Jumping from the High Platform

I was told this weekend that I had a good solid platform for my writing. I was surprised, but there I was knitting a tippet, much as my ancestors probably did. People who write about knitting should know how to knit. People who write about auto racing should be a part of that community. People who write about history should participate somehow in things historical. That is the writer's platform.

I started this blog to highlight the intersection of my historical interpretation and my writing.

Beginning writers are told to write what they know and love. I love my sheep and never tire of talking about them. I love putting on my petticoat and short gown and showing people how a water powered mill operates. I love writing about characters who are amazed by indoor plumbing and electric lights. People who cannot travel faster than a horse can gallop, people who don’t trust paper money.

I have never been shy about explaining what I do because I love it so much. I am often greeted by people I met on line with: “Oh, you’re the shepherd.” Even my boring explanations of why I am knitting with synthetic yarn instead of pure wool seem to interest people.

Yes, I do get to do a lot of the stuff that my characters do. But at the end of the day when someone asks me if I wouldn’t like to live in 1802, all I have to say is Doctors and Dentists.