Can't wait. One more day to go till Azincourt by Bernard Cornwall hits the shelves.
When was the last time I was this excited by a forthcoming book?
Well it wasn't that long ago actually. Sebastian Faulks joined a list of authors who have carried on the James Bond novel franchise, though his must surely have attracted the most media attention. Hell there's even some kind of trailer for it and it's own theme song if you haven't seen it its here!
Yet though I've had Devil May Care on my shelf for a whole 3 months now I'm yet to read it.
Why? I felt I just had to dust of the old Fleming novels and re-read them for the thousandth time first to get a feel and a flavour for the real Bond, James Bond.
Monday 29 September 2008
Can you force a good read?
Simple question really? Can you write something you have no interest in?
I'm not asking this on part of anything I'm doing, it was just a question that came to me in one of those quiet moments where my brain has nothing better to do than think of rubbish.
Another snippet I've thought about today when looking at my payslip and thinking the tax is daylight robbery. I have to be careful of this thinking malarkey as its probably allowed some vital procedure I need to know at work slip out the back door.
Window Tax and Daylight Robbery
Quick the Tax Man is on his way! Block out the light!
Wonder how these poor buggers at Hardwick felt! Ah they were probably wealthy enough anyways...
I'm not asking this on part of anything I'm doing, it was just a question that came to me in one of those quiet moments where my brain has nothing better to do than think of rubbish.
Another snippet I've thought about today when looking at my payslip and thinking the tax is daylight robbery. I have to be careful of this thinking malarkey as its probably allowed some vital procedure I need to know at work slip out the back door.
Window Tax and Daylight Robbery
Quick the Tax Man is on his way! Block out the light!
Wonder how these poor buggers at Hardwick felt! Ah they were probably wealthy enough anyways...
Sunday 7 September 2008
Whew!
I mentioned in a previous bit about my current project and its been a quick, quick, slow, quick start.
What I want to know is how do you know when something you've written is perfect?
My first draft sounded great. However, days passed and I began to build upon the foundations. The more I built, the more I thought I don't actually like this bit.
It was kind of like your dream house, only you've gone and made it out of cheese. It looks good, sounds good but after a few days it starts to smell!
Anyway, a second draft followed. Things changed, characters died before they had even been born. Unlucky.
Something still wasn't quite there. All I'd done was made it slightly nicer. Basically I'd fabreezed my cheese house. Not exactly a bad thing but pretty soon the cheese will strike back.
More tweaks, here and there led to a full rewrite and finally I'm happy with it...........for now.
Was all that time that went before a waste? It makes you wonder with the increasingly marketable commodity of director's cuts, making of books, isn't it time authors started sharing with their readers what the finished article might have been.
I believe we're too sneaky for that. There's no such thing as a bad idea...only an idea that needs to be saved for another day, another story...
What I want to know is how do you know when something you've written is perfect?
My first draft sounded great. However, days passed and I began to build upon the foundations. The more I built, the more I thought I don't actually like this bit.
It was kind of like your dream house, only you've gone and made it out of cheese. It looks good, sounds good but after a few days it starts to smell!
Anyway, a second draft followed. Things changed, characters died before they had even been born. Unlucky.
Something still wasn't quite there. All I'd done was made it slightly nicer. Basically I'd fabreezed my cheese house. Not exactly a bad thing but pretty soon the cheese will strike back.
More tweaks, here and there led to a full rewrite and finally I'm happy with it...........for now.
Was all that time that went before a waste? It makes you wonder with the increasingly marketable commodity of director's cuts, making of books, isn't it time authors started sharing with their readers what the finished article might have been.
I believe we're too sneaky for that. There's no such thing as a bad idea...only an idea that needs to be saved for another day, another story...
Friday 29 August 2008
Brave New World
They say never mix business with pleasure.
For me it was slightly different. The business was a new joint collaboration with a long time good friendly bloke. The pleasure was the beer whilst we we began our first steps into our brave new world.
Don't those beer fuelled ideas get you into trouble?
I've never written a graphic novel. When I write I see the world in its entirety, the look, the feel, the taste, the smell, everything.
Why would I want someone to steal that from me, to force the reader by slamming some image into his face whilst shouting 'Oi this is what I'm imagining. Look this is it! You can't imagine it any other way.'
The main reason is my great mate Chris Taylor, check out his blog here
How long this will take I don't know, but what I do know is I'll love every minute of it.
For me it was slightly different. The business was a new joint collaboration with a long time good friendly bloke. The pleasure was the beer whilst we we began our first steps into our brave new world.
Don't those beer fuelled ideas get you into trouble?
I've never written a graphic novel. When I write I see the world in its entirety, the look, the feel, the taste, the smell, everything.
Why would I want someone to steal that from me, to force the reader by slamming some image into his face whilst shouting 'Oi this is what I'm imagining. Look this is it! You can't imagine it any other way.'
The main reason is my great mate Chris Taylor, check out his blog here
How long this will take I don't know, but what I do know is I'll love every minute of it.
Thursday 28 August 2008
The Beginning - My Prologue
The creative medium, wouldn't life be boring without it.
I don't care who we pretend to be or who we really are, at some time we've all watched, read, listened or just plain imagined something that someone else has created for us. And after we've thought...WOW!
I've destroyed the Death Star more times than anyone I know.
I've saved the word countless times from one threat or another and yes in the end I always get the girl.
I don't know why I have to venture into other peoples worlds everyday, my own isn't that bad especially when you think most worlds I end up becoming part of have some tyrannical empire or just maniacal bad guy who wants to take over the world from his underwater cave.
Yet still we pack our bags and go. And the best bit is that each of us have a different journey. We read the same words, we see the same things, yet we are all in a slightly different realm.
And that's our imagination. I love mine. It is truly crazy and at times it means the washing up doesn't get done or the lawn doesn't get cut. But what the hell, whilst you've been doing the ironing I've been saving the galaxy. Again!
I don't care who we pretend to be or who we really are, at some time we've all watched, read, listened or just plain imagined something that someone else has created for us. And after we've thought...WOW!
I've destroyed the Death Star more times than anyone I know.
I've saved the word countless times from one threat or another and yes in the end I always get the girl.
I don't know why I have to venture into other peoples worlds everyday, my own isn't that bad especially when you think most worlds I end up becoming part of have some tyrannical empire or just maniacal bad guy who wants to take over the world from his underwater cave.
Yet still we pack our bags and go. And the best bit is that each of us have a different journey. We read the same words, we see the same things, yet we are all in a slightly different realm.
And that's our imagination. I love mine. It is truly crazy and at times it means the washing up doesn't get done or the lawn doesn't get cut. But what the hell, whilst you've been doing the ironing I've been saving the galaxy. Again!
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