1999-2009

A lot can change in ten years. Hell, a lot can change in a year. And believe me, it has.

This is me. Ten years ago to the day. Eighteen years old. At my friend's girlfriend's house. My best friend and I were rather proud of sorting out the drink and food, hence the picture. Honestly, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the pub, the trip to the supermarket. I remember the boys buying cigars. I could even tell you the brand. I remember my then girlfriend and those cocktails that went in the freezer and I remember the music we listened to. It was a good time. I was happy. 

And here we are. Here I am. Ten years on. A whole decade's slipped by and I didn't really notice. But at the same time, so much has happened. I've made friends and lost friends. I've done stuff I regret and I've been treated horribly at times. I've become a writer and an author. I've grown. I've learned. I know better what I think about things now and I know to listen to my gut more. I've fallen in love with the wrong person. I've had my heart broken. I've been lonely, but I've been elated at times too and I've achieved things I quite simply didn't think were in my league.

Such a lot can happen in a decade. Such a lot can change. I know I have, hugely, and I like to think I'm less annoying now.

So I'm feeling a mixture of things as we're on the cusp of a new decade. I'm excited about what's in store for me and my friends and I'm also kind of sad about all that's been lost.

But tomorrow is another day. Another opportunity. The start of the next ten years.

That's exciting, no?

Friends, Happy New Year.

Crazy Glue

Those regular vistors among you will know how much of a fan of Etgar Keret's work I am; a lot of things have changed this year but that certainly hasn't. Last year I signed off with a video of his (I'm still dying to see the film) and I see no reason why this year should be any different (assuming there's nothing I have to say before the new year that is).

So, enjoy. And, in case I'm not back before this year's out: Happy New Year.

(And it was lovely to read that someone else is a fan now too - reading that made me very, very happy.)

And Yet Another Story Shape

This time from the very lovely Annie Clarkson.

Hope everyone's had a lovely time over the hols and that no-one's been suffering with the cough and cold I've had.

Happy Hols

Thanks for being with me this year, folks, you've been terrific company. I'd like to wish each and every one of you a wonderful and peaceful time over the hols. Have fun.

***

Oh and I just finished reading The Suicide Shop; best described as a futuristic French Addams Family. Quirky and funny and well worth a look.

See you all soon.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

It's a shame I've already listed my books of the year because The Elegance of The Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery would certainly have featured in it. (It'll have to go into next year's list.)

It's a remarkable book. Translated expertly from French it tells the story of two people who live in a swanky Parisian  apartment building; Renee, the seemingly grumpy, prickly concierge, and Paloma, the 12 year daughter of a wealthy family. Renee is desperate to hide her intelligence and love of art from everybody and Paloma, again hugely intelligent, has decided that there's nothing in life worth living for and so has decided to kill herself on her thirteenth birthday.

The book is a wonderful, delightful, mix of philosophy and observation and subtle humour, but most of all it's book about not fitting in, about being different. And it's about beauty, more specifically, about the beauty of friendship once any preconceived notions of class have been stripped away. It's about seeing people as they are, not as we expect them to be.

It is beautifully written and a book to be read when one can give it the attention and concentration it deserves. 

I loved it. Even though it made me cry.

(It's published by Gallic Books, who specialise in translating French books to the language I can read, and I've already started The Suicide Shop, another of theirs. I shall let you know how I get on...)

Lists

It would have been around about this time last year when my then girlfriend and I were having dinner at some place up in the hills and we got to talking about what we wanted to do the following year. It was exciting. It was going to be a year of Doing Things. Of going places. And, for me, of short stories. I think I'd only just got comfortable with saying that I was a short story writer back then; I'd not long read Aimee Bender and Etgar Keret and those sorts of wonderful, brilliant people, and I felt, finally, that I knew what I wanted to do and I was (reasonably) comfortable in the doing of it. It was going to be a great year.

Best laid plans, and all that. 

As you'll know too well if you've been reading this blog for a while it hasn't turned out to be an exciting year of doing things. Early in the year it transpired that my then girlfriend had a list of her own and we split up. It was painful. And then I got ill, which was painful too. You know, I've spent a fair amount of time moaning about these sorts of things on here, and I'm not going to now. My point is that I was a little dubious about making any sort of plans for 2010.

But I did.

I wrote a list the other day. There are the obvious things on it, things like doing more exercise (I recently lost the beard and discovered I'd gained a flabby neck) and maybe giving up smoking, but there are other things on there too. Things like doing more stuff. I've spent most of this year writing and it's tired me out, to some degree, and to a greater degree it's kept me in my office and on my own. I've not done as much by way of workshops as I could, which I'd like to change. So those are the sorts of things that have made their way onto my list.

But this is the most important one, I think:

And it feels that I'm on the right course to achieve that. This year my stories have appeared in some really cool places (so I'm doing something right) and it feels like I'm writing well and still learning. It's all about learning.

Which has been another big feature of 2009. I've learned a lot about writing and about the industry, and I've seen what brilliant people there are in it. People who genuinely care about stories and books and writers and literature and I've learned that most of those people are great and lovely and cool. And I am incredibly fortunate to be able to call some of those people my friends.

And I think I've learned a lot about people as well. I've learned (sadly, but it has had its benefits) that some people aren't nice. That some people are selfish. That some people will use you. That some people are hypocrites. That some people are chronically wrong and that some chronically don't care. And I've learned that there's a lot of rubbish on the internet and in the papers and that, actually, there's nothing I can do about it no matter how much I shake my head and scream 'that's just not true' at the computer screen (mostly it seems to be things about short stories). (And yes, I do count myself among those who aren't always nice - I can be (more than) an arse at times.)

But. Here we are. We're at the end of the year. Outside there's snow falling, and in the street lights it sparkles; that could be magic. Some of it's stuck. Christmas is just around the corner. And after it, January and the whole of 2010. A whole new year. To do stuff in. To be happy, or at least try to be. To write. To make stuff up. To make mistakes and to learn from them. To learn more.

Now that it's almost here, in a reserved and cautious way, I'm quietly excited. 

(And while I'm talking about lists, here's a very short story I wrote about one.)

I Like This Song

It's by Polly Scattergood and her myspace page is here.

And I should really mention Andy here, because it was through his blog that I discovered her. He interviews Polly here.

A Quick Celebration

Because I'm off to teach my writing group shortly.

But today marks the 30th anniversary of The Clash's London Calling, which I couldn't possibly have left unmentioned. 

Another Shape

The lovely Jen is the latest to offer a story shape (with a cat thrown in for free) - have yourselves a look here.

Book of the Year 2009

Right. I've thought long and I've thought hard about this. I even went back to some of the books listed yesterday and dipped into them for a reminder, in case I'd missed something.

 

And I have come to my decision.

 

Here are my top 3 books of the year.

 

 

 

 

At number 3.

 

Black Boxes by Caroline Smailes. 

 

I read this right at the beginning of the year and it's stayed with me since.

 

Haunting, heart breaking, brave, believable and brilliant.

Number 2.

The Girl on The Fridge by Etgar Keret.

 

Along with Aimee Bender, Keret's work has changed how I write and what I write about. This is an amazing collection of short fiction. 

 

Different, funny, sad, brilliant and written by someone with the most wonderful of imaginations. 

And the winner is...

1.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.

 

When I finished this I remember saying that it could be my favourite book ever. So, well, it must be my favourite of the year.

 

Brilliantly imaginative, in terms of story and structure, brilliantly written, moving and funny. It's a classic.

***

 

And a few honourable mentions.

 

An A-Z of Possible Worlds, by A C Tillyer for being a brilliant short story collection and brilliantly packaged.

 

Heaven Can Wait, by Cally Taylor for being funny and incredibly moving and for making me love it despite it being outside of what I normally read.

 

Elephants in Our Bedroom, by Michael Czyzniejewski, for having superbly crafted stories, written by someone with an imagination up there with the best.

 

Dear Everybody, by Michael Kimball, which could be the American companion to Black Boxes.

 

And Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout for being a brilliant and moving story about a life and having just about the perfect opening chapter I've read.

***

So there you have it. Anyone else going to share?

Books of The Year: The Nominations

Okay. Consider this a list of nominations, or something. I'd planned to simply list my top five or ten books I've read this year, but it got rather tricky because I read so many excellent ones. So here's a list of seventeen I thought outstanding. I loved every one. Stay tuned for my winner (if I can make a decision, that is...).

So. The nominations are:

Black Boxes, by Caroline Smailes.

Dear Everybody by Michael Kimball

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor.

Slaughterhouse 5 By Kurt Vonnegut.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.

Elephants in Our Bedroom by Michael Czyzniejewski.

The Loudest Sound and Nothing, by Clare Wigfall.

An A-Z of Possible Worlds, by A. C. Tillyer.

Lizard by L. Schick.

Big World by Mary Miller. (Can't seem to find this on The Book Depo or Amazon. Bear with me.)

A Brief History of Time by Shaindel Beers.

Kafka in Bronteland by Tamar Yellin.

The Nimrod Flipout by Etgar Keret.

The Girl on the Fridge by Etgar Keret.

Tell Me Everything by Sarah Salway.

***

If you'd like to see which other books I've read and loved then be my friend on Goodreads. There are a fair few on there which haven't quite made the list, despite me liking them an awful lot.

And have you read any of the above? Not that it'll sway my judgement, but do feel free to tell me what you thought of them/it...

Or tell me your book of the year. It's all inclusive on this blog!

And Another!

Brilliant - I've just received another story shape - this one's the brilliant and lovely Heaven Can Wait author, Cally Taylor's WiP. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

And The Story Images Keep Coming

This one from Andy's WiP, Deception.

Any more for any more? I'm finding this fascinating and fun.

You Might Also Like...

Here are a couple of new places on the web you might like to check out.

Short Circuit, Salt's guide to the art of the short story has its own website here.

Top writer Gretel, who used to work for Salt, has just started a blog here.

And my friend, the top poet, Harry Owen has also got in on the blogging action. Enjoy.

And Another Shape

Well, I asked earlier if anyone would like to share an image that they thought represented their story (see post below) and Vanessa has sent me this. I laughed and I laughed.

She said: 'Here is the shape of my novel-type-thing'

And here it is. Wonderful.

More Shapes

Ooh now, that's cool. I blogged a little while ago about the shape of my stories and now Teresa and Miriam have posted images of the shapes of theirs. You can see Teresa's here and Miriam's here. Anyone else like to share...?

Thank You

The lovely http://essygie.blogspot.com/ has given me a Kreative Blogger Award. Which is lovely. Thank you very much. But as I've done two already this year, one here, the other here, I can't really think of anything else interesting to tell you. Sorry about that.

Other than I think I'm in love,a little bit, with this singer.

Cally Taylor Interview

As I mentioned here, I hugely enjoyed Cally Taylor's Heaven Can Wait when I read it a little while ago. It's a terrific book, funny and sad and affecting and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. So it really is a huge, huge pleasure to welcome Cally to my blog for a little chat (and I know I say it's a pleasure to welcome everyone I interview here, but it really is - I don't interview people I don't like or whose work I don't think is awesome!).

 

Cally Taylor. Hello!

Hello Nik! Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog.

 

First things first (let’s get this out of the way). Your book, the brilliant Heaven Can Wait, made me cry. How does it feel to have written something that made a grown man weep?

Pretty gobsmacked to be honest, and a little bit guilty for upsetting you! When I wrote ‘Heaven Can Wait’ I never imagined that

a) men would read it and

b) it would touch them

but I’ve heard back from a couple of men who’ve read it now and had nothing but positive comments (the ones with negative comments probably decided to keep them to themselves!).  Interestingly the part of the book that made you cry made me cry when I wrote it and I think maybe that’s what touches people, the genuine emotion I put into ‘Heaven Can Wait’.

 

Can you tell us what the book’s about?

‘Heaven Can Wait’ is a supernatural romantic-comedy (yes, despite the crying there are funny bits in it!) about a woman called Lucy Brown who dies the night before her wedding and ends up in Limbo. She’s given the choice between going to heaven to be reunited with her parents or returning to earth to complete a task that will allow her to become a ghost so she can be reunited with her fiancé Dan. Lucy decides to return to earth, joins two other ‘wannabe ghosts’ in a grotty house in North London, and has twenty-one days to find love for a total stranger. The pressure is on, and it just gets greater when she realises her so-called best friend Anna is intent on making a move on Dan.

 

When and why did you start writing it?

Before ‘Heaven Can Wait’ I’d previously started two novels but ditched them when I ran out of steam/enthusiasm and kept telling myself ‘I’ll finish a novel one day’. In the summer of 2006 one of my best friends from school died suddenly and unexpectedly and, as people often do in such situations, I re-evaluated my outlook on life. Time was precious I realised, and I couldn’t keep putting off writing a novel. By March 2007 the idea for ‘Heaven Can Wait’ was so clear in my head I had to sit down and write it. Three months and three weeks later I finished the first draft.

 

Love, in its different forms, is something that features a great deal in the book. Can you talk to us about that, about ‘love’ as a theme and a thing? Do you believe that love conquers all?

Wow – big question! People are motivated by different things - greed, desire, ambition etc but I think the most fascinating motivating force is love. Love is so hugely powerful it can compel people to do all kinds of insane/brave/unselfish things and it’s the reason Lucy overcomes obstacle after obstacle in her desperate attempt to be reunited with the love of her life. Can love conquer all? Not always unfortunately. Sometimes love can be unhealthy, sometimes it’s unrequited and sometimes people are so broken that even love can’t save them – but those are subjects I think I might save for future books!

 

Define ‘geek’.

Me! Er...someone who gets excited by technology and gadgets, someone who sits slightly uncomfortably on the edge of the social norm, someone who’d rather escape into a virtual world than live in the real one. I like geeks. They’re not trying to be ‘cool’, they just like what they like and they don’t care who knows it.

 

Would you say that Heaven Can Wait is a story about accepting people and forgiveness?

Hmmm... there’s certainly a lot of acceptance and forgiveness in ‘Heaven Can Wait’. Lucy makes a lot of assumptions about the people she meets when she returns to earth and it’s only through really getting to know them that her opinions change. She does forgive quite a few people too. Having said that I’d say that, at heart, ‘Heaven Can Wait’ is about putting other people’s dreams and needs above your own.

 

What do you think every great story has to have?

I think every great story has to have a character whose actions are driven by some kind of unrelenting desire/motivation. I also think the character has to undergo some kind of transformation/change of perception or, if they don’t, the reader does.

 

What’s the best bit about being an author?

Holding my book in my hands. That’s the biggest thrill of all.

 

Vanessa Gebbie said she enjoyed the originality of your ideas and wants to know what you put on your cornflakes in the morning.

I don’t! I have peanut butter on Ryvita! (I’m all about low GI foods at the moment). Maybe that’s the secret? Actually I blame Enid Blyton for my vivid imagination. If you were raised on tales of strange worlds at the top of the tree you’re bound to come up with some pretty strange worlds of your own.

 

And Annie Clarkson would like to know how much influence Boot Camp had on your writing.

Boot Camp taught me about the fundamentals of good fiction – good openings, strong characterisation, pace, plot, theme and endings to name but a few – and that, in order to improve as a writer you need to be disciplined. You need to set yourself targets, aim high and actually write instead of just talking about it.

 

How has writing Heaven Can Wait changed you as a writer?

Writing ‘Heaven Can Wait’ helped me find my voice as a writer. It made me realise what I do best – create stories that balance humour with emotion.

 

‘Cally Taylor’ is going to be entered into the OED and you can write its definition. What does it say?

Writer, dreamer, geek.

 

If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?

Can I be a metronome instead?  Once you set me off I just keep on going... (a bit like my answers to this interview!)

So, I enjoyed Heaven Can Wait a huge amount (I loved it) – what else would you recommend I read?

‘After You’d Gone’ by Maggie O’Farrell.

 [Nik: Interesting. I'll look that up because I loved The Distance Between Us...]

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given?

“Writers write”.

There’s a lot to be said for dreaming about writing, reading about writing and talking about writing but you’re not actually a writer unless you sit down and write.

Any tips for those dreaming of being published?

Write the novel you’re compelled to write. Write something that moves you and/or makes you laugh (or, if you write horror, genuinely scares you). I think readers/agents/publishers can tell if you’re faking it and have written something you hope will be commercial rather than something you were genuinely passionate about.

 

What’s next for you?

I’ve just delivered my second novel (hopefully out by the end of 2010) to my editor and am waiting for her feedback. I’ve spent the last year working on it and am looking forward to a few weeks off over Christmas so I can re-charge my batteries, indulge in some DVD boxed set marathons and finally read some of the books on my teetering ‘to be read’ pile. I’m hoping the break from writing will spark an idea for novel three.

 

Anything you’d like to add?

Thank you for a lovely interview. You’re a very nice man J

 

Cally Taylor was born in Worcester, lives in Brighton and has been writing fiction 'seriously' since 2005. She knew she wanted to become a writer when she was eight years old but a serious daydreaming habit and chronic procrastination meant it took her a while to do anything about it. Cally began by writing short stories and has been published by several literary magazines and anthologies (including Route Book at Bedtime, QWF, Aesthetica and Etchings) and women's magazines (My Weekly, Woman's Own and Take a Break Fiction Feast).  In 2007 she turned her attention to novel writing and, in October 2009, her debut novel, a supernatural romantic-comedy called "Heaven Can Wait" was published by Orion Paperback. 

This is her website and this is her blog.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

First things first. Before things get self-indulgent.

Look what the postman brought me earlier...

Yep. A (signed!!!) copy of Girl Aloud by Emily Gale. Really looking forward to reading this. Oh yes. (And you can see me interviewing the delightful Emily here.)

***

And I think I'm going to write a list at some point, a list of things to do and to change over the course of 2010.

Things like getting out more, and doing more exercise will be on there, as will, perhaps, getting a life and worrying/complaining less.

And I'm thinking about maybe leaving an online writing community I've been a member of for a few years.

And on the subject of change...

after I had my hair cut last week I was very bold and I trimmed my beard very, very short. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to go the whole hog and actually shave but, I don't know, I quite like being relatively un-bearded for the first time in three years.

Look: for the moment I'm not scruffy...

***

And finally, before I sign off get back to work, the latest edition of the wonderful Short Review's just gone live. Do have a look.

Learn From Me

Over the summer I was asked if one of my stories could feature in a US online fiction writing course for high school students, and to cut a long story short I said yes.

Yesterday I saw the part of the course that contained my story, and that made me happy for a number of reasons. I liked that it was under the 'advanced fiction' banner (I've never been called advanced before) and I also liked that it was in the section that dealt with 'going beyond the rules'.

But the best bit was that my work's mentioned in the same sentence as Dave Eggers. Yes. Mr McSweeney's and Pullitzer Prize Finalist.

Here's a little quote:

"Another unspoken rule that is generally followed by writers is to avoid writing in the second person point of view.

Flash fiction allows writers to experiment with this point of view because, in a story so short, readers are a little more willing to accept things that would be more difficult to accept if they were spending a long time with them. Read either Seconds Are Ticking By by Nik Perring or Accident by Dave Eggers'."

Which made me very happy indeed. I just hope my story's useful.