I was checking around the Net today, looking for a historical tidbit to offer readers when I came across this item:
On May 17, 1824, John Murray, Lord Byron's publisher, ordered the burning of the manuscript of Byron's personal journal. Though Byron's friends protested, the journal manuscript was indeed burned.
Wow. Just think of the story possibilities there! What was in Byron's personal journal? Did he name names that preferred to remain unknown? Was Murray paid off or coerced in any way to do this? Was he protecting someone? A man? A woman? Byron ran with a pretty fast crowd if you'll recall.
Would lives, fortunes, and/or history have been altered by the journal's publication?
What if there'd been another copy of the journal manuscript? What would it have revealed? What if that manuscript copy were suddenly discovered today? Oooh. What if is a game writers play, and it's a game that usually leads to a book.
Okay. That's my gift to you today. Take that idea and run with it though I may play with it too. Just remember me in your book dedication, okay?
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