History SoYouWantTo / WriteAnAlternateHistory

What if [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] [[TheBadGuyWins won]] [[WorldWarII the war]]? What if [[TheBadGuyWins the South triumphed]] at [[AmericanCivilWar Gettysburg]]? What if things [[CubanMissileCrisis went a bit wrong in October 1962]]? What if [[Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} superheroes were real, and the Cold War got worse]]? What if I [[Series/DoctorWho turned left instead of right at the traffic lights]]?

* Why not try this interesting mix of Alternate History and the SuperHero genre on for size? People have always wondered [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct why any superhero worth their mask didn't go and kick the Nazi's collective ass in WWII]] (Of course, most people [[CommonKnowledge who think that]] [[CaptainAmerica probably don't know much about superheroes]], but that's beside the point). In a story with time travel or superheros in the era of WWII, authors oftentimes HandWave this, or worse, use a VoodooShark to keep the Third Reich from getting their butts kicked over and over again. So why not this, what would a world be like where superheros (Either with real powers or a bunch of {{Badass Normal}}s) served with the Allies in WWII and destroyed Nazism. What would history be like?

* Why not try this interesting mix of Alternate History and the {{Superhero}} genre on for size? People have always wondered [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct why any superhero worth their mask didn't go and kick the Nazi's collective ass in WWII]] (Of course, most people [[CommonKnowledge who think that]] [[CaptainAmerica probably don't know much about superheroes]], but that's beside the point). In a story with time travel or superheros in the era of WWII, authors oftentimes HandWave this, or worse, use a VoodooShark to keep the Third Reich from getting their butts kicked over and over again. So why not this, what would a world be like where superheros (Either with real powers or a bunch of {{Badass Normal}}s) served with the Allies in WWII and destroyed Nazism. What would history be like?

* ''TheGunsOfTheSouth'', HarryTurtledove; the epitome of the "What if the South won the AmericanCivilWar?" stories. Actually, just about anything by Harry Turtledove, from ''Ruled Britannia'' to the recent ''The Man with the Iron Heart''. Ward Moore's ''Bring The Jubilee'' is perhaps the most prominent "classical" example of this theme.

* ''TheDifferenceEngine'' by WilliamGibson and BruceSterling. Charles Babbage successfully builds a mechanical computer in the early 19th century, leading to an information revolution through the proliferation of steam-powered difference engines and a much more powerful British Empire. The plot itself is tied together by a search for a set of computer punch cards which could have drastic ramifications for the future of technological development. Most notable for being the GenrePopularizer of SteamPunk.

* ''TheDifferenceEngine'' by WilliamGibson and Bruce Sterling. Charles Babbage successfully builds a mechanical computer in the early 19th century, leading to an information revolution through the proliferation of steam-powered difference engines and a much more powerful British Empire. The plot itself is tied together by a search for a set of computer punch cards which could have drastic ramifications for the future of technological development. Most notable for being the GenrePopularizer of SteamPunk.

* ''TheDifferenceEngine'' by WilliamGibson and Bruce Sterling. Charles Babbage successfully builds a mechanical computer in the early 19th century, leading to an information revolution through the proliferation of steam-powered difference engines and a much more powerful BritishEmpire. The plot itself is tied together by a search for a set of computer punch cards which could have drastic ramifications for the future of technological development. Most notable for being the GenrePopularizer of SteamPunk.

* ''Sideways In Time'', a Murray Leinster short story from 1935 which is credited with introducing this concept to American popular literature. It features random chunks of the Earth being temporarily "swapped" with chunks from various alternate timelines. (Romans and Vikings in North America, Europeans never showed up all, etc.)

Depending again on the genre, an inaccurate or poor understanding of history can affect how credible your Alternate History is. The fact that it's not the 'real' history is not license for you to slack off on doing your historical research; some things happening differently are a lot more likely and credible than others. Research the historical period you're writing thoroughly; your audience is not stupid, ''is'' greatly interested in the historical period you're dealing with and ''will'' notice if you DidNotDoTheResearch. If you're writing a historical novel about Napoleon triumphing at Waterloo, then having him win through demonstrating superior tactics and the failure of the Allied forces to mount an effective counterattack (which could have happened) will be credible; giving him an atomic bomb which he proceeds to drop on Wellington's forces will have readers throwing your work against the wall with great force--[[PoesLaw although, granted, it could make for some... unorthodox comedy, if done well]]. If, however, you're writing a Science Fiction thriller in which {{time travel}}lers go back in time to give Napoleon an atom bomb, that could work as well.

It's also common for writers to have characters speculate on how things might have gone differently in the Alternate History, with their musings almost always resulting in how things actually did progress in our history. Try to avoid this, or play with it; not only is it something of a cliche, but it's also unlikely that they'd figure out ''exactly'' how things went in our world. As an example of how to do it ''right'', consider Philip K. Dick's ''The Man In The High Castle'', which is set in a history where the Nazis and Imperial Japan won WorldWarTwo, centres around a novel that speculates what might have happened if the Allies had won - and in that novel, the progress of WorldWarTwo is ''still'' completely different from how it was really won in our history.

* ''TheManInTheHighCastle'', PhilipKDick; science fiction novel focusing on a United States divided between the victorious Nazis and Imperial Japanese - interestingly, unlike many other novels dealing with such a scenario, the primary focus is on those under the influence of the Japanese.

* Why not try this interesting mix of Alternate History and the {{Superhero}} genre on for size? People have always wondered [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct why any )fsuperhero worth their mask didn't go and kick the Nazi's collective ass in WWII]] (Of course, most people [[CommonKnowledge who think that]] [[CaptainAmerica probably don't know much about superheroes]], but that's beside the point). In a story with time travel or superheros in the era of WWII, authors oftentimes HandWave this, or worse, use a VoodooShark to keep the Third Reich from getting their butts kicked over and over again. So why not this, what would a world be like where superheros (Either with real powers or a bunch of {{Badass Normal}}s) served with the Allies in WWII and destroyed Nazism. What would history be like?

* Why not try this interesting mix of Alternate History and the {{Superhero}} genre on for size? People have always wondered [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct why any superhero worth their mask didn't go and kick the Nazi's collective ass in WWII]]. In a story with time travel or superheros in the era of WWII, authors oftentimes HandWave this, or worse, use a VoodooShark to keep the Third Reich from getting their butts kicked over and over again. So why not this, what would a world be like where superheros (Either with real powers or a bunch of {{Badass Normal}}s) served with the Allies in WWII and destroyed Nazism. What would history be like?

As a genre, however, Alternate History is amazingly fluid, so you'll want to check out SoYouWantTo/WriteAStory for basic advice that holds across ''all'' genres. You'll also want to decide what specific genre you want to focus on and be familiar with that as well. Take note also that what we're discussing here is writing an Alternate History as an independent genre, not so much an AlternateUniverse inside a pre-existing show or format (such as '[[StarTrek What if Kirk had never been made captain of the Enterprise]]?' or '[[Series/DoctorWho What if the Doctor had never left Gallifrey]]?') - however, the two are quite similar, so if you're intending to write one of these you may nevertheless find something of interest and use here.

Conversely, InSpiteOfANail is also quite important; it's often easier for writers and readers to imagine how differently the world might have gone if they're able to see something that's familiar to them slightly altered, despite how unlikely it would be that this element would even exist in the Alternate History. For example, ''[[HarryTurtledove The Two Georges]]'' features RichardNixon as [[RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman a used car salesman]] in a world where America never gained independence from Great Britain; despite it being very unlikely that Nixon would even have been born in this alternate world, his presence allows the reader to see how different things are.

* ''{{Watchmen}}'', by AlanMoore (and its [[{{Film/Watchmen}} film adaptation)]] begins with the idea of unpowered superheroes turning up in the early 1940s, but when a real-life superbeing emerges in the late 1950s, his status as a weapon of the US Government manages to extend the ColdWar far beyond- and far more fiercely- its real-life limits. Combine this with Nixon using superheroes to win TheVietnamWar and assassinate the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal and thereby using his popularity to get ''five'' terms in office... An excellent study in Alternate History, as well as in {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre in general.

What if [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] [[TheBadGuyWins won]] [[WorldWarII the war]]? What if [[TheBadGuyWins the South triumphed]] at [[AmericanCivilWar Gettysburg]]? What if things [[CubanMissileCrisis went a bit wrong in October 1962]]? What if [[{{Watchmen}} superheroes were real, and the Cold War got worse]]? What if I [[Series/DoctorWho turned left instead of right at the traffic lights]]?

** As another aside/example, {{Watchmen}}--largely regarded as one of, if not ''the'', greatest comics of all time--deals with this principle. Most superhero stories are limited by the genre requirement of ReedRichardsIsUseless; however, by averting or subverting this, one could feasibly get a very interesting and, depending on how well it is done, even plausible Alternate History. Though a superhero-derived point of divergence would be by-definition an AlienSpaceBats, superheroes typically get more WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief from the beginning, allowing more leeway to work with.

One further note; in roughly 90% of Alternate Histories, Hitler Wins. The SecondWorldWar is a big breeding ground for Alternate Histories, given the fascinatingly brutal and evil nature of the Nazi / Imperial Japanese regimes and how close they actually did come to winning. What this means, however, is that almost every possible idea that can be done around this ''has'' been done. If you are going to use WorldWarTwo as a starting point, try and find something as fresh or new as possible to do with it. Or perhaps chose another, less explored historical period as a starting point; [[WorldWarOne The]] ''[[WorldWarOne First]]'' [[WorldWarOne World War]], for example, is hardly used at all. The American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War also face these concerns, to less extents (and it's interesting to note how so many of them revolve around America's influence on the world, incidentally). Likewise, Alternate Histories where [[LadyLand women are in charge]]? Been done many many ''many'' times. Try and find something new to say.

''Sideways In Time'', a Murray Leinster short story from 1935 which is credited with introducing this concept to American popular literature. It features random chunks of the Earth being temporarily "swapped" with chunks from various alternate timelines. (Romans and Vikings in North America, Europeans never showed up all, etc.)

''The Man In The High Castle'', Philip K. Dick; science fiction novel focusing on a United States divided between the victorious Nazis and Imperial Japanese - interestingly, unlike many other novels dealing with such a scenario, the primary focus is on those under the influence of the Japanese.

''Fatherland'', Robert Harris; Murder Mystery set in 1963 Berlin where the Nazis won the SecondWorldWar, with the investigation into the murder of an influential ex-diplomat taking place during the build up to Hitler's birthday celebrations and the signing of a detente treaty with the United States. There was a movie made based on it; however, it is said to have been a failure.

''The Guns of the South'', Harry Turtledove; the epitome of the "What if the South won the AmericanCivilWar?" stories. Actually, just about anything by Harry Turtledove, from ''Ruled Britannia'' to the recent ''The Man with the Iron Heart''. Ward Moore's ''Bring The Jubilee'' is perhaps the most prominent "classical" example of this theme.

''{{Watchmen}}'', by AlanMoore (and its [[{{Film/Watchmen}} film adaptation)]] begins with the idea of unpowered superheroes turning up in the early 1940s, but when a real-life superbeing emerges in the late 1950s, his status as a weapon of the US Government manages to extend the ColdWar far beyond- and far more fiercely- its real-life limits. Combine this with Nixon using superheroes to win TheVietnamWar and assassinate the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal and thereby using his popularity to get ''five'' terms in office... An excellent study in Alternate History, as well as in {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre in general.

''What If?'' and ''What If? II'' by various. These books aren't novels, but rather collections of essays about various potential turning points in history. They're great resources for ideas, potential characters and so forth.

The TV show ''{{Sliders}}'', a rare example of Alternate History on television and, unfortunately, widely considered to be an unsuccessful type. Although the first two seasons are quality television, with relatively plausible alternate worlds and interesting twists placed on old standards, it's largely agreed that it fell apart in later seasons due to bad writing, implausible plots that tended to [[FollowTheLeader resemble whatever was tops at the box office that month]], and a ''nasty'' case of ExecutiveMeddling[=/=]ScrewedByTheNetwork.
----
<<|SoYouWantTo/SeeTheIndex|>>
<<|SoYouWantTo/WriteAStory|>>

You also need to chose what the 'Point Of Divergence' (namely, the point in history where 'our' history and the history of the Alternate World diverge from each other) in your story is, and when / how it occurs. You don't need to actually show the Point Of Divergence if it doesn't relate directly to your story, but you'll still need to have developed a full backstory as to how your Alternate History has developed since the Point in order that you can consistently and accurately present and develop your history in the text, and so that you avoid inconsistencies. As a result, even if your story isn't explicitly a historical novel, you'll still benefit from an understanding of history and how it works (and especially the history of the period that the Point occurs in) in order to be able to construct a convincing alternate world for your reader.

AsYouKnow, a clunky-written Alternate History can suffer too much direct and obvious exposition. Alternate History presents a bit of a thorny problem here, as you still need to establish for your reader that the story is set in an alternate history (which can be quite complex and tricky in itself) whilst still allowing them to pick up the pieces for themselves. It is especially important in this genre to ShowNotTell; avoid having characters give history lectures to each other in casual conversation or discuss (or even think) things that they'd already know and wouldn't even raise if they weren't considerately thinking of a hypothetical reader who might need to know all this stuff. Try and make it subtle, so that the reader can work out for themselves what's going on based on their understanding of how things ''did'' progress in our history rather than having it spelled out for them in crayon; rather than having your characters give a lecture on, say, how Joseph [=McCarthy=] was elected to the presidency and what effects this has had in direct conversation, having a character watch a news broadcast which discusses President [=McCarthy=]'s latest anti-communist initiative will allow the reader to work out for themselves how something is different in a more subtle and interesting fashion.

Depending again on the genre, an inaccurate or poor understanding of history can affect how credible your Alternate History is. The fact that it's not the 'real' history is not license for you to slack off on doing your historical research; some things happening differently are a lot more likely and credible than others. Research the historical period you're writing thoroughly; your audience is not stupid, ''is'' greatly interested in the historical period you're dealing with and ''will'' notice if you DidNotDoTheResearch. If you're writing a historical novel about Napoleon triumphing at Waterloo, then having him win through demonstrating superior tactics and the failure of the Allied forces to mount an effective counterattack (which could have happened) will be credible; giving him an atomic bomb which he proceeds to drop on Wellington's forces will have readers throwing your work against the wall with great force. If, however, you're writing a Science Fiction thriller in which {{time travel}}lers go back in time to give Napoleon an atom bomb, that could work.

It's also common for writers to have characters speculate on how things might have gone differently in the Alternate History, with their musings almost always resulting in how things actually did progress in our history. Avoid this, or play with it; not only is it something of a cliche, but it's also unlikely that they'd figure out ''exactly'' how things went in our world. As an example of how to do it ''right'', consider Philip K. Dick's ''The Man In The High Castle'', which is set in a history where the Nazis and Imperial Japan won WorldWarTwo, centres around a novel that speculates what might have happened if the Allies had won - and in that novel, the progress of WorldWarTwo is ''still'' completely different from how it was really won in our history.

Try to avoid (or at least use with caution) AlternateHistoryWank, wherein the entire world seems to get taken over by two or three super-empires. While certain nations have managed to create empires which have spanned large amounts of territory and huge populations in RealLife, there is a tendency in AlternateHistory fiction to over-simplify just how easy, homogeneous and successful these empires manage to be and underestimate the various difficulties they face, such as the logistical headaches of managing an empire that spreads over a huge area of territory and the further headaches of managing the vast, varied population of said area. Furthermore, contrary to what users of this trope would have you believe nothing lasts forever, and even successful empires only tend to last for a finite period of time; even the Mongol Empire, one of the most successful and far-reaching empires ever seen by humanity, didn't manage to last much more than 160 years before eventually falling apart, and certainly didn't even come ''close'' to conquering the ''entire'' world (or anything near it). While it can be interesting and fun to create new and original empires, you should keep these realities in mind lest your work begin to look like a MarySue on a national scale.

One further note; in roughly 90% of Alternate Histories, Hitler Wins. The SecondWorldWar is a big breeding ground for Alternate Histories, given the fascinatingly brutal and evil nature of the Nazi / Imperial Japanese regimes and how close they actually did come to winning. What this means, however, is that almost every possible idea that can be done around this ''has'' been done. If you are going to use WorldWarTwo as a starting point, try and find something as fresh or new as possible to do with it. Or perhaps chose another, less explored historical period as a starting point; [[WorldWarOne The]] ''[[WorldWarOne First]]'' [[WorldWarOne World War]], for example, is hardly used at all. The American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War also face these concerns, to less extents (and it's interesting to note how so many of them revolve around America's influence on the world, incidentally). Likewise, Alternate Histories where [[LadyLand Women Are In Charge]]? Been done many many ''many'' times. Try and find something new to say.

* Why not try this interesting mix of AlternateHistory and the {{Superhero}} genre on for size? People have always wondered [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct why any superhero worth their mask didn't go and kick the Nazi's collective ass in WWII]]. In a story with time travel or superheros in the era of WWII, authors oftentimes HandWave this, or worse, use a VoodooShark to keep the Third Reich from getting their butts kicked over and over again. So why not this, what would a world be like where superheros (Either with real powers or a bunch of Watchmen-esque BadassNormals) served with the Allies in WWII and destroyed Nazism. What would history be like?

''{{Watchmen}}'', by AlanMoore (and its [[{{Film/Watchmen}} film adaptation)]] begins with the idea of unpowered superheroes turning up in the early 1940s, but when a real-life superbeing emerges in the late 1950s, his status as a weapon of the US Government manages to extend the ColdWar far beyond- and far more fiercely- its real-life limits. Combine this with Nixon using superheroes to win TheVietnamWar and assassinate the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal and thereby using his popularity to get ''five'' terms in office... An excellent study in AlternateHistory, as well as in {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre in general.

What if [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] [[TheBadGuyWins won]] [[WorldWarII the war]]? What if [[TheBadGuyWins the South triumphed]] at [[AmericanCivilWar Gettysburg]]? What if things [[CubanMissileCrisis went a bit wrong in October 1962]]? What if [[{{Watchmen}} superheroes were real, and the Cold War got worse]]? What if I [[DoctorWho turned left instead of right at the traffic lights]]?

As a genre, however, Alternate History is amazingly fluid, so you'll want to check out SoYouWantTo/WriteAStory for basic advice that holds across ''all'' genres. You'll also want to decide what specific genre you want to focus on and be familiar with that as well. Take note also that what we're discussing here is writing an Alternate History as an independent genre, not so much an AlternateUniverse inside a pre-existing show or format (such as '[[StarTrek What if Kirk had never been made captain of the Enterprise]]?' or '[[DoctorWho What if the Doctor had never left Gallifrey]]?') - however, the two are quite similar, so if you're intending to write one of these you may nevertheless find something of interest and use here.

Depending again on the genre, an inaccurate or poor understanding of history can affect how credible your Alternate History is. The fact that it's not the 'real' history is not license for you to slack off on doing your historical research; some things happening differently are a lot more likely and credible than others. Research the historical period you're writing thoroughly; your audience is not stupid, ''is'' greatly interested in the historical period you're dealing with and ''will'' notice if you DidNotDoTheResearch. If you're writing a historical novel about Napoleon triumphing at Waterloo, then having him win through demonstrating superior tactics and the failure of the Allied forces to mount an effective counterattack (which could have happened) will be credible; giving him an atomic bomb which he proceeds to drop on Wellington's forces will have [[WallBanger readers throwing your work against the wall with great force]]. If, however, you're writing a Science Fiction thriller in which {{time travel}}lers go back in time to give Napoleon an atom bomb, that could work.

Try to avoid (or at least use with caution) AlternateHistoryWank, wherein the entire world seems to get taken over by two or three super-empires. While certain nations have managed to create empires which have spanned large amounts of territory and huge populations in RealLife, there is a tendency in AlternateHistory fiction to over-simplify just how easy, homogeneous and successful these empires manage to be and underestimate the various difficulties they face, such as the logistical headaches of managing an empire that spreads over a huge area of territory and the further headaches of managing the vast, varied population of said area. Furthermore, contrary to what users of this trope would have you believe nothing lasts forever, and even successful empires only tend to last for a finite period of time; even the Mongol Empire, one of the most successful and far-reaching empires ever seen by humanity, didn't manage to last much more than 160 years before eventually falling apart. While it can be interesting and fun to create new and original empires, you should keep these realities in mind lest your work begin to look like a MarySue on a national scale.

What if [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] [[TheBadGuyWins won]] [[WWII the war]]? What if [[TheBadGuyWins the South triumphed]] at [[AmericanCivilWar Gettysburg]]? What if things [[CubanMissileCrisis went a bit wrong in October 1962]]? What if [[{{Watchmen}} superheroes were real, and the Cold War got worse]]? What if I [[DoctorWho turned left instead of right at the traffic lights]]?

What if [[AdolfHitler Hitler]] [[TheBadGuyWins won]] [[WWII the war]]? What if the South triumphed at Gettysburg? What if things [[CubanMissileCrisis went a bit wrong in October 1962]]? What if [[{{Watchmen}} superheroes were real, and the Cold War got worse]]? What if I [[DoctorWho turned left instead of right at the traffic lights]]?

What if Hitler won the war? What if the South triumphed at Gettysburg? What if things [[CubanMissileCrisis went a bit wrong in October 1962]]? What if [[{{Watchmen}} superheroes were real, and the Cold War got worse]]? What if I [[DoctorWho turned left instead of right at the traffic lights]]?

''Fatherland'', Robert Harris; Murder Mystery set in 1963 Berlin where the Nazis won the SecondWorldWar, with the investigation into the murder of an influential ex-diplomat taking place during the build up to Hitler's birthday celebrations and the signing of a detente treaty with the United States. There was a movie made based on it; however, [[OrSoIHeard it is said to have been an Epic Fail]].

The TV show ''{{Sliders}}'', a rare example of Alternate History on TV / Film and, unfortunately, widely considered to be an unsuccessful type. Although it started off well, with relatively plausible alternate worlds and interesting twists placed on old standards, it's largely agreed that it fell apart in later seasons due to bad writing, implausible plots that tended to [[FollowTheLeader resemble whatever was tops at the box office that month]], and ExecutiveMeddling.

Conversely, InSpiteOfANail is also quite important; it's often easier for writers and readers to imagine how differently the world might have gone if they're able to see something that's familiar to them slightly altered, despite how unlikely it would be that this element would even exist in the Alternate History (for example, ''The Two Georges'' features RichardNixon as a used car salesman in a world where America never gained independence from Great Britain; despite it being very unlikely that Nixon would even have been born in this alternate world, his presence allows the reader to see how different things are).