Settings & worlds · Tip 41 of 82 · 5 min read
Stories Set Long Ago
Travel back in time with your writing and make the past feel real, from castles to Victorian streets.
What would it be like to live in a castle, sail on a Viking ship or go to school a hundred years ago? A story set in the past is called historical fiction, and it lets your reader become a time traveller.
Find out a few real facts
Before you write, do a little detective work. Library books, museums and grown-ups who remember the past are all great sources. You don't need to know everything, just enough to make your world feel true.
- What did people eat and wear?
- How did they light their homes and keep warm?
- How did they travel and send messages?
- What jobs did children do?
- What were they scared of, or excited about?
Watch out for things that didn't exist yet
A knight can't check his phone, and a Roman soldier can't zip up his coat! Think carefully about what your characters would and wouldn't have. Missing things can create great problems, too. How do you send an urgent message with no phone?
Okay 😐
Ellen lived in 1880. She got up, had breakfast and went to school. It was very old-fashioned.
Wow! 🤩
Ellen's breath made clouds in the cold bedroom. She cracked the thin ice on the water jug, splashed her face, and hurried downstairs to help Mother light the stove before school.
The second version never says it's old-fashioned. Small everyday details, like ice in the water jug, carry your reader back in time all by themselves.
People are still people
Even long ago, children laughed at silly jokes, argued with their brothers and sisters, and worried about fitting in. Give your characters feelings your reader recognises, and the past will feel close.