Writing Harry McFry

The End?

2007-11-21T15:02:00.000Z

Wrapping up Harry McFry is proving to be a bit of a struggle. Mostly this is because I think, in my head, I've already begun re-writing the novel. It's taking on a different shape in my mind, and the ending that fits the text so far is not the ending I really want to write.

Still, I owe it to those who have stuck by Harry so far to come up with a coherent ending for the story as it currently is, so I'll have to suspend all thoughts of a re-write until I complete the tale.

My apologies are due for those who have been waiting - I can blame the usual pressures of life, prevarication and the rest for the delay in bringing the case to its close. Hopefully the weekend will create some space!

It's been a while...

2007-10-09T15:55:00.001+01:00

It's been around 10 days since I was able to post to Harry McFry Investigates. Partly this has been due to pressures at work (the old excuses are the best!) and, most recently, through the distraction of birthday celebrations. You're only 21 once, after all!

Anyway, I was finally able to post a chapter today, and a fair wind might even blow another one along tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience, readers!

Georgy Porgy

2007-09-25T12:35:00.001+01:00

With the inevitablility born of the kind of Freudian slip that could be expensive, George made another unscheduled appearance in Chapter 110. I'm grateful to an eagle-eyed reader for spotting that Cyril Galloway had assumed the wrong name, and for letting me know! The list of acknowledgements is growing exponentially...

Ooops!

2007-09-25T12:35:00.000+01:00

I suppose it was inevitable that, with Bill Blunt becoming Elliot, and Laurel becoming Ana, I might make a mistake somewhere along the line in the last few chapters of Harry McFry.

Well, Chapter 146 saw 'Ana' gripping the chair she was sitting on. Now corrected to read 'Laurel'.

Not the first, and probably not the last - although with just two or three chapters to go (oh, yeah?) the chances of further error should reduce a little - at least in theory!

Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend

2007-09-17T12:56:00.000+01:00

As I inch my way towards completing Harry McFry Investigates, I'm starting to wonder how he came about, and the part he's played in my life over the last 8 months or so. Maybe he was always hiding inside me, waiting to jump out when the chance came?

One thing's for certain: he's played an important role in seeing me through some of the darkest days of my life, and the comments and interest in the story from readers has helped rebuild my confidence in a way I could never have imagined.

Still, it will soon be time to say goodbye to Harry - he'll have done his job of investigating the missing family of Laurel McFry. I wonder what he'll get up to next?

A dim memory

2007-08-31T13:52:00.000+01:00

Ten years ago, I remember spending a few evenings with a notepad in a pub in Preston, Lancashire. I was 'between wives' at the time, and it seemed like a good idea to hide myself away in the corner of a bar somewhere and try my hand at creative writing. Nothing much came of it - a few poems, I think, and maybe the beginnings of a short story that never got finished.

The memory was brought to mind because, due to internet difficulties, I'm currently using the free wi-fi service offered by Wetherspoons to post up Harry McFry. The bar I'm in is packed, and I'm hiding in the corner with my laptop. You may be surprised to learn that I'm the only one tapping away on a computer!

I wonder how it will be in 10 years time?

Ah well (2) ...

2007-08-29T20:31:00.000+01:00

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the kitchen...

Apologies to any readers who have been awaiting further instalments in the Case of The Missing Family. It's not for want of trying. My excuses are legion: a recent lifestyle change or two, plus a return to 'work' and some new stresses and strains from that (from which I will spare you the gory detail!). Intermittent internet access is also a problem, but a certain chain of hostelries much lauded by Bill Blunt occasionally comes to the rescue!

Anyway - maybe hope will triumph over adversity, and more chapters will be forthcoming shortly.

Thanks for your forbearance.

THJnr

Ah, well...

2007-07-29T21:37:00.000+01:00

Life intrudes: grass needs cutting; elderly relatives need their days out. My hopes of finishing Harry McFry before departing for a break started to recede last night, even though I managed a couple of chapters today.

I've even had an e-mail from a reader asking It is going to come to a proper end isn't it?

Well, the good news is, yes! The Case of the Missing Family will (eventually) reach its conclusion, hopefully with a bang rather than a whimper! I've pretty much worked the ending out in my mind, but there's always the chance Bill Blunt could put his size 9's in where they're not wanted and foul up Harry's theories.

Stuart McFry's the dark horse in all of this. Why he left his money to Lillian is the $64,000 question...

Thank you to all those who have dropped by to read Harry McFry over the last few months. It's been a rocky road, as anyone who has read any of this journal will probably guess. Your presence and your comments have given me the confidence to persevere with a project I never thought I had in me. I hope the ending justifies the meaning, when it comes!

Kind Regards

THJnr

Alternative Harry

2007-07-28T22:20:00.000+01:00

I noticed that a reader from Spain had dropped in to read Harry McFry - always welcome! So long as it wasn't Alan.

Anyway, they'd used the Google facility to translate the webpage, so I copied that text and re-translated it back into English, to get a sense of exactly how useful Google's translation facility was.

Make of this first half of Chapter 128 as you will:

Harry was already in his office in buildings of the tap when Danny arrived. It had moments there before 7pm, and had taken the Henry, the doorman, uniting the fore doors to the building. “You can leave those open ones” it was saying, because he approached to you of behind. The Henry had made pivot around, an ample face in its face. “Well, if he is not Mr. McFry! How it was your trip” Harry had not said to much on because he he had been going to Madrid, only the Henry to you had imagined that its adventure of the weekend was probably more pleasure of “” rather that business of “”. He had heard a thing or two in the grapevine on subject of the love of Harry McFry with the city - or at least with which he lived there. “Oh, not also bad - you know. He is hard to go to a place like that one and not to enjoy themselves.” If it were only truth, Harry had thought, as well as he said the words. “What on you, Henry? Much that happens around here” “As soon as generally. A small piece the reserved week more than last, in any case! Sailor of mA certainly been in a humor better. It has been going to visit her sister for a pair of days. Therefore, old Henry in charge of the strength.” Harry had looked itself small un-nerved by the news of the exit of his caretaker - much like the surprise of the Henry. “When she moves backwards” he had requested, trying to look like occasional on her. “He is sometimes tomorrow everything what I know. You who are going to be long here tonight, Mr. McFry” The Henry had considered an unexpected relevación in the face of Harry when he said to you on the anticipated return of the sailor of mA, and as he pushed open the door and he moved in foyer, Harry had given return him and had said: “As soon as a pair of hours, I must think. Not preocuparte - I will be united for above.” “Well, you do not forget to fix alarming when you go away, will you” he had requested. He does not need to have worried. If outside the thing last Harry, he would make sure that it fixed that to alarm.

Nice! I particularly like the idea of Ma Shipman being 'the sailor of mA'! See you in a pair of hours...

Honesty the best policy?

2007-07-26T21:56:00.000+01:00

Not really. More a case of having to 'fess up to an error that crept in to Chapter 73 ...

It's now been corrected, but it demonstrates, at least, the perils of writing something like Harry McFry via a blog!

I originally had Danny Longhurst discovering that Dacre Lawrence was born in the March Quarter of 1947. As any fool would realise, Dacre's birth was actually registered in the December Quarter of 1946.

Apologies to anyone who was confused by this error. I suppose it proves that Thomas Hamburger Jnr is only human, after all!

Midnight Oil Wanted: No reasonable offers refused

2007-07-25T22:48:00.000+01:00

I think I'll be burning a little of the stuff over the next few days, if I'm to finish Harry by my new, self-imposed deadline of 30 July...

It will be a tough one, but I'm due to take a short break then, and I wouldn't like Harry hanging over me while I'm away!

As well, I'd like to spend my holiday giving the story a good re-read, and generally seeing if it might one day be fit for publication (on paper!). I usually take a selection of paperbacks to read when I go away somewhere - not a lever arch file of 600-odd pages!

No Harry tonight, I'm afraid (blame the toad!) but a fair wind might just blow a few chapters onto the shore over the next few days.

Wishful Thinking

2007-07-13T09:14:00.001+01:00

Last night, I found an e-mail I'd sent to a friend who'd asked how Harry McFry was coming along.
"I've written 34 chapters up to now, and expect I'll have it finished in another 15 or so," I'd said. That was on 29 February, just one month or so into starting the tale.

That was before all the tortuous sub-plot of the tensions and anxieties between the McFry brothers took on a life of their own, of course. One of the perils of writing a story like this must be that, with it's lack of plan and real structure, it can drift a little - or a lot - off course.

Well, four months down the line and we've clocked up 110,000 words spread over 121 chapters. If I can't finish in the next 15 chapters, I fear Harry will be with me forever!

Strange how, when Harry was in Birkenhead he couldn't wait to get to Madrid, but that now, when he's there, he's desperate to get him home! That man's never satisfied, it seems!

All About Harry

2007-07-11T17:23:00.000+01:00

Maria Cristina has tagged me to provide 8 facts about Harry. Reading the 8 things she's listed about herself, she fits the ideal profile for a Harry McFry reader: particularly with her coffee consumption!

Well, you may or may not know some of these things about Harry, but here goes:

At University, Harry discovered a love of jazz music that has stuck with him ever since
Harry hardly ever reads a newspaper - other than maybe at the weekend, when he takes it to the park in the summer
The pattern for Harry's disastrous run of relationships with women was set during his first marriage
Harry loves to travel, and sometimes feels tied down and hemmed in by the 'waters of the Wirral'
The way to Harry's heart is through his stomach
Harry's mother died when he was just 8, giving birth to a baby sister who also died, shortly afterwards
As a history lecturer, Harry wasn't all that good
Harry knows he has to give up the drink and cigarettes, but always thinks he'll manage it 'tomorrow'

To continue the tag, I've got to find 8 more bloggers who are prepared to 'fess up on themselves. That may take some time, but I'll keep you posted!

Thanks again, MariaCristina!

Thinking Space

2007-07-09T22:07:00.001+01:00

Sometimes, it helps when you don't write. As I try to draw the threads of Harry McFry together, and move towards the conclusion, I'm still struggling with how to end the story.

Today, however, I was able to spend a good couple of hours just thinking. Thinking space is something that's all too rare in life (it certainly has been in mine, anyway!) - and nowhere is it rarer than in the world of work.

I've had the luxury, without it feeling like it for most of the time, of not being at work for some months. At first, I had to learn not to think about work, since the good of my health depended on it. Now, I'm sensing my brain starting to slot into gear again, and am starting to relish returning to the fray.

Today, though, was a day devoted to thinking about Harry, and how to conclude the tale. I've got one or two options and, I hope, one or two surprises up my sleeve, although readers should be starting to see the whole picture emerging..

(Thanks to my friend, Sue, for the above pic, by the way!)

A Little Hiatus

2007-07-04T12:10:00.000+01:00

I'm having to spend a little time flat-hunting, in preparation for my return to work. During recent travels, I've always managed to find a little time here and there for writing, and posting to the blog. These last few days have been a little more hectic than usual, however, so the writing has suffered a little.

All being well, back to the grindstone in a day or so! At least I've been able to give some thought to the plot development for Harry McFry.

Berated!

2007-07-01T12:11:00.000+01:00

When I opened my e-mails this morning, it was to learn that Harry McFry had been the subject of a visit by two individuals who make a habit of berating people's blogs.

Unica and Fiona over at Berate My Blog! are kind enough to spend time looking at other people's blogs and suggesting any stylistic improvements that might be made.

Naturally, I dashed across to their blog to read what they had to say about Harry - who wouldn't?

In fact, they were very kind, and I've noted their suggestion about the need to include more visual appeal for each chapter. As the story edges towards it's conclusion, I'll have to dig out some relevant images to liven it up a little.

Thanks, Fiona and Unica - I'm blushing here!

Buy A Friend A Book

2007-06-30T10:14:00.000+01:00

Scott Monty runs a very interesting blog over at Baker Street. Scott's blog was another I found thanks to Fuel My Blog. It was while I was there that I learned about Buy A Friend A Book Week.

The idea is a simple one: for the first week in July, pop out (actually, or virtually) and buy a book for a friend - something that they won't be expecting, and might just get them thinking.

It's a great idea to promote reading which, as we all know, is something to be encouraged.

And, if money is a little tight, you could always point your friends towards Harry McFry Investigates: I'm now writing Chapter 113, and am hopeful that the story will be concluding in the not too distant future!

More of the Meadow

2007-06-27T23:34:00.000+01:00

I have one or two more pictures of the meadow section at Durham Botanical Gardens, and here's the link to Google Earth, for theresa111.

A Seed Was Sown

2007-06-25T10:45:00.000+01:00

Improbably, amazingly and shockingly, I published my 100,000th word of Harry McFry last night.

Improbably, amazingly and bewilderingly, that word was 'germinating'.

For that reason, I would like to say a word of thanks to Paul Lamb, my former English teacher, who more years ago than he would probably care to imagine, planted a seed in me and encouraged my enjoyment of creative writing.

When he did so, he probably didn't imagine it would take thirty-odd years to germinate...

I am indebted to his passion for literature and his early encouragements.

That Deadline...

2007-06-22T07:16:00.000+01:00

After my last posting, Theresa asked why I'm thinking in terms of trying to finish Harry McFry before I'm scheduled to go back to work.

Well, work does tend to get in the way of things, doesn't it? Although the last 8 months haven't always been pleasant, especially in the early few months, I've watched my own recovery process carefully. Writing has been a key part of it but, of course, even trying to write a few hundred words a day can take up a chunk of time from the day. Squeeze in the toad, and other things start to get squeezed out.

Insofar as I thought much about it, when I started it at the end of January 2007, I never thought I'd still be writing Harry McFry five months later. In many respects, having a deadline (even if self-imposed) will be a driver for me. Whenever I've had ideas for writing in the past, they've always come to not very much - a few pages here and there, petering out as my enthusiasm waned or other things got in the way. I do feel privileged to have had, at last, some time to write, and I realise how precious it can be to have that time.

So, a deadline there must be! In any case, poor old Harry can only take so much emotional turmoil, so he'll be keen to get on with the case and solve it, I'm sure.

The Toad Beckons...

2007-06-19T13:27:00.000+01:00

This just in: after a lengthy spell of sickness absence, I'm now scheduled to return to work in around five weeks.

When I began writing Harry McFry, it was with no particular deadline in mind. I was (am, still) just writing towards the conclusion, whenever it comes. I've tried not to restrict myself to any target of how long the story should be.

But now, I know the end will have to come within the next few weeks. I've learnt a few things about myself while I've been off work, and the words of Philip Larkin spring immediately to mind:

Toads

Why should I let the toad work
Squat on my life?
Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork
And drive the brute off?

Six days of the week it soils
With its sickening poison --
Just for paying a few bills!
That's out of proportion.

Lots of folk live on their wits:
Lecturers, lispers,
Losels, loblolly-men, louts --
They don't end as paupers;

Lots of folk live up lanes
With fires in a bucket,
Eat windfalls and tinned sardines --
They seem to like it.

Their nippers have got bare feet,
Their unspeakable wives
Are skinny as whippets -- and yet
No one actually starves .

Ah, were I courageous enough
To shout Stuff your pension !
But I know, all too well, that's the stuff
That dreams are made on:

For something sufficiently toad-like
Squats in me, too;
Its hunkers are heavy as hard luck,
And cold as snow,

And will never allow me to blarney
My way to getting
The fame and the girl and the money
All at one sitting.

I don't say, one bodies the other
One's spiritual truth;
But I do say it's hard to lose either,
When you love both.

Philip Larkin

Word Association (Football)

2007-06-17T11:13:00.000+01:00

The workings of the mind are strange. I have come to associate the act of smoking with many things in life - talking to people on the phone, having a drink in a bar, drinking coffee, being on holiday, writing and, of course, other times that discretion would best leave unmentioned.

The upcoming ban in England on smoking in public places (effective 1 July 2007) will force me to think again about giving up the evil weed. As someone once said, 'Giving up smoking is easy - I've done it dozens of times'. That's me, I'm afraid.

The longest I managed to quit for to date has been 3 years, but I've also managed a couple of periods of a year, and a few of between 3 and 6 months.

This time, though, it's got to be for good.
I'm trying to imagine smoking as a friendship I've got to sacrifice, for the sake of myself and those I love. Cigarettes are terrible friends, but you hang onto them for dear life because sometimes, you think, they might be the only friend you've got. Well, I'm sorry old friend ... we'll be parting company soon - so you'd better get used to it. There'll be no more intimacy between us. I'm not giving you up at the end of this month, because I'm still recovering from a period of depression - I'm nearly there, but it would be wrong, just now, to upset the balance by withdrawing a chemical I've got used to having in my head.

But it won't be long: you can come on one last holiday with me early in August, then it's 'goodbye'. And definitely not voyez-vous bientôt.

How could I resist?

2007-06-09T09:07:00.000+01:00

The combination of some wonderful pavement cafes and a free wifi connection meant I couldn't resist writing (and posting on my blog) a couple more chapters while ostensibly on holiday. A chance to focus a little on Harry's friend, Bill Blunt, too.

100 Not Out

2007-06-03T20:40:00.000+01:00

Harry McFry, GPI.

Conceived in the midst of acute depression, fuelled (at first) on a potent mix of gin and tonic and Mirtazapine (before graduating to red wine and a different pharmacological concoction) and helped along the way by friends, family and ... readers.

Too much information? I hope not. Let's talk about depression and how it drags you under so that you get to think there isn't any future. How you lose all sense of self worth. How confidence seeps away, until you can't even trust yourself to tie your shoe laces. How the bleakness of it wraps itself around you like a blanket of despair.

Wonder, then, that locked deep away inside you is a kernel of ... something. A seed, that refuses to die. That germinates, even in the dark of your lowest moments, and batters itself against the husk to emerge, and flower.

Think that all your creativity has been stamped on - but realise, finally, it isn't dead.

That's how I feel about Harry. I've loved every minute, every second of writing it. I've been sustained in knowing that others have liked or enjoyed the story, even while I've lost myself in some of the telling of it. It isn't balanced. It's plot is contorted. But the fact that friends, family and readers have stuck with it over three months gives me the confidence to continue, to the end (however bitter it is for Harry). And I will shave it here, compound it there, when it is done, so that hpefully it becomes the story it should be: the Case of the Missing Family. Everyone's missing family - including mine.

All of the above is by way of an apology. I'm off for a few days away, so it will be a week or so before Chapter 101 gets published. Think of me - just like I'll be thinking of you. And of Harry. And Lillian, Laurel, Cyril, Stan, Danny, Ana, Alan, Bill, Dacre, Jonathan, and all the rest.

90,500 words keyed into a computer. 9,246 pageloads of the blog.

Thank you.

Thomas Hamburger Jnr

Thank You

2007-05-29T18:55:00.001+01:00

Many thanks to the fine people at TopBlogMag for publishing a little plug about Harry McFry Investigates. It's already led to a handful of new readers stumbling over Harry as he err ... stumbles on with the case.

TopBlogMag is a great idea - offering a weekly digest of some wonderfully interesting blogs, and I highly recommend a visit to their site.

Delight

2007-05-29T17:53:00.000+01:00

I heard from Theresa H Hall at the end of last week that she had nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award, a nice surprise that gave me an extra spur to 'get on with Harry' over the weekend.

The rules for winners of the Thinking Blog Award are outlined by originator Ilker Yoldas:

1. If you are nominated, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' - you can find more details here - with a link to the post that you wrote (there is an alternative gold version if silver doesn't fit your blog).

Narrowing down the search to just five nominees is tough work - but, fortunately, a lot of people I would have nominated already have the award. There are clearly a lot of thinking people out there.

Here are five people who make me think each time I log into their blog:

Crofty: I discovered the estimable Crofty early in my days of blogging. The story of his recovery from an injury and his subsequent return to work, peppered with wry comments, regularly got me thinking. Just now, his observations on his first trip to Amsterdam have been equally acute.

70's Teen: a relative 'new kid on the block' in the world of blogs, 70's Teen has dug out her diaries from the 1970's. A mix of the profound and the banal, we learn again what it was like to grow up in an era when Donny Osmond reigned supreme (unless, of course, you were a David Cassidy fan, when you might have a different fix on things!). She juxtaposes a wonderful hindsight on the period.

Ærchie: Archie may already have one of these awards for all I know, but I'm happy to nominate him again. You can't fail to think when you trip over any of Archie's posts or comments. He's not even as curmudgeonly as he claims!

Jen, over at Tips for New Bloggers thinks carefully before she drafts the precise and accurate tips and tricks that will help anyone to re-design their blogs. De-mystifying technical detail is her forte. Hundreds of bloggers already owe much to her skillful exposition.

Bill Blunt introduced me to the strange world of the papersurfer family a few weeks ago. Since then, I've enjoyed dropping in to read the thoughtful musings of daddy papersurfer. He needs all the awards he can get at his time of life, by the looks of things.

(Incidentally, if you're reading this, Bill, I hope you will understand why I didn't nominate you. It's early days for you on the internet, and I think we still await definitive proof that you are the thinker you claim to be).

Thanks again, Theresa, for the nomination.

The Long Way Round

2007-05-26T07:38:00.000+01:00

A few days away from home, and I find I've been holing myself up in cafes writing Harry McFry longhand. I have about 2000 words to edit and post, which I hope to do later today. This hasn't been my usual method of writing, which is to sit at the keyboard and just write - with very little editing going on (I think it shows, too!).

The story is dragging a little - all that love interest with Ana might be said to be slowing it down! But I hope it will prove to be intrinsic once the tale reaches its natural conclusion.

These last few weeks, I've been feeling a lot brighter, more tuned in. Depression is a fearful taskmaster, not easily shaken off, and when you finally find your liberty it can seem a strange and disorienting experience. Friends and family have helped me enormously - as has Harry.

Love that dare speak its name

2007-05-22T23:55:00.000+01:00

I am indebted to Sylvie Dixie for an interesting 'tag' - she has asked me to write about

“3 Things I Love”

Three Things You Love in your partner
- She makes me feel like a better man
- She instinctively understands me
- She saw something in me that others never did

Three Things You Love in a Friend
- Passion
- Discretion
- Vivacity

Three Things You Love in a Book
- Words
- Sentances
- Paragraphs

Three Things You Love in a Movie
- the ability to wend together music and great acting to wring your emotions dry (cf Cinema Paradiso)
- Humour and love (cf Life is Beautiful)
- Jack Nicholson (cf As Good As It Gets)

Three Things You Love in a Blog
- Pithiness
- Honesty
- Visual attraction

Three Things You Love to Talk About
- My home county
- Travelling
- Love

Three Things You Love to do in Vacations
- Swim
- Meet local people
- Eat local food

Things You Love to Eat
- Pesto
- Meatballs
- Chocolate

Three Things You Love to Happen in Your Life
- Making people happy
- Keeping in touch with friends
- Writing

And last but not the least,

Three Things You Love in 1 Million Love Messages
- I never heard of this before
- It might be very good
- I have yet to discover it

In turn, I would like to tag the following three people:

Theresa H Hall at Sleeping Kitten, Dancing Dog
Ben Spark - who you can assist by clicking on his Blog For a Year widget when you visit his blog
and
Sarah PoliceLady at the Slim Blue Line

Not very...

2007-05-21T01:10:00.000+01:00

How explicit can Harry McFry get? The answer, I'm afraid to say, is 'not very'. Maybe it's because I'm not really up to writing explicit sex scenes? Or maybe (and more probable!) it's because I know my mother is reading Harry McFry?

In any case, readers might be forgiven for wondering quite where Harry's tryst with Ana is going, and whether it is really key to the plot development. I can assure you it is, as will be revealed shortly.

Today, Harry celebrated his 86,184th word. It was 'Forever'.

Get on with it, Harry!

2007-05-19T21:35:00.000+01:00

When I started writing Harry McFry Investigates (a lifetime ago, it seems) I hardly reckoned he would take over my life in quite the way he has.

Harry was actually prescribed to me, by a psychiatrist: "It will do you good to let your imagination play," he said. Anyone who has suffered stress and depression on any serious scale will know that, when you are in the abyss, it can seem that you'll never climb out of the trough.

Slowly, Harry has dragged me from it, though. Word by word, sentence by sentence, he's been there to lift me. I go for a walk, and Harry is there beside me. When out for a drive, he's in the passenger seat.

Is a blog the best way to write something like Harry McFry Investigates? The jury is still out on that one: some people have expressed incredulity at the idea of trying to write a novel via a blog. From my point of view, I doubt I could have written 86 words, never mind 86,000, if I'd locked myself away, tried to plan and plot the story, tried to finely craft it, draft and redraft it.

McFry is written on the fly. That means it's up there, for criticism, warts and all. I make mistakes along the way (this diary documents some of them!) and correct them when eagle-eyed readers spot them. I'd love to go back over the story and re-design it, alter the plot here and there, add more suspense if I could. But I know I have to finish the story first.

Thankfully, if anyone spotted that Dacre Lawrence (in an early chapter) was wearing a 'triple breasted suit', they were too kind to mention it. Now that's a jacket I'd love to see! (I've now replaced it with a more traditional double-breasted affair: much smarter for a GP...)

Just now, I'm fretting about a love scene. How explicit can Harry get with Ana?

I took the easy way out when Harry met Carrie. It won't be so easy with Ana. All that history.

To be noticed is a wonder

2007-05-15T07:24:00.000+01:00

Harry seems to have been merely wading towards the finishing line these last couple of weeks, so apologies to any reader who was getting used to a daily diet of a chapter or two!

I've been encouraged along the way by the comments I've received from readers, and most recently by Hooked on Harry McFry Investigates, which was posted on her blog, Sleeping Kitten - Dancing Dog by Theresa H Hall.

Theresa describes herself as a professional vocalist, licensed broadcaster, artist, published poet, lyricist, writer, animal lover and budding pastry chef, and says her blog is intended to be conversational, thought provoking, interesting, mostly humorous and sometimes serious.

As I've only really seen Theresa's writing, via her blog, I can't comment on her other talents, but it's clear she's already achieved her intentions through the prose on her blog.

I do, of course, feel guilty that I have led her, through the murky world of Harry McFry, into an evening spent demolishing half a tub of ice cream. After reading her kind comments, I also wondered whether I had unconsciously written shorter chapters earlier on, and whether or not these had helped to rope myself into writing the tale?

I also spent the weekend with someone who knows a thing or two about writing. Harry McFry isn't really his favourite genre, but he kindly spent some time before we met giving it a good read through. He's used to doing this, as his wife is a published writer, and now teaches creative writing at a university. He was kind about my 'voice' and use of dialogue, but thought the structure, pace and plot needed attention - all fair criticism.

It was heartening to learn, though, that some writers do in fact begin very much by jumping in at the deep end, and swim towards a destination that only appears hazy to them at first. Others plot their course meticulously, before they ever approach the water.

So, when Harry finally crosses the finishing line he is destined to find some structure. I will need to spend time re-writing his story, paying attention to the areas of pace and plot development in particular. Comments from readers along the way will help in this, I know - so thank you if you've left one.

As of today, Harry hit 83,000 words.

Bill can be trying at times...

2007-05-13T22:48:00.000+01:00

Ever since I introduced my old sparring partner, Bill Blunt, to the world of blogs, my life has been hell.

Try as I might to persevere with Harry McFry Investigates, I find more and more of my time is sucked into maintaining Bill's blog. It's my fault, in the first place, for suggesting he may find a place for his distinctive voice in the blogosphere.

I little imagined, though, that he'd be e-mailing me (sometimes two or three times a day) with a new 'post' to be uploaded. I've just got off the 'phone from him after he insisted I take a look at a site that offered 1001 Free fonts. Now, don't get me wrong: I like a good font, when I see it. But there's something about the argument that style over substance is all wrong. I tried to explain this to Bill, but he wouldn't have it. He kept mentioning Wally Green, his mentor from his days at the Stockport Gazette.

Bill's not a bad chap, all things considered. But I shall have to watch to make sure he doesn't interfere too much with my writing.

The Case of the Missing Chapter

2007-05-12T08:42:00.000+01:00

After a dry spell hereabouts, I finally found a little bit of muse and posted a new Chapter last night.
I am indebted to an anonymous reader who kindly pointed out that I had headed this up as Chapter 87 which was - co-incidentally - the heading for the previous chapter.

It has now been corrected and Chapter 88 is available for perusal in all it's mind-numbingly compulsive detail.

Will the Real Harry McFry please step forward?

2007-05-09T09:07:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the wonderful DeadFred site, I found this rare photograph of Harry McFry (or it may, actually, be his father...)

Loose Ends

2007-05-05T23:26:00.000+01:00

Well, at last we know why there has been such a fuss about that bit of paper of Lillian's. Now I'm left wondering if this idea of a bond is really believable.

Most of the time I've been writing Harry McFry, I've been chained to my laptop. Today, however, I reverted to more old fashioned methods and sat with a coffee, in a cafe, and wrote a few hundred words longhand. It meant, at least, I could do a bit of editing before I posted to the blog. And I enjoyed the feeling of putting pen to paper instead of finger to keyboard.

Without wishing to give away future plot developments, I am worrying whether I'm up to writing a sex scene for Harry and ... let's just say 'someone else'. All that business with Harry's night at Carrie's was harder to write than I imagined, so goodness knows how I'll fare with something more explicit. I don't want to scare the cat, after all. Maybe I need to check in to The Gimcrack for a few days!

How long do people spend reading Harry McFry?

2007-05-04T00:36:00.000+01:00

It's very difficult to know how the world at large is viewing Harry McFry. Most of the time, I check the figures from Statcounter to see the numbers who have viewed him each day but, of course, that doesn't tell the whole story.

I came across this academic discussion of webpages the other day. it suggests that the average time spent viewing any given webpage is just 38 seconds. Other studies have indicated that the figure may really be much lower than this.

Enter, then, a new statistic from Statcounter: the time spent on the blog by visitors. I felt obliged to check this when reports came in of one reader not doing their ironing, then another said how they'd guiltily eaten their way through half a tub of ice cream while reading Harry.

It's heartening to see that a lot of readers hang around Harry for considerably longer than 38 seconds. Thank you!

Kind Regards

THJnr

Edit Me

2007-05-04T00:11:00.000+01:00

I am indebted to an old friend (in internet years, at least), JillJ, who kindly pointed out an 'interesting' typo that managed to sneak into the first paragraph of Chapter 75 of Harry McFry.

I've now corrected it, so any future readers should be spared the head-scratching that would otherwise have occurred as they tried to work out why Dave Morris and Jane Tobias were being dropped off by a taxi outside a marionette in Thirsk.

All other such errors and corrections are always gratefully, if humiliatingly, received!

On losing the muse

2007-04-30T08:17:00.000+01:00

I finally got back into the swing of writing again, inspired by the comments I received at the Talking Scot website. I don't think of myself as a 'real' writer - this is my first attempt at fiction, after all, so I dismissed the notion of having 'writer's block' as something 'proper' writers got.

I did feel that my muse had deserted me a little, however. But, it finally came skulking back, told me it had 'missed me' and we kissed and made up.

Just in case it should happen again, however, I have constructed a rudimentary muse trap, and I'll have it ready for the eventuality.

I was heartened that, over the period 26 - 29 April, over 800 pageloads were made at Harry McFry, by 370 unique visitors (these figures come from Statcounter, which monitors the number of visitors to the site - and very efficiently it does so, too).

Since I began writing Harry, the average number of pageloads per day has been around 70, from 37 unique visitors, so that four day jump could only mean that a very welcome Tartan Army had come to the site - I hope they're not too disappointed when they find that none of the McFry's mentioned have yet discovered their Scottish roots!

Health, Wealth & Happiness

2007-04-26T08:12:00.000+01:00

Not the best of week's for Thomas Hamburger Jnr, I'm afraid: and certainly not the most productive!

Trying to analyse why this might be is difficult. From (roughly) a chapter a day, down to just one in the whole of last week. A change in my medication might have been a factor, or maybe with Chapter 80 I realised I just don't 'do' romance! Whatever the reason, I have spent the last couple of days garnering some thoughts in readiness for writing again.

My confidence has been boosted by Harry McFry Investigates being featured by One Blog A Day, and by a post at the Talking Scot website, and I'd like to thank both sites for noticing Harry.

Imagination

2007-04-13T12:43:00.000+01:00

It looks like Harry McFry's got himself into a bit of a tangle with his sister-in-law just now. Serves him right, I suppose - if he were more organised he might have anticipated what was going on. I'm not sure how I'll manage with the detail of this - the romantic angle, as it were. Or, indeed, how it will go down with the readers. I shall have to monitor the Statcounter records carefully!

Harry McFry officially tipped over 70,000 words in Chapter 77. And today, I managed to write just short of 2,000 words. I remember having to write 2,000 word essays at college, and the dread they sometimes instilled in me! I suppose it's different with fiction - none of those nasty footnotes and references to worry about.

Ah, well ... onwards and sidewards!

Discretion

2007-04-10T17:55:00.000+01:00

Here's me worrying about how long a novel should be. I found this wonderful quote from a writer called Chet Cunningham today:

A novel is like a pretty woman’s skirt: it should be long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to make it interesting.

That sounds reasonable to me.

An Honourable Mention for Harry

2007-04-09T16:26:00.000+01:00

On a slow day in the blogosphere, Harry McFry Investigates was awarded the slightly coveted Blog of the Day status at blogofthedayawards.blogspot.com. Many thanks to the site owners for their award.

Actually, it appears that this technical note site was the one given the award, but I have kindly passed it on to the site where all the action is - The Case of the Missing Family.

Harry McFry is now also listed on wikablog - the wikipedia of the blog world, together with some background information on myself.

Other than that, it's been a slow weekend, what with it being the Easter holidays here in the UK, where I'm currently staying. The pleasant weather has been a distraction from writing, although I've managed a few short chapters.

Giving Too Much Away?

2007-04-08T23:27:00.000+01:00

Harry's tortuous search for the missing family of Laurel McFry is shortly to reach it's conclusion.

Now into Chapter 72, surely it's an easy road down into Madrid, Harry meeting up with his lost love, Ana, and the solution to the mystery?

I wish! Unfortunately, Harry forgot he had a date on Friday night... (even if Harry's readers might not have done). I think I know what's on the menu tonight, though!

I'm worried I might have already given the game away, with Lillian's 'confession' and subsequent thoughts after Harry and Danny left her in peace.

Anyway - this has been an enjoyable two months for me. If I've kept a few people entertained along the way, that's a real bonus.

Very Short Novels

2007-04-04T11:50:00.000+01:00

I found Very Short Novels after David B Dale, the blog's author, dropped by to view Harry McFry, and was kind enough to leave a positive comment about it.

David has brought together a collection of writings that all come in at under 299 words. It's a great idea, and lets you sample lots of different styles and genres in a short space of time.

I can only commend it to you.

Thomas Hamburger Jnr's Diary

2007-04-02T21:40:00.000+01:00

2 April 2007

Words today: 2,055 V V Good
Cigarettes: 28 V V Bad (Day not over yet, though).
Average words per cigarette: 73.39 (not sure if V V Good or V V Bad.)

'Novel' proceeding reasonably well. I am enjoying writing this tale. I keep reading the Wikipedia definition of a novel and am maybe getting too hung up on the word count!
Another 21 words and it will be 60,000 committed to paper. In my darker moments, I think it's 'derivitive drivel'. But today has been so spring-like, it's hard to go down that road.

Listening to Charlie Parker as I write. Seems to be very conducive to writing. Maybe Harry McFry should be set in the '60's! Desperate to get Harry to Madrid - probably wishful thinking!

The readership expands

2007-04-02T01:01:00.000+01:00

It seems as though Harry McFry has started to garner a wider readership. About half a dozen people have subscribed to the story through Feedblitz, which automatically e-mails subscribers whenever a new chapter is posted.

Altogether, it looks like Harry has around 30 regular readers now, with many more dropping by for a brief visit.

Harry McFry has made it to No 5 position in Fuel My Blog's Top 100 Bloglist. It seems as if a lot of the readers have been busily clicking away on the Fuel My Blog logo, for which I am very grateful.

Hmmm - better get on with the next Chapter, then!

How long is a novel?

2007-03-30T21:22:00.000+01:00

According to that internet font of wisdom, Wikipedia, a novel is "characterized by 60,000-200,000 words in length, or 300-1,300 pages, in length".

Well, I suppose Harry McFry is, day by day, getting there. My Word word-count shows Harry is currently coming in at just under 58,000 - but that includes a chapter I've 'got up my sleeve' for the future, which I may or may not use, depending how it goes.

I don't think Harry will be concluded in the next 2,000 words. There's just one or two things that need to happen, yet, before I can drive it to its ultimate conclusion.

Thanks for continuing to read - I appreciate it!

Lighten up, Harry!

2007-03-28T15:34:00.000+01:00

While Harry counts down the hours to his trip to Madrid, I thought I would take the opportunity to alter the background colour to make it a little easier on the eye.

Harry McFry started out as a 'blog noir' (as can be seen by Chris Dunham's snapshot of the site when I first opened the blog). A number of readers pointed out that it was hard work reading white text on a black background. A fair point indeed, and the customer is always right so far as Thomas Hamburger Jnr is concerned. So, I reverted to the more traditional black on white, but wasn't very happy with the results.

The Blogger templates were very limited, however, and it wasn't until I came across this really handy site that I was able to pluck up courage to play around with the HTML. Harry is now appearing on a very nice shade of cream - khaki #FFF380 to be precise.

I look forward to trying out some of the other tips on Jim's site.

Blushes are spared

2007-03-27T20:30:00.000+01:00

A quick re-read of the last few chapters of Harry McFry tonight, and I'm pleased to have averted a few blushes by having corrected a chunk of Chapter 58.

In my desire to explore the exchange of information between Dave Morris and Jane Tobias, I seemed to forget, half way through the account, that they were sitting having breakfast in their hotel. All that stuff in the surgery happened the day before.

Hopefully I won't have confused too many readers before I organised the re-write!

Patience is a virtue

2007-03-27T12:24:00.000+01:00

Harry can't wait to get to Madrid to meet Ana, his 'lost' love. Let's hope it doesn't all turn out to be an anti-climax for him.

The storyline for Harry McFry has slowed down a bit as I try to fill in a little more character detail. Maybe I should have done this earlier!

I'm pleased to report, however, that Harry's journalist pal, Bill Blunt, has started his own blog. As he's not the most IT literate of folk, he's asked me to upload his posts for him. As if I didn't have enough to do.

Meanwhile, it was a pleasure to see that Harry McFry Investigates made 'Blog of the Day' on the blog-ranking site, Fuel My Blog. A lot of readers of Harry McFry have been clicking away on the 'Fuel My Blog' logo lurking inthe sidebar to the right. I'm grateful for their support!

A milestone reached

2007-03-22T13:31:00.000Z

Today, I broached the 50,000 word barrier for Harry McFry Investigates.

When I set about starting Harry in early February, it began as a 'spoof' article on my personal family history website. I completed one chapter, and my brother kindly donated the second - a keen eye will spot changes in style and tone between the first , second and subsequent chapters, I am sure! I little imagined it would grow into such a project, however.

Well, I so much enjoyed writing it that I was spurred to continue and now, 54 chapters on I feel it's starting to take shape. It will need a thorough 'dusting down' when it's finally finished, I am sure - and there's still some way to go before the story comes to it's conclusion. I've got a couple of ideas of how it might end, and haven't yet settled on a favourite.

I continue to be amazed at how many people are reading Harry. It's a great therapy for me at what is a difficult personal time in my life, and heartening to know that Harry's blog has a readership scattered all over the world.

For those who have asked whether Bill Blunt really exists, you'll find his writings scattered here and there over the past couple of decades. My favourite pieces by Bill are still those he penned for the Oldham Athletic FC Fanzine, Beyond the Boundary. Alas, these aren't yet available on the web.

Some Technical Points

2007-03-07T14:02:00.000Z

Harry McFry Investigates The Case of the Missing Family is my first attempt at writing a novel via a blog.

Technically, it has it's limitations - it's tempting to want to go back and alter earlier chapters to fit a plot or sub-plot that I've suddenly thought of, but of course that rather goes against the grain of the idea of a blog.

Once a chapter's up there in cyberspace, and people have read it, it would be unfair to revise it (although I confess I have tweaked the odd bit here and there, usually typos, without anyone seeming to notice!) as their subsequent reading is based on what has gone before.

On a positive note, it's a great discipline - the need to keep producing a few hundred words every day or so, and I really miss it when I can't get to post!

The Case of the Missing Family has attracted anywhere between 12 and 56 unique readers a day since it was launched back in early February 2007. And there seem to be around 15 or so 'regular' readers who pop back every day or two for the latest instalment. (These stats come from Statcounter, a useful tool for any website or blog).

I'm still not entirely sure whether people are truly enjoying it. I hope so!

THJnr

The Case of the Missing Family

2007-02-11T20:22:00.000Z

I am pleased to say that The Case of the Missing Family is now available for your perusal and comment here.

Sincerely

THJnr