Cliche In A Time of COVID

In these unprecedented times, shouldn't we be having a conversation about how the use of cliche is on the rise?

As a thought leader, I am shocked and appalled - fed up to the back teeth, even. I'm passionate about pushing back against such poverty of expression. It's no longer fit for purpose and should have gone out with the dinosaur.

We should reach out to our halo groups and give them a heads-up, incentivising them to leverage cutting-edge pedagogy and ramp up language from the Shakespearean playbook, even though it might be out of their comfort zone, so we need to show them that it's on the table.

Whatever we do, we should tick all the boxes and touch base to ensure that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet. We need to deep dive into the issues until we can get it over the line. People will need to pivot to avoid getting thrown under the bus. Let's cascade this, roll it out, and drill it down.

This wake-up call could be a game-changer, going forward.

Remember: the clock is ticking.

That Book Announcement In Full

Picador press release, as published in The Bookseller:

‘Picador has landed A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth by senior Nature editor Henry Gee.

Ravi Mirchandani, editor-in-chief, acquired UK and Commonwealth plus translation rights from Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management. A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters will be released in spring 2022.

The book draws on the latest scientific understanding, much of it first published in Nature, for “a tale of survival and persistence, illuminating the delicate balance within which life exists”.

Its synopsis explains: “For billions of years, Earth was an inhospitably alien place—covered with churning seas, slowly crafting its landscape by way of incessant volcanic eruptions, its atmosphere in a constant state of chemical flux. And yet, despite facing literally every conceivable setback that living organisms could encounter, life on Earth has learned and adapted and continued for over four billion years. From the earliest humble slime that filled the atmosphere with oxygen; to the sponges that cleansed the oceans for other animals to live in; to the venturesome fishes with legs that sought life beyond the sea—and, by way of amazing amphibians, dramatic dinosaurs, to the thrilling and unlikely story of ourselves.”

Gee is senior editor at Nature, and a former Regents Professor at the University of California. His journalism has been published in the Guardian, Times, Le Monde, El País and the Hindu.

Mirchandani said: “I have admired Henry Gee and his writing literally for decades, so it is an enormous pleasure to be publishing his new book. Reading Henry's telling of the story of life on Earth is as gripping and fascinating as watching a time-lapse film of our planet, as continents move, icecaps grow and contract and, throughout, as species emerge and fade into extinction, life adapts and thrives and continues, despite everything, undaunted.”’

Advice to Authors - Get An Agent

I expect you'll both recall that I have been busily writing a book, and have been doing so for some time. I had, in fact, finished it, and the manuscript got well into Version 2.0, which is when my wonderful agent Jill Grinberg gave it a good working-over.

Jill has represented me for more than twenty years. She signed me on the strength of my one academic book, and a very rough synopsis called Thirty Ghosts, and worked with me to get it into a saleable proposition. The result was Deep Time.

She has worked her magic yet again, and following a lot of late-night conversations, email exchanges and a great deal of thought, the draft turned from a long and rambling grimoire into A (Very) Short History of Life On Earth, in which I tell our planet's history as a narrative, with heroes, and villains, anters vast and deserts idle, and, notwithstanding inasmuch as which, hair-breadth 'scapes i' th' imminent deadly breach, and so on, and so forth, in like fashion. Under Jill's guidance I boiled down the concept into a killer synopsis.

And, what do you know? We've found a publisher who likes it as much as we do. I am thrilled to say that the UK and Commonwealth rights  have been taken up by Picador - an excellent fit, as A (Very) Short History fits their mission statement, that 'we believe the way a story is told is just as important as the story itself'. And, as the editor of Deep Time told me, what you must do, above all else, is tell the story. Good advice to say, and to hear, but harder to achieve.

Quite a lot of the story had been written, in the sense that I had a large pile of words, not all of which were in the right order. While I was putting the synopsis together under Jill's direction, I was pulling these words apart, rejecting many of them, recycling others, but mostly casting the whole thing anew, and editing it, and editing it again. And then editing it a bit more. 

I am now more than half done. The book is due by the end of September, and, with luck and a following wind, will be published in the Spring of 2022, which, as coincidence would have it, is when I turn 60. 

Now, I've been writing books since my twenties, but take heart from the fact that The Lord Of The Rings wasn't published until its author was over 60, so I'll be in good company. But I wouldn't have gotten far as an author without my agent to offer a sympathetic but critical eye; offer good advice on what will sell; and, let us not forget, fight my corner in the business department.

It has worked out well for me. People sometimes ask me for advice on writing books. My first advice is to get an agent. That's also my last advice. And, indeed, all the advice in the middle.

How The Light will be Zooming In

As I expect you both know, I have been invited to take part in a festival called How The Light Gets In, which takes place in Hay-on-Wye between 22 and 25 May. This festival, which is distinct from the better known Hay Festival, is a grand conglomeration of music, comedy and ideas. This year's festival theme is Uncharted Territories, which is very much my kind of thing. Now, I was to have attended physically and in person, but, well, I can't, and neither can anyone else.

But don't worry! The programme has moved into cyberspace, and you can catch a lot of very important people and me by registering at the Festival Website and buying the appropriate tickets.

Here are the events at which I shall be making an appearance:

The Key To Progress (Friday 22nd at 8:30pm; discussion at 9:20pm) It was the vehicle of progress and the solution to the world's ills. The core philosophy of the West and our time. But the halo has slipped. Science is now seen by some as a potentially malevolent force. A key element of the industrial military complex, challenging the environment and supporting a damaging raid on world resources. While many doubt the idea that science is the single objective version of the truth. Should we welcome this shift in our perception of science as the end of an unquestioned belief in a false god? Or is it a dangerous and potentially disastrous slide into prejudice and superstition, that will leave us poorer, less safe, and less in control of our lives? Senior editor of Nature Henry Gee; Scientist Gunes Taylor and philosopher and author of Galileo's Error Philip Goff evaluate the scientific establishment.

After the debate come and join the speakers and chat.

Extinction and Renewal (Saturday 23rd at 13:00) Citing evidence that species are becoming extinct at a thousand times faster than the background rate, many argue the Sixth Great Mass Extinction is already upon us. And for the first time caused by a single species, humankind. Others contend that at current rates - 100 species a year - it would take a 1000 years to lose just 1% of current species. In the meantime the number of new species is continuing to grow - exceeding the number of species lost. Are we facing a profound crisis? Do we need to radically change our behaviour and way of life to save the planet's animal life? Or are our conservation efforts proving effective and nature stronger than we suppose and capable of creating entirely new life forms without our help? Green Party Peer Natalie Bennett;  senior editor of Nature Henry Gee and co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association David Pearce get to the bottom of the apparent extinction crisis.


On Sunday 24th at 3pm I'll be giving a solo talk entitled The Limits of Knowledge:

The more we discover, the more we realise we have yet to learn. So says Nature editor, Henry Gee, as he explores the limits of knowledge, and dares us to look over the edge.

Just after that, at 4.45pm, I'll be taking part in a more intimate Inner Circle seminar:

What makes humans special? According to senior editor of Nature and author of The Accidental Species Henry Gee: absolutely nothing. Join him to discuss humankind's place in the world.

So now you know.

The Festival website has all the details and is constantly being updated, so visit it often. You can also follow it on Twitter at @HTLGIFestival, just as you can follow me at @EndOfThePier.

Things That Go Crunch In The Night

This is Miss Posy Fossil, she of the Chronicles of Pupperino, who is a little over 5 months old, and a cross between a loveable teddy bear and a waste disposal unit.

A few nights ago, at around midnight, she sicked up a pile of vomit the size of a loaf and with a smell that one struggles to describe.

Luckily she cleared it all up herself. She is helpful, like that.

At 4am Posy and her friend Lulu woke up and asked to be let out.

When they came back in we all kipped on the sofa. Posy lay down with her muzzle close to my ear.

Crunch crunch crunch.

As one never knows what she has in her mouth and whether it might precipitate an emergency trip to the vet, I woke up, plunged fist down throat and pulled out a piece of foil from a sweet wrapper. Washed hands. Kipped down. Posy lay down with her muzzle close to my ear.

Crunch crunch crunch.

Oh no - what is it this time? Plunged fist down throat and pulled out piece of fabric with button attached. Where on Earth...? Washed hands. Kipped down.

Crunch crunch crunch.

Not AGAIN?

Plunged fist down throat and pulled out a coat button in a small plastic bag. Washed hands.

That's when I spotted it.

Posy's friend Elvis the cat had knocked over and smashed an earthenware pot in which had accumulated all sorts of bits and pieces, and this was where Posy was getting her choice morsels.

Swept up mess. Washed hands. Kipped down.

This time Posy slept with her bottom in my face.

And farted.

It was a long night. Golden Retrievers. Don't you just love 'em?

Do Writers Keep Regular Hours?

As you both know, I am busily engaged writing my next book. I had actually written the entire manuscript, but in consultation with my agent I decided to take a different tack, and the project moved in a new (but related) direction. Thanks to a new and improved synopsis - providing a secure roadmap - I am now well on the way to completing the new text. More on this at another time.

However, in the meantime, I have found that regular working hours really drive things along - and they don’t have to be too arduous.

As I am not a full-time writer (by day I work for the Submerged Log Company) the time I have to write is limited. I spend no more than 12 hours a week at the book - between 7pm and 9pm each day, except Friday, when Gardeners’ World is on the TV. This is quite enough to rough out 1000 words or so, which is as much as I can do in one go without losing focus. So, at 7pm sharp, I shut myself away in the home orifice, shut the door, pipe some loud instrumental rock music into my headphones, and write.

I find it essential to have a place where one can work undisturbed. Having a home office is great, especially one in which you can shut yourself away - but it’s not essential.

The Home Orifice. Recently.

More important is the cooperation of one’s family or housemates, with whom you can agree that these hours are sacred. That’s why relatively short, intense bursts work. It might be too much to ask one’s family for one to absent oneself for too long. This is also why I’ve found that regular long-distance commuting by train is a gift: when I regularly traveled between Norwich and London, a journey of two hours, this was enough for me to draft, in two-hour bursts, an entire novel.

Blasts of loud noise into my headphones is also helpful, to minimise distraction from outside sauces tzores sources. I have invested in recording-studio-quality, over-the-ear headphones, and play instrumental rock - loud and noisy to get the adrenaline pumping, but with no distracting vocals. My playlist includes lots of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Focus and Jeff Beck, and more obscure and jazzier artists such as Scott Henderson and Shaun Baxter.

I expect that most professional writers, of which I am not one, will keep regular office hours, and will sit down and write, whether they feel the muse is with them or not. At times, when I have a lot of writing to do, I have taken two weeks off, commuted to an office or library, and worked from 9:30 to 5:30 with an hour for lunch. But it is hard to justify this when one has familial responsibilities. Even less suitable is taking oneself off to write, as a vacation - I tried this once and it was a disaster.

Equally important is that one does not work on one’s book outside these hours. The time must be strictly circumscribed. One should avoid the temptation to go into the office and scribble a few lines whenever the fancy takes you, apart from, perhaps, making the odd note. This makes the time spent writing more important, and helps minimise feelings of guilt at not writing, outside these hours, and also allows one to spend more time within the family circle and doing other important things such as walking the dogs, doing the garden and being sociable.

It's important to spend time with members of your family.

But whatever works, works. Each writer will have a different way of working. I’ve found that two-hour bursts in the evening, after dinner, but before the good stuff on TV, works best for me.

What works best for you?