Screenwriting : England 1820 - 1880 Historical Biography by Peter Taylor

Thanks, Jacqueline. I've just added 3 images to my profile showing hermit James and his house. He was very wealthy but wore only a horse blanket, slept on accumulated ashes and paid for food and essentials to be delivered. Up to 400 people a day visited and watched to see who he would pelt with rock-hard stale loaves and who would receive gin.

Thanks, Spencer. I can't tell you more of the plot, but I just find the detail hard sometimes. At what age would a child of a wealthy family in central London learn to ride a horse in 1820? Where would they learn - in the streets? A park? Who taught them? What kind of carriage would the family own if they had 6 children? How often would they stop if traveling 30 miles? Would they use it to travel a quarter of a mile to go to church? That kind of thing. It would be nice to share info with others facing similar problems.

Thanks so much, Jacqueline. You have confirmed my suspicions that they would not have walked far. They lived close to Regent's Park (which was not open to the public at that time) in a house with a mews, later in one of the Nash Terraces opposite the park and later still near to my former home in Hertfordshire. I've met the hermit's great-great-nephew on Facebook, and he has given me fresh insights contradicting all previous accounts, which were written prior to internet access and easy research. These have said that James's sister Harriet (the nephew's great-great-grandmother) married a Polish Count and they were never heard of again. Not so. Family legend has it that the Count was 'The man who broke the bank in Monte Carlo' - but they can't prove it. And there's much more fascinating family history.

You're an angel, Jacqueline - huge thanks for your kind offers and to you, Spencer, for your enthusiasm. It would be wonderful if we could work together one day. Now you've both re-enthused me, maybe the book should come first, and I have had a request from HarperCollins for it to be offered to them before any others, after I pitched the summary at a conference. I've just returned from a three day holiday during which I read 'The Plot Whisperer' (highly recommended). But I don't find it easy to write lengthy works. My next book to be traditionally published is a picture-book :). I do see 'Mad James' as being filmed, but I need to learn screenplay writing skills - all I've read is the script for Godzilla. Thanks also for your practicality, Bruce. I do have a literary agent for books, but I've no idea if she has connections to the film industry. No, I'll not be financing it myself - income from most of my five books published since 1987 has paid no more than most people earn in 6 weeks. I think I've picked the wrong profession... I would like to get this finished in some form or other in 2014, even if only for personal satisfaction. But I do believe in the story's potential appeal if it can be told/filmed skilfully. I'll stop procrastinating and write some more. A 15,000 word sequence of events has been completed ...now for the fleshing out. I hope everyone's current projects are going well All best wishes.

Thanks, Spencer and Deborah. Consider it being worked on ...it's on its way...

On its long journey to being written as both a book ms and also as a screenplay. Possibly a first draft by May??

Peter...if you want to read examples of historical dramas you can try www.talentville.com. You can also check out www.euroscript.co.uk. Euroscript is one of the few places in London where you can attend workshops to analyse and critic your own work as well as comment on other scriptwriter's scripts.

Many thanks for that, Richard. I'll check those out tomorrow - 11.15pm Aus time and I'm hitting the hay

Oh, yes, Leon - I know I have many more hours of reading and researching still to do. I do aim to make it as historically accurate as possible. Marriage and death certificates next, and census data for all family members, and perhaps Lloyds register to find the name of the ship that was owned... The Austrian and Polish husbands might be harder to research. I wish I lived in London. The last time I was in the UK in 2010 I tried to photograph what some homes and haunts look like today - the churchyard and family tomb in Hackney, West India Dock... but since then I've discovered new information and have a new list. If anyone is ever able to take a photo of the oldest original buildings inside London Zoo for me, inside St john at Hackney Church and the Philip Lucas Memorial, Cambridge Terrace on the edge of Regent's park, Vault 3539 in Paddington Cemetery... I'll be exceptionally grateful :). Let me know if you ever think I can help with yours, Leon. Good luck! I know you want to help with this, Spencer - and I'm most grateful and definitely need all the help I can get, especially for critique - but this is a long long way off from completion, and it will then be discussed fully with my agent before decisions are made for true collaboration and industry submission.

Good luck Peter. My preferred historical period is about 1860-1914 (see my posted blog "Historical Feature Scriptwriting"), but I'd be glad to share experiences and possible sources with you. And thanks Jacqueline you reinforce my belief that BBC might be ideal turf. Just hope one of my scripts will get noticed! I'm trying Br. competitions too, especially with Br.-oriented "Wilde About Oscar".

Peter, I realize I have a script called "The Invisible Woman" (author unknown) set in 1885, during the Wilkie-Dickens collaboration. I think it was produced, though I've not seen it. It's very well-researched and written. Can I sent it to you attached to an email?

"The Invisible Woman", produced in 2013, directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes.

Many thanks for this, York. I'd really appreciate that script. Please send to Peter (at) writing-for-children.com I hope we'll keep in touch and many thanks for the offer of sources etc.. This work of mine is back on the back-burner for another month or so. I've just had a children's picture book published for which I should be chasing publicity, and another one I'm working on as a collaboration needs completing this month. I hope all your projects are progressing well.

Peter, Im on holiday in Nwfoundland and have for the last week been on Fogo Is., away from wifi etc. I return home tomorrow, so will send you the script when I get organized again. Cheers...

Thanks, York - no rush. I hope the holiday has been good. I've just looked at Google Images of Fogo. Very interesting. Let me know if there's anything I can help you with in your research. I have my great-grandfather's collection of Punch Magazine Almanacks from 1040's - 1890, which I find wonderful for appreciating the changing times in that era.

Hi Peter, I hope you received "The Invisiible Woman" from both the Dicken's mid 19th.C. era and later 18oos? I thought it to be very well-written and look forward to seeing the Ralph Fiennes 2013 movie.