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Note: All this week, Simon Rose is our guest blogger for the National Writing for Children Center.
by children’s author Simon Rose
Editors, teachers, librarians and critics may scrutinize the imaginary science in your science fiction story and the same applies to historical facts in time travel stories. Just as the scientific equipment has to be in working order, the historical details have to be well researched for the story to remain credible. In The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, Jack discovers a letter in a drawer and finds himself corresponding with Edward V, one of the princes imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1483. After penning a reply, Jack finds himself trapped in late medieval England.
While it was not overly important to explore the political complexities of England in the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses, facts had to be checked and rechecked. Some of this naturally involved research into the clothing of the era, everyday life, maps of medieval London and so on, but some aspects of the novel required more attention. The language of the scroll Jack finds had to be appropriate for the time period and be written in both the style and the alphabet of Middle English, as it was spoken in 1483. Real characters are also used in the book, such as Richard III, so that their exact location at the time described in the story had to be accurate. Most of all, research focused on the Tower of London, such as which buildings existed within the complex in 1483 and the layout of the grounds.
My website has a page devoted to The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, including the historical background of the novel, featuring who was who in late medieval England, Richard III, Edward V, the Wars of the Roses, the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, pretenders and imposters, the Tower of London, medieval maps, the history of the English language and links to various websites about the time period depicted in the story.
historical research, Simon Rose, Sorcerers Letterbox
Hi Simon,
Thanks for this post. The information is very helpful. I’ll bet you enjoyed researching such an interesting time period.
Theresa
Stress-FreeParent.blogspot.com
Hi, Simon,
There are those who may think writing historical fiction is easy. But you show here that a lot of research goes into creating time travel stories. I’ll eventually be writing about events in my hometown and will have to research to ensure the story is credible. Although I realize it’ll be tedious, I look forward to learning more about it.
Thank you, Simon, for showing readers the work behind the art.
Lisa Kirby
www.familyfunandfood.blogspot.com
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Simon…your post couldn’t come at a better time and to remind me that research is crucial in historical fiction…thanks!
Warm regards,
Donna
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