Historical period piece writing, any advice?

[DeMont]

Good err... morning, darn, I missed the entire evening...

I want to write a historical period piece for Literotica. I searched and searched for prior references here but couldn't find any. It is going to be in the style of Edgar Allan Poe but, of course, I am not that most excellent gentleman. I believe, as much as the imagery and world building description is important that since the bulk of the story takes place within a Victorian era mansion then I need to embrace the language forms of the time in order to make it believable and give it the right "impact", if that makes sense.

What traps, pitfalls and/or problems can you see arising?
I would much rather get this nailed down with respect to the "audience" I am writing for than take off like a rocket sled on rails and have it fall flat on its face. This is a tale I have wanted to write for a long time now but could never really find the right venue for.

Any advice welcomed and appreciated.
Deepest respects,
D.

 

[Bamagan]

Be prepared for crickets. There's a relatively small audience for period porn (and an even smaller audience for period porn , but that's probably a separate issue you don't need to worry about this time).
There's also a consideration that it limits the 'accessibility' of your story, but not in the sense of people with vision impairments or the like. People unfamiliar with the language, idioms, customs, and whatnot of the setting may become confused and frustrated by their lack of understanding, or bored if you have to explain things at length. Those who are familiar may well nitpick if they disagree with your presentation. So it can be a challenge to thread the needle for a generalized audience.
On the upside, since there's not a lot of such stuff here, you might get some enthusiastic engagement if it finds the right audience, even if that audience is relatively small.

 

[Strixaluco]

These are pet peeves of mine, that are very commonly wrong in any text made my modern writers.

Get informed about the actual clothing of the era. (Most movies get the underlayers wrong.) Also, while using a corset was the norm of women, tightlacing was uncommon. They actually used to add things to hips and bust to get the proportions right, typically waist would only be reduced by 5-10cm (which isn't uncomfortable with a good corset, and doesn't need much force when lacing up). Corset is not a torture device, modern bra can be worse. Also on most cases a maid it's not neesed for dressing, though can be helpful.
Also, ankles showing was NOT a scandal - length of the hem depended on the situation. Evening gowns went to the the floor, skirts made for walks in the countryside did indeed reveal ankles. You can check youtuber Priorattire for some quick and reliable information about proper clothing of the decade you choose, from underwear up. You'll learn the vocabulary too! Oh and if they wore "drawers" (underpants) that women (not all) started to wear ob later Victorian era, they were split... So yes, a lady could have sex (or to go to toilet) without any undressing at all.

IF you include any travelling, remember that horses cannot gallop for very long times and then need to rest. Carriages were thus drawn by trotting or walking horses. They can only trot some 20min at a time, so longer distances will mean walking (which isn't faster than a human would walk), and even then changing horses as a horse will need to graze for a quite a while in a day. Here's one source for more information.

But people did, of course, also walk quite a bit. Even noble ladies could be more fit than you'd think.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Get a volume of collected Poe. Read it, and note down evocative phrases. Pick your setting, write a quick draft, get a historical beta reader's advice on the premise, write. edit, get an editor, rewrite...

 

[NightPorter]

Hard to do. Not impossible but a lot of work to do right. I put historical fiction in the same camp as writing a story placed in a country/culture you're not native too. Pulling off either will require a tremendous amount of research and fact checking.

You will also run into the problem of the readership understanding what is happening. Every object, idea and colloquialism that is beyond the average readers understanding you will either have to explain or frame it with enough context that they will understand what they are reading.

 

[onehitwanda]

period porn

 

[Bamagan]

View attachment 2552682

It's an acquired taste.
Kinda coppery.

(Waiting for the vomiting cat gif...)

 

[HordHolm]

Research, research, research. Research anything you want to include, any small detail. What kind of chairs did people sit on? What did they use to provide artificial light? What did they eat? You will need to research many more details than you actually include, and once you have a clear idea of all these details, use them sparingly. Your world building doesn't need to be all-encompassing, and a small number of details can paint a vivid picture. On the other hand, swamping your reader with period detail can make the story secondary and you will lose the reader.

Having written some period pieces, I can attest to the fact that you will spend hours researching details that you don't use. Having said that, if you enjoy research (I do) then that can be fun all on its own. What you shouldn't expect is any of your readers noting your attention to correct period detail... until you get it wrong, and someone is using the wrong kind of camera, or paying too much for a train ticket, or wearing a hat that wasn't in fashion until the following decade. Then someone who knows about such things will leave you a comment.

 

[onehitwanda]

It's an acquired taste.
Kinda coppery.

(Waiting for the vomiting cat gif...)

https://31.media.tumblr.com/609b2bd1a7f19b1a23767ff92cee2110/tumblr_n6jg1qmM051ttowf2o2_500.gif

 

[ElectricBlue]

When I wrote my take on the Arthurian myth, I had the advantage that my narrator Maerlyn was actually present at the time, whereas the first known chronicles of the legends were written several centuries later. Which meant my guy could write whatever he wanted, because everything written later was based on what he said, anyway. He's my most unreliable narrator, without a doubt, making stuff up whenever it suited him.

All of the physical settings though, were based on my own memories of the places from when I walked through them as twelve year old, last century. Which makes it sound like it was a long time ago, but not really.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I believe, as much as the imagery and world building description is important that since the bulk of the story takes place within a Victorian era mansion then I need to embrace the language forms of the time in order to make it believable and give it the right "impact", if that makes sense.

As long as your heroine has nice tits and loves to swallow, you'll be fine. : P

Seriously, your world building should be as detailed and accurate as you feel that it needs to be. There will always be someone who disagrees with the details of your setting but for the most part, so long as you set the period well enough that the reader gets immersed, you'll be fine.

I suppose that category will matter a bit. If you're writing in a kink category, the setting will matter less. If you write in fantasy or in novellas, it might matter more.

If you have a particular category in mind, let the forum know. There are people know certain specific categories well and will be glad to offer some advice.

 

[Dreamerman77]

I just published a story set in ancient Egypt and had to experiment a lot to find the right "sound" to the text.

Changing the word order, picking up words that are more formal and ditching appreviations and so on... I concentrated making the dialogue sound right.

It required a lot of research to make it believable, and don't know if the result even is believable, but the project was fun. I'm going to do something similar in the future.

 

[SouthernCrossfire]

I've written several that have done well and been well received so there is an audience for it. My newest (but also the earliest period, 1770s to 1800s) was submitted yesterday.

There's lots of good advice above. I'll echo that the "research, research, research" that HordHolm mentioned is correct, as is their comment about not using a good part of what you've learned. Use what you need to get the setting right, dropping in little details for flavor from time to time to help keep the focus on the period. I sometimes include historical notes related to events in the story at the end for those interested

Finally, in any story set before the 1920s or 1930s, it's unlikely that the woman will drop to her knees and undo the man's belt and rip open his zipper to remove his pants to get at the goodies. Belt loops weren't invented until the 1920s and zippers weren't introduced in pants until the 1930s or common until after 1937's Battle of the Fly proved the zipper's worth.

Good luck!

 

[TiberiusPrime]

It's an acquired taste.
Kinda coppery.

(Waiting for the vomiting cat gif...)

This is when you make the main character a vampire...

 

[8letters]

Two bits of advice - #1 give your characters values and attitudes of the time. If your story reads as people today cosplaying living in a Victorian mansion, I think it won't go over well. #2 Similarly, your conflicts should be something appropriate for the time. If your main conflict is that your two main characters have a strong disagreement on climate change, it's not going to go over well.

 

[StillStunned]

#2 Similarly, your conflicts should be something appropriate for the time. If your main conflict is that your two main characters have a strong disagreement on climate change, it's not going to go over well.

It could work. Ten thousand years ago, arguing that this new "fire" thing is causing the glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise, and what will happen to animal migration if Doggerland disappears?

 

[AG31]

Good err... morning, darn, I missed the entire evening...

I want to write a historical period piece for Literotica. I searched and searched for prior references here but couldn't find any. It is going to be in the style of Edgar Allan Poe but, of course, I am not that most excellent gentleman. I believe, as much as the imagery and world building description is important that since the bulk of the story takes place within a Victorian era mansion then I need to embrace the language forms of the time in order to make it believable and give it the right "impact", if that makes sense.

What traps, pitfalls and/or problems can you see arising?
I would much rather get this nailed down with respect to the "audience" I am writing for than take off like a rocket sled on rails and have it fall flat on its face. This is a tale I have wanted to write for a long time now but could never really find the right venue for.

Any advice welcomed and appreciated.
Deepest respects,
D.

Don't let descriptions of the time and place take over the story. We have history books for that.

P.S. Thanks for the good thread topics. Keep 'em coming.

 

[AG31]

Get informed about the actual clothing of the era. (Most movies get the underlayers wrong.) Also, while using a corset was the norm of women, tightlacing was uncommon.

But resist the temptation to demonstrate to the reader that you did get informed. A good test is not to describe the clothing unless you would have done it in a story set in the current day.

 

[AG31]

What kind of chairs did people sit on?

But resist the temptaion to gratuitously describe the chair. How often do authors of contemporary stories describe the chairs people are sitting on?

 

[AG31]

I can attest to the fact that you will spend hours researching details that you don't use.

And I'm sure your stories are the better for it.

 

[Strixaluco]

But resist the temptation to demonstrate to the reader that you did get informed. A good test is not to describe the clothing unless you would have done it in a story set in the current day.

I agree. However, in erotica it is likely to come up. And unfortunately many writers demonstrate how they only have heard clichés that are not true, and have assumptions that are based on modern day clothing instead of historical.

Like corset on bare skin. They were only worn that way after WWI. And not wearing petticoats. Victorians often wore several. (Except working class in hot weather.)

 

[ronde]

Above all, do not write common stereotypes into your story. People in any era are basically the same but their morals and ideals differ depending upon the time and their social status. Get the clothing right but don't worry too much about using the proper language. There are some differences, but if you start writing in the vernacular of some particular time period you'll lose readers. Just find a few unique words from the time and sprinkle them into your dialogue. In third person, write in the formal language of today.

For a lesson in the morals of the time relative to sex, do an internet search for a book written in 1854 by Ruth Smythers authored “INSTRUCTION AND ADVICE FOR THE YOUNG BRIDE on the Conduct and Procedure of the Intimate and Personal Relationships of the Marriage State for the Greater Spiritual Sanctity of this Blessed Sacrament and the Glory of God”. It's an example of what was considered "proper conduct" in the early 1800's and before It's logical to assume that some women didn't follow it word for word though.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I have a story, set in New York City, in 1945. I did a lot of research, right down to the phone numbers and conventions for making calls. Greenwich Village 0606 (leaving off the trailing prefix number), so you aren't giving a complete phone number, which allows no one to figure out the number or who has it now. Used the correct slang of the 40s and what was still in use from the 70s. Had mentions of sports events scores that happened. And still, there was a comment that in NYC, one slang phrase was different from everywhere else.

You can never please everyone. Do your research, write a compelling story, and don't worry about small things. Please don't make your research so detailed that it screams about your research, and they get lost in minutia. The story isn't about the research; the research is only to enhance your story.

 

[MelissaBaby]

As others have said, research is key. But bear in mind, most of your readers will have learned more about "history" from popular culture than from more academic sources. For example, by the 1920's most American referred to "cars", not "automobiles." But automobile persisted in movie dialogue much longer and if you set your story in the '20s, "car" may seem like the anachronism to many people.

Small errors of fact are easily overlooked, but bad vocabulary choices can knock your reader right out of the story. There are tons of online glossaries for slang of different eras and cultures. When I wrote a story set in the American West in the 1880s, I searched for colloquial alternatives for even common words. When I found one that sounded "period" but was easily understandable, I replaced the more common term. (And I watched a lot of Deadwood)

A tip for anyone writing 20th century period pieces: My WIP is about a Hollywood actress whose career stretched from the 1920 to the 1970s. That's an enormous amount of research needed, with tremendous social change and the changes in language that go with it. I formatted the narrative as being her memoirs, written around 1980. So, while she recounts tales of the silent movie era, the depression, World WarII, the sixties, etc., it is her subjective memory of those times, told in a sort of patois of period vocabulary and more modern speech.For the most part, I render dialogue close to as it would have actually been spoken, but the narration is generally in her modern voice. So far, this seems like an effective way of writing a period piece without getting too wrapped around the axle on vocabulary or syntax.

 

[stickygirl]

Don't be a smart-ass by writing with the style of period. Like writing an accent, set the scene with some well chosen phrases and then keep it simple.