Snowy Sunday.

This morning we woke to snow — not exactly crisp and even (more slushy and patchy), but snow nonetheless. I looked at it from my window, contemplated the hills and the admittedly vague possibility of careening down them with nothing separating my bottom from that chilly substance other than a Marks & Spencer carrier bag, had a mug of tea and, as my still being fit and well and all in one piece attests, decided that I would leave such foolishness to those better equipped (i.e. children who haven’t yet acquired enough bumps and bruises to understand the dangers and eager-to-impress grandfathers who should know better, but never do.)

Instead, I started work on chapter two of Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just Like Today. The second chapter can often be a little difficult, I find. After the initial buzz of starting the novel it can feel as if it has the potential to stall — it’s almost as if it tries to rein me in, settle me down for the long haul ahead. Something I don’t appreciate, and something that just hasn’t happened in this particular case.

I think the complexity of character and relationship within the novel is the key to ensuring that I remain as intrigued and committed to it as I want the reader to be. As I’ve already mentioned, the larger framework of the novel came to me pretty much fully formed. I know the beginning, the middle and the end. Nevertheless, there is still enough to hold my interest, to keep me on my toes. And there’s still room for me to improvise subplots etc if appropriate ones spring to mind as I write it.

I’m really glad I didn’t outline this in detail beforehand.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

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Ain’t That the Truth?

One of many apposite H.L. Mencken quotes:

“In the United States, doing good has come to be, like patriotism, a favorite device of persons with something to sell.”

H. L. Mencken.

Sometimes Life Is Just Too Good.

Today I allowed myself a short between-chapters break, happy with what I’ve achieved this week. I therefore spent the morning away from the computer and… oh, okay, I didn’t spend the morning away from the computer. I sorted a few notes and then had my customary look around the web, seeing what was new and hoping to annoy a few people.

Whilst I failed miserably on the latter (I must be getting old), I did find something on YouTube definitely worth sharing.

After being ripped off for three years by YouTubers, the Monty Python team has finally, with fanfare, crapulent mutterings and slightly dazed expressions, dothered into the 21st century and set up their own YouTube channel.

And about time too!

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Tomorrow Will Come… Chapter One.

As promised, here is the first draft of chapter one of my new novel, Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just Like Today.

It is, intentionally, a dark, introspective psychological piece and I will, naturally, be very interested in hearing if I’ve managed to achieve this dark introspection without the reader losing his or her wish to continue. There are a couple of story hooks, and, in spite of their difficulties, I think my characters are quite engaging, but I am of course too close to it at this stage to know how successful it is (or isn’t!)

Take a look when/if you have time and feel free to share any comments here.

Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just Like Today — Chapter One.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Sergeant Marches.

Former political journalist and the unquestionable star of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing John Sergeant has, alas, decided that enough is enough and the joke has gone on long enough. After being continually criticised by the judges, and in spite of the huge public support, this funny, charming and thoroughly entertaining gentlemen has quit the show.

Whilst I certainly understand why he felt the need to do this I can’t help feeling that this light entertainment show has, in this case, lost some of the very things that made it successful. Humour and the opportunity for the viewing audience to stick two fingers up at the judges and vote for whoever they judge fit. Contrary to the insistent proclamations of some, this is not a dance contest. It’s more than that. If it were not, the old format Come Dancing would never have become unpopular and faded from our screens.

Strictly Come Dancing is purely and simply light-hearted entertainment. It’s disposable television intended for those of us who just want to turn off for a short while and watch something that demands nothing.

Let’s not take it too seriously, please. It kind of defeats the object.

John actually looking quite graceful in my humble opinion.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

The Secret to Publication.

It took Barack Obama to show me the error of my ways. Sitting here, working on my new novel (Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just Like Today), I was wholly unaware of just how deluded and misguided I actually was.

You see, I was completely oblivious to the fact — in spite of masses of evidence — that in order to be a successful writer you first have to follow an unrelated career, become successful at that (“successful” being defined however you wish) and then sit back and wait for publishers to come to you! Such folly! What on earth was I thinking of? A writer sits in front of his computer, working off his squishy bits, day in, day out, produces a masterpiece and then gets published? No? Perish the thought! What an absurd notion!

Thankfully, I today found myself completely disabused of this ridiculousness when dear old Amazon.co.uk sent me a charming email (“Dear customer”… isn’t that sweet?) offering me 50% off selected “celebrity books”. Amongst them was Barack Obama’s memoir, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. Actually one of the few I might consider reading, though it did occur to me that the usual way of doing these things is to get the presidency out of the way first and then write the memoir. But what do I know?

He was in good company, however. Dawn French, Alan Carr, Fern Britton and someone I’d never heard of called Marcus Tescothick or something all have autobiographies (“alleged” autobiographies, I should probably say) out at the moment and, suitably inspired by this Celebrious deluge, I came up with, as Baldrick might well have put it, a cunning plan.

I’m going to become celebrated for something other than writing! I haven’t decided quite how I’m going to do this, yet, but I figure it need not be anything too difficult. Falling out of a nightclub, knickerless and with a footballer on my arm would probably do the trick, but it’s a long time since I saw a fanciable footballer and, well, you know, I wouldn’t want to get a chill.

So… this is your mission if you should choose to accept it. In order to achieve fame/infamy (I’m not really all that particular) and, ultimately, get my work published, what rocky route to stardom should I take?

My future, ladies and gentlemen, is in your hands.

© 2008 Gary William Murning

A World without Email.

Today we heard that, because of possible problems caused by transparency laws and security issues, Barack Obama — a textbook “functioning techie” — may have to go cold turkey, giving up emails in general and quite possibly his BlackBerry.

Now, however much some people might want me to be, I am not the president elect of the United States of America. I do not have to juggle a hundred things at once or ensure that I am briefed on everything from the name of the Queen of England’s favourite corgi to which button to press if someone annoys me a bit. Difficult decisions are not mine to make, or if they are the only lives that depend on it are purely fictional. Granted, I have many people — friends and acquaintances — that I like to keep up with, and, of course, many, many subjects interest me. Nonetheless it is fairly safe to say that the benefits that Barack Obama probably sees from using his BlackBerry/emailing/etc quite possibly far outweigh the benefits that I experience.

But I would not wish to give up the benefits I do receive from these wonderful (yes, I said wonderful!) technological developments — in the name of transparency or anything else (well, yes, all right, maybe personal security would persuade me, but you know what I mean.)

It seems quite bizarre that Obama will possibly be the first US president to have a laptop on his desk. Apart from Bill Clinton, of course, but that wasn’t quite the same thing. Yes, there are the inevitable dangers from hackers and so on and so forth. But surely that’s like telling the president he can’t eat pretzels because he might choke. Like that’s going to happen, right?

The world we live in is increasingly influenced by the electronic media. TV, Internet, email, weblogs, Twitter, Facebook — something new pops up every day (and, no, that’s not a reference to porn sites.) Let the president have his YouTube, Instant Messenger or whatever the hell else he wants, I say. I’d far rather have a tech-savvy US President who understands the world he lives in than a bumbling, technophobic idiot.

© 2008 Gary William Murning