Wobbler, Mockingbird and novel length

24 January

Catching up with telly took up most of yesterday along with a couple of pints of Weddy Wobbler in the Anker. I was in bed and reading for 9.30 while Jan sat and watched Dancing with Wolves, a film I have never fancied. She came through at 10.30 and woke me. I settled at that point and must have dropped off again fairly quickly seeing as the next thing I remember was waking around 6.30 needing a wee. Ah well ... ... ...

Wednesday night I finished one of the best books I have ever read. The Colour of Law by Mark Gimenez is his first book. It's the story of a black heroin addicted hooker who is charged with murdering a senator's son. She is innocent and her lawyer, a big fan of To Kill a Mockingbird proves she is innocent and unmasks the real killer. Yes, I know it's been done before, Mockingbird being the first but having read Mockingbird years ago, I still like Gimenez's reworking.

While the foot butcher was here last week we were speaking about writers first books. I have a theory see; some who has not written before JK Rowling for instance, produce thin books, both the storyline and in page/word count. Look at the difference in Rats and Ash, the first and last of James Herbert's books.

But anyone who has written before is able to do much better. By that I mean someone who has done any serious writing, short stories, lawyers, students, journalists and so on. You can see that in Gimenez and also in Peter James, whose first book I began reading last night. Yes, I know ... again ... I fell asleep but that wasn't the fault of the book but of me being tired. Anyway, James is an experienced writer have written screen plays and so on while living in Canada.

My first book, The Mission runs to 98,000 words. The next one, House of Pain is 118,000 words, with its follow-up at around the same. Yet last month I read that most writers tend to aim for around 60-70,000 words. An editor I spoke to once said less than 100,000 words for a first book is best. So who is right? Blowed if know!     

Photo time ... 

Thatched Dunchurch.

And today's funny ... sorry for the upper case ...

A PLANE IS   ON ITS WAY TO TORONTO , WHEN A BLONDE IN ECONOMY CLASS GETS UP, AND   MOVES TO THE FIRST CLASS SECTION AND SITS DOWN.
THE   FLIGHT ATTENDANT WATCHES HER DO THIS, AND ASKS TO SEE HER  TICKET.
HE THEN TELLS THE BLONDE THAT SHE PAID FOR ECONOMY CLASS, AND THAT SHE WILL HAVE TO SIT IN THE  BACK.
THE BLONDE REPLIES, "I'M BLONDE, I'M BEAUTIFUL,   I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE."
THE   FLIGHT ATTENDANT GOES INTO THE COCKPIT AND TELLS THE PILOT AND THE  CO-PILOT THAT THERE IS A BLONDE
BIMBO SITTING IN FIRST CLASS, THAT BELONGS IN ECONOMY, AND WON'T MOVE BACK TO HER  SEAT.
THE CO-PILOT GOES BACK TO THE BLONDE AND TRIES  TO EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE SHE ONLY PAID FOR ECONOMY
SHE  WILL HAVE TO LEAVE AND RETURN TO HER SEAT.
THE BLONDE  REPLIES, "I'M BLONDE, I'M BEAUTIFUL, I'M GOING TO TORONTO AND I'M   STAYING RIGHT HERE."
THE CO-PILOT TELLS THE PILOT THAT HE  PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE THE POLICE WAITING WHEN THEY LAND TO  ARREST
THIS BLONDE WOMAN WHO WON'T LISTEN TO  REASON. THE PILOT SAYS, "YOU SAY SHE IS A BLONDE?   I'LL HANDLE THIS, I'M MARRIED TO A BLONDE. I SPEAK  BLONDE."
HE GOES BACK TO THE BLONDE AND WHISPERS IN HER  EAR, AND SHE SAYS, "OH, I'M SORRY." AND GETS UP AND GOES BACK  TO HER SEAT IN ECONOMY ..
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND  CO-PILOT ARE AMAZED AND ASKED HIM WHAT HE SAID TO MAKE HER MOVE  WITHOUT ANY FUSS.
"I TOLD HER SOFTLY, "FIRST CLASS ISN'T GOING TO TORONTO"