Mmmmmm, Deb, I'm loving it too.

Also, I just listened to John Kay's Heretics and Privateers.

Wow.

Also, I just listened to John Kay's Heretics and Privateers

Nice piano. Nuff said. (although, it's really earlier Kay with nice piano. When my book advance cheque gets here, I'm treating myself to the Lost Heritage cd.)

Question:

I need hooking up, please.

Does anyone out there know a good source for finding genuine samples of genuine mid sixteenth century journal writing by women?

I have snippets - Jane Grey, Elizabeth I's Armada speech - but those are formal and that's not what I'm looking for. The documents in question are supposed to be by a well-born Scotswoman, a sensible spinster, who ends up as Anne of Cleves' good friend, lady in waiting, and confidante. I need a chatty feel, but accurate in usage.

Help.

Deb, I did a google on women writing sixteenth century

This was the first of many urls

[link]

Mart, I did that first thing. The problem is, I don't need 16th century women's lit. I need letters. I need journals. In the same way that Aphra Benn, as much as I adore her, does me no good whatsoever.

Can't use poetry, or translations of Mary of Scotland's letters to her cousin Elizabeth from the French. It's light years from what I need, which is a specific tone.

And how do I make that URL shut up? It's drowning out my hard rock.

When I collected my mail from while I was out of town, I got two of the three contest results I'd been waiting for (the Molly, where I made the semis but fell a few points short of finaling, and the Maggie, which doesn't give out scores--all the judges are published authors who are supposed to give you a detailed critique, but the rankings are between them and the contest coordinator).

For one of my Maggie judges, "detailed critique" meant congratulating me on a great job, telling me she loved my story conflicts in my synopsis, and excising a stray comma or two and suggesting I stop using scene breaks when I switch POV. Which I suppose is fine if she doesn't think I need anything beyond those cosmetic changes, but they're supposed to give at least a page, and I wouldn't have minded an essay on why the story is wonderful as-is! The other loved my description and characterization, and said so at length, but said my synopsis needed work and didn't think my conflict was strong enough. I'm not sweating that one, because I've already rewritten the synopsis based on previous contest feedback, including describing the conflict a little better. But I've concluded some readers just aren't going to get the class conflict and there's nothing I can do about it except grit my teeth about how much more accurate and less melodramatic it is than making them from enemy families or using some stupid misunderstanding.

My Molly feedback was more detailed and varied. Three of my four judges thought I needed to tighten the pacing a bit, though they had different suggestions for how to do it. I lucked into a fellow Peninsular War buff and a French & Indian War reenactor, both of whom loved the military context and praised my research while raising minor research questions (in one case I just need to be more clear, in the other I think she's right for enlisted men's wives, while I'm right for officers' ladies, but it wouldn't hurt to confirm). Nice to know I'm pleasing the core of my target audience.

By and large, all six of them liked it, and most of them gave useful suggestions and feedback. I've become more philosophical about not finaling in these things. They're useful if you get good feedback. Finaling is gravy. I don't have to win a writing contest to be good enough to be published.

That said, I think I've gotten all the use I can get out of contesting with the WIP (for the first chapter, anyway--I may still enter a synopsis contest or one for a specific scene like a first kiss or sex scene). I'll enter the Golden Heart with it, since that's the one that really gets you somewhere, but I'll trust to my querying and pitching skills to get it in front of agents and editors.

I've been searching my memory and resources, deb, but I'm not coming up with anything. The only letters/journals I can think of are the Paston letters, and they're too early.

connie, I've been jonesing for a Tudor era version of the Paston letters. I have them, hardbound; they're heart of my period and I adore the looks at the young Yorks.

I think I've got the faint beginnings of where I want to go with this character's voice: Alison MacLaine is a late thirtyish-early fortyish spinster, good family from Edinburgh, lady in waiting and close companion of the now-not!Queen Anne of Cleves by order of Henry VIII, and blood aunt to the two sisters of the song.

Anyone want to beta read just about three paragraphs, for the rhythm of her journals? This is unlikely to be the final version of the opening salvo - but her letters and journal are the key to the crime and the haunting in "Cruel Sister", and I'd like some opinions as to how she flows, as a woman of her time.

Susan, I have music for you, BTW - lots of Napoleonic-era stuff to do with soldiers and sailors.

Susan, I have music for you, BTW - lots of Napoleonic-era stuff to do with soldiers and sailors.

Cool! In my fantasy world where I am Way Famous, my books get companion CDs.

Note: I have a copy of the Lisle Letters.

This will help with every aspect of the Henry VIII - Anne of Cleves wedding except the one I need to get a handle on.

Still, good research material.

edit: hoobah!

Scots letters! 16th century! Online!