Historical fiction isn’t just storytelling—it’s time travel
- Wendy Decker
- Nov 15, 2025
- 3 min read
When an actor prepares for a role, they don’t simply memorize lines—they inhabit a life. They breathe the character’s air, absorb their memories, and slip into their emotional shoes. As authors, we might not step onto a stage, but our task is strikingly similar: we must become one with the world we’re creating. And when that world exists in the past, our work becomes even more immersive—and infinitely more rewarding. Blending true elements from the past with fiction is a delicate and intricate process.
Becoming a Resident of 1958
When I first decided to set my upcoming novel in 1958, I quickly realized that sprinkling in a few era-appropriate details or name-dropping a popular song would barely scratch the surface. To write authentically, I needed to step through a portal and live there for a while.
When I set my story in the beach town of Asbury Park, I knew the city's culture and history would provide an exciting backdrop. And while visiting there often helped, seeing it now was nothing like understanding it then. Researching the city by the sea as it existed in 1958 required patience and curiosity, but I found the process thrilling. I wanted readers to walk those same streets with me, so I immersed myself in various ways, including reading novels and nonfiction books, watching films and documentaries, paging through old magazines, subscribing to Newspapers.com and talking to people who grew up there at the time. Every detail became a thread I could weave into the story's fabric.
Letting History Join the Cast
In historical fiction, the era itself becomes part of the ensemble cast. The political climate might quietly influence a family dinner. A hit song could carry a character through heartbreak. A movie star’s scandal might echo through a school hallway. Even the smell of a diner or the click of saddle shoes on a dance floor helps the story breathe.
For me, 1958 wasn’t simply a container for my plot—it became a living presence.
This is why writing historical fiction often feels like time travel. You don’t just write history; you witness it.
Ivy Jean Munroe Meets Marilyn Monroe
On 11/11—my angel number, if you believe in that sort of thing—I saw singer/actress, Kimberly Neuwirth, perform a one-woman show at Nauvoo Grill in Fair Haven, NJ. Kimberly, not only a singer and performer, also scripted the show. She didn’t just portray Marilyn; she embodied her. From the clothing and hair to the makeup, voice, and mannerisms, she channeled Marilyn’s essence with striking tenderness and precision.
She sang Marilyn’s songs, told Marilyn’s story from a first-person perspective, and pulled the audience into that world. Because first-person is also my favorite point of view to write in, I found myself recognizing the same type of embodiment—the way Kimberly became Marilyn mirrored the way I had to become Ivy Jean.
The audience was glued to her, traveling back in time as she guided us through Marilyn’s emotional landscape. Like a novel shifting between perspectives, Bill Zeffiro, the pianist, stepped in with third-person narration whenever the story needed expansion beyond Marilyn’s voice.
Why It Matters
Readers don’t just want to read about 1958, they want to feel it. When an author truly inhabits a year, the novel gains richness, authenticity, and emotional resonance. The world expands beyond the page. And when readers finally meet Ivy Jean and the people around her, I hope they feel as though they’ve already walked beside them, heard their music, witnessed their joys, and sensed the forces shaping their lives.
Historical fiction isn’t just storytelling; it’s a shared journey through time. Experiencing Marilyn Monroe through Kimberly’s performance pushed me even deeper into the past, adding another layer of understanding to my own work. The show echoed the same era my novel explores, and I hope the world of my story feels as vibrant on the page as "Kimberly’s" Marilyn did on the stage.
Without storytellers bringing the past forward—on paper, onstage, or in conversation, the next generation would miss not only how far we've come, but how much we also remain the same. And those who have been there can enjoy a bit of nostalgia and perhaps share their own stories.
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