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Just before Christmas '07, I went out for drinks with friends I rarely see. I'd been writing for about 6 weeks. I told them I was writing a murder mystery, proudly boasting that I'd written 12,000 words already. I hadn't got to the murder yet though, I added.

"You've written 12,000 words of a murder mystery with no murder?" said one of them. "That doesn't exactly sound riveting!"

With friends like that...

However others were A LOT more encouraging, so I kept writing instead of topping myself.


I stopped submitting to agents a month or so ago. I decided that the novel was just not ready, and I could be harming its chances by sending it out. There were a number of issues churning at the back of my mind, not ready to be verbalised.

The intervening month has clarified one of them for me:

The first 12,000 words of my murder mystery have no murder. Maybe that is insufficiently riveting.


So when I embark on the next round of edits, the murder will be moving from page 58 to page 1. Current pages 1-57 will appear around pg. 4 or 5 and 9 or 10, interspersed with current events.

I'm not over-fond of books that are structured like this. If Agatha can spend 30 pages (admittedly, rarely 57 pages) setting the scene, I tend to think, who are we to introduce time disconnects and where-did-it-all-go-wrong flashbacks?

There is, however, a difference. When you pick up an Agatha Christie you're along for the ride. You know you'll be entertained. You let Agatha take you there how she will. When you pick up one of my books there will be slightly more uncertainty - at least until you've read some of my stuff already.

No poetry

Adorno famously said "There is no poetry after Auschwitz".

That's how I feel after the release of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse in Ireland.

The findings are being discussed all over the country this week. My usual concerns seem inexpressibly trivial in the light of what these children went through.

The report is honest and detailed and its authors deserve praise. But it's too late. Most of the victims are long dead.

Back back back!

I'm just back from a holiday on a remote Croatian island with no public internet access. Hi!

While we were away, the winner of the Francis MacManus award was announced. You can read the details here.

The winning story was broadcast on May 10th. It should be available here. Click on the link for May 10th 2009.

I haven't tried to listen yet because the requisite silence is not available in my house. If the link turns out to be faulty I'll update this post.

Not only the winner, but twenty other stories to listen to! I can't wait!