The Bright Bits of Harry

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The Bright Bits of Harry

Harry was bright as any bell

The army taught him how to yell

Around poor Harry they all fell

Making Harry quite unwell

Left looking very pale

Had PTS for a spell

He thought he too might catch a shell

Too late for that alarm bell

They blew poor Harry all to hell

Victim of the big hard sell

A trillion droplets off the scale

Bravery holds no parallel

While catching missiles from the infidel.

For Harry – one last death knell!

Opher – 14.8.2024

It’s just a game, deploying meat to the old meat grinder.

Extract from the antinovel: 53 and imploding Kindle/Paperback

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I live in a nice house that is three hundred years old. The doorways and ceilings are low because people were smaller back then. Even I have to occasionally duck. It used to be a farm, a pair of two-up two-down cottages, and a shop and now it is my home. The mortgage is completely paid off. I own it. Except in reality I am merely passing through. I will leave it to my wife and then my children. It will be lived in by others after me. It will be altered, decorated, knocked around, improved and no evidence of me will remain. I am passing through.

I love this house. It is warm and cosy. It has room to stretch out. We have invested much time and energy into making it a home. It houses my books, records, CDs and computers. I am comfortable here. There is a sense of history in the walls. They lean and tilt, the floorboards creak, and the ceilings sag. It is happy with the way it has settled into itself and redolent with the memories of unseen people. I have grown into it and lean and sag to the same extent in sympathy.

I am passing through.

53 and imploding eBook : goodwin, opher: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Top Rock Album Books

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ere is a list of some of my top Rock Music books (all available in paperback or kindle and some in Hardback):

Phil Ochs – On Track: Every Album, Every Song

Phil Ochs was the ‘The Prince of Protest’ in the sixties. The only real rival to Bob Dylan, he was the archetypal Greenwich Village topical songwriter. Whether protesting the Vietnam War or campaigning for civil rights, workers’ rights and social justice, Phil was always there. Phil was the man to take up causes, write songs, play at rallies and even risk his life. His clear voice and sense of melody, linked with his incisive lyrics, created songs of beauty and power. As his career progressed, with lyrics and music becoming more highly poetic and sophisticated, he still never lost sight of his cause. Towards the end of the sixties he joined with the YIPPIES in protest against the Vietnam War. But idealism became Phil’s downfall. He was an idealist who could see no point in continuing if he was unable to make the world a better place. Phil lost all hope and descended into depression, which, along with excessive alcohol consumption, led to his suicide in 1976. Shortly before he took his life, Phil asked his brother if he thought anyone would listen to his songs in the future. Well here we are; sixty years later, still listening. The songs of Phil Ochs are every bit as relevant as they ever were and they are making the world a better place!

Phil Ochs On Track: Every Album, Every Song: Amazon.co.uk: Opher Goodwin: 9781789523263: Books

Captain Beefheart On Track: Every Album, Every SongCaptain Beefheart (Don Vliet) was undoubtedly the creator of the most bizarre and wonderful music. A child prodigy sculptor, he applied his artistic approach to music, creating ‘aural sculptures’. He befriended Frank Zappa in High School, collaborating on a teenage rock opera and sci-fi/fantasy film entitled Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People. It was from this film that Don took his name. Of course, a magic character had to have a magic band. Captain Beefheart On Track: Every Album, Every Song : Opher Goodwin: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Roy Harper On Track: Every Album, Every SongRoy Harper must be one of Britain’s most undervalued rock musicians and songwriters. For over fifty years he has produced a series of innovative albums of consistently outstanding quality. He puts poetry and social commentary to music in a way that extends the boundaries of rock music. His 22 studio albums 16 live albums, made up of 250 songs, have created a unique body of work. Roy is a musician’s musician. Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song (On Track): Amazon.co.uk: Opher Goodwin: 9781789521306: Books
In Search of Captain Beefheart – A Rock Music MemoirThe sixties raged. I was young, crazy, full of hormones and wanting to snatch life by the balls. There was a life out there for the grabbing and it had to be wrestled into submission. There was a society full of boring amoral crap and a life to be had in the face of the boring, comforting vision of slow death on offer. Rock music vented all that passion. This book is a memoir of a life spent immersed in Rock Music. In Search of Captain Beefheart: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781502820457: Books
Bob Dylan 1962 to 1970 On Track (Decades) Out this month!!  Bob Dylan is the magician who sprinkled poetic fairy dust on to the popular music of the early sixties and his songwriting sparked a revolution and changed rock music forever. The diminutive poet/singer claimed he was merely a ‘song and dance man’ but Dylan altered popular music from intellectually bereft teenage rebellion into a serious adult art form worthy of academic study. Bob Dylan 1962 to 1970 On Track (Decades) : Opher Goodwin: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Neil Young 1963 to 1970: Every Album, Every Song   Out this Autumn!!  In the realm of singer songwriters, few have been as influential as Neil Young, whose music has always been creative and relevant throughout six decades. Neil is a chameleon for whom boundaries of genres do not exist. He has delved into folk, country, r&b, rock ‘n’ roll, grunge, hard rock, electronic and pop and made them his own.Neil Young 1963 to 1970: Every Album, Every Song: Amazon.co.uk: Opher Goodwin: 9781789522983: Books
Nick Harper: The Wilderness Years    Nick speaks!  I first met Nick when he was a young child and over the years he has become a close friend. This book illuminates the genius that I feel is Nick Harper and is designed to accompany ‘The Wilderness Years’, a trilogy of vinyl albums. Nick talks candidly about many aspects of his music and career. I include, with Nick’s permission, the lyrics of all the songs featured in the trilogy. There are also many photos dating from his childhood to the present day.Nick Harper: The Wilderness Years: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9798815185630: Books
The Blues Muse – A novelI was in conversation with a good friend who, like me, is a Rock Music fanatic. We have both been everywhere, seen everyone and have had our lives hugely affected by music. However it is not who you have seen but what you failed to catch that you dwell on. I said to him that it would be brilliant if we had a time machine and were able to go back and see all the major events in Rock history; Robert Johnson play in the tavern in Greenwood, Elmore James in Chicago, Elvis Presley in the small theatres, The Beatles in Hamburg, Stones in Richmond, Doors in the Whiskey, Roy Harper at St Pancras Town Hall…………….. and a thousand more. Then I realised that I could. The Blues Muse: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781518621147: Books
Rock Routes – A History of Rock MusicThis charts the progress of Rock Music from its beginnings in Country Blues, Country& Western, R&B and Gospel through to its Post Punk period of 1980. It tells the tale of each genre and lists all the essential tracks. I was there at the beginning and I’m still there at the front! Keep on Rockin’!!Rock Routes: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781514873090: Books
Opher’s World Tributes to Rock Geniuses  If you like Rock Music you’ll love this! – 195 tributes to Rock Acts of Genius. – Each one a gem of a picture. You’ll find out what makes them so brilliant and a lot more besides! This is the writing of a true passionate obsessive. These are Ophers tributes to Rock geniuses – loving pen-pictures to all the great artists and bands that have graced the screens, airways, our ears, vinyl grooves and electronic digits – (well a lot of them anyway). These tributes make you thrill to all the reasons why they were so great.Opher’s World Tributes to Rock Geniuses: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781508631279: Books
537 Essential Rock Albums  – Pt. 1This is not your average run through an opinionated list of somebody’s favourite albums. This is much more than that. By the time you get to the end of the book you will be in no doubt as to the type of person who has written this and what their views are. This is Opher at his most extreme and outspoken. He’s been there at the front through thousands of shows, purchased tens of thousands of albums and listened to more music than seems possible to fit into a single life.537 Essential Rock Albums – Pt. 1 The first 270: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781502787408: Books

  Thank you for looking. Why not try one or two? And please leave a review! Cheers Opher

Yet more from 53 and imploding Kindle/Paperback

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Another little glimpse into the world of this biographical novel – a biography of thoughts, feelings and observation; a snapshot in time.

53 and imploding 

That’s why we had to make rules.

I’m quite in favour of most of the rules. They limit the things that the evil fuckers can do. You see, I use the word evil. We invented that to describe the vicious cruelty of a percentage of humanity. We imagined it as a cosmic battle between good and evil. It is not. It is merely life. It is a fundamental feature of humanity. We enjoy violence, pain and are excited by blood and death. We adore cruelty. Of course, most of us have blotted this out because we have been taught that these things are wrong. Only evil fuckers do these things because they are deranged. We are the good people. We believe in the rules. We do not want to be seen as evil fuckers and we do not even want to see ourselves as evil fuckers. The evil fuckers do these things. They have penetrated the restrictions and given vent to the feelings inside. They enjoy the power of being evil fuckers. They like the fear they engender. They get a buzz out of cruelty.

Bear baiting, cock fighting, dog fighting, bull fighting, gladiatorial fights and stoning to death are all cruel activities carried out by evil fuckers in the past or evil barbaric fuckers in uncivilised countries. Except these evil fuckers are or were considered ordinary people by everyone and themselves. Those cruel displays were eagerly visited by the masses of ordinary people. They sat and ate their equivalent of popcorn and oohed and aahed as the victims got ripped to pieces before their eyes. That’s real. Our civilised revulsion is a thin veneer covering a festering propensity towards violence.

There are no rules.

We make it up as we go.

We probably need the rules because deep down in our genes we are all evil fuckers.

I have to check down into myself to see if I can find the symptoms. I crane my neck at accidents.

53 and imploding eBook : goodwin, opher: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

A few Reviews to cheer me up!

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Thank you so much for your kindness in going to the trouble of leaving a review!!

Writing is hard – long hours and loneliness. A book will take around a thousand hours in the gestation! That’s a lot of one’s life to invest. I’ve been writing for some fifty-five years during which time I have created over a hundred book on a great range of subjects – fiction and non-fiction. I enjoy writing but sometimes it does become intrusive and often I wonder whether I should be spending my time in some other way. When I get those moments and feel it’s all pointless I just have to read your reviews and it raises my spirits. Thank you for keeping me insane!

Roy Harper

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT READ ABOUT A WONDERFUL ARTIST

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2021

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I have had a most enjoyable week reading Opher Goodwins’ book about Roy Harper’s songs while relistening to my own albums or streaming those not yet acquired via my favourite service. The book gives new insights into familiar tunes and lyrics, brings knowledge about recently heard gems and adds a greater depth to our collective knowledge about one of the most loved singer/songwriters of his generation.
The author’s easy, readable style and deep knowledge, based of hundreds of attended gigs and an almost life-long friendship with Roy, helps take the reader through each album track chronologically, including any associated singles and B-sides.
I came to Roy’s music via 1970’s Flat Baroque and Berserk’s ‘I Hate The White Man’, a fiery, almost contemporary, song, condemning those too rich or powerful to care. I’ve been lucky enough to see several equally emotional gigs. The associated paragraph’s detailed description of the song, the background to its live recording at the then home of English folk music, Les Cousins and the discussion about Roy’s desire to preamble the song, has given a greater depth to my understanding. This skill, to inform, educate and entertain, and in a lively way, is one of the strong points of the book, and will have the reader, leaning into its pages time after time when exploring one of Roy’s twenty-four described albums.
As an added bonus – as such – the author details many of Roy’s live recordings and radio sessions, compilations unreleased tracks, guest appearances and rarities as well. The book contains a fine selection of carefully chosen colour and B&W photographs of Roy in performance, socializing, his album covers and other memorabilia.
This book is a great read and a credit to a wonderful artist.

Phil Ochs

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Book

Reviewed in the United States on 19 December 2024

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Phil Ochs was a contemporary of Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Joan Baez and other well known denizens of the folk scene in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and 1970s. Ochs was a singer-songwriter who, unlike Dylan, remained true to his political beliefs throughout his career. From melodic renditions of poems by Alfred Noyes and Edgar Allen Poe to classic social justice songs like I Ain’t Marching Anymore and There But for Fortune, Ochs was a lesser known giant in the folk music scene.
Opher Goodwin has written the definitive book about Ochs’ songs. For those new to his subject, it is a wonderful introduction to the breadth of what Ochs achieved and longtime fans will find new dimensions to familiar lyrics. Opher writes with clarity, insight and ultimately, a love of Ochs that shines through, without fawning. I recommend it without hesitation.

Captain Beefheart

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book !

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2022

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This is such a brilliant book.I have been using this as a reference book to check which musician played on which album ! A lot of research has gone into it and the book is very informative ! The author loves the band,but isn’t afraid to speak out against something he doesn’t like (The Tragic band !)
It has me listening to the albums more intently now !
Nice to see some of the Captain’s lyrics about the state of our planet ! ( I wonder what he would think of mother earth in 2022!)
Highly recommended.

In Search of Captain Beefheart

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a ride!

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We move from the rock of a 2004 White Stripes gig to the deep blues of Son House performing in 1968 in the very first paragraph, which gives some idea of the huge range of personal and musical experience covered in this always lively and thoroughly engaging personal testimony. We are taken on a freewheeling and cheerfully anarchic journey across time and space from the earliest days of rock’n’roll through the vibrant 60s and its many musical offshoots and current influences, with every anecdote giving ample evidence for the author’s central idea – that music transforms and inspires like nothing else, forging an organic link with our own lives and even the politics and beliefs we live by. There are sharp, vivid, honest and cheerfully scatological portraits of his musical heroes with warm praise and candid criticism providing the salty ring of truth. The book has wry down-to-earth humour, a breakneck momentum, mostly good musical taste, fascinating gossip, strong opinions, passionate loves and equally passionate hates – and there’s not a dull moment in it. Written with a warm and generous spirit, in the end it amounts to a radical critique of much more than music. It captures the modern zeitgeist with zest and courage. Recommended.

Neil Young

5.0 out of 5 stars Forensic Examination of Neil Young’s early career

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2024

Another book in the fantastic On Track series from publishers Sonicbond.
Opher Goodwin’s book is indispensable to anyone who has an interest in Neil’s music or in 1960s music in general. This book deals with Neil’s formative years and has a very thorough 10 page introduction setting the scene before we even get to the first recordings. Neil’s life is described in detail and each LP track ( and single) is forensically described. Mr Goodwin obviously has a very deep love and understanding of his subject having been a fan since day 1. Neil Young is an enigma but Opher gets behind th rock star persona. He describes Neil’s early bands, The Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse and of course Crosby Stills Nash and Young. Thoroughly recommended.

Bob Dylan

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed track by track analysis of Dylans formative years.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 2023

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Dylan 1962 to 1970 is another book in the marvelous On Track series, published by Sonicbond.
It concentrates on Bob’s early career which is when he wrote most ( not all) of his best songs such as Like A Rolling Stone Blowing in the Wind, All I Really Want To Do, It Ain’t Me Babe etc. Opher Goodwin knows his subject inside out. He was around in the 60’s and saw many of the 60s legends.
This book goes from Dylan’s first album in 1962 up to New Morning in 1970. I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in Dylan or 60s music in general.

Nick Harper

5.0 out of 5 stars Two old friends, one take newly told.

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This is not just a book, it is a Labour of love. Other has known Nick for most of Nick’s life. He has a pride in him like a father, or at worst the best of teachers (though he will deny having taught Nick anything.) The book was intended as a companion to three L.P. Collection. It is more than that. Much more. It is the story of a songwriter, musician and maverick. It tells of a man who is committed to two things, his family and his musical integrity. The former should be the first consideration for any person with a family, the latter the method to support and provide for the former. Music is love. I have known Nick since 1984, but not as Opher does. I do not have bragging rights, but I know who he is. Looking back I realise he was enigmatic. I watched him over the years. I saw him to from passenger to team player to engine driver in his musical journey. Biscuits playing from very good to superb and peerless. His songs have taken a simi?at journey. His style has woven down many lanes, albeit closely linked. Through them all you hear Nick’s character.This story was familiar to me, like talking to an old friend. But there was more. The story is bigger than what I knew, the songs more complex, and intellectual.
If you know Nick Harper’s music, this book is essential. If you don’t, this is a guide to some of the most satisfying stuff you will hear this side of Killing Joke, classic 60s and 70s songwriters, modern day guitar wizzkids. A great read in easy style, with delightful interview responses from Nick himself to put flesh and blood to the story. Designed as a companion, but stands up by itself as a great little biography. Not just another chord in your song.

A few of my Roy Harper bootlegs

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I do enjoy listening to a classic Harper performance from the days gone by – just to remind myself and bask!

A rock music memoir – In Search of Captain Beefheart Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle

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Intro

The sixties raged. I was young, crazy, full of hormones and wanting to snatch life by the balls. There was a life out there for the grabbing and it had to be wrestled into submission. There was a society full of boring amoral crap and a life to be had in the face of the mind-numbing vision of slow death on offer.

Rock music vented all that passion.

This book is a memoir of a life spent immersed in Rock Music. I was born in 1949 and so lived through the whole gamut of Rock.

Rock music formed the background to momentous world events – the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, Iraq war, Watergate, the miners’ strike and Thatcher years, CND, the Green Movement, Mao and the Cultural Revolution, Women’s Liberation and the Cold War.

I see this as the Rock Era.

I was immersed in Rock music. It was fused into my personality. It informed me, transformed me and inspired me. My heroes were musicians. I am who I am because of them.

Without Rock Music I would not have the same sensibilities, optimism or ideals. They woke me up!

This tells that story.

In Search of Captain Beefheart: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9798346131236: Books

53 and imploding Kindle/Paperback

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I called this an anti-novel. It’s a semi-autobiographical rant that I wrote twenty-two years ago (where does the time go). A curmudgeonly old fart (me) is sitting in his study writing, having a mid-life crisis and seriously looking at the state of his life and the world around him. It’s a dark insight into a state of mind and the ridiculous mess we have made of things. I wrote it as a stream of consciousness. The ideas flowed. I summoned up the spirit of Kerouac and Henry Miller (if not the skill). It’s not like anything else. I enjoyed writing it and, here, twenty-two years later, I’m enjoying visiting with my old self.

It’s available on Amazon if you want to visit with my younger self. I was an angry man. Believe it or not – I am a happy optimist!

Extract from 53 and imploding

How can you be happy when a moronic footballer’s salary is hundreds of thousands a week? Stupid, selfish, greedy Rock Stars, actors and actresses earn millions while elsewhere babies lie bloated for want of a bowl of rice? A millionaire buys a trip on a spaceship while a whole nation festers in their own excrement?

            How can you be happy when you’re sitting there gloating, smug, arrogant, superior and pampered, thinking that your wealth, power, beliefs, abilities, intelligence, make you superior?

Don’t you realise that you’re just a rich, wealthy, arrogant, empty fool whose whole life is built on greed and is utterly, destructively hollow? You are burning your seconds. You are no better or worse than the green slime on my pond, except the green slime performs a worthwhile function. It produces oxygen. You selfishly exist to make your vain self feel important. Are you cultured? – Knowledgeable and superior?

Pah!

I sit on the bench and you all rush to the shops without thinking about the state of affairs around you.

            How can you be happy living in this pointless little existence?

            How can you be happy putting you £2 sop into Oxfam when government policy necessitates the starving of millions of third world children for the good of our economy? Don’t you realise that the G7 could eradicate poverty and inequality if they really wanted? But then that might mean you can only afford three tellies and one car, mightn’t it? You might not want that!

53 and imploding eBook : goodwin, opher: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Roy Harper – Flat Baroque and Berserk

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I was privileged, as one of Roy’s friends, to be invited down to Abbey Road Studios for the recording of this album. I’d toddle along to St John’s Wood on my old AJS motorcycle to quietly sit in the background in the control room as Roy recorded this gem of an album. He and Pete were meticulous and Roy was very hands-on, experimenting and learning how the mixing board worked. The quality of the sound matched the quality of the songs – and what a bunch of songs!

Going to the studios was an experience. I’d just park up and walk in. Often there was nobody on the front desk. When there was I’d just nod and walk through. Security was virtually non-existent. John Lennon, Syd Barrett and Paul McCartney were recording and wandering around. Pink Floyd were there. Sometimes the control room would fill up with rock luminaries. At one time I found myself sitting with Keith Moon, Jimmy Page and Dave Gilmour. At other times the Nice all piled in and Robert Plant. We bumped into Syd in the corridor for a chat. Roy was hot property. It was widely expected that he was going to explode onto the scene. All the major acts – the Who, Led Zep and Pink Floyd rated his songs. They recognised the huge talent. It felt like a matter of time and this album seemed as if it was going to be the breakthrough album. I sat in amongst this melting pot of talent and absorbed it. A camera would have been good. It felt as if I was at the very centre of a hurricane that was going to blow Roy into the stratosphere. I’d known him for a few years, from the tiny clubs and Cousins to the Royal Albert Hall and now poised on the brink of major stardom. Bewildering.

I could only imagine what Roy was actually feeling at the time. He knew his songs were good. By this time he’d produced epics like McGoohan’s Blues and I Hate The Whiteman and was being courted by the biggest label in the world and all the top rock musicians of the age. He was riding the wave. This album was going to do it. Each song was being honed to perfection. The quality was obvious.

To be sitting in a control room with the top hierarchy of the rock world was incredible for me, but heaven knows what emotional impact it was having on Roy.

From: Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song (On Track) Paperback – Flat Baroque and Berserk – 1970

Harvest Label  1970

Recorded at Abbey Road Studio

Roy Harper: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar on Hell’s Angels and all song writing

Pete Jenner: producer

David Bedford: strings

Skaila Kanga: harp on ‘Song Of The Ages’

Tony Visconti: recorder on ‘Tom Tiddler’s Ground’

Keith Emerson: keyboards on ‘Hell’s Angels’

Lee Jackson: bass guitar on ‘Hell’s Angels’

Brian Davison: drums on ‘Hell’s Angels’

Lon Goddard: gatefold cover design

John McKenzie: photography

EMI had become aware of the burgeoning underground scene that was emerging in the late sixties. They had a few fingers in that pie, with Pink Floyd, but wanted an opportunity to delve deeper into this potential market. Their answer, in 1969, was to set up a subsidiary label which was to specialise in music from the underground scene. That was the Harvest label. They signed up Deep Purple, The Battered Ornaments, Syd Barrett, Robert Wyatt, Pink Floyd, Edgar Broughton and others.

   By 1969 Roy was making quite a name for himself. He was recommended to EMI by Pete Jenner who managed the early Pink Floyd. Pete had been impressed with Roy’s Hyde Park performances at the free festivals and after hearing his recorded material he thought that Roy had the ability to do more. So Roy became one of their first signings on the Harvest label.

   The beauty of the deal was that, for the first time, Roy had access to top quality recording facilities (the Abbey Road studios where the Beatles recorded), unlimited studio time, a quality producer in Pete Jenner (they became good friends and cannabis buddies), and brilliant sound engineers in Phil McDonald and Neil Richmond.

   Roy had been prolific on the song writing front and in 1969 he entered the studio with a batch of songs surpassing anything he had created previously.

   With a bunch of friends to egg him on, a producer who was happy to work in collaboration on the whole process, all manner of rock cognoscenti dropping in to listen, comment and contribute, Roy was all set for a ground-breaking album and that is what we were treated to with the magnificent Flat Baroque And Berserk.

   Even the gatefold album cover is brilliant. Designed by old friend Lon Goddard with a photograph from John McKenzie, Roy looks resplendent in psychedelic shirt and flat cap. Eyes shut, cig in mouth, he is reclining on a chaise longue with a background of flock wallpaper and a tiger growling into his face!

Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song (On Track): Amazon.co.uk: Opher Goodwin: 9781789521306: Books

The life of a writer.

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Firstly, you have to have lived a life full of experiences. That’s the grist for the mill. You have to know and have lived what you write about.

I only write about the things I love.

Next, you have to have an imagination that enables you to think up plots, story-lines, characters, settings and stories. You need a wealth of pressing ideas. I’ve always had so many thoughts buzzing round my head that I don’t need a net to catch them; I just need the time and energy to write them down. They generate the obsessive enthusiasm.

Thirdly, you have to have an ability to string words into interesting patterns. That is not merely grammar, spelling and mechanics; it’s a magic that causes words to come together in a synergetic pattern that illuminates wonder. Some call it style. It comes out of nowhere. A lifetime of writing. Some just have it. Others have to work for decades and put in thousands of hours before it comes together.

Fourthly, you need to be obstinate and able to endure the tedium and exhaustion, to become a completer finisher. A book can take a couple of thousand hours of work. You work alone, late into the night, and press on even when all the enthusiasm has dissipated. Then you start editing.

Fifthly, you have to have a thick skin to put up with the indifference, knock-backs, petty nit-picking and rude put-downs.

I have written some hundred and twenty books. I dread to think the number of hours. Fortunately I enjoy writing more than reading. It’s been worthwhile. The cost has been the time not spent with friends, family and other pursuits.

That’s the life of a writer.