Productivity.
February 5, 2010
My regular readers will probably already be familiar with my habit of churning out, as some would have it, pretty big chunks of writing at regular intervals. I’ve always enjoyed getting words down and, it’s true, I can be a little obsessive at times.
That’s why at the beginning of the year I didn’t make any resolutions to moderate my output. After taking time off over Christmas I had a sneaking suspicion that 2010 would find me, creatively, at least, even more fired up than I have been in the past.
And I wasn’t mistaken. Whilst I have managed to keep a fairly healthy balance, taking time away from all things writing-related, as much as possible, I have so far this year nailed down 25,000 words — taking As Morning Shows the Day up to 128,000 words. It’s a huge project which should, fingers crossed, be finished late spring/early summer, but it has been and continues to be a delight to write. Part of this, of course, as I may have mentioned before, is the fact that I’m now writing as “a published author”. Knowing that the piece you’re working on is — unless you really louse it up — going to end up “out there” with your other work is a great motivator (for me, at least.)
I think with this project, however, it also has a great deal to do with the novel’s origin. It isn’t an entirely new piece. In fact, I wrote the first version of it something like fifteen years ago. The kind of tail that requires distance, a sense of nostalgic retrospection, I didn’t do too bad a job with that earlier version — but it did have a number of problems, all largely centred around lack of experience, both personal experience, that is, and writing experience. The essence was there, but it lacked scale and skill.
How much of these qualities I now possess, I don’t know, but it’s certainly safe to say that I am more accomplished as a writer — and hopefully as a human being! And I’m extremely happy with the results so far.
I think I may have mentioned here in the past that writing this novel feels very much like an act of remembrance (which, of course, it is, though not quite in the way I mean.) My approach has been to write it without looking at that earlier version, to wander through my memories of what it was and recreate from that, and I think this is more than anything is helping me achieve the nostalgic tone I’ve already mentioned. It’s as if I lived it rather than wrote it. The old informs the new and lends it something I couldn’t otherwise have achieved.
Which actually fits rather nicely with the whole theme of the novel: “the childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day” — Milton, Paradise Regained.
I wish I could say I planned that, but I didn’t 
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
If I Never Review.
January 23, 2010
A new and very satisfying review of If I Never.
“If I Never is Gary Murning’s debut novel and I must say it is an exceptional work of art. It is a well-written novel. In my interview with Gary he expressed how all rules of writing were not adhered to, some of them needed to be broken to make this book what it is and I must say this was a great path to take, it definitely adds to the reader’s experience. If I Never is a page turner and especially the last quarter of the book I did not want to put it down, I just wanted to find out where we were going to end up next. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience and I will be keeping my eye out for future works by Gary.“
To read more of this review, click here.
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
Character Competition!
January 21, 2010
Today, my recent interview with the good people at the Struggling Authors website went live. Some really interesting questions and, perhaps more importantly, the announcement of what I think is a fantastic If I Never-related competition. Trust me, you really don’t want to miss it!
Below is an interview-taster. To read more and for your chance to enter the simply splendiferous, stupendous and utterly stunning competition (I’m not over-egging it, am I?), click on the link below.
Your first book, If I Never, is out now and doing very well. Is there anything about the book you want to tell us that’s not in the blurb?
Well, funnily enough, yes! The first thing that struck me when I read the blurb (which I didn’t actually write), was how successfully it gave a sense of what the central elements of the plot were. But, of course, given the limited space, it simply couldn’t mention the way in which I tried to break a few rules and write the kind of novel that plays with convention. Something that most readers have grasped quite readily is the fact that, in places, I quite deliberately push it as far as I can — layering plot and character, adding twist after twist and generally having a great deal of fun in the process. In some ways, I have to admit, I was sticking two fingers up at those who had told me in the past that a novel has to be written a certain way. I wanted the plot structure to suggest the unpredictable, unrelenting nature of life and, fortunately, the vast majority have the seemed to understand that.
To read more and enter the completely unmissable competition, click here!
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
Books, Italian Gardens and Dumplings.
January 12, 2010
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mandy the Bookworm, who was “lucky” enough to win a copy of If I Never in a Goodreads.com book giveaway not so long ago. Below are a few of her excellent questions with my quite often long-winded answers.
Is the setting based on a real place; is there the Italian Gardens, Lovers’ Leap, et cetera?
It is based on a real place — an amalgam of real places, actually, with lots of fictional meddling! Redburn is actually based on a place in the north-east of England called Saltburn. The Italian Gardens, in a slightly different form, certainly exist, though Lovers’ Leap doesn’t.
Tara’s mother seems quite accommodating, is this a bit of wishful thinking of how a mother-in-law should be in your mind?
I don’t think so, no. I would never want to write a stereotypical representation of “the mother-in-law”, so it’s probably true that I’m inclined to shy away from anything bordering on that! However, Tara is someone who’s had some pretty difficult things to contend with over the years. Her mother, naturally, is well aware of this and when she sees how happy, relatively speaking, Price makes her, she wants it to work. There are enough obstacles without her adding more, I imagine her reasoning to be, and so she makes Price as welcome and comfortable as possible — to the point of overcompensating, at times! Plus I think she genuinely likes Price.
Will we be seeing any characters from If I Never in any future novels?
I very much doubt it. There are, quite deliberately, a number of sequel setups in If I Never, but my aim with these was to simply suggest the various paths their lives might take — the uncertainty of it all. A full-blown sequel would weaken the concept but… never say never, right? I suppose they might turn up again one day.
To read more, please click here.
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
Writing Magazine Interview.
January 7, 2010
Not too long ago, I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by the quite wonderful Lynne Hackles for her regular “My Writing Day” feature in Writing Magazine. The piece, which was published a few days ago, already seems to be attracting new visitors to my website (hello and welcome!) and, from what I can tell, sales have increased (at least certainly through Amazon/Amazon Marketplace.)
So my thanks to Lynne and the people at Writing Magazine (which I can definitely recommend!) Their help is truly appreciated.
Below is the aforementioned interview. To view a larger, clearer version please click here.
(For the sake of clarity, my condition is not, as the article states, spinal muscular dystrophy but, rather, spinal muscular atrophy.)
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
Have Yourself an If I Never Christmas!
December 22, 2009
Seasons Greetings from all at Gary William Murning Online (okay, that’ll be me, then)! Have a wonderful, safe holiday and I’ll see you in the New Year.
Thanks for helping make 2009 a great year for me!
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
That Was the Year That Was.
December 15, 2009
Okay, I’m doing this a little early, I know — but, given that I’m writing again and that my very atheistic Christmas is just around the corner, I thought it best to do it now, while I’m in the mood and have a few moments to spare.
So, welcome to my look back on the year. Or more especially, my look back on my year.
And what a year! It started off like many others, with me knuckling down to start a new writing project, still unpublished and, the economic climate being what it was/is, not really holding out much hope. In late 2008 I’d been working on a project tentatively entitled Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just like Today. It was yet another attempt at finding something different, something more commercial and less likely to be rejected — and as such, it just didn’t feel right. I’d rushed into it without much in the way of planning, a little desperate to find a project that might stand a chance… and by the New Year I was completely convinced that this was a novel I didn’t want to write.
And, so, I resigned myself to the fact that getting anything published for the next eighteen months or so was even more unlikely than it had previously been, given the global recession, failing banks and so on and so forth. The prospects for a new author weren’t bright and so I decided to work on something just for myself — a long project that revisited an earlier novel I’d written and expanded upon it. Something just for me. Hell, if my work wasn’t going to sell, I could at least write something that I got a kick out of.
The planning of what was to become my current work in progress (As Morning Shows the Day — a huge, nostalgic piece that looks like hitting 200,000 words) went extremely well. I outlined in detail and was soon working on the novel itself, happy to be doing something just for me. I hadn’t exactly given up on being published, but it had definitely ceased to be a priority.
Fairly typically where such things are concerned, I suppose, I was a good few chapters in when I received an email from a certain gentleman called Tom Chalmers — the managing director of Legend Press and a man of unrivalled good taste! Tom had read one of my earlier novels, If I Never, and, sure enough, within a week or so I had the fabled publishing contract.
In retrospect — and with the benefit of a rather cooler head (okay, a slightly cooler head!) — it was quite possibly the most exciting and stressful time of my life. I was certain that something was going to come along at any time and throw a spanner in the works. After writing for so long, finding an agent, sacking an agent, submitting and resubmitting, it seemed impossible that I was finally there. And, yet, I most emphatically was. The editing went without a hitch, my relationship with the Legend team felt extremely promising (I actually liked them — and still do!), I was given a say in cover artwork and, all in all, it was and is an extremely satisfying and rewarding experience. On August twenty ninth, If I Never hit the shops without a single problem. The online launch (something I’d fretted about, as I was sure I’d set myself up for a huge fall) went remarkably well — Amazon.co.uk selling out within an hour — and early reactions (and, on the whole, those that followed) were extremely positive. I started the round of promotional work, doing interviews and generally annoying folk so much that they bought the book just to shut me up, all the while editing Children of the Resolution (my next novel) and continuing work on As Morning Shows the Day.
I don’t think I was overly stressed. Yes, I’d had the busiest few months of my life, but I felt like I was coping fairly well. So, naturally, it was a huge surprise to find myself vomiting blood couple of months later, this little episode resulting in a hospital stay during which I was quite convinced that the end was nigh!… I’m making light of it, but at the time it was pretty scary and, yes, for a good few hours, at least, I did think, with good reason, I’d written my last.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Medicated and discharged, and after a few weeks of taking it easy, I found myself back on track — enjoying working again and looking forward to the publication of Children. Looking back, and based on what I’ve been told, I think the stomach ulcers they found whilst I was in hospital probably had more to do with excessive acid production (something with which I have always suffered ) rather than stress. Nevertheless, I took the whole episode as something of a warning. Yes, I’m working as hard as ever, but… well, I’m remembering to breathe! I’m still a control freak and obsessed with detail, but I do it with a less stressful efficiency these days Honest.
And that’s pretty much where I am as we approach Christmas and the end of the year. Children of the Resolution has been delivered to Legend and has a tentative publication date of August/September next year (this may change, so watch this space!) I’m happier and more motivated than ever before, halfway through As Morning Shows the Day and already thinking of the next project (working title, Out Of Season.) I feel pretty blessed, I guess. Not only did I manage to secure a publishing contract in 2009, but I also succeeded in getting out of hospital without MRSA! All in all, a pretty good year, I think.
So, it now just leaves me to wish you a happy holiday period — whichever particular brand you celebrate (or don’t, as the case may be!) — and a simply splendid 2010! Be good and remember: if you need a last-minute present, or if that annoying great-aunt who smells of wee has given you loads of book vouchers for Christmas, again, you could do a lot worse than If I Never!
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
No Urgency — but Bloody Hurry up!
November 27, 2009
The past fortnight has found me in a suitably strange little place. Uncharacteristically, I have on the one hand felt very laid-back, comfortable in the knowledge that I’m well on schedule with all my projects (even taking into account the unexpected stay in hospital and its aftermath) and quite content to “potter” with bits and pieces of editorial work. On the other hand, however, I’ve started to feel that old, familiar twitchiness — the restless need to get back to my writing.
Briefly, a few days ago, I managed to convince myself that, you know, Christmas is almost upon us and, frankly, well, returning to As Morning Shows the Day (my half-finished work in progress) this side of New Year would be pretty silly, wouldn’t it?
And maybe it would… I don’t know… but, the way things are going, I’ll probably be writing again during December. Just can’t help myself, guvna.
Getting my final draft of Children of the Resolution off to Legend last week kind of underscored my need to return to my work. Still not completely back to full health but needing something to do, I’d worked through the manuscript steadily and methodically, falling back into that other world I had in part created. The autobiographical aspect of Children resonated even more, given my recent illness (you’ll see what I mean when you read it), and even as I found it cautionary I yearned to get back to shaping my characters and fictional vistas. And so, once this project was delivered, I returned to As Morning Shows the Day — merely reading through it at this stage, listening to the voice, refamiliarising myself with it.
Yes, I still occasionally manage to convince myself that this is merely my way of preparing for starting back on it in January… but I’m fooling no one, least of all myself.
In other news, the electronic version (for Kindle, Sony Reader etc) of If I Never is now available here. Pretty excited about this. I’m not a huge fan of electronic books but I know a growing number of people are — and having seen the finished product, I’m beginning to understand why! Looks great… but don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself! (Free readers are also available for PCs.)
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
Here Comes Santa Claus.
November 4, 2009
Shit like this isn’t meant to happen on Christmas Day, I thought. It should be all Tonka toys and The Wizard of Oz on the telly, not piss artists and pederasts.
(Excerpt from If I Never.)
Yes, I know Christmas comes earlier every year — but in the crazy and competitive world of publishing, a little forward planning is, I think, vital. It’ll therefore come as no surprise, I’m sure, to those of you who already know me that I’m now preparing for the Christmas If I Never push.
Naturally, this isn’t something I can do on my own. As I’ve said many times before, success where first-time novels are concerned — especially those published by independent publishers — is highly dependent upon word-of-mouth, the goodwill of those who have read the book and enjoyed it. This is, therefore, a gentle reminder that If I Never is the perfect stocking filler. If you’ve read the book and enjoyed it, why not buy another copy for a friend or family member? Drop me a line, even, and I’ll arrange a personalised, suitably Christmassy inscription. Hell, even if you read the book and hated it — buy it for someone you don’t like!
Also, for the techie types among you, it may interest you to know that the electronic, EPUB version for the Kindle and Sony Reader etc should be out later this month.
This apart, please don’t forget to let me know what you think of If I Never. Maybe write a review on Amazon? It all helps — and, joking aside, your continued help and support is truly appreciated. Cheers!
A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.
To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.
Ready, Willing and Able.
November 3, 2009
I recently did an interview with the very impressive disability lifestyle magazine Able. The short interview and extremely perceptive review of If I Never is featured in this month’s issue.
