Q&A: Mixing Historical Fact & Fiction
Q: I’m writing a medieval love story full of intrigue, and the people I’m writing about actually did exist in the 15th century. But the story I am writing about those real people is a product of my fantasy. Now I’m wondering if my screenplay has a chance if it’s not a factual biography, or if some of the events never really happened. Would I be better off sticking to the facts, or choosing people whose life details are well known?
A: In the case of your current project, no one knows anything about anyone from the 15th Century — except maybe Columbus, and most of what we’re taught about him isn’t true. So it doesn’t matter if the people really lived or not. Even if you use a real person as a character, you can fabricate whatever you wish about him. Just be certain that the BACKDROP for the story is accurate – that it gives us a sense of life in those times. Real people can be mentioned (like queens and popes), but they don’t need to be your main characters if you don’t want.
But a much bigger concern should be the commerciality of such a story. Will any production company or financier be interested in a story with this setting? Based on the films released in the last few years, it’s hard to imagine that a 15th century period piece set in England is going to start a bidding war.
Had you said you were writing a novel, or romance fiction, these issues wouldn’t matter. There is a proven market for period love stories in print. Hollywood’s interest in such stories is a lot smaller.
As I’ve said repeatedly, you want to write a story you’re passionate about, but if your goal is become a professional screenwriter, you MUST consider the commercial potential of whatever scripts you write.
Michael, I’m in a huge quandary. I’m in Act II of my historical fiction about the Toronto Brickworks, begun in the late 1880’s by the wealthy Taylor family. The first generati0on Taylors started a paper mIll. The grandsons took over and then started the Don Valley Brickworks, although some of the grandsons went into the brewery business. One of the grandsons disappointed his mother by marrying ‘beneath his station after living with a barmaid’. The Brickworks went bankrupt and a son in law swindled the place from the rest of the family so there is a lot to work with here.
Point is I was going to do a lot of fictional stuff with the barmaid whose name is never recorded but some people have warned me I could be sued by the surviving descendants’ fo the Taylor family.
In fiction I have always written a disclaimer but what do you write ina historical fiction?
many thanks for any insight you can lend.
Holli
I am deep into writing a book about the last thee generations of the male side of my family. My father, a war hero who (he liked to say) fought in two wars and more uprisings than he could remember. My father passed away ten years ago, well before I thought about writing the book, but I have been able to accumulate a great deal of historical information considering his life and times. I am now deep into the book but I constantly worry about (1) not exaggerating what I know, (2) being logical about what I don’t know, but which seems consistent with what I do know, and ( 3) Should I feel comfortable following these tenants, as long as I give full disclosure.
Given your comments which inspired my writing, I feel comfortable, but I would appreciate any additional comments, suggestions or advice you think May by helpful. Thank You.
Roger – Stop worrying about exaggeration, logic and disclosure. Focus on making this a great story. Don’t fictionalize if this is a non-fiction book, but you can tell your readers what you surmise might have happened based on what you do know. They will be more interested in seeing the characters in the story come alive than with absolute historical accuracy.
Roberta, I think you might be misunderstanding what Michael is trying to convey. As long as the main characters aren’t the focus of the said hisotirical fact, you can use the accuracy of the 15th century as a factual backdrop and take some liberties concerning your historical figures. Take for example, the very popular CW’s Reign. This show focuses on the time when Mary, Queen of Scots was married to King Francis II of France. There are much historical inaccuracies (including the fact that both Mary and Francis are adults, rather than the teenagers they were) going on in this show which is more soap opera oriented, however there are parts of the show that take the time to explain the divisiveness between the Protestants and the Catholics. Therein lies the historical backdrop, even though, by this point, Francis in real life is dead and Mary had returned to Scotland. They stretch the historical character’s actual history and twist it to make the show compelling. Michael’s explanation of what we know of the 15th century or any century before our own is only as accurate as the current information we have. As we discover more information, that history changes and what we thought we knew, wasn’t correct or accurate at all. So while we can read a ton of books on the 15th century, quite frankly, none of us were there and so everything we’ve learned thus far is supposition and subject to change. What we’ve learned about the ancient Egyptians over the last decade is a prime example.
Given the success of Reign which is set in the 16th century and Outlander which is the 18th century, I think this person could market the story, but it would have to follow the patterns of stretching historical fact with a modern spin on it say like the show the Tudors to make it commercially successful.
Dear Michael,
This is a glib answer to an important question. Yes, writers of historical fiction have an obligation to be accurate and true to history. Writers have an duty, if writing about a real person to stick to the facts as they are known. A little time spent in the library will reveal a lot about the 15th century. Accuracy and care in presenting historical facts are the way writers show respect to their audience. If a writer isn’t prepared to do that
she should stick to writing fantasy.
Roberta Rich