, I now have information about techniques I can use when I write
historical fiction for children. I have learned how important this genre is in teaching children the
history of our country and our world. It is important to use the right types of characters and
portray the time period in an accurate way to produce a successful novel. The depressing aspects
of history should not be sugar coated or glossed over. They need to be told as they are, yet in a
way children can understand and cope with. Also, the sequence of events need to be gradual and
suspense must b dragged out like a mystery. Too much action at once is overbearing. I am very
excited to put to use what I have learned thus far into a creative project through the URC next
year.
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Works Cited
Arnold, Jacqueline. Personal interview. 23 September. 2013.
Bolton, Lesley. The Everything Guide to Writing Children's Books. Avon, MA: Adams Media
Corporation, 2003. Print.
Farrell, Tish. Write Your Own Historical Fiction Story. Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point
Books, 2006.
Epstein, Connie C. The Art of Writing for Children. Hamden, CN: Archon Books. 1991. Print.
Hunter, Mollie. Shoulder the Sky: On the Writing of Historical Fiction for Children. Bulletin
of the New York Public Library 79 (1976): 124-38.
Johnson, Denise The Joy of Children's Literature /. 2nd ed. ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Silverblank, Fran. An Annotated Bibliography of Historical Fiction for the Social Studies :
Grade 5 through 12. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Pub. Co., c1992.
Tomlinson, Carl M., and Carol Lynch-Brown. Essentials of Children's Literature /. 4th ed. ed.
Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2002. Print.
Woolley, Catherine. Writing for Children. Ney York, NY: Penguin Group. 1991.
Yolen, Jane. Writing Books for Children. Boston: The Writer, Inc. 1979. Print.