The Journey Travelled

It's always an adventure writing a new book

St James's Palace

I began writing my latest book on 24th August last year, wrote 896 words then waited a fortnight to continue. Why, you might ask? Was I on holiday? Incapacitated in any way? Neither of those, nor any other impediment. I had changed genre and needed those two weeks to ‘bed in’. Could I write in the Regency language I so love to read? It was certainly a change from my usual contemporary romantic fiction. By 7th September I was burning to continue and after an amazing five months – almost to the day – I completed the first draft, and what a journey it was.

Of necessity a historical novel requires a considerable amount of research, far more than I have previously needed when writing in a time period I inhabit and am familiar with. Armed with Google and a wonderful guide to Regency London, I walked the streets virtually and in reality. What an amazing experience that was. Far more distracting than social media and I kind of got lost in what I was doing. I shared some of my experiences with you on this blog here.

Blue Ball Yard
A mews where stables from the 18th century
survive to this day

So, how was the journey and did the goal achieve my expectations? The journey was great. Compelling to the extent that I almost lost touch with my other (what some would call normal) life. Were expectations realised? I can only say I have never enjoyed writing anything as much before and I made myself cry at the end. I’ve been through the manuscript so many times with a fine tooth comb. No longer can I procrastinate. This week I have sent my ‘baby’ to my agent, Lisa Eveleigh, founder of the Richford Becklow Literary Agency. Would that she will like it. I hope so.

I've heard of a Dog's Dinner but...a Dog's Diary!!

I am delighted to welcome Dougal Stephenson to the blog today following the launch on Thursday of his book, Dougal’s Diary.

I wouldn’t want to suggest that you are ever anything less than beautifully turned out, but some are saying this is the ultimate in shaggy stories. Are you offended by these comments?

I am quite delighted by the expression. It’s good to know someone gets my dress sense. Now, the perfect season for what I call ‘my dinner and dance’ or ‘booted and suited-look’; black mud stuck to face, neck, feet and legs.

What prompted you to write your diary? Don’t tell me you were bored because the boss wouldn’t take you for a walk!

Boredom no! Desperation, yes! No satin cushions to sleep on, no Xmas stocking filled with sugar mice. Thin as a whistle and not one single fry-up in a transport café. Writing my diary saved my sanity.

Speaking of the boss, can you tell us, discreetly of course, something about your relationship with her?

Oh you mean the forgotten meal times. The hours enduring London transport.  Even baths without aromatherapy oils or hair dryer, so the smell of wet fur lingers for days.  Despite all, we are one, each other’s constant companion. I can read her mind. I often wish I couldn’t. Have I become more human? Has she turned more dog?

Do you feel you landed on your paws when you moved from Margate to London?

On good day yes. On bad days, such as having the snip, or going to puppy classes. No with a capital N.

Truly, and you know you can be honest with me, how did you feel when you had another four-legged friend foisted upon you?

That green-eyed monster struck. I hit rock bottom, tried contacting the Queen to see if she had space on her bed for another. Never heard a dickie bird. Perhaps I got the post code wrong. Maybe the Corgis ate my letter.

And, finally, do you plan to continue with your diary or are you moving on to other things?

Dogs are creatures of habit, so I shall do it privately. I considered moving to poetry. But after

“To jump or not to jump.”

I wandered lonesome as a lemming

fearful dreams of clifftops stemming

I realised my talents lay in prose, not verse.
Right now I'm in communication with the One Show. Since Chris Evan's departure they've  been searching for a charismatic presenter. Paws crossed

It may be tactful if you could supply some information here about the boss – just so she doesn’t feel left out

Okay, if I have to…

Sarah Stephenson joined the Bristol School of Dancing aged seven. She spent much of her childhood performing in prisons, theatres, old people’s homes and the Grand Palais, in Paris. Later she trained as an actress, working with Mike Leigh and other distinguished directors. When the children arrived she trained as a Chef, and when they’d finally flown the nest, catered in Europe, Britain and the United States, giving private dinner parties. When she’s not writing, Sarah still works as a cook.

She looks perfectly normal to me. Guess you didn’t do so badly after all.

Links:
Amazon

Sarah:    
email

Facebook
Twitter: @SvsStephenson

Dougal:  
Facebook

Twitter: @DougalDiary
Blog

The Write Place at The Right Place

Earlier this week I joined several other writers on our annual Christmas outing. We went out for a meal. Well, of course we did. It’s what people do at this time of year. Without hesitation we entered our chosen venue. After all, though we weren’t specifically categorised on the plaque in the entrance, neither were we excluded.

While our weekly sessions at The Write Place (Creative Writing School, Dartford) are not always formal they are definitely structured. There was no formality on Monday evening, just a unanimous will to have a good meal with a beverage or two. There was some slight apprehension when we felt our reputation had preceded us and it gave a new meaning to the expression ‘drinks behind the bar’.

This is a particularly enjoyable event as it gives us all the opportunity of learning more about each

other away from our writing lives. It’s easy to assume that, because it’s what we see, that’s all there is but of course the reality is that people do have another existence. What an interesting group of people I see every week, all dedicated to their writing and how lovely to hear about family, (other) work, aims and aspirations.

Our venue was The Horse & Groom in Wilmington and you can see from this image that we all looked suitably well fed. A great choice by Elaine Everest. She certainly picked the right place for The Write Place.

This will be my last post in December so I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a great New Year. See you in 2016.

Links: 

http://www.thewriteplace.org.uk/

http://www.thehorseandgroomwilmington.com/

The Company of Watermen & Lightermen of the River Thames

I had great pleasure  being part of a group privileged to enjoy a conducted tour of Watermen’s Hall by Carol Ratcliffe, Assistant Clerk, a lady who obviously lives and breathes her job and whose enthusiasm was infectious.

We began in the Silver Room on the ground floor where the walls were lined with reclaimed wood and engraved with the names of the elected Masters, from the first, Francis Theodore Hay, in 1827, to the present day. Prior to that the Company was governed by the Rulers.  The Watermen’s Company celebrated five hundred years last year, having received Royal Assent from King Henry VIII and created by an Act of Parliament in 1514. With this Act came the introduction of apprenticeships and to this day the company is a working guild, one of only two, I believe. Livery Companies were by contrast created by Royal Charter. The Watermen were joined by the Lightermen, carriers of cargo, in 1700.

There was much to see in this first room alone but outstanding for me was a model of a wherry, something of which I’d heard but didn’t know what it was, and the story behind it. Wherries were passenger boats in the style of a rowing boat and carried eight to ten people. They could be hailed from their position midstream by someone on the river bank, much in the same way one would hail a black cab in the street today. If they didn’t like the look of you they stayed where they were! It was no easy job and the skill and bravery of these men was outstanding.

Also on ground floor level was The Parlour Room with its beautiful stained glass window and display cases which house some of the Company’s artefacts.

We went up the rather beautiful staircase to The Court Room, the heart of the original Georgian building. It is the only original Georgian Hall left in the City of London. Those of you who are aware of my work in progress, a novel set in Regency times, will appreciate my interest in this particular room. It is thought that there might have been some influence by Josiah Wedgwood as the ceiling is in that style and he and designer, William Blackburn, were contemporaries, though there is no proof that they ever met. The walls and ceiling, at some time painted yellow, have been restored to their original blue, the ceiling picked out in pink and gold leaf. The marble fireplace is believed to be designed by John Sloane and above it hangs the Company coat of arms. Some of the contents of the room are the amazing Master’s Chair, a portrait of the first Master and, in one corner, a fabulous barometer which dates from 1693. To this day the apprentices stand before the Master and other members of the Court to receive their Freedom and become known as Journeymen Freemen.

Moving into the adjacent room we were told that this wasn’t part of the original building but that two adjoining buildings had been incorporated at a later date. These had suffered severely from war damage but the exteriors were intact. They have now been sympathetically renovated and decorated and are used as function rooms for commercial hire, as well as by the Company itself.

Carol gave us many more details. She told us about “The Doggett’s Coat and Badge Wager”,  a sculling race purported to be the oldest continuously run annual sporting event in the world. It is held in conjunction with the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and has been going for 300 years. We heard of the part the Watermen played in the evacuation of Dunkirk and how their skills then, and on many other occasions, were effective in saving lives. We learned that there are fifty-one alms houses in Hastings used for the benefit of the Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames or their widows or widowers. 

I learned much about the river which I have lived close to all my life, some of which I hope will find its way into my book. Whether it does or not, this was a day to be treasured; one which highlighted the bravery and enterprise of man and the comradeship of the members of this historical society right through to the present day.

Guided tours take place on Mondays only. I highly recommend that you go.

Link:  admin@watermenshall.org.

As You Like It and, oh my word, did I like it!

I’ve just had the most amazing evening! It began with early dinner at a favourite restaurant, TAS in The Cut, the sort of meal you have at 5.30pm because you’re going to the theatre. It was wonderful but I’m not here to tell you what I had to eat – or drink! However, rather more full than was comfortable we walked from there to the National Theatre to see Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' at the Olivier. It was a first for me, the play not the theatre. Before we went in I couldn’t resist taking this photo from the balcony.

We had circle seats and a wonderful view onto the stage which was startlingly colourful in a way I can’t even begin to describe - but I’ll try. The floor was covered in large bright squares of red, yellow and green, and the semi-circular backdrop was lined with computer screens and desks, at which were sitting several of the cast wearing yellow jackets, almost like those in a holiday camp. Towards the front were chairs and tables like small trestles, laid out café style.

At the end of the first scene the lights dimmed, the brightly coloured floor slid backwards and everything else, computers, desks, tables and chairs, slowly lifted to take the form of a dark forest. A bit of imagination was required here but it wasn’t an impossible shift to see these tall angled objects as trees. Anyway, see what you think. I was able to take this photo because there was a slight hitch and they had to interrupt the performance for about ten minutes.

The comedy was delicious, the skill of the writer unsurpassed, the story as fresh today as it must have been some four hundred and fifty years ago. What was also first class was the standard of the actors (there was only one I was a little disappointed with) and the superb production. Rosalie Craig's Rosalind and Joe Bannister's Orlando were excellent but for me the star of the show was Patsy Ferran playing Celia. What an amazing talent!

I know one isn’t supposed to take photos in the theatre and I wouldn’t dream of doing so during a performance but I just couldn’t resist taking this one at the end.

I couldn’t quite shake off my writerly head though it in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the evening. If anything it enhanced it as I watched the skill with which the master carried out his twists and turns, a thread here, a diversion there, and the whole coming together with such apparent ease. I probably won’t sleep tonight. I don’t mind.

The show runs until 5th March 2016. You won't be surprised to know that I thoroughly recommend it if you have the opportunity to go.

Link:
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

Popping in to say 'Hello'

It’s almost three weeks since I last posted here but I promise you I have a very good reason.

When I first began this blog I vowed that I wouldn’t litter it with inconsequentials. It started as, and has ever since been, devoted to writing. The problem is, I have a gremlin sitting on my shoulder, otherwise known as my conscience. I appreciate that those of you who follow me will not be looking at their calendars and deriding me for laziness. And it would be a gross injustice to say I have been idle all this time. However, a good deal of that time has been devoted to a project that is as far from writing as it possibly could be – hence my absence. As this situation is likely to continue for another two weeks I’m sort of reporting in.

Setting the scene with a picture of Fortnum & Mason - established 1707

Following my visit to St James’s Square a few weeks ago (see last post) I boarded the Jubilee Line to Green Park Station, this time to visit Berkeley Square. I have a fancy it is where my hero will live, though that might change. My heroine meantime is firmly ensconced across Piccadilly in St James’s. While the London plane trees looked magnificent, I didn’t have the same feeling of history as on my previous visit to its neighbour. This might possibly be due to the fact that there are several modern buildings which for me detracted from the atmosphere. I admit to a little frisson of excitement when I saw Bill Nighy sitting on a bench in the sunshine when I rose from my own a little way along. It would have been rude to disturb him and his companion so I’m afraid I have no photographic evidence and you will just have to take my word for it. 

Did my duke live here?

Or perhaps he lived in this
rather beautiful building

Charlotte, my heroine and working title, is coming along nicely. Those precious times not taken up with the project mentioned above have been as ever devoted to her and I have written 6,682 words in thirteen days. On the face of it not a great output but, other things taken into consideration, I am more than satisfied.

The inspiration I am getting from my ‘outings’, various very nicely timed TV documentaries and other research areas is filling me with a thrill I have never quite experienced before, though I have always enjoyed my writing. Back soon.

A Sense of Place

Sometimes the disappointment of ‘the best laid plans….’ can lead to something entirely unexpected and very exciting. This is what happened to me last weekend.

Last Sunday, on one of those rare lovely sunny days, and with my original arrangements cancelled, my husband drove me up to town. It was a difficult journey with far more traffic than we’d anticipated – possibly due to the thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey in memory of the Battle of Britain. We took a different route into London from usual and because of several hold-ups (holds-up?) saw lots of things we might otherwise have missed; and the sun was shining; and we weren’t in a hurry.

Arriving in St James’s Square and finding a parking space – yes! – we walked across Jermyn Street into Piccadilly and found somewhere to have lunch, each having by this time built up a healthy appetite. It was lovely and it was leisurely. The thoroughfare was crowded and we watched the world go by. After a dessert which I shall not describe here for fear of salivating, we went back to the square, the object of the outing being to ‘get a feel’ for the place where my heroine lived back in the 1800s.

I had only the camera on my phone to rely on but it did sterling work. The first thing that surprised

me was how big the square is. Standing on one side I was amazed to see, on peering through the central gardens, just how far it stretched across. The square’s main feature is an equestrian statue of William III which was erected in 1808. Things were already going my way then. As we walked around the perimeter of the gardens it was easy to imagine pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages and riders inhabiting that space all those years ago.

There was an eclectic mixture of architecture and I managed some nice images but what amazed me most was the history of the square, not just in relation to ‘my’ period but incorporating several events over time. I don’t know why I was surprised but I will mention a few here, confirmed by the blue plaques that adorned some of the houses. I suppose the most obvious one to begin with is that of Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans, inspiration of much of the building in this area, who died in a house on the site of the one that carries this plate.

A house on another side of the square bears evidence that this was a place popular with previous
prime ministers. In a corner of the square (oxymoron?) stands this beautiful building, where lived Nancy Astor, the first woman to sit in Parliament.

Norfolk House carries a plaque carrying the name of Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in WWII. I’ve added it here in the hope that you can read the inscription.

                                                                                             

Love this building

And this one

 Perhaps I have overloaded this post with photos but I was so excited! Not only does St James’s Square carry many historical aspects but it gave me the sense of place I was seeking for my work in progress. I had previously Googled and found many images to help with my research but, wonderful as Google is, there is nothing, NOTHING, like seeing something for yourself. 

I will finish with one more image. It is of the London Library where I understand Georgette Heyer, my inspiration for all of this, carried out much of her own research. How good is that!  

 

The London Library