Writing in different time periods can be both fun and challenging as an author. There are some key differences between writing contemporary novels and writing historical novels.
Language
How did people speak? What sayings did they use? Slang? Did they use long, complex sentence structures and flowery language?
To understand how people spoke for my historical novels, I spent some time reading firsthand accounts of events of the day. Reading someone’s diary from the mid-1860’s gives you a good idea of the complex sentence structures used during the time frame. Once I have a good understanding, I try to incorporate some aspects of the language into the novel. Since I want to be careful not to alienate modern audiences, I make some style choices, like using contractions even though they didn’t.
With a contemporary novel, it’s easier. You already know how people talk. True, you might have to do some research for a specific regional dialect or slang. But, for the most part, you live and breathe the language nuances every day.
Mindset
What is the prevailing mindset of the timeframe? Were there different attitudes and thoughts towards different ethnic groups? Were women seen differently? Men?
One of the things I did to better understand the mindset from the 1860’s was to pick up books specifically on the attitudes in the West. I found this great resource that explained a key gender difference on the wagon trains west. Men marked the journey by miles and women marked it by the number of roadside grave markers. That’s a very different mindset than what we experience today.
Today’s mindset is probably engrained in your own attitudes and outlook on life. Even if your views differ from that of your character, you have a good idea of what is generally socially acceptable. Things, like harassment in the work place or racial slurs, are considered socially unacceptable. This will likely take little to no research for a more contemporary work.
Technology
What modes of transportation were used? What would a typical household kitchen contain? How did people heat their homes or get water to drink?
If you’re writing a contemporary novel, chances are you already have a good idea of the answers to these questions. In my kitchen, I have a blender, microwave, stove, coffee maker, electric can opener, etc.
For a historical novel, these are all things to research to add depth and flavor to your novel. One of my favorite kitchen finds of all time was something called a meat juice press (I even have pictures!!). In the 1800’s, a common way to treat cold symptoms was extract the juice from a piece of meat by pressing it with this device (very different from beef broth). Many homes had one. So, in my current WIP, I incorporate this little nugget into the story.
Language, mindset, and technology are just a few examples of the differences to research for historical novels that you may already know for a more contemporary work. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to improve research for historical novels and encourage you to add that same spice to your contemporary works.
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