This New Spring of Time.

I am still pressing on with the novel, which has now reached Chapter 8. I wish I could write more quickly and more fluently, but I can't. I take the view that continuing progress is a Good Thing.

What would speed me up (probably) would be a lucrative publishing contract and a deadline; but I might as well say that a visit from the Blessed Virgin Mary would help. The latter is more probable, after all.

However I am absolutely determined to finish this book. I am writing it, basically for two people. Constance and me. If anyone else likes it, that will be a bonus, but as I do not expect to be able to buy a Rolls Royce with the proceeds, I am remarkably relaxed about the whole thing.

What I can say is the style is quite different from anything I have written before. It May Not Please Everyone. But it so happens I am finding it easier to write that way.

Richard II

Today I saw on the internet an extract from a book which suggested Richard II's marriage to Anne of Bohemia was never consummated.

This is utter bull excrement. We know, as a fact, that Anne lost children  she had conceived. For details, see Kathryn Warner's book on Richard.

So unless the Holy Ghost was busy in late 14th Century England, it's a certain as anything can be that happened over 600 years ago that the marriage was consummated.

Deferring the Garter Meeting.

In Kathryn Warner's book on Richard II I found that in 1386 the usual meeting of the Order of the Garter was deferred from St George's Day, although no reason was given in the King's letters. This threw me as the opening scene of This New Spring of Time is that very meeting and I had written it as taking place on St George's Day. Suddenly, this was wrong!

So I searched as one does, and found that the Garter statutes (albeit compiled in Henry V's time) provided that if the feast of St George fell close to Easter, the meeting would be deferred until the following Sunday. This was to save the knights having to travel over Easter, which was a no-no.

In 1386, St George's Day fell on Easter Monday! So at a stroke, I knew why it had been deferred and the likely replacement date. Simples!

Progress on This New Spring of Time

I am finally making some progress with the novel This New Spring of Time which is a prequel to Within the Fetterlock.

Currently I am four chapters in and making (by my standards) good progress. This has been a start from scratch as I am using what is (for me) a new style.

All other writing is currently suspended. I have written about 60,000 words of Alianore II, but I am not satisfied with it, so it is going to have to have a complete rethink.

August 31st marks the death in 1688 of John Bunyan, author of the very influential book, Pilgrim's Progress, which has been loved by Christians across the world since it was first published.

Interestingly, Bunyan wrote the book while he was in prison, to which he was sent for the terrible crime of preaching without a licence by the tyrannical, bigoted government of Oliver Cromwell.

Oh, sorry! Cromwell died in 1658 and Bunyan was not arrested until 1661. It was actually the tyrannical, bigoted government of King Charles II.

This demonstrates two things:

1. While we should strive not to be bigoted, the "right kind" of bigot often escapes criticism, not least in history.

2. (For writers). If it's possible to write a major book within the confines of  17th Century prison, it should be possible anywhere.

Despenser Inheritance

This link will take you to an interesting (if complex) article by Professor Hicks about the Despenser Inheritance.

Just when you think the world couldn't get any madder...

CAMRA, the highly successful consumer organisation that has for decades promoted Real Ale has decided that it needs to be 'revitalised'.

The project group looking at this has suggested that CAMRA should no longer focus on Real Ale, but give support to all 'good' beer.

A change so radical is rather like the Richard III Society deciding that Henry VII was actually quite a decent chap, and that his hereditary claim to the throne had some substance.

What it means on the ground is that CAMRA (if the change is supported) will in future give credence to the overpriced, glorified fizzy keg that is laughingly called 'craft beer'.

I give up. I really do.