Welcome to my blog. Without you it withers.
For the most part this blog is meant to reflect a writer’s life as he enters a phase of success. This phase, which like the Age of Aquarius is either a bit delayed or not all that’s it was cracked-up to be, is taking some time to manifest and at the moment looks very much like the previous stage that consisted of occasionally sending stuff off into the ether only to have it evaporate or somehow disappoint. For example this blog; even when it gets read no-one leaves a comment. My Writers and Artists Yearbook promised me abuse but I’ve not even had that. Then my finely crafted 600 word article on Dying in Avalonia – it’s been published so where’s the response to my invitation to communicate with me on these highly important and relevant matters?
This week I’ve spent writing just under 6,000 words of my novel ‘Sad Sam.’ This is a book that I wrote 13,000 words of some time last year and then sort of forgot about. Recently when I saw that a publisher was asking for material, I sent him a whole bunch of stuff and that added the uncorrected Sad Sam as an afterthought. Within a couple of days I discovered that he wasn’t a ‘real’ publisher but wanted to turn my novel into an ebook when I completed it. This, of course, I could do myself, as I so nearly have with Boggy Starless. But would I? Not any time soon, that’s the truth.
Is there any money in an ebook? 99% not? Why bother then? Because you never know, because this guy might have some marketing energy that I don’t, because I’m overly moved by someone actually liking what I’ve done. (If he still does when the rest of it is created.) My supposed aim is to earn a living through writing and I saw myself writing articles rather than punting another novel. But
Writing a novel can be the most fun. I was nervous last Sunday when I began to read the first six chapters; what if I had no feeling for the story or couldn’t think where to go with it? Last year I had a vision of the plot but that’s all gone now. I decided that I’d try a new way of working and instead of making it up as I went along I’d take a more Fritz-like approach and plan it as best I could. In fact I’ve done exactly as I’ve always done, focusing on the scene I’m writing while jotting down ideas, lines, plots, for the future as they occur to me. It takes me a whole day to come up with a 1,000 words so the 6,000 I’ve knocked-up is quite satisfying.
One useful tip Fritz gives is to always ‘have somewhere to go.’ To finish the day with a good sense of what’s coming next is very relaxing because it is bugger sitting there in the morning waiting for the story to unfold itself.
Talking of stories…I’m so thoroughly peeved with this whole Politicians-Press-Police obsession of the politicians and the press. How much self-important self-serving sanctimonious shit can these people talk? Yes, deleting messages from that poor child’s phone was sick and stupid. Did the guy that did it realize the implications of what he was doing? Probably not. And why did he do it? Because he wanted paying. Who paid him? You did, I did. Who is killing innocent people in Libya? You are, I am. Who is allowing the ‘bankers’ to rape the fruits of your labour? You are, I am. Et cetera.
Sorry for that rhetorical impulse. There’s a religious preacher within me: all I need now is religion. My inner American, Jack, he’s the one for laying down the law – as we will see in a moment. Last week I promised two visions of the future, mine and his. We’ll start with me, of course.
In Barry Long’s book, written I remind you, in 1985, he forecasts there will be a time when “the ‘democratic’ media, now being able to cast around the whole world instantaneously for problems and unhappiness, will seem to run into a goldmine of both…Significantly, wherever the media reporters go in the world, conditions and unhappiness there will get worse. But no-one will notice this for everyone will think that it is the events making the news. But it will be the news making the events.”
He then makes a number of other prophecies including the rise of terrorism, the world-wide coverage of civil disturbance including the showing of army and official para-military brutality against civilian populations in the name of maintaining law and order, natural disasters and economic collapse. Meanwhile the news and entertainment industries will become as one and the only entertainment, the only excitement, will be the bad news. Shortly after that we’ll be so depressed that we’ll blow ourselves up.
Actually the last sentence isn’t quite what he said but reporting him accurately means copying out the whole bloody book and I’m not doing that. Read it, ‘Ridding Yourself of Unhappiness.’ Why not?
Hi, I’m Jack and I’ve been given less than 100 words to put forward a positive view about the future. Here it is.
Let us create an ENLIGHTENED PLANETARY CIVILIZATION.
What do you think? No, don’t tell me, especially if your reaction is negative. Let me ask you this, which you can reply to, “What are you doing to create an enlightened civilization?”
Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.
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