Monday 2 November 2009

The Sun Shines in the Past

First of all, welcome to my blog all you hardy souls who have braved the journey to An Impartial Relation from wherever you sit, crouched down, peering into a computer screen.

This blog then will be a record of my musings on history, particularly that of the 17th and 18th century, historical fiction and my apprenticeship as a writer.

It’s seven o’clock on a Monday morning and I sit at my desk and look out the window at blowing trees and teeming rain and I wonder how in the world can I put myself into my character’s shoes? It’s hard to dream of a hot day in Ireland in 1690 when the dark oppression of winter is upon you.

But that’s the job of the writer isn’t it? To somehow delve into your character’s thoughts and feelings and portray that for the reader. The job of the historical writer is slightly different. To find the things we share with people from another era while emphasising the thoughts and deeds that make them different and interesting to both writer and reader. To catch a glimpse of what it might have been like to have lived at that time.

So today, in my head and later, on the page, Guillaume, a French Calvinist or Huguenot, a soldier in the army of William of Orange, is fighting a battle in sunny Ireland.

Yes, you did read that right. The sun did and does occasionally shine in Ireland and on that fateful day in Irish history, it shone full well and the armies of two contending kings sweated with more than the heat.

Welcome anon.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Gordon, welcome to the blogosphere! I'll look forward to reading more about your novel-in-progress.

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  2. Hi Gordon, what a fantastic start to your blog. Cannot wait to read the next instalment - I shall be a keen follower. By the way - how did you get that fantastic Twitter box up on your blog - is it an imported widget? I want one! Please let me know! Jax

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  3. Hi Sarah,

    Thanks for posting the first comment! Loved your posts by the way of your trip to Europe. How about German rights for your book?

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  4. Jakki,

    How nice of you, many thanks, I follow yours too, nice work!

    I got the link code from the Twitter side under Settings and then Account and when you put in your blog address, it offers an option of a Twitter link and bob's your uncle!

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  5. Hi Gordon,
    Late reply - I'm a little delinquent in blog-hopping these days! Glad you enjoyed the travel photos. If a German publisher wanted to grab rights for my book, I'd be all for it!
    I'm curious how the Scarrow/David talk went - hope it was good.

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  6. If a come across a German publisher, I'll let you know!

    The talk was interesting, I'll post about it soon. It did inspire my latest post in any case.

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