Why I Write Historical Fiction - A Guest Blogpost by David Wessel

David K. Wessel is a retired U.S. diplomat and amateur historian turned novelist. When it comes to writing about Germany between the two world wars, he relies not only on his family stories, but on his Rutgers University history degree (where he focused on the Weimar Republic) and a life-long interest in his subject matter. Wessel is one of six children born to Karl-Heinz Wessel, the primary character in Choosing Sides – and the coming sequel, Changing Sides.

I have always loved the old adage: “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” I believe that before ascribing motive to the actions of another person, one should attempt to understand his/her/their life experiences. Before criticizing someone or assuming negative intent behind the words they speak, we should try to appreciate where they are coming from. Before criticizing others for what we see or hear them do, we should make an effort to see things from their perspective.

What are the challenges they have faced? How have their thought processes been formed? What events have they been influenced by? How have they been shaped by the world in which they live? What is their history?

In the words of the renowned scholar and Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” It is the key to understanding the thoughts and deeds of an individual – and is especially critical to understanding the words and actions of societies.

But the recording of factual history – a description of past events with the dates and locations in which they occurred – does not get into the soul of the participants. Well written historical accounts of days-gone-by do explore the preceding events that shaped the participant’s actions. And the best writers of history, like McCullough, provide insight into the thinking and intent of the protagonists. But their writing, as good as it is, does not leave the reader with a true understanding of what it  would have felt like to be in that time and place.

For that, we need historical fiction. As E. L. Doctorow, author of Billy Bathgate, Ragtime and other wonderful novels said: “The historian will tell you what happened. The novelist will tell you what it felt like.”

When I decided to write the story of my father’s childhood - growing up on both sides of the Atlantic in the years between the two world wars - I wanted to do just this. I hoped to portray what it must have felt like for Dad. In writing about an ordinary family torn apart by Hitler’s Germany, my aim was to develop the reader’s understanding of what it meant to live in that time and place.

How did my family’s experiences in World War I and the post-war years lead to an emigration to the United States? Why did they move back to Germany just a year after Hitler had come to power? What was it like for Dad to be placed in the Hitler Youth? How did the family’s meeting with der Fuhrer himself come about? How did my immediate family respond to the Nazi takeover of their country? And what did the extended family, who remained, feel about it all?

While writing the first draft of Choosing Sides I worked at getting the story down and making sure I had the facts right. I focused on placing the family lore into historical context, building my own understanding of the circumstances behind the family’s multiple moves from northern Germany to southern New Jersey. The result was, in the estimation of my dear wife and ‘first-reader,’ a 90,000 word term paper with a personal twist. It was, at best, something a few of my family members might read. But it was dry and lacking in emotion and devoid of any character development, description of settings, dialogue or buildup of personal feelings and tension between family members. If I wanted anyone else to read it, I needed to liven it up.

I needed to change it from a biographical history to historical fiction. In doing so, I wanted to use the power of fiction to draw the reader into the souls of my characters – my father, his parents, his aunts and uncles and cousins, his schoolmates and friends. I hoped that I would enable the reader to understand the difficult choices my family members made as Hitler ascended in power and their country descended into chaos and despair.

How well I have achieved my goal is, of course, a matter for readers to decide. But I must say that the exercise of getting the family stories down on paper and placing them in the context of this terrible period of history has certainly given me, as the author, a level of understanding that is much deeper than I had before I started. I hope it will do the same for my readers.

 

Blog Host Helena P. Schrader is the author of 25 historical fiction and non-fiction books, eleven of which have one one or more awards. You can find out more about her, her books and her awards at: https://helenapschrader.com 

Her most recent release, Cold Peace, was runner-up for the Historical Fiction Company BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 Award, as well as winning awards from Maincrest Media and Readers' Favorites. Find out more at: https://www.helenapschrader.com/cold-peace.html