Inserting Real Events Into Historical Fiction

Historical novels often feature recognizable people from the past. Famous personalities such as Harry Houdini, Frida Kahlo, Winston Churchill, and Henry VIII populate novels by Hilary Mantel, Herman Wouk, Barbara Kingsolver, and E.L. Doctorow.

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Real events, too, like World War II and the French Revolution, are so encompassing, famous, and dramatic that they fill whole books and provide the backdrop for many others.

But what of the lesser constituent events like accidents, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, discoveries and inventions, battles, pandemics, or pestilences that while influential and dramatic, play a less flamboyant role in history? These, noteworthy or merely newsworthy, often furnish the material needed to flesh out a particular story line.

Here are four tips on how to seamlessly integrate real events into a fictional narrative.

Effective drama requires specificity and/or intimacy. Select only that part of the event with which the fictional actor(s) interacts. Example: In my novel Dead Heat to Destiny, fictional Army pilot Will Marra travels to central Mexico to help the 1st Aero Squadron with its aerial reconnaissance as part of General John Pershing’s 1916-1917 pursuit of “Pancho” Villa.

Pershing’s expedition was the U.S. response to Villa’s deadly raid on Columbus, New Mexico. Although the large expedition included infantry, cavalry, and field artillery as well as the fledgling 1st Aero Squadron, he failed to find Villa. My novel neither details the expedition nor references its failure.

Make sure you completely understand the event’s history and impact. My research revealed the Curtiss airplanes of the 1st Aero Squadron supporting Pershing’s pursuit of Villa lacked the performance needed for meaningful reconnaissance. They were woefully underpowered, unsuited to the terrain, and often crashed, sometimes leaving aircrews stranded.

Never allow the fiction to affect the ultimate result or outcome of the real event—you cannot alter the course of history (unless you intend it as fantasy). Example: In my novel, fictional German naval officer Gregor Steiner’s torpedo boat rescues one of the downed crew from the crash of the L-1 zeppelin in the North Sea.

Following the real crash of the airship on September 9, 1913, seven aircrew survived and were rescued. My fiction altered neither the number of survivors nor the circumstances of rescue, insofar as the details of rescue are recorded.

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My novel Dead Heat to Destiny includes the famous land speed record attempt at Ostend, Belgium, July 17, 1903, during which American driver Arthur Duray set a record of 83.5 miles per hour in a French racing automobile. To further the scene’s authenticity, my youthful protagonist Will Marra and his father question and converse with Duray following the completion of the “flying kilometer.”

Inserting fully researched real events into your historical fiction can enhance its authenticity and believability, providing the events are specific and the fiction does not change the outcome. Also, including real participants in the portrayal of those events can add realism to the narrative.

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