Writing good fiction—no matter the genre—takes time,
talent, and fortitude. Writing historical fiction adds some challenges to the
mix, one of which is avoiding anachronisms.
An anachronism is anything that’s out of place in terms of
time or chronology. For example, a dairy farm using
automatic milking technology in the 1930s (this technology wasn’t available until the 1970s), a character reading Little Women in 1855 (the book was published in 1868), or a Revolutionary War officer saying a young soldier is “scrappy” (scrappy didn’t become a synonym of feisty until 1895).
automatic milking technology in the 1930s (this technology wasn’t available until the 1970s), a character reading Little Women in 1855 (the book was published in 1868), or a Revolutionary War officer saying a young soldier is “scrappy” (scrappy didn’t become a synonym of feisty until 1895).
Obviously, any anachronism should be avoided when writing fiction,
but for this post I’m going to address anachronistic words. After all, stories
are made up of words, so it’s not hard to slip up now and then. Just how can we
as writers avoid using words that … well, in our time setting, don’t exist yet?
Of course, reading books, diaries, and documents written during the time period
is incredibly helpful, but what if we just want to know (quickly) if a certain
word was in use? Here are three ways:
Option #1: Online
Etymology Dictionary
I love this dictionary. All you have to do is go to the
site, type in your word, and click the hourglass. Within a second or two, you
have not only a definition for your word but also the year of its first use.
Background information is often provided as well. I found this particularly
helpful when determining whether to use contractions in my novel set in 1756,
and then deciding which ones to use.
Option #2: Merriam
Webster
This is another helpful website that provides definitions
and, in many cases, years of first use. If Online Etymology Dictionary doesn’t
return information for a word, Merriam-Webster (in my experience) does. You
usually don’t get the background information, but it’s a great option if the
former dictionary doesn’t help or if you want confirmation from two sites.
Option #3: Google
Books NGram Viewer
NGram Viewer is pretty amazing. You type in a word, set the
time frame you want to use, and click the search button, and it scans
the content of an enormous number of books and gives you a graph of how often
the word was used in books published during your time frame. You can even
search more than one word at once if you want to determine which word was more commonly
used. Of course, keep in mind that NGram Viewer is searching books, and book
language is often more formal than everyday dialogue. For example, won’t
doesn’t show up in NGram Viewer books (it’s changed to will not), but
that doesn’t mean people don’t use the word won’t. They do, and they
have been—since the 1660s, according to Online Etymology Dictionary. Still, this
is another great option, especially if you’re comparing usage of words.
Accuracy is one of the pillars of great historical fiction.
Anachronistic words be gone, and happy writing!
Accuracy is one of the pillars of great historical fiction. #SeriouslyWrite
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For as long as she can remember, Christy Distler has
dreamed her most vivid dreams with her
Christy’s novels, whether historical or contemporary, delve
into betrayal and reconciliation, faith and grace, and always involve the
intertwining of cultures. Her debut novel, A Cord of Three Strands,
releases on June 15 in print and ebook format. When not writing, she works as
an editor for publishing houses and independent authors.
Obsession with words (and history) aside, she lives with
her husband, children, and dogs in Pennsylvania, less than two miles from where
her debut novel is set. Visit her at www.christydistler.com, or
connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
