blogbrainsmallSeacoast History Blog #26
January 16, 2009

The NH Writer’s Project recently asked me to talk about writing history with a panel of three other authors. We each were given 10 minutes, so I scribbled a few notes. But like Woody Allen, I have trouble keeping a straight face on serious topics, so I entitled my remarks "Sleep With the Archivist & Other Tips for History Writers". Then I mocked up a fake dust jacket in Photoshop for a book of the same name and wrapped it around and old hardcover. I’m not sure anyone else thought it was funny, but it cracked me up. Historians, from what I can see, take themselves way too seriously. (Continued below) 

Tips for History Writers

I like to add a prepositional phrase to what I do. I write history for a living. That’s something else altogether. Even most people who teach history don’t write it. And those who publish often do so for free in professional magazines that are read only by other professional historians. My stuff is designed to be consumed by normal readers. Since I’ve never actually met anyone else who writes history for a living, my advice my not be worth the pixels its printed on. Here it is all the same:

  1. PLAN LIKE A PUBLISHER
    If no one wants to read your work, then no one wants to buy it. Good narrative history writing is lively and rich with character, description and plot, and short on dates, names and analysis. Readers want to know how their lives connect to the past, and expect you to transport them there. It is easier to sell nonfiction articles and books than to sell fiction. You’ll never make the kind of money that a few very successful fiction authors earn, but nonfiction work is steadier and more stable. And you don’t have to write the entire work on spec. Nonfiction editors and publishers will often make a decision about your project based on a brief proposal. But don’t propose a topic that fascinates only you. Pick one that will appeal to a large audience. Since research takes a long time, ask yourself – what will it cost me to write this book or article? How much time must I spend, and how much money will I need to earn to be fairly compensated for all the time spent? (I just worked half time on a book for three years. It succeeds financially if I can recover 1.5 years in income.) Remember that the author is among the lesser expenses in a publishing project. Therefore, the publisher needs to sell enough mags or books to cover at least 10 times your cost (usually 20 times) in order to make a profit. To determine whether your idea is financially viable, multiply the amount you need to earn by 10. If the project can return 10X your income, a publisher may be interested since he / she can cover all expenses. If it can return a profitable 20X your income, then any regional history publisher will happily pick it up. Hang on to as many rights as you can and don’t sign any contracts that don’t live up to your goals. Better to pass on a bad deal and wait for a better one. If you don’t like the offer, dicker for more income or better benefits.

  2. WORK LIKE A BUSINESS PERSON
    Sleep with the Archivist (c) SeacoastNH.comMany writers are proud of their suffering. They write on the kitchen table. They type on both sides of the page. They work three jobs to support their "craft". Not for me. I believe that every author needs a clean well-lighted place with a door and a lock free from the noise and distractions of family and friends. I think of myself as a very small company and work from a small, but wonderful office. I work on modern equipment, must have high speed Internet access, national phone coverage, and plenty of fresh office supplies. I’m in the local chamber of commerce, subscribe to professional services, pay taxes and rent, keep a calendar and log my work hours. When a new job comes in, I set aside 10% for research expenses, another 10% for marketing future jobs and a little more for administrative costs. If you don’t invest in yourself, why should anyone else?

    CONTINUED


  3. (3) RESEARCH LIKE A JOURNALIST
    Every story is a fresh slate and the journalist is not frightened by the empty page. Once you know the topic, your job -- in the words of Sarah Palin – is to drill, baby, drill. Journalists make good history writers because they know you can’t trust anyone. Textbooks lie, newspapers are unreliable and eyewitnesses often get it wrong. Good journalists know how to dig down into primary sources, always looking for more. In history writing the archivist at the library or museum may be your best friend. Treat him or her like royalty because an historian is only as good as the access he gets to the facts. Triple check your sources, question every authority. And like a good reporter, be sure to use the telephone. Call key sources directly and interview them. Become a search engine ninja and leave no stone unturned. Journalists are not afraid to look in unlikely places. EBay and Amazon.com, for example, are great resources for historians. I often start a new project by reading a children’s book on the topic, just to get my bearings. As David McCullough says, history writers need to "marinate" in a topic until they feel themselves becoming experts. Like an actor getting into a role, the history writer can watch films, listen to related music, go to relevant locations, handle related artifacts in order to connect with your subject matter.

  4. (4) WRITE LIKE A NOVELIST
    Once you have a working draft, however, all the other roles give way to the artist. Once the facts and structure are in place, the great sculpting process begins. Here your inner novelist begins to shape the material you have gathered. This is where you "find your voice" as the narrator, and it must be a voice that the reader trusts and is attracted to. Like a novelist, the narrative history writer must be attuned to his senses. What does the past sound like, smell like, taste like? Unlike the fiction writer, we cannot make things up. That is no handicap, but it is hard work. Try to avoid catch phrases, textbook lingo, history jargon, acronyms, and all those other words that sound boring. Don’t show off your research (that’s what footnotes are for), but let it flow naturally into the story, because popular history is a storytellers craft. Be careful not to modernize the past. People then did not know what you know today. Their lives were ruled by their times, not yours. The more you know about the details of an era – political views, food choices, clothing, religious movements, sanitation, vernacular, healthcare practices, transportation, fashion, etc. – the less likely you are to see your characters through your own mindset. When you have a working manuscript, run it by as many experts as you can. They will happily attack the errors that you can correct and revise in the final draft. But don’t let them flatten your vision. It’s your book, after all, that we want to read.

  5. (5) POLISH LIKE A POET
    In the final draft, for a few moments, even the novelist has to step aside. Here and there, now and then, your Muse may make adjustments. To call on her, just read your finished work aloud, or have someone else read it to you. Forget the facts for once, and listen to the language. Do the words roll and amaze? Do they pick up speed, then pull up short – tapping sometimes like a hammer, then dabbing on layers of paint before pausing, sweeping, shocking, soothing? If your reader gets lost in the syntax, sounds confused or runs out of breath – repairs are needed. If the reader giggles, grows stern or chokes with emotion – congratulations. It’s time to mail in the manuscript.  

© Copyright 2009 by J. Dennis Robinson. All rights reserved.

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