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 It started off like many others, with me knuckling down to start a new writing project, still unpublished and, the economic climate being what it was/is, not really holding out much hope.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.
Back from 1974.
March 13, 2009
This week has been highly productive, although my blog, it must be said, has suffered somewhat. Chapter Two has now claimed my attention fully, my characters coming to life in ways that I could have only hoped for — holding me in those, as it sometimes seems, long ago times of Fuzzy Felts and Mariner 10 space probes. The words and the tone they create are coming quite easily and, with 10,000 words behind me, I’m starting to feel comfortable… settling into the thematic landscape, exploring it and looking forward to the inevitable surprises.
That isn’t to say that it’s all been plain sailing, of course. Chapter Two of any novel can often be difficult. The energy and excitement built up for Chapter One dips a little and, even though the quality of the work may not visibly suffer, self-doubt can (and all too frequently does!) raise its ugly head. This, as I’d half-expected, happened to me this week. It was quite fleeting, and had everything to do with my mood — the inevitable tiredness I was feeling — but I always find it wise to at least try to turn such self-doubt to my advantage.
I did this with the last novel I started (and abandoned) last year. The self-doubt set in and I had to ask myself if it was mood related or if there was something genuinely not right with the work itself. With that novel, there were major problems — not least that I simply found it too bleak and depressing to write well. So I did with that one what I always do with projects that simply aren’t working; I moved away from it and focused on something new. I outlined in more detail and started this current project… knowing that it would inevitably face the same tests, but hoping that better planning and a story that I really felt passionate about would make it capable of withstanding the various trials ahead.
So how did As Morning Shows the Day fair? So far so good. The prose is clean and sparse, none of the heavy-handed exposition I can be prone to when things aren’t going well. The characters seem alive to me, the story hooks in place and the period… yes, it feels like 1974 but I probably need to work on that just a little bit more. More than anything, I look forward to returning there each morning. Yes, it’s work — and, yes, it’s probably going to cause me even more sleepless nights over the next ten months or so. But that’s par for the course. That’s what I expect.
When a novel gives the writer more than it takes — even if it never makes it publication — it’s a success. As Morning Shows the Day so far falls into this category.
I’m enjoying writing every word. Even the ones to keep trying to get away from me.
Where Monday Finds Me.
March 2, 2009
Today has been a fairly good day — a very good day, in fact.
Yesterday, the outline finished over a week ago, I finally started writing As Morning Shows the Day. I got the first thousand words in place by Sunday lunchtime and today saw me nail the second thousand words in place.
After the false starts of last year, the constant feeling around for something different, something I’d never done before, Morning… well, it’s really too early to say. I don’t really want to tempt fate. But I do strongly feel that returning to my earlier way of working is paying off. I’m comfortable with the form (a literary family saga that probably most closely resembles John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany — at least in its structure, it’s actually a very different novel… one I feel only I could write, which is always a good sign) and I know exactly where it’s going, leaving me free to concentrate on the language and the voice.
A good start and, more to the point, a novel I find myself looking forward to writing when I’m away from it.
As Morning Shows the Day.
January 3, 2009
You may have noticed that I’ve been especially quiet of late — even allowing for the holiday period. There are a couple of reasons for this, one — the obvious one — being that I haven’t exactly been in the mood for blogging, my satirical faculties a little desensitised by the sheer banality of Christmas!
The second reason, however, is that I have — as this post may have foretold — been somewhat busy.
Gripped by a renewed sense of purpose, unexpectedly comfortable with my abandonment of Tomorrow Will Come, I have found and pursued a new direction… a new literary direction that is actually an old direction rethought. I have finally settled on what I think (hope!) is the right novel.
There have been so many false starts over the past six months or so, but this feels much more comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that I’ve managed outline fourteen chapters in about a week or so. At this rate, the whole novels should be outlined within a fortnight (I’m not over-outlining, but nor am I prepared to fly by the seat of my pants as I attempted with Tomorrow Will Come… I’ve found a middle ground that feels about right for what I need.)
At this stage I really don’t want to tempt fate by sharing anything more about it, other than to say that it’s called As Morning Shows the Day. At the same time, however, I’m excited about returning to the kind of writing I know I’m best at… so the temptation to rabbit on about it is pretty strong.
But I won’t… I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.
Or maybe I will. Just not yet.
Contemplative Christmas.
December 27, 2008
A flying visit between extremely exhausting bouts of doing relatively little.
Christmas has been unexpectedly relaxing. I’ve eaten too much, of course, and complained bitterly about just how abysmal the Christmas episode of The Royle Family was (Caroline Aherne has really lost the plot), but the time away from my work has provided me with an opportunity to reassess — something I felt was needed after recent conversations regarding Tomorrow Will Come.
To cut to the chase, I’ve realised that I need to set this piece of work aside for a while. Certain aspects of it are proving problematical and I now know that it’s because I’m not entirely comfortable with it. I could hammer away at it and fix it, of course, but that would only risk damaging the novel and its author! And so, it’s on the backburner.
I seem to be going through a period of creative flux. I’m very aware of the need to find something that stands out, especially in these difficult times. I am also very aware that I’ve moved away from the kind of material I do best — tragicomic, almost absurdist pieces that draw on my early influences (John Irving, Garrison Keillor, Joseph Heller et al.) I think Mike helped me see this, even though he possibly didn’t realise it, by mentioning Heller a few days ago. Cheers, mate.
And, so, I’m going to take about another a week or so away from the problem of what I’m going to do next. I do already know that I need to write something humourous — not flat-out comedy, but something with my trademark eccentric characters. I haven’t written anything like that for… well, since before I started writing this blog, and I think the market for that kind of material has probably improved in the interim. Nonetheless, I’m not rushing into anything. I have probably been pushing a little too hard.
Time to just sit back and let the story come to me.
Everyone have a nice Christmas/holiday/anti-Christmas?
Richard Dawkins: An Interview with Derren Brown.
December 13, 2008
Many of you will already be familiar with Richard Dawkins’s series, Enemies of Reason. In this series, Dawkins examines the all-too-readily accepted charlatanism of psychics, astrology, homoeopathy and more.
During one section of Enemies of Reason concerning spiritual readings, Dawkins interviews the illusionist Derren Brown in order that he might be better prepared for the tricks (cold reading etc) that will inevitably be used during a visit he plans to make to a spiritualist church.
Below, you will find the complete, uncut interview (not shown in the original series.) The interview is taken from “The Enemies of Reason: The Uncut Interviews“.
All text © 2008 Gary William Murning
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Triffids Returning to Television.
November 29, 2008
The new incarnation of the Triffids with their fatal sting will be shown in High Definition for the first time.
via BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Triffids returning to television
John Wyndham’s science-fiction classic The Day of the Triffids is to get another reworking by the BBC in a production due to be screened next year.
And I for one am certainly looking forward to watching it.
Whatsoever a Man Soweth…
November 24, 2008
As Alistair Darling follows his actually rather terrifying “do something rather than nothing” approach to lessening (and let’s not be mistaken; this is only about lessening, not fixing) the impact of the global economic crisis/slowdown, I once again find myself asking the very question that Hugh Pym asked in the abovequoted piece for the BBC.
Also, I’m certainly no economist, but another question I find myself asking is this: ultimately, will even these high degrees of government borrowing actually adequately address the problem? Darling forecasts that the annual budget (excluding investment) will be back in balance in 2015. But if Treasury forecasts were to be relied upon, shouldn’t we — or rather, they — have seen the current predicament coming?
Maybe we just need to accept that we have to hunker down and take what we’ve had coming for rather a long time. This strikes me as merely a postponement — and one, for that matter, that might actually make things even worse in the long run.
Like I said, I’m no economist. But is Alistair Darling?
Captain of the Titanic: We’ve hit an iceberg!
Alistair Darling: No problem, we’ll just make another hole to let the water out!
