How Historical Fiction Writers Can Use AI for Research

From Edie: Ane Mulligan shares how historical fiction writers can use AI for research, uncover historical maps, streets, and landmarks, save time, and verify details for accuracy.

How Historical Fiction Writers Can Use AI for Research

by Ane Mulligan @AneMulligan

I write Great Depression era fiction, mostly set around Atlanta. If you know anything about Atlanta, it's that the powers that be love to change street names on a regular basis. What was Peachtree Road may suddenly become Pryor Street. 

It's true there are about 71 streets with "Peachtree" in them, and if there is a jog in said road, the name changes. 

Finding accurate, readable maps for my manuscripts is not easy. Historical maps are either difficult to decipher, or too small to read. I would have to travel quite a distance to the history center, hoping I could read said map.

Enter AI. I decided to ask AI to find that information for me. It gave me what streets were named in the year I need. It even told me what stores were along certain streets, etc. From that, I was able to build a map, which will include my main character's emotional journey as well as her walk to work. 

NOTE: Of course, AI-generated research needs to be verified. Just because AI provides a historical street name, address, or business doesn't mean the information is accurate. I use its suggestions as starting points, then check historical maps, directories, newspapers, and other reliable sources before incorporating the details into my manuscript.

Ai has learned my plot, however, I threw a wrench at it this morning, when I wanted what the city would have looked like in 1913, when my MC first arrived as a new bride. It wanted to move my whole story to the early teens and 1920s.

I had to go back and tell it the background of what I wanted and why. AI is tricky. You need to fully explain. But once you do, it's like having a brainstorm partner—one that scours 14 (or more) different websites to gather the information you need. That time savings alone is worth it. 

Once I did that, it gave me some great landmarks. It also changed it's ever-lovin'-artificial mind and suggested different, actual addresses to use. Ones that would or could have been within a certain area. 

When using actual cities and locations, it's difficult because there will always be someone to tell you there wasn't actually a boarding house at 74 Pryor Street in 1932. However, there were several boarding houses on that same street in that year. It's historically plausible is not actual, therefore I will include an author's note.

The main caveat with using AI is ignore any suggestions for wording or sentences for your story. Take the research, yes. But AI is NOT creative. The name alone tells you it's artificial—it hasn't got a heart. That will necessitate a trip to Oz.

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How Historical Fiction Writers Can Use AI for Research from @AneMulligan on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Ane Mulligan doesn’t just wear many hats—she owns the entire store. Author hat. Theatre hat. Artistic peacemaker hat. “Let me tweak that blurb one more time” hat. Somewhere, there’s a stage manager looking for her, because she accidentally rewrote Act Two while adjusting the lobby lighting. Ane has retired more hats than most people own. She lives in Sugar Hill, GA with her artist husband, a marshmallow of a rottweiler, and a neurotic rescued German shepherd. Find Ane on her website, Amazon Author page, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, The Write Conversation, and Blue Ridge Conference Blog.