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Tag Archives: research

French museums and tarring brushes

11 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by la Clarina in History, Scribbling

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France, historical novel, Montreuil-sur-Mer, museums, research, Road to Murder, writing

A few months ago, as I was working on Road to Murder, I found trouble in the form of a French town called Montreuil sur Mer.* Well, for various reasons, my sleuth Tom Walsingham finds himself spending a night there, much against his inclination, and I needed to have a good idea of the place for that… Continue reading →

All the Way to the Theatre – or, the Historical Novelist’s Dilemma

27 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by la Clarina in History, Scribbling, Stories, Theatre

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Before Shakespeare, Historical fiction, James Burbage, National Archives Blog, research, The Theatre, writing dilemmas

As I was busy completing the la(te)st revision of my novel before pitching it at the HNS Conference in Scotland, I came across this lovely article at the National Archives Blog.

And so I learned that, while I’d always assumed that people walked to the Theatre via Bishopsgate, Bishopsgate Street and Shoreditch, this was not the case. Not that the Burbages wouldn’t have liked such a straightforward route to their playhouse – but there was opposition from the local landowners – particularly from the Earl of Rutland, who effectively blocked the easy access… Continue reading →

Before and After

09 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by la Clarina in Books, History, Stories

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Annie Whitehead, Henslowe's Diary, historical novels, Internet, Mercedes Rochelle, Philip Henslowe, research

HensloweBWThere is no doubt that, when it comes to researching historical novels, there is a Before the Internet and an After the Internet.

I daresay the same applies to a lot of fields – but let me stick to mine: I’m old enough to remember a time when, if you were Italian and wanted, say, to read Henslowe’s Diary, your best option was a trip of several hundred kilometers – to read the book in Bologna or Venice, supposing someone had told you that Nineteenth Century copies of JP Collier’s edited version were to be found there at all*… Continue reading →

A Historical Novelist’s To-Do List

30 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by la Clarina in History, Scribbling

≈ 1 Comment

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historical novel, Lydia Kang, research, Writer Unboxed

I think I’ve told you already how Writer Unboxed is one of my favourite writerly sites. That’s mostly because it provides a wonderful mix of thought-provoking discussion and practical stuff, musings and resources, theory and exercises… All of it interesting and useful. Continue reading →

The Fun of the Game

16 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by la Clarina in Books, History

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Bryher, Historical fiction, History, research

BryherHerselfI told you about Bryher’s The Player’s Boy, didn’t I?

Well, to this lovely, melancholy novel my Paris Press edition adds a wonderful afterword, consisting of a letter that Bryher wrote to a friend to explain her fascination with Elizabethan literature and history. It’s a charming little piece about growing up, reading, cultivating one’s imagination, finding strength in literature and history, and being slightly eccentric… It’s well worth reading in its entirety.

My favourite part, though, has to be the final musing on the historian’s perspective: Continue reading →

RE:CON

02 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by la Clarina in Things

≈ 3 Comments

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Alessandro Mana, content editing, Davide Mana, fact-checking, RE:CON Service, research

ResearchAh, the joys and sorrows of research…

We all know how it goes. A story – be it a trilogy of door-stoppers, a play or a tiny short – is a world, and, to misquote Benedick, the world must be researched. And you can not find the stuff you need, or you can find too much and get lost in the meanders of it, or you can think you found the right stuff – and painfully discover later that you didn’t… Continue reading →

By Candlelight

25 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by la Clarina in Things

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candlelight, candles, fire, historical novel, research, rushlight

CandleBW1Shall we call it field research?

A few days ago, a malfunctioning and a very grey day combined to send me back in time. With no power and no heating, I found myself depending on candles for light and the fireplace for warmth – all through one afternoon and night. Besides, my laptop’s battery was running low, so there was nothing for it, but sit by the fire and write in longhand and read by candlelight… Continue reading →

The Copperfield Review’s first anthology – containing Gentleman in Velvet

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