I know this is a fantasy forum, and I do write fantasy, but the book I'm currently working on is a historical fiction book. (I wanted help from my fellow writers here on HW.)

It's based in England, and I'm trying to decide where since I'll have to do a bunch of research to make it accurate. I looked at Coventry, Lichfield, Huddlesford, and Whittington so far. I'm not finding the best information on the internet for really historic information about the towns. We're talking early 1800's, Victorian Era.

My other question is, should I just make up a town if I can't find a real one??

Any tips or advice would be wonderful!

Blessings,

~Calenmiriel

The best way to pick a town is to open an atlas to England, close your eyes, and put your finger on the map. The neaest town is the one you want. Another way is pick a town depending on the mood of your book. If it's an action book, it would probably be a larger town for more TNT explosions and stuff. For a slower-paced book, a town by the ocean would be good. Of course, you can still have Rambo-style action in a small sea village, but it wouldn't quite be natural.

Awesome! Thanks for the tip!

I'd pick a real one, it gives that extra feel of authenticity and realness, plus it'll help you when writing because you can search up pictures. For a real place and in a real time, to make up a town (unless it's really tiny) kind of takes away from the whole "It could've happened" thing that is historic fic. I agree with Apollo about chosing it. For finding information I really don't know, but if you dig deep enough in books and on the internet you might find gold (Oh, I've always wanted to use that cliche!) Best of luck to you!

From what I can gather from the historical writers I know, they pride themselves on getting their research right, and readers of historical fiction will call you on your mistakes if you use a real place/discernible time period and don't do the work. So my advice to you is if you want to write historicals, expect to spend a lot of time on research. If you don't want to research, then make up a town and give contextual hints as to the time period, but don't give anyone anything to quibble over, as accuracy goes.

Good for you, though...stretching into multiple genres. Who knows when you will discover a new passion?

Wasn't the Victorian Era in the late 1800s/very early 1900s?

Forgive my misinformation. My story is based from the 1860's - 1880's. (Thanks for helping me clarify that PrincessoftheKing.)