How to do research for historical fantasy in a structured way?

[AnnaGoeldi]

So, I want to write a historical fantasy novel set in the 17th or 18th Century Switzerland without being a historian or having any serious historical knowledge.
This means I need a lot of information that I don't yet have. I want to give my novel a very realistic feel and add in a lot of details, because otherwise I will hate it.
The good news is, I live in Switzerland already and there are lots of libraries and archives to do research on everything - from the price development of cattle to local politics and marriage laws.
The bad news is, this is horribly overwhelming. I need a plan.
For those of you who completed a historical fantasy project, how did you structure your research? Did you just randomly start somewhere, or did you search for specific facts, sources? Did you use the internet or books? Did you talk to historians? How much did you rely on secondary sources? How long did it approximately take you to complete your research (in hours)? Did you personally travel to all the locations you wanted to describe? Did you go to any archives?
Did you complete most of the research before starting the first draft, did you do it parallel or even after?
Any experience is helpful and welcome, thank you.

 

[pmmg]

Well...all writing comes with heavy research...

I'd hope you had somewhat of a start on this already, in that your interest in the period, that sparked the story, could already lead you to things you'd want to be sure to know.

I'd be inclined to get started with the project, start a first chapter, or do an type of outline, and see what questions popped up first. And if I had a love of the subject, I might get lost all day going down the rabbit hole. I suspect you will find its a double edged sword though. Wanting to write will lead you to research, and research will lead to having more things to write.

Sadly, my knowledge of historical Switzerland consists of I read Heidi once.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I write epic fantasy, not historical, but I think the same approach to research applies.

It all starts with the story. I need to know roughly what story I want to tell. No specifics, just a broad idea. This will determine some of the stuff I need to know. Like time period, general location, will I remain in one place mainly or will I travel around a lot. Will there be fighting or specific jobs that are central to the story.

This gives me a list of things I need to know before writing the story. I start researching these parts. just looking on the internet, reading blogs and articles. If you can find books on the period that helps as well of course.

Once I've figured out the basics, I just write the story. You can't know everything before you start (that's a lifetime worth of study), and much of what you think you might know you will never use, while you will also come across plenty of stuff you need to know that you had no idea about before you started. So start writing, and do research as you write.

I either do it while writing. So I stumble across something I don't know and look it up, then continue writing again. However, sometimes I find this interrupts my flow too much. In that case, I write in short (like 20 minutes) sprints, where I only write, no research allowed. I just take notes on stuff that needs research. Once the sprint is done, I research everything I noted down, work on that, and then continue.

 

[skip.knox]

Everyone finds their own methodology, so this is suggestion only.

You've chosen a place and a time, but you'll get more specific. Here is where having the story, per Prince of Spires, is important. For example, is it set in a city or in the countryside? In a castle? A monastery? The more you know about your story, the more you'll know about what you want to research. I can tell you out of the gate that there are significant variations within "Switzerland", so expect to pick a region or even a locality. Also, expect to be more specific as to the time period. Two centuries is a pretty big span, but I think I get what you're going for. Pre-modern, post-medieval.

But you asked about how, not what or where or when. So, suggestions.

Start with the Internet. search "17thc Switzerland" and then "18thc Switzerland". You'll get some articles that will give you an introduction. But don't click away yet. Scroll further down. There will be references. Make notes. Some will be other online sources, but there will be books and even print articles. That will start your bibliographic research.

The main thing you're after at this early stage is reasons to throw stuff out. It's like going through resumes. You have far too much stuff available to you, you'll never get through it, so you want to dump the stuff you clearly don't want. Don't worry about being too ruthless, because you're making reference notes for it all, so you can always go back and retrieve something you earlier rejected.

Another thing to look for is what catches your eye. Is it mostly politics? Cultural traditions and folklore? Economics? Something somewhere along the line is going to pull at you stronger than other aspects. Start going down rabbit holes. I don't actually recommend picking up a survey book. Especially when you're dead new to a topic, they can be dreadfully dull. After a while, after you pick up a whole bushel full of fascinating facts, you'll start to want to start putting things together, getting a wider view. Then the survey books will make more sense.

Last, it's natural to think of all this as, first I do the research then I do the writing, but that's not how it's going to work. Instead, you'll be doing research all through the project. Just expect that. The tricky bit comes toward the beginning, where you are now. You figure you have to research first before you can do any writing. But you can also just dive in. It's very likely that your opening scenes don't depend on you knowing exactly what buildings were where in Konstanz (to pick a town almost at random), nor who was king (did they have kings?), nor whether the characters are Catholic or Reformed. As you start, questions will start to pop up. Welcome to your first rabbit holes!

All best wishes on your project.

 

[AnnaGoeldi]

Everyone finds their own methodology, so this is suggestion only.

You've chosen a place and a time, but you'll get more specific. Here is where having the story, per Prince of Spires, is important. For example, is it set in a city or in the countryside? In a castle? A monastery? The more you know about your story, the more you'll know about what you want to research. I can tell you out of the gate that there are significant variations within "Switzerland", so expect to pick a region or even a locality. Also, expect to be more specific as to the time period. Two centuries is a pretty big span, but I think I get what you're going for. Pre-modern, post-medieval.

But you asked about how, not what or where or when. So, suggestions.

Start with the Internet. search "17thc Switzerland" and then "18thc Switzerland". You'll get some articles that will give you an introduction. But don't click away yet. Scroll further down. There will be references. Make notes. Some will be other online sources, but there will be books and even print articles. That will start your bibliographic research.

The main thing you're after at this early stage is reasons to throw stuff out. It's like going through resumes. You have far too much stuff available to you, you'll never get through it, so you want to dump the stuff you clearly don't want. Don't worry about being too ruthless, because you're making reference notes for it all, so you can always go back and retrieve something you earlier rejected.

Another thing to look for is what catches your eye. Is it mostly politics? Cultural traditions and folklore? Economics? Something somewhere along the line is going to pull at you stronger than other aspects. Start going down rabbit holes. I don't actually recommend picking up a survey book. Especially when you're dead new to a topic, they can be dreadfully dull. After a while, after you pick up a whole bushel full of fascinating facts, you'll start to want to start putting things together, getting a wider view. Then the survey books will make more sense.

Last, it's natural to think of all this as, first I do the research then I do the writing, but that's not how it's going to work. Instead, you'll be doing research all through the project. Just expect that. The tricky bit comes toward the beginning, where you are now. You figure you have to research first before you can do any writing. But you can also just dive in. It's very likely that your opening scenes don't depend on you knowing exactly what buildings were where in Konstanz (to pick a town almost at random), nor who was king (did they have kings?), nor whether the characters are Catholic or Reformed. As you start, questions will start to pop up. Welcome to your first rabbit holes!

All best wishes on your project.

Thank you for your advice!
I already have some very specific interests and ideas about the story, but I made the potential mistake of trying to read more survey books too early to cover as much ground as possible. This IS dull, even though it helped me already to make some adjustments. And yes.. rabbit holes. I need to go down the one big rabbit hole I'm afraid of, which is religion. It's one of the big themes of the story and it's quite complex. But hey it will make me smarter for sure

 

[pmmg]

There is a statement her in the states, and perhaps elsewhere...Fake it till you make it.

You dont have to be an expert to get started, just make it look like you are.

 

[AnnaGoeldi]

There is a statement her in the states, and perhaps elsewhere...Fake it till you make it.

You dont have to be an expert to get started, just make it look like you are.

Thank you! I guess I'm just nervous because it is the first time I'm attempting to write ANYTHING fictional. And I feel like I am trying to lift something that is too heavy for someone with my skills. But hey.. fake it..

 

[El_d_ray]

As a failed historian, maybe I could help.
I'd started with an attempt to narrow down the whole field of research. 17th or 18th century even for a one country is a very big topic, of course you'd need to know general information, but for writing something the more specific was the goal, the better. So, in case of historical fiction, go from the story. Do you write about early engineers of 17-18th century Switzerland? There are going to be multiple volumes only about Industrial Revolution. Are you writing about any soldiers? I'm sure there are even a book on the uniform of the army of that period. Maybe more than one. So, the easier way, to pinpoint your story first, find out what details are important and do research on them.
Now, in our day and age there is very important to understand where the information is coming from. Something on the internet can be as valuable as in the book with a caveat that this article would note what are their resources . Of course, books of authors who were living in that ages are the most valuable, but they are people, and the will write with subjectivity of a person. So for the important topics, you might want multiple views to get a more general picture.
I'd also say... get what you need and get out. Don't make yourself go from cover to cover if you only need something specific.
Getting to know a historian on that period can be helpful if they are open to the ideas of your book, and you want to get pointers for the literature, or even parts of your writing.
In any case, good luck! This is a big work, but it can be done!

 

[AnnaGoeldi]

As a failed historian, maybe I could help.
I'd started with an attempt to narrow down the whole field of research. 17th or 18th century even for a one country is a very big topic, of course you'd need to know general information, but for writing something the more specific was the goal, the better. So, in case of historical fiction, go from the story. Do you write about early engineers of 17-18th century Switzerland? There are going to be multiple volumes only about Industrial Revolution. Are you writing about any soldiers? I'm sure there are even a book on the uniform of the army of that period. Maybe more than one. So, the easier way, to pinpoint your story first, find out what details are important and do research on them.
Now, in our day and age there is very important to understand where the information is coming from. Something on the internet can be as valuable as in the book with a caveat that this article would note what are their resources . Of course, books of authors who were living in that ages are the most valuable, but they are people, and the will write with subjectivity of a person. So for the important topics, you might want multiple views to get a more general picture.
I'd also say... get what you need and get out. Don't make yourself go from cover to cover if you only need something specific.
Getting to know a historian on that period can be helpful if they are open to the ideas of your book, and you want to get pointers for the literature, or even parts of your writing.
In any case, good luck! This is a big work, but it can be done!

Thank you! Yes that is a bit the problem.. since everything is so well written down and there is information on everything from this time, there is a demand for accuracy as well. Or at least I feel a demand for accuracy. I recently watched a movie about two temple knights who fight against a demon and there was probably not much accuracy, but who cares.

 

[El_d_ray]

Thank you! Yes that is a bit the problem.. since everything is so well written down and there is information on everything from this time, there is a demand for accuracy as well. Or at least I feel a demand for accuracy. I recently watched a movie about two temple knights who fight against a demon and there was probably not much accuracy, but who cares.

I'd say: go as far as you care.

 

[AnnaGoeldi]

Thank you everyone for your helpful answers! You have already given me wonderful advice which has led me down a nice rabbit hole to help me build my (magical, spiritual) world in the book. Turns out I found a lot of things just by googling fancy words I picked up in some documentaries. I ended up in University online archives and got free PDF files of copied historical books.
So shortly after starting this thread, I realised the problem is not even "Can I get all the information I need" because yes, I definitely can. If I struggle to get it in this way, I can still go to a University library or an archive or an expert.
The problem is rather: How to collect it in a way that doesn't end up in a mess.
So far, I have a physical binder, some loose sheets, a note book, a collection of downloaded PDF files and word files, some history books in my book shelf, some links that I sent myself on whatsapp, a youtube playlist. I'm not sure how to contain this. I already forgot when and why I made some of the research, because my curiosity has hopped from one thing to another.
So, how do you structure/keep/save your research?

 

[pmmg]

You need something like scrivener.

 

[skip.knox]

>The problem is rather: How to collect it in a way that doesn't end up in a mess.
Knowing how to organize disparate information is itself a profession. It isn't easy. I can make a couple of suggestions though.

First, everything in one place. This is fiendishly hard to do, but it's worth it. You might be in a library and you make physical notes in a notebook or 4x6 cards (#OldSchool). You might have digital information from other sources--copies of images, PDF files, screenshots, etc. Then you'll have your own notes, often summaries or annotations, which notes themselves might be in various formats. Go ahead, don't try to regulate the gathering phase.

However.

It's vital that, no matter what form the information, the goal is that this information lands in one place. One tool to rule them all.

pmmg suggests Scrivener and that's not a bad suggestion. @A.E. Lowan will speak of OneNote and that's good too. Word processors start out handy, but they will eventually show their limitations, and then you're faced with moving everything you've collected from one tool to another. Always messy. But the goal is the one tool.

OK, now comes the real challenge. All the various bits of information are now in a standard format, accessible through one tool (so you can learn that tool thoroughly). But how do you organize that?

Which is, of course, the question you initially asked.

There are others here who might speak up as to how they go about it. This post has gone on long enough, and I really wanted here to make the central point about tools. Which is, whatever is handy out in the field, but back at Novel Central, everything goes into the one tool.