In the post below, author Susan Appleyard describes a vital part of the historical novel writer’s craft: how she went about her research before, during, and after writing the first draft of her new historical biography of a Russian Grand Duchess. JGH
One of the best things about writing a book set in the past is the research. Others have described it as ‘going down a rabbit hole’, which is apt because researching one thing often piques an interest in another. Such gems are found at the bottom, which not only help to make the story authentic but are useful for a Trivia player like me.
We have to delve into fields far from our own experience. I had to research what effect opium had on its users, suicide rates, and syphilis. Not that any of those subjects are likely to come up in a Trivia game.
Research is vitally important, not least because a reader out there might know more about something than the author. In one of my early books set in fifteenth century England I mentioned a town my characters were passing by, merely to show the route they took. In a review, a reader pointed out that that town didn’t exist in the fifteenth century and accused me of not doing my research. He/she was right, and I was determined never to let that happen again. Now I research all proper nouns and every article mentioned, e.g. when was the hypodermic first used in whatever country my story is set? When were balloons invented? Did that building exist in the year I mentioned it. What was a character’s favourite brand of tea/ tobacco/ perfume? Nothing escapes my eagle eye that might catch me out – I hope!
My method is to obtain books relevant to the story and read. Mostly these will be biographies of the main character/s. But when the background story is relevant, such as the Russian Revolution or the Crimean War, it becomes necessary to learn more about it. When I write the story, I do a little research along the way if it’s necessary to move the paragraph along.
Where deeper research is required, I simply put (TBR) in that place, meaning to-be-researched. When I’ve finished the first draft, I begin doing the research before the first read-through. I love that part.
Susan Appleyard
May, 2026
