Painting the Spirit
Samhain was the start of the Celtic new year, so November was a good moment to begin a new novel. Although my subject is still Renaissance, it is a very…
Obedience to the Muse 2
The first thing I noticed was the sheer joy of sitting in an armchair to write rather than at a desk. Yes, you could do that with a laptop, but…
Obedience to the Muse 1
'You're a writer?' they ask. 'So how many words do you write a day?' Well, I have no idea, because most days, nine out of ten days, I am re-writing,…
Humanity in Bronze
Thanks to a beautifully written post on The Idle Woman, I took myself off to the Royal Academy yesterday to see the exhibition 'Bronze'. On the bus to the station,…
Our Stiff Upper Lip
Ian Hislop's programme on The Stiff Upper Lip - An Emotional History of Britain - began last evening and was very disappointing. After a run-through of history of the 18th…