Author Douglas W. Jacobson on Research for Historical Novels

Douglas W. Jacobson is a fellow Wisconsinite who writes historical fiction. Both of his World War II novels, NIGHT OF FLAMES and THE KATYN ORDER, have received recognition and accolades from state organizations, and his website carries over thirty articles on World War II history (including this one, “The Story of Zegota” about Polish Christians who helped save Polish Jews during Nazi occupation).

As every writer knows, research plays a critical role in writing historical fiction, and Douglas Jacobson has done his fair share of digging into the past. Today, he talks about uncovering the best research.

Getting it Right
Doing Research for Historical Novels

As the old saying goes, “The devil is in the detail.” One of the reasons I have always loved historical fiction is that it is a truly marvelous way to learn a bit of history. Some authors of non-fiction (Stephen Ambrose comes to mind) have a flair and style of writing that make their work enjoyable and easy to read. But, in my humble opinion, there’s nothing quite like curling up with Herman Wouk’s War and Remembrance or Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth for the ultimate reading experience . . . and, a great way to learn history.

And that brings us to the issue at hand. Writing good historical fiction places a special burden on the author, the burden of getting it right. And getting it right doesn’t stop with the big stuff, the dates and locations, the battles and who won the war. It gets right down to the detail. For example, what would a serf in the thirteenth century be likely to eat for breakfast? What type of profanity would a soldier likely have used during the Napoleonic wars? Did the troopers of the Polish cavalry carry lances during World War Two?

It’s the detail that immerses the reader in the time and place of your story. It’s the scent of the kerosene lanterns and the smell of the boiling cabbage, the sticky mud of the footpaths and creaking of the yardarms that give a story its life and vitality. It’s what makes it real. But, making it real, of course, means doing the research.

When I set out to write my first novel, NIGHT OF FLAMES, I had been studying and reading about World War Two for most of my adult life. I knew a lot, but not nearly enough. For instance, I wanted to write about the Polish cavalry because the notion of horse-drawn armies in WW2 has been largely ignored even though almost all the armies in the first few years of the war—including those of Germany and Russia—relied heavily of horses for transportation. But how was a Polish cavalry brigade organized? What type of weapons did they carry? What did their uniforms look like? How far could they travel in a day? Where did they find food for the horses and who re-shod them when necessary? Did they really charge tanks?

Let’s stick with this issue for a moment to pursue the ways and means of research. You can learn a lot on the internet these days and, indeed, I found numerous websites filled with detail about WW2 era cavalry. I also found a marvelous book entitled, THE CALVARY OF WORLD WAR TWO, chock full of information about specific cavalry regiments from Poland, France, Germany and Russia, their organization and leadership, the types of horses and weapons, battles and anecdotal accounts. But the most fascinating of all was my experience at The Battle of the Bzura Museum in Kutno, Poland, which I visited during one of my trips to Poland. It was a treasure of maps, artifacts, displays of uniforms and weapons, canteens and knapsacks. And, even more fascinating, was an encounter the next day with an elderly gentleman in Walewice, Poland who happened to be sitting on the front porch of his home while we were wandering around the town square looking for some type of commemorative plaque. Through the translation offered by my friend and Polish history scholar, Slawomir Debski, the elderly gentleman confirmed that the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade did, indeed, cross the Bzura River and confront a German infantry battalion in that town on 14 September, 1939. He knew . . . because he was there. That’s the best kind of research.

And, that’s exactly the same discipline I used in researching for THE KATYN ORDER.

Douglas W. Jacobson is an engineer, business owner and World War Two history enthusiast who has traveled extensively in Europe researching stories of the courage of common people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. His debut novel, NIGHT OF FLAMES: A NOVEL OF WORLD WAR TWO, won the 2008 “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Wisconsin Library Association. Doug’s second historical novel, THE KATYN ORDER, is a story of intrigue and danger, of love and human courage in the aftermath of one of history’s most notorious war crimes. THE KATYN ORDER received the 2011 “Honorable Mention Award” from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. Doug writes a monthly column on Poland’s experience during WW2, and has published articles on European resistance and escape organizations during the war. He lives in Elm grove, WI with his wife, Janie.

ABOUT THE KATYN ORDER:

The German War Machine is in retreat as the Russians advance. In Warsaw, Resistance fighters rise up against their Nazi occupiers, but the Germans retaliate, ruthlessly leveling the city. American Adam Nowak has been dropped into Poland by British intelligence as an assassin and Resistance fighter. During the Warsaw Rising he meets Natalia, a covert operative who has lost everything—just as he has.

Amid the Allied power struggle left by Germany’s defeat, Adam and Natalia join in a desperate hunt for the 1940 Soviet order authorizing the murders of 20,000 Polish army officers and civilians. If they can find the Katyn Order before the Russians do, they just might change the fate of Poland.

Caught up in the vortex of cataclysmic events, Adam and Natalia struggle to survive, fighting for freedom and clinging to an uncertain future in a world gone mad. The Katyn Order is a story of intrigue and danger, of human courage under extraordinary circumstances, a story of love and a quest for redemption.

Purchase your copy of THE KATYN ORDER here.

The Road Map of Writing (Redirect)

The road to publication is a winding, twisting path.

Whether you aim to see your work in print or online, listed in the pages of the journal of your dreams, or mentioned in the New York Times, you’re likely to encounter detours and experience days when it seems this writing gig is all too much like a never-ending road trip.

I don’t do well on long trips. Put me in the car for more than five hours and I grow restless. I tire easily, and tiny inconveniences becomes reasons why I should have just stayed home. I blame it on a touch of claustrophobia, but really, I’m just impatient and worry I’ll never reach my destination.

It’s the same when I pursue bigger, long-term writing goals. . . .

Read more at Write It Sideways, where I talk detours and setbacks in writing. Though frustrating, they don’t always mean I’ve fallen off track or lost my way.

Join the conversation here.

* Photo credit: blondieb38 on Morguefile.com

A Writer’s Week in Twitter Hashtags II *

I’ve been behind on my reading (and my writing, but that’s another post). Blame it on the weather, a series of sick days with kids, a lack of focus. I’m ready for Spring.

But, I’m catching up this week and armed with several articles worthy of bookmarks.

#Writing

What does a novel’s interior say about its characters? from Nichole Bernier on Beyond the Margins

[Certain novels’] distinctive settings stayed with me, years after reading the book, for being not just unforgettable, but critical in molding their characters. Environments that were epic not just because they were vividly drawn, but because they represented very specific emotional landscapes, sometimes packed into very small spaces.

#FindYourCommunity

For the man who called me for advice about how to get published, from Cathy Day on The Big Thing (when a phone call for quick advice turns into a lesson for her students, and all of us):

My advice: find two or three people in your classes [or your writing circle] who you can trade work with in the years to come, because you’re going to need those people. Bad.

#Submissions

Literary Magazine Submission Tips Submitted to Myself, by Joseph Scapellato on Gulf Coast Blog.

Submit to the idea that submitting your work can teach you where you’ve come from as a writer, where you’re at as a writer, and where you might be going as a writer.

#BookBloggers

Beth Hoffman – LOOKING FOR ME – Review on Tribute Books Reviews and Giveaways.

Beth Hoffman is a master at crafting a gentle story fierce with emotion. Her novels are comfort reads, and Looking for Me is no exception. It’s a work that defies categorization encompassing aspects of mystery, romance and literary fiction while maintaining a cozy distinctiveness that’s become a signature touch. Hoffman is a keen observer of life and her astute awareness of the world around her filters into her writing immersing the reader in detail that’s as multi-dimensional as it is visceral.

I’ve got my copy (and can’t wait to share all about in a Q&A with Beth Hoffman in May). You can pre-order your copy here.

What’s on your Twitter feed this week?

* Read A Writer’s Week in Twitter Hashtags (first edition) here.