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Thursday 28 August 2014

Don't open your mouth until you've got your brain into gear!

That was a saying of my brother's and it still applies.  It is just as relevant when writing as when speaking, especially when leaving a review which the world can see.  Twice now I have had people tell me in a review that I have the history wrong.  One thought Newgate Prison was built in the eighteenth century, when in fact it was built in 1188 and served as a prison in London until 1902, over seven hundred years, until it was demolished to make way for the Central Criminal Courts, familiarly called the Old Bailey.
 
Now I have another who says my latest novel is silly because the premise goes against the law of primogeniture, that the eldest son was entitled to inherit.  He obviously did not know that the law never applied in the County of Kent, which is where the story is set.  He has also never read the book, since there is no verified purchase.
 
It has got to a stage now, where I have to give detailed history of every building and law in the book, just in case some know all comes along who thinks he knows better.  If leaving a review and you didn't like the story (provided you have read it) that it fair enough, but don't question the history when you have no idea what you are talking about.
 
Sorry for the rant, folks, but I go to a lot of trouble to research my history and to have someone who knows nothing come along and criticise is extremely galling.  A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

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