Last Friday, I promised to give you more tips on writing historical fiction, so today I bring you four research tips, including how to avoid the problem of erasure. #histfictips
1. If feasible, get newspapers from the place/time in which you're writing, which not only provide an overview of current events, but give insight to pop culture, prices, jobs, language, etc. Read not just within your time frame, but several months before and after, too.
(For THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL, I read an entire year's worth of papers, circa 1889-1890.) A good librarian is golden here. Don't forget about university libraries, too (and don't be scared of microfiche either, which is often the only way to access older publications).
(Pst, if you're a librarian, please shout out tips on how the public can access newspapers or obscure publications/articles that their libraries can't access?)
Newspapers will help you avoid the problem of ERASURE. Obviously, we can't include every historical detail and event in our story. But we have to be careful about what we choose to ignore, in particular things that affect marginalized groups.
For most of my life, I thought cowboys were white. Turns out, modern estimates suggest 1/3 cowboys were Mexican, and as many as 20% may have been African American. So why did I think that? Because most of the westerns I read or saw did not include Mexican or black cowboys. 
2. Visit museums. There are museums for the most obscure things, and they are full of people who are dying to help you understand how their 'things' work.
I needed to understand how far telephone systems traveled in 1890 Atlanta; I found a telephone museum just a few hours away from my home. Sadly, it had burned down the year before, but the website contact info was still valid, and I found an expert to help answer my questions!
3. Don't just rely on books for research. Listen to songs, watch documentaries, read poetry/stories, view art, and make recipes, learn languages. What do they tell you about the culture? Most importantly, talk to experts. I know, it's hard. We're shy.
But I promise, there is nothing that lights up a person more than talking about the thing they're passionate about. And experts can give details that you just cannot find in books. Expert directories are available, like: refdesk.com/expert.html.
4. Take lessons/classes. If it's important to your story, consider walking the walk. I, reluctantly, learned how to drive a four-horse stagecoach (before we were held up by bandits). Proof: instagram.com/p/BJ9vM_aDVcO/…
The amazing @rutasepetys, who is braver than I, actually spent a weekend living inside a camp meant to replicate the experience of those forcibly deported by Stalin to Siberia.
That's it for today's #histfictips, but I want to hear your research tips! And how far did you go to research your stories?
And next Friday, I will return with the pro's and con's of writing historical fiction. I hope you can join me then!
