Writing Workshop: Researching Foreign Historical Fiction

Doing research for historical fiction is both a joy and a headache, especially when your characters speak a foreign language or your book is set both long ago and far away. What kind of shoes would your character have worn in the rain? How would she have gotten her news? How much would he have been paid? Did they mine coal or tin? How did they stay warm in winter?

Getting these details right gives your work credibility and brings it to life, but finding the answers can be a challenge when you don’t have an unlimited travel budget and the Internet lets you down.

Two historical fiction pros share their tips and tricks for getting to the bottom of critical research questions. Plenty of time will be allowed for a spirited discussion with attendees.

About the Presenters

Linda Joy Myers, founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers, is the author of award-winning memoirs Don’t Call Me Mother and Song of the Plains, and two books on craft, The Power of Memoir and Journey of Memoir. Her first novel, The Forger of Marseille, a WWII historical fiction novel, won four awards in historical fiction and is published by She Writes Press. She is currently writing another novel, set in Portugal in WWII.  

Jean Gordon Kocienda is President of the California Writers Club, Marin Branch, and author of historical novel Girl in a Box: The Tangled Life of Japanese Poet, Yosano Akiko. She is working on a novel about the empowerment of women during the Occupation of Japan and is co-authoring a book on Japanese culture. She is a former Silicon Valley geopolitical risk analyst and intelligence officer and speaks fluent Japanese.