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.