An Unexpected Nugget

When doing research for a historical novel, you may find an unexpected nugget that could add some extra excitement, conflict, or an extra character you may want to include in your story.

While researching the town my main character lives in, in my WIP (work in progress), I found that a notorious outlaw had lived in that town as well. Though I have chosen not to include him in my WIP, I may include him in a future novel, either part of my current series or a stand alone.

It’s always wise to make note of unexpected finds in you research because they could be a valuable addition to your current work, or may invoke an idea for a future book.

If you choose to use an unexpected character or setting, be sure to research that character or setting in depth because it is important to portray them accurately in your work. Even though you may write historical fiction, you need to be sure any real life person or place is portrayed properly or your history knowledgeable readers will be upset and will let you know either through a book review or a personal email. You always want to keep your readers happy.

You may want to deliberately search for that unexpected nugget. You can begin your search by simply plugging a question, such as “what notorious people lived in the 1860s?” into a search engine and see what comes up. I will issue a word of caution here: do not rely completely on information you find on the internet, especially a site like Wikipedia, which is not always reliable. Also try to find more information by contacting a museum or historical society, or going to the library and looking for books on the subject.

I did an online search on the question from the previous paragraph and the following were the top ten articles that came up:

• American History Timeline from 1860-1870
• 1860 Fast Facts—History—U.S. Census Bureau
• Famous and Infamous Census Records – History – U.S. Census
• 1860s – the Hanneman Archive
• The Living City | New York City>>1860s
• Ozarks Gunfights and Other Notorious Incidents
• List of Famous People of the 19^th Century
• List of Slave Owners – Wikipedia
• ‘Dirty Old London’: A History of the Victorians
• Infamous Mobsters – List and Notable Names – Biography.

If you are a historical writer, you most likely love history, so the above list has probably piqued your interest and you might want to rush off to check out at least one of those topics. But wait!

One more thing – books. You may find them at the library, but you will also want to keep your eyes open at used book sales and used book stores, as well as new book stores if you don’t mind paying new book prices. I have found several great gems for researching historical people. I have purchased them, and they now reside on my book shelf waiting for me to crack them open for a future novel.

Kelly F. Barr lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She is married and has three sons. She writes historical romance. She has also been a blogger for ten years, and every Friday, you can find her Flash Fiction stories posted for your reading pleasure. She loves her family, including the family dog, books, walks, and chai lattes.

You can find her online at:

• Website: kellyfbarr.com
• MeWe: KellyBarr8