writing dialect - how

[drxerox]

I would like to write a historical novel (I know a bit about the subject) but everytime I start I realise that I can't write speech how it would actually been said (i.e. the country dialect). Should I just forge on and not think about it (after all, I can't think of many historical novelists who bother with this)? I know that this sounds quite precious, but it's really holding me up.

I would say forge on, esp. if you're in the flow of it - don't let that get you stuck. If you feel it's necessary to have an 'authentic' voice/accent in there, during later re-write you could research/ask someone for assistance in rendering the dialogue accordingly.

I agree with Camel, the finer nuances can be done in the re-write, best to just concentrate on getting it down.
It might help to remember that dialogue doesn't have to be exactly as spoken, it's more just a 'representation' of how people speak...