Historical fiction with the research beside the story

The Historical Novel Society's working definition is that a historical novel is written at least fifty years after the events it describes, or by someone who was not alive at the time and approaches them only through research. The Society's definition also takes in alternate history, time-slip novels and historical fantasy.

Readers of the genre expect two things that pull against each other: a past that feels real, and a story that moves. The research has to show in the texture — what people ate, how long a letter took, what a doctor could and couldn't do — without turning chapters into lectures. Most writers do far more research than reaches the page.

Anachronism is the genre's typical mistake: a phrase, an object or an attitude from the wrong century. Dialogue is the hardest balance. Accurate period speech can be close to unreadable, so many novelists give it a period flavour while keeping it clear. Most include an author's note saying which events, people and dates are real and what they changed or invented.

1. In the Research workspace, ask Robin what was known about how cholera spread in 1854. On Premium (10 web searches a month) or Pro (50), Robin searches the web and shows its sources. Read them, then save the facts you'll use as a card with its source.
2. Put the real dates on Timeline in their own lane, and your invented characters' story in another, so you can see where fiction meets the record.
3. Put the period terms your characters use in the Glossary, with Writer's Notes on where you found them, and add archaic spellings to the personal dictionary so proofreading stops flagging them.
4. Add real people, such as John Snow, under Characters, with a Free Note on which of their words and actions are documented.
5. Near the end, ask Robin: "Which chapters mention John Snow?" Robin searches your chapters, so you have a starting list for the author's note on where history ends and invention begins.
6. Share the draft with a reader who knows the period through a Can comment link. They can mark anachronisms chapter by chapter without an account.

• Web search returns leads, not verified history. Check every fact you rely on against primary sources or a good secondary source.
• It does not connect to archives, libraries or paid databases.
• Free has no web search. Premium includes 10 searches a month and Pro 50.
• It does not detect anachronisms. A knowledgeable beta reader will.