Writing historical fiction: joy & suffering

My current historical fiction novel (working title: Desert Steve) is by far the hardest book I have written. While my PhD dissertation took more research and tedious organizing and writing, primary and secondary sources are fairly easy to find.

Researching the entire life of a historical person is more haphazard. Searching Google, libraries, gravesites, government records, Facebook pages, personal accounts, pictures, videos, genealogy sites…it is impossible to find every mention of a person. You have to be creative and really think widely and broadly— thinking “out of the box” as the saying goes.

Inevitably, there will be gaps in the research. While much of Desert Steve’s adult life, especially later on, is fairly well documented, his childhood and early years are much more difficult to find much beyond the basics.

My biggest problem is knowing when to stop researching. One could go on for the rest of one’s life and never finish seeking and finding new information.

But I finally told myself that I had enough research material. “Start outlining and devising your chronology”, said I to myself.

Yet as soon as I started doing that, I discovered some important gaps in my knowledge— usually secondary topics that would impact the story. What was farming like in the late 1800s and early 1900s? What kind of guns were available to a boy and a man such as this in his time? What major historical events took place in the country or in the world that might have affected Desert Steve? What automobiles were available to regular people in the early 1900s, and what did they look like, and what were they capable of? What about the people who were his friends, close family members, and others who he encountered that I would want to include? I need to research their lives too. The list is almost endless.

I went back and did all the research on these and other topics. After feeling accomplished for all of a few minutes, I found that all of this research and data was spread out too many places. Some were in the Ulysses app, where I also write my material. I also had some links to little tidbits saved in my project and task manager, ToDoist. Pictures were saved in a folder in the cloud, others in Apple Photos. A lot of the specifically dated events were in Aeon Timeline, along with information on every character. And I had wondered why it was taking me so long to get back to riding the first draft. I was overwhelmed and ensure that I had a handle on all of my information. I began trying to organize all of this disparate material, and it was making me lose focus and interest.

Quite accidentally, I discovered the Notion app. I had tried it out many years ago, it had come a long way and development. Now, it looked like it would enable me to put everything there: notes, outlines, links, pictures, videos, dates, calendars, you name it. And Notion allowed me to arrange it and organize it however I wanted: databases, spreadsheets, formatted text sheets, bullets, outlines, and so much more. All linked together.

First, I imported every piece of information I had. I then organized it into a database of characters, places, and timeline events. I laid all this data chronologically, so that each outline element with serve as a writing prompt for each scene. Furthermore, I could easily connect to information on people, places, events, videos, and pictures.

My enthusiasm grew. Not only did I have a plan, but I had control over all of my ridiculous amount of research. I was excited again to begin writing the story of Desert Steve Ragsdale. So, I packed up my jeep and headed out to the desert, not far from the place where he established the town in the middle of nowhere, to provide services for travelers between Phoenix and Los Angeles, between Blythe and Palm Springs.

I find it much easier to write literary, science fiction, or contemporary works. While there is research involved, it is much easier and less overwhelming. Yet, writing an historical fiction novel is like taking a class in the subject— and I love learning and then teaching others about what I have learned. I know so much about Steve Ragsdale, about life in the desert for those who chose it (known as the “Desert Rats”), and the growth of Southern California towns, roads, and infrastructure. I feel like I have truly met this quirky, inventive, resolute, and a bit daft person known as a Desert Steve.

Historical fiction, done right, involves a ridiculous amount of work. I have a newfound appreciation of people like James Michener. It’s frustrating and tedious, but in the end, such a joy to learn, write, and share with others.