You should start by visiting your local library for research books and texts on the Civil War. You can look for scholarly texts online at the library and ask the reference librarian for assistance with finding research books about this historical event.You can also look at magazines, newspapers, and catalogues from the time period at the library. The library should have these texts on microfilm so you can scan through them and get an idea of the fashions, trends, and discussions happening during the time.
Your library may also have a Civil War section where there are texts that focus on different aspects of the Civil War. Check with the reference librarian about a section or grouping of research books that focus on this historical event.;
, You can get a lot of the human elements of the Civil War by reading personal documents written by soldiers during that time. Many soldiers kept diaries on the front and sent letters to loved ones. You can use these documents to get into the mindset of a Civil War soldier and of someone waiting for a soldier to come home safely.You can find a cache of letters and diaries by Civil War soldiers online through the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).You may also be able to access personal documents through a Civil War historical society.
 Depending on where you live, you may be able to get in touch with a Civil War historical society in your area. You can then ask them if there is going to be a Civil War reenactment coming up. These events are a great way to see how soldiers used weapons during the Civil War as well as how they dressed, how to interacted, and how they used other tools in camp during the war.These reenactments are also a great opportunity to experience the sensory details of being in a battle during this time, from the sound of cannons and muskets firing to horse-drawn ambulances rumbling on the ground.
Civil War reenactments often occur on special holidays to commemorate war heroes, such as Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day. You may also be able to find out more information on the dates of the reenactments from your local Civil War historical society.
 You should also reach out to the experts to get a better sense of what life was like for soldiers and civilians alive during the Civil War. You may be able to locate experts through your local Civil War historical society or through a Civil War museum in your area.You can also look up experts online and contact them with specific questions about the Civil War. Try to contact experts who specialize in a certain aspect of the Civil War, such as Civil War weaponry or the role of women during the Civil War. This way, you can get detailed information about the topic.
 If possible, you should consider trying to follow the path of the historical figures of the Civil War by doing some of their daily chores and practices yourself. You may volunteer at a Civil War reenactment or at your local Civil War historical society so you can get some hands on experience.You may try to do some of the domestic work of the time period, such as tend a stove fire all day, do embroidery, and use an outhouse. You may also dress in some of the clothing of the period to experience what it felt like to get dressed during this time period.
You may also practice using weaponry from the time period to get a sense of what it was like to fight during the war. If possible, it may be useful to also visit the sites of some of the battles of the Civil War, many of which have become monuments, to get a better sense of what it was like to walk through the site and fight on it., You can also get a better idea of the genre by reading popular examples of civil war historical fiction. You can then compare and contrast these texts, looking at the approach their writers took to address the material. You should also note the narrative style and tone of each text. Example texts include:Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.

My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveria.

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.
 Much of the American Civil War happened on the battlefield or around the battlefield. Your story will likely involve at least one battle scene or several battle scenes. You may choose a particular battle and focus on researching the details so it appears historically accurate and convincing on the page.You can read through a detailed list of Civil War battles to get a better sense of which battles were pivotal for certain groups or companies of soldiers through American Civil War Story. There were thousands of small battles during the war but many of the major battles are listed and documented.
You may also choose a well known Civil War battle, such as the Battle of Palmito Ranch in May 1865, the last battle of the Civil War. You may then focus on the details of the battle and place your characters in this battle as the setting for the conflict and the major events.
 You should also consider what civilian life was like during the Civil War and use the domestic space as a setting for your story. Maybe you focus on how women and older people who did not fight in a battle lived.As the war escalated, many civilian areas became battlegrounds, forcing civilians to go into hiding or leave to become refugees in another area of the country. This means that they have have domestic lives that were then interrupted by the war. You could describe the contrast between these two settings.
You should also consider how the Civil War affected the North and the South of the country in different ways. Individuals who lived in the South were often refugees or casualties of war and did not maintain a domestic way of life for long.
 When you are building your historical setting, you should try to always use details and description that invoke the senses. Consider how a room smells, looks, feels, sounds, and tastes to your characters. Using sensory detail will immerse your reader in the world of the story.For example, you may describe a battle scene based on how it felt to trample through mud and blood, and how the mud and blood smelled to soldiers during the battle. You may also describe how food rations tasted to soldiers who hadn’t eaten in days and the sound of cannons firing from across the battlefield.
 You should lean on the fascinating history of the Civil War and the historical figures of the time to create characters. You may focus on a soldier from a certain town or area or civilians who survived as refugees during the war. You could then use their historical backstories to create characters for your fiction.You may decide to focus on lesser known figures of the war, such as the African American soldiers who fought in the conflict or the enemy soldiers who lived in prisoner of war camps. Or you may decide to look at the war from the point of view of a spy for the enemy.You may also focus on a civilian woman who is away from her soldier lover during the Civil War or you may use historical figures like a known General or high ranking officer.
 Make sure you strive for accuracy when you create characters for your historical fiction, as readers are more likely to buy into a story that feels well researched. Often, the facts can be even more entertaining than fiction. Try to strive for accuracy and realism in your writing, especially if you are using existing historical characters as models for your fictional ones.For example, if you are writing about a character who is a soldier in the war, you would not include details about weaponry that did not exist during the Civil War, like handguns or grenades.
You should also try to strive for historical accuracy when you are writing about civilian life, where individuals lived in towns or villages without running water or electricity. Do not include details that do not fit the time period, as this will signal to your reader that you have not done enough research about life during the Civil War.
 You should also sit down and create character studies of your characters so you have a better sense of their backstory. You may create character studies for all of your characters or for several key characters, including your protagonist, your antagonist, any love or friend interests, and any supporting characters. An example character study may look like:Physical characteristics: Female, short, plump, wide nose, big eyes, with long plaited hair. Scar on her left hand from a musket shot gone wrong.
Emotional characteristics: Smart, strong, self-sufficient, ability to use a musket and other weaponry, a desire to fight for her country.
 Begin the writing process by creating a plot outline. This will give you a general sense of where your story is going to go. You can deviate from the outline once you get into the writing. But having an outline as a guide can make it easier to get into the writing and start generating words on the page.


One option is to use a plot diagram as your outline. A plot diagram contains six sections: the set up, the inciting incident, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.
Another option is to use the snowflake method. The snowflake method is often used by writers who do not want to follow the more traditional plot diagram, but are still looking for a way to organize their story. The snowflake diagram consists of a one sentence summary of the story, a one paragraph summary of the story, character synopses, and a summary of scenes.
 You should consider centering your story around a major event in the Civil War or several historical events during this time. Your story is about life during the war, after all, so it should feature events during the war that caused major issues. You can then have these conflicts create problems for the characters in your story.For example, you may write a story about a young woman from the South who tries to disguise herself as a man and fight for her country. You may then center her story around a known brawl on the battlegrounds that occurred in camp or around a gathering of soldiers at a banquet that occurred during the war and use the event to show her character in action.
 Though you should always try to be historically accurate in your writing, you should also remember that you are writing fiction. You do not need to follow the history completely when you are writing your story. You may decide to deviate from the history of the Civil War for the good for your story and as a way to generate more conflict for your characters.For example, in your story about a woman trying to fight as a man on the battlefield, you may realize that there were physical exams in place to prevent such a thing from occurring. You may then create a distraction or a way out of the exam for your character, allowing her to somehow get away with enlisting as a woman.
Though this may not be historically accurate, it does help to further your plot and your story. For this reason, it may be worth doing.
 Cliches are phrases that have become so familiar they have lost their meaning. You should try to push yourself to come up with original descriptions and details that will seem unfamiliar and surprising to your reader.For example, rather than describe the sound of cannon fire as “vibrating with a loud boom”, you may go for a more unfamiliar description, as “tossing the ground like an earthquake” or “vibrating like the trembling hand on the trigger of a musket.”

, You should take the time to read the draft of your story out loud. Listen for any awkward sentences or cliche terms. Highlight them for revision. Make sure you are certain of the historical details in your story. If you are unclear about any of the details, you should go back and do more research to ensure you got it right.


You may also read your draft out loud to a trusted reader for a second opinion. Be willing to accept feedback and constructive criticism, as this will only make your story stronger.
Look up resources at your local library.
Read diaries, letters, and personal documents by soldiers.
Attend a Civil War reenactment.
Speak to Civil War experts.
Learn how to do Civil War chores and practices yourself.
Read examples of historical fiction.
Describe a particular battle.
Describe civilian life during the war.
Use sensory description.
Model your characters after historical figures in the Civil War.
Include historically accurate character details.
Determine the physical and emotional characteristics of your characters.
Create a plot outline.
Use events from the Civil War in your story.
Deviate from history for the sake of conflict.
Avoid cliche descriptions and details.
Read and revise your story.
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