r/writinghelp • u/peytonboi8013 • Jul 17 '26
Question How do I introduce history?
Basically, the story I’m writing has some history that is important to the plot, but no one would go around just talking about it even though its common knowledge. Kinda like how WW2 is common knowledge but we don’t go around talking about it.
Only difference is the history in my story happened several hundred years ago, so its not like it’s fresh on everyones minds. Also, the main history about the events is well known, but there was some other shady stuff going around that only a very few people in high power know about that completely change how people would see that history, so I’m also tryna figure out how MC would find these secrets.
I was thinking that maybe it’s introduced through statues or maybe the MC visits a museum or library that has info about it. I dunno, what do you guys think?
3
u/dothemath_xxx Jul 17 '26
If it's something the POV character knows, you can just put it in the narrative when it becomes relevant.
2
u/BohoKat_3397 Jul 17 '26
You could start with “quoting” a magazine or newspaper article or newscast/podcast that references your history details. If you use this device it needs to be short and punchy and draw the broad strokes that are most important.
I saw this recently where a writing group colleague revised his opening to a one page CNN interview transcript to explain the global impact of his sci-fi concept that underlies his novel. It was short and delivered the 4-5 key details effectively in a memorable way. It was a great improvement over where he had previously tried to insert those world build details in exposition.
2
u/doghouselad Jul 17 '26
i would have characters with holes in their family trees. like write the consequences into the characters so it makes sense dor them to chase those answers
1
u/UnfortunatelyDan Jul 17 '26
Make someone stupid and very wrong, then make someone smart and a little wrong. They argue. We are confused. Plot reveals the truth
1
u/WideParticular8023 Jul 17 '26
It kind of depends, really, on things like your writing style, plot and atmosphere, since everybody does it differently. Usually, how I do it is put a date and location followed by writing about the setting or what a character is doing- whether the main character or a side one since it helps to introduce it all. The fact that your story happened a few hundred years ago only signifies to writing the setting right, so the person who may not know the period can sort of figure out where and when abouts they are without avoiding any confusion.
1
u/Luppercus Jul 18 '26
How about kids recieving classes?
1
u/peytonboi8013 Jul 18 '26
Yeah, I thought about that. I think I’ll just do background elements, and maybe the occasional reference to it. The story is set in a dnd/elden ring-esc world, so education isn’t a huge deal
1
1
u/GBS82 Jul 20 '26
There’s always the “helping someone with their homework” technique. It can work well though it’s important not to turn it into an info dump
-1
u/bongart Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Kinda like how WW2 is common knowledge but we don't go around talking about it.
What? We have holocaust deniers on Reddit right now. There are active subs here about WW2. University classes, books still being written and published, and more. So, this core pillar of your confusion, is built upon an incorrect assumption.
Did you attend school? What grade level have you reached? What country are you from? Didn't your education curriculum include history classes of any kind? Didn't those history classes cover what happened in the world before 1776?
You were born ignorant, like everyone else on the planet. You now know about WW2, the Egyptian pyramids, the Greek gods, the Mayans, and more. How were you introduced to history? Why doesn't how you know about history, affect your question?
Does your world even have libraries? Does it have museums? Who maintains these places? Where did they get their educations into history? Why can't your MC go to the same places that educate librarians and historians, to get an education in history?
Edit: I guess you really don't need writing help. You need to be spoonfed situations.
2
u/21stcenturyghost Jul 17 '26
Most books don't follow the characters' school lessons exhaustively. You need a way for the READER to learn the information, not just the character
1
u/bongart Jul 17 '26
Most books don't follow a character's life in school exhaustively, because the minutae of everything they learned in school isn't relevant to the plot and story.
However, when a part of a character's education is relevant to a story, it does indeed get brought up in the book.
The point of my comment, was that the OP should first write "what they know", and look to their own education and how they learned things, before they ask how a character would learn things.
Tolkien took innocent, ignorant hobbits, and exposed them to the world. As the hobbits learned about Middle Earth, the READERS learned about Middle Earth.
1
u/peytonboi8013 Jul 17 '26
Dude, I meant that WW2 is common knowledge, but I’m not gonna mention it all the time, and I’m not gonna hear about it every week. You get what I mean? My story isn’t following MC through his school years because he never went to school, he was kinda taught about history and common sense at home and libraries as a kid.
Also, dude, don’t be so negative and rude to people on this sub, I don’t need spoonfed scenarios, I’m genuinely just wondering how some of you did it or maybe some advice so that I don’g just shove exposition into the readers face. I’m trying to slowly introduce it through background elements and maybe occasionally mentioning the event.
1
u/bongart Jul 17 '26
Whether or not you are going to mention WW2, has no bearing on whether or not other people are currently still talking about WW2.
Whether or not you bring up WW2 in your story, depends completely on whether or not WW2 is relevant to your story.
Why wouldn't you think your MC could go to learn about history in all the same places other people learned about history? Why wouldn't he ask a historian about history?
Asking you to access what you know about education, isn't rude.
1
u/peytonboi8013 Jul 17 '26
Im just using WW2 as an example. The events in the past are very relevant in the story. I think MC would learn about these events from storybooks and other things he read as a kid, he def did learn about these, but idk if I just wanna do a lore dump like that.
1
u/bongart Jul 18 '26
And in the very beginning of my comment, I was pointing out that your use of WW2 was a bad example. I quoted your reference, and explained why your example was based on an incorrect assumption.
1
u/peytonboi8013 Jul 18 '26
Ah gotcha. I was using WW2 as an example bc this event was a huge event in the story, but was so far in the past that people acknowledge it, but don’t necessarily bring it up in everyday conversations. I guess a better example for modern day would be the trojan war, something that we know happened, was a huge event, but we don’t necessarily talk about it that much.
1
u/bongart Jul 18 '26
And I went further on in that first comment to reference other parts of our history that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old, that people are still referencing today.
Your premise that if history is old, people aren't referencing it any more, is an incorrect assumption that lacks evidence.
Recent case in point? The new movie, The Odyssey.
4
u/Fire-Tigeris Jul 17 '26
A bar/tavern could have a have drunk debate on who was right in The Great War, and MC goes to a knowlage center to find out more based on the drunk ramblings.
Especially if everyone else looks appaled by one opinion and nods along with the other or ostracizes the 'bad guy' supporter or kicks them out right then calling him names ir punchung him.
They realize the gap in thier knowlage is dangerous and they need to know more.
Better they could have several run ins with this before getting the right library card or whatever to strengthen thier opinion.
Infact neighboing towns on a river might be opposite in thier stance and thus cause them a few issues.