Forget the city girl oeuvre – if you want to write a successful novel, set it around a historical event. Ros Coward on why books are looking back
An aspiring novelist searching for success could do worse than look through the history books. A surefire format would be to identify a peripheral figure – a wife, servant or daughter – whose story would coincide with a significant historical moment.
Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jun/16/fiction.roscoward
Ros Coward looks at why the WI’s forces of decency unleashed ‘crone power’ against a decent man
Most commentators have overlooked the fact that what happened between Tony Blair and the Women’s Institute last week had a deeply personal element.
They have downplayed what happened as a spin-doctor fiasco or a confrontation between Left and Right. The Daily Mirror has managed to present the WI as ‘Blue Rinse Tories’, more evil than the November 17 group.
Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2000/jun/11/labour.labour1997to991
The Queen meets her eldest son’s mistress at a barbecue. It is hardly the stuff of true romance
One glimpse at the newspapers is enough to tell us that the royal soap is being revived for another season. Most papers made front page news of Camilla Parker Bowles’s weekend meeting with the Queen, while the tabloids also devoted several pages to speculation over whether the Prince of Wales will now marry Camilla. For the Sun this casual encounter over a barbecue was “the royal story of the year” and for the Express and Mirror, “a historic meeting”. Even the Times led with “Camilla and Carey hold secret talks”, making it as significant as negotiations to scrap the nuclear arsenal.
Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jun/06/monarchy.comment