Comments for Write a novel? I must be mad! http://alison-morton.com/blog Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:36:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Off on the road to Rome… by Alison http://alison-morton.com/blog/2012/02/15/off-on-the-road-to-rome/comment-page-1/#comment-318 Alison Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:36:00 +0000 http://alison-morton.com/blog/?p=953#comment-318 I hope so! I will be jotting things down as I'm sure I won't remember anything - I'll be so entranced by everything for my mind to take it all in. I hope so!

I will be jotting things down as I’m sure I won’t remember anything – I’ll be so entranced by everything for my mind to take it all in.

]]> Comment on Off on the road to Rome… by Debs http://alison-morton.com/blog/2012/02/15/off-on-the-road-to-rome/comment-page-1/#comment-317 Debs Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:44:43 +0000 http://alison-morton.com/blog/?p=953#comment-317 What an amazing tour and one that will no doubt give you a huge amount of inspiration. What an amazing tour and one that will no doubt give you a huge amount of inspiration.

]]> Comment on Off on the road to Rome… by Alison http://alison-morton.com/blog/2012/02/15/off-on-the-road-to-rome/comment-page-1/#comment-315 Alison Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:58:09 +0000 http://alison-morton.com/blog/?p=953#comment-315 Thanks, Liz. Oh, I'll be boring everybody stupid with my pictures! On the serious side, every writer knows the value of being in location, even if you are many hundreds of years away. Sometimes you can shut your eyes and still get the atmosphere. And consciously, or unconsciously, those feelings and experiences seep into your writing. Thanks, Liz. Oh, I’ll be boring everybody stupid with my pictures!

On the serious side, every writer knows the value of being in location, even if you are many hundreds of years away. Sometimes you can shut your eyes and still get the atmosphere.

And consciously, or unconsciously, those feelings and experiences seep into your writing.

]]> Comment on Off on the road to Rome… by Liz Harris http://alison-morton.com/blog/2012/02/15/off-on-the-road-to-rome/comment-page-1/#comment-314 Liz Harris Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:27:28 +0000 http://alison-morton.com/blog/?p=953#comment-314 What a fantastic trip! Have a truly wonderful time, Alison. I'm sure you'll capture the highlight with your camera - I look forward to seeing the results. Liz X What a fantastic trip! Have a truly wonderful time, Alison.

I’m sure you’ll capture the highlight with your camera – I look forward to seeing the results.

Liz X

]]> Comment on What to do after your first draft is written by Alison http://alison-morton.com/blog/2012/02/08/what-to-do-after-your-first-draft-is-written/comment-page-1/#comment-313 Alison Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:32:21 +0000 http://alison-morton.com/blog/?p=945#comment-313 Haha! Never ask a historian to explain anything unless you have a lot of time. Very briefly, the Star Chamber set up in 1487 as a fast-track system to ensure the fair enforcement of laws against prominent people, those so powerful that ordinary courts could never convict them of their crimes. Court sessions were held in secret, with no indictments, no right of appeal, no juries, and no witnesses. Like many things that seem a good idea at the time, it got political and led to abuse and misuse. It was abolished in 1641. Today, legal or administrative bodies with strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive proceedings are sometimes called star chambers. It's a bit pejorative, but apt for those fluffy, puffy hanger-on words like ‘very’, ‘then’, ‘mostly’, ‘quite’ and ‘nearly’. History lesson over. ;-) Haha! Never ask a historian to explain anything unless you have a lot of time.

Very briefly, the Star Chamber set up in 1487 as a fast-track system to ensure the fair enforcement of laws against prominent people, those so powerful that ordinary courts could never convict them of their crimes. Court sessions were held in secret, with no indictments, no right of appeal, no juries, and no witnesses. Like many things that seem a good idea at the time, it got political and led to abuse and misuse. It was abolished in 1641.

Today, legal or administrative bodies with strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive proceedings are sometimes called star chambers. It’s a bit pejorative, but apt for those fluffy, puffy hanger-on words like ‘very’, ‘then’, ‘mostly’, ‘quite’ and ‘nearly’.

History lesson over. ;-)

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