In the previous blog, I broke down what defines a novel as "alternate history," if it's a subgenre of science fiction, why to write it, and what are some of the best alternate history books, in my humble opinion. In this blog, I will spend some time on how to craft alternate history, using my approach in writing The Kaiser's Machines as a framework.
I'll cover:
How to start writing alternate history
How to explore an alternate timeline
How to world build for alternate history of the world
How to start writing alternate history
It usually starts with a question. For me, I came across the artwork of Polish artist Jakub Różalski. Creator of the alternate reality called 1920+, he reimagined Europe and the armies of its empires around the World War I period in a more mech-themed fashion. As the artist for the tabletop board game, Scythe, I thought, what if the Germans had developed walking tanks and digging machines that could tunnel through mountains? And from that question spawned the timeline of The Kaiser's Machines. But to write these books, I had already done a lot of background work on the period.
Researching for what if alt history
I have long been a student of military history. As such, I was already well-versed in the events and details of World War I. But that does not mean I didn't do more research than what I already knew. I am glad I did because my advice is when you think you know everything, you probably don't.
Now, if you are approaching your alternate history with the intent to make it completely different from our timeline, then this might not be as critically important. But my stories were closely tied to the actual events as I sprinkled in these new machines. My objective was to make it seem like this could have happened in our timeline. For this approach, I needed to make sure I did my research.
I leveraged any source to inform me about that period. I not only wanted live accounts from people that were actually there and fought, but I also wanted enough history to understand the war.
The following resources helped me write The Kaiser's Machines:
A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918 by G.J. Meyer
One of the most comprehensive and enjoyable reads on the war, this book was invaluable in providing a 360-degree view of the war from its belligerents, the ruling families, the armies and their equipment, and more. If you want to learn more about World War I, this is where you start.
They Shall Not Grow Old by Peter Jackson
I saw this documentary two times in theaters during the limited screenings in the United States for a reason. It's THE best documentary on World War One I have seen. Peter Jackson really outdid himself with this one. To appreciate it, watch the trailer to get a sense of it here.
Storm of Steel by Ernst Jünger
If you want to read a personal account of what it was like being a frontline soldier in World War I, then look no further. As a stormtrooper in the German army, Jünger provides a detailed account of his combat experiences during the War to End All Wars.
These are just a few of the most essential sources I drew upon. But these sources don't necessarily help you explore alternate history scenarios. For that, you'll have to either find an exhaustive or in-depth study on the specific moments you are looking at. Sometimes, the authors explore briefly "what ifs." But, most likely, you'll have to turn to the internet community.
How to explore an alternate timeline
If you have an idea for an alternate history tangent or timeline, someone else has already explored the idea. They just might not have written a novel about it. Turning to places like Reddit and Quora have been very useful for my research efforts. You'll have to infer the viable from the ridiculous, but it at least provides you a broader view on the topic than most books will offer. And if you have burning questions or want people's opinions, you can make a post and see what people think to help you work out your idea. I personally have not done this, but many threads I have read are usually people asking questions or testing their concept.
Aside from sourcing ideas or validating your sketched alt history, there are three aspects to remember that can help you flesh out the idea. These are:
Viability: what would it take to make your alternate timeline a reality? Is it possible, or does it err on the side of fantasy? Either will work depending on what you are trying to do, but it's something to think about because the people in this community will pick it apart. So be prepared for that.
Are you going for believability or not? As an amendment to my previous statement, deciding how believable you want your timeline to be will impact various aspects of your alternate history, such as technology, politics, and more.
Nothing trumps a good story. If you have no intention of writing a book and want to explore counterfactual history for fun, then skip this. But if you want to write a book, you need to keep in mind what will be compelling enough to read. And to do it justice, you'll need some writer chops, so work on that as you sketch the idea and build it out.
How to world build for alternate history of the world
Worldbuilding for any genre is a lot of work. Quite frankly, I don't think I can do it justice in just this one section. In the future, I may write a more exhaustive series on all the aspects of worldbuilding and crafting these pieces into a story. But what I can provide is a least some direction to get you thinking about it. Treat these as mere recommendations. Everyone has their process and order in how they would do these different things. I am simply doing it in the order I would typically do it.
Step One: Develop Your New Timeline
It helps me to start with a timeline. Map out where the tangent happens in our timeline and the events that led to it, and then follow the timeline forward as far as you need to for what you are working on. This timeline can help you develop a framework for the story's plot.
Step Two: What is the Lay of the Land?
After you've worked out a timeline, it helps me to build out nation briefs and maps to go with them. These briefs will include:
Who is the leader, and how did they rise to power?
What are the leader's political faction and opponents?
What's the political system of the country?
What's their flag look like?
What do the county's borders look like?
Who are their geopolitical enemies?
These are just some of the things you can explore as part of building out the backgrounds for your story. You can cover many more things, such as each nation's military and economic situations.
Step Three: Where are your Characters?
Now that you have a good idea of what the world looks like, a sketch of the timeline, and possibly a loose plot or order of events, you need to figure out your characters. This is where Novel 101 stuff comes into play, so that I won't cover it thoroughly here.
But basically, you should map out both fictional and non-fictional characters (you might include actual people from history in your book, for instance, I put General Ludendorff in my books). Different writers have different approaches. Some sketch everything out exhaustively; others don't and let it evolves as they write. I am more towards the latter, but that's mainly from a plot perspective. I usually have most things planned out ahead of time.
How to make an alt history map?
I personally love map-making. As you might have learned from the previous blog, I am a Tolkien fan. In his works, you'll find a lot of maps. I have always loved geography and drawing, so map mapping has always been part of my process. It helps me visualize where I am, my characters, and where I am going.
To create a map, you don't need software. You can always draw it by hand. In fact, I prefer to start by hand until I have created something I am satisfied with. Then, I use Other World Mapper, a nifty map-building software that you can use for your books or even for Dungeons and Dragons if you are into that sort of thing. I highly recommend buying the version with all the expansions. It'll give you plenty to work with and enable you to bring your new world to life.
The End of this Series
That's it! I hope you found this three-part blog series helpful. To stay up-to-date with the latest information on my writing and the things I post on this blog, consider joining my newsletter. And if you have questions about writing or want to see a post about something, feel free to contact me directly, and I'll do my best to respond.
