The Details

In March 2024 I wrote a blog about radically altering the plot for my novel, A Suitable Passion, so that it fit with history. I started the novel as a romance, but slavery and romance was not an easy pairing and a focus on relationships detracted from the serious theme of the novel. In a major revision, romance gave way to drama. I’m pleased to report that the book has been extensively re-written, given a new title, The Jamaican Heiress, and I’m in the process of doing editing sweeps. It should be out some time later this year.

Getting your plot to fit the history is just one small part of historical novel research. Everything was done differently two hundred years ago. They had distinctive values, governance, social rules and every small detail of life was unlike what we experience today.

An historical author has to constantly research small details. I described a scene where a maid was putting away clothes in a wardrobe in the year 1820. However, the wardrobe, as we know it, was not commonly in use then, even among the rich. It was more likely for upper class women to have gowns hung on pegs or draped over poles inside a dressing room. Clothes not in current use, were stored in boxes and chests to keep them safe from moths and insects. So, no wardrobe.

In my current work in progress the protagonists have to travel by coaches, horseback and sailing ships. I needed to know how long it took a fast-sailing ship to travel from London to Kingston Jamaica, (three – four weeks) so I could get my time lines correct. Similarly, I needed to know how long it took a horse and rider to travel fifty miles compared to a coach and four. I needed to research what people wore, the fabrics and fashion trends, how maids made up fires, newspapers, laws about slavery, who made the laws, how did they work… ad infinitum.

When I’m writing I am constantly going into Google asking questions. Aren’t we blessed these days that such information is at our fingertips instantaneously. Technology and AI have problems, but they are fabulous resources for quick information. But it pays to double check everything too. I usually look at several sources of information before accepting historical information as accurate. Not everything needs rigorous research, but it pays to have a written account of the searches I have conducted, the history books, podcasts, web-sites and other sources of information I have used to research my novel.

I also love visiting the places where I’ve set my books and in particular the museums that specialize in historical information. I’m lucky to have relatives living in London so when I visit, I usually go to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I also recently discovered the Museum of London Docklands. This museum is housed in an actual West Indies Dock warehouse. It gave me a splendid visual of how the docks operated two hundred years ago. That museum is full of replicas, original illustrations, newspaper articles and useful information. I spent several hours there and was able to buy a number of books about the West Indian slavery system. It was research gold.

Another valuable resource for my novel has been web sites. The Jamaican National Groups – Parish Histories of Jamaica (https://www.parishhistoriesofjamaica.org) is a fabulous website providing historical details, illustrations and photos of places where I have set my novel.  I’m now very tempted to visit Jamaica in person it looks so interesting.

Books are another valuable reference for the historical writer. Some of these books are of general interest but others are PhD. theses that delve into the nitty gritty of a topic. I read the following books prior to starting to write my novel so I had a good overview of the actual historical period and specific information relating to slavery.

Christer Petley – White Fury – A Jamaican Slaveholder and the Age of Revolution – Oxford University Press 2018

Colleen A. Vasconcellos – Slavery, Childhood and Abolition in Jamaica 1788 – 1838 – The University of Geogia Press 2015

Mary Prince – The History of Mary Prince – A West Indian Slave – Edited by Sara Salih – Penguin Books 1831

Peter Fryer – Black People in the British Empire – Pluto Books 1988

Getting your facts and background information right is essential. But how much of it do you use when you are writing the novel? I was so captivated by the information about slavery in 1830’s it became difficult to leave the research aside. My first draft was full of historical facts, historical conversations about these facts, descriptions of conditions for slaves etc. but it swamped the story. I culled a lot in subsequent drafts realising that the reader wants a good story not a history lesson. I would estimate that I used about 10-20% of my research in the novel.

My advice based on experience is to read extensively to get the essentials of the historical era, focus on the conflicts and the settings. Then when writing your first draft research the details as you are writing. ‘Oh, I wonder how that worked?’ and look it up. But do keep a list of sources you have used.

Of course, all authors have to do research. Crime writers have to know a lot about police techniques, law, forensic procedures to name a few. Science fiction depends on a knowledge of science and astronomy. Fantasy authors may use mythology to build their worlds, and even contemporary writers do extensive research regarding locations and the numerous everyday details that have to be accurate. Family historians in particular engage into in depth, very obscure archives in order to put their research into print. It’s certainly not an area for the faint-hearted.

So, I suggest if you are a writer you will need to do research. Finding the right balance of skimming and delving deep takes time. What to leave in and what needs to give way to the storyline is a balancing act.

Photos:

Feature: 1. Hogsheads of Sugar, Antigua, 1823, by William Clark – a painting displayed at the Museum of London Docklands.

2. The Valley of the Rocks, near Lynton Devon. Original photo by L.C. Wong 2024 – This location featured in my novel A Suitable Heir.

Cheers Elsie King©2025