I Can't Write Historical Fiction, But...

I'm not an expert on any literary genre, but if I was to pick one to read, it would probably be historical fiction. There are certain time periods that interest me, although my barely-there knowledge of the genre tells me that the most common in historical fiction are either way, way back in time; centuries, to medieval times (not interested) and World War II (am interested).  

Technically, historical fiction should date back at least fifty years, which opens up many possibilities for a story more recent than the two periods I cited. 

I took a stab at writing a novella that started out in the sixties (nineteen sixties) with Find My Way Home, and I enjoyed writing about the culture of the times. The book certainly could have been better, though. Its drawback is the same drawback as with all my works ~ no compelling plot. Sabrina runs away from home at age fourteen and then things happen. That's the plot.

If I was to try again, which is unlikely, since I don't plan to write again, maybe I'd come up with a plot first. 

Oops, I forgot ~ Once in a Blue Moon, my first novel, had historical aspects, too. That story did go back to the WWII era, plus the nineteen seventies (it involved three generations). I remember doing research for it, but not an inordinate amount. Every book I've written has required research, but I'm not inclined to get bogged down in it. I'm not that dedicated, but kudos to those authors who are. I don't want to go to the library and pull out dusty reference books or search ancestry records. 

I would more likely write something involving the mid-sixties to mid-seventies, when my research would consist of searching my memory. (Easier!) The aspect of historical fiction I like is that I'm drawn to earlier times, especially when compared to today. And I like that things weren't so easy to do. If you were away from home and needed to make a phone call, the only things you'd most likely have in your pocket would be a rat-tail comb and a couple quarters; not a handy communications device. You'd need to either find a phone booth or beg some shopkeeper to let you use their phone, at which point they'd scowl at you and mutter something about "disrespectful kids these days".  

If one is going to write, they'd better choose a genre that interests them. I wonder now if I should have labeled those two titles historical fiction, but that would be quite a conceit, considering I didn't put the work into them that a true writer-researcher would do.

The thought of trying my hand at it is somewhat intriguing, though. That is, if I was going to write again. Which I'm not.