“Another damn’d thick, square book! Always, scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?'”

Ten to go...

The King’s brother - no, not that one, but William, Duke of Gloucester, brother of George III - said that to Edward Gibbon concerning Vol 2 of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. It’s a remark that haunts writers, who all feel that every letter we type is a wriggling black pearl.

(William, Duke of Gloucester, by JR Richmond: book not pictured)

And talking of more writing, I have decided that when I get to 300 unpaid subscribers - ten to go - I’ll post a paid short story.

You have been warned.