The Long and Winding Road

Name that song...

This blog post is a combination of three of my favourite things (no...not that...and not that either...) - serendipity, The Beatles and writing.

As you'll have read on this blog - and many others - a modern assumption, aided and abetted by the Internet and social media, is that you can gameplan your way to writing success. Masterclasses, editorial consultants, workshops, agents, publishers, street teams, and comprehensive strategies - all these and more, we are told, will assure you of eventual success. 

Now, before we get into a hoo-ha, let me state for the record that I have no issue with any of the aforementioned in themselves. Why would I when I can personally tick them off my own list (apart from a masterclass, which I couldn't afford!).

But...I'm acutely aware of the role that serendipity has in creative success, and I think it's so often underplayed. To illustrate my point, here is an extremely potted history of The Beatles.

The early line-up was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. Stuart left the band to concentrate on his art studies. Brian Epstein saw the band at the Cavern Club, liked them and became their manager in 1962. The same year, Decca Records rejected the group, commenting that: "Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein." Despite that sage advice, George Martin subsequently signed them up for EMI's Parlophone label. Stuart Sutcliffe died tragically, aged 22. Ringo Starr (who'd previously been part of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes) replaced Pete Best, a move not universally popular with fans. A total of 12 original UK albums were released between 1963 and 1970, along with over 50 singles. After the band separated in 1970, all four Beatles went on to have solo careers, along with Paul McCartney creating Wings and George Harrison being part of The Travelling Wilburys. John Lennon was murdered in 1980 and George Harrison died in 2001.

Beatle related controversies include:

1. Pete Best being ousted from the band.

2. The original 'butcher' cover on the compilation album Yesterday and Today. 3. John Lennon's oft-quoted (usually out of context) comment about The Beatles being 'bigger than Jesus'.

4. Their time with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

5. More recently, Paul McCartney asking for some songs to now be credited to McCartney / Lennon rather than the other way around.

6. A lawsuit against George Harrison's My Sweet Lord brought by Bright Tunes for alleged copyright infringement of the Ronnie Mack song 'He's So Fine'.

I know, all too brief and not enough detail. Buy some books instead!

My point, other than to stimulate your Beatles-related curiosity, is to remind all us writers that fate, chance, or circumstance - call to what you will - has its part to play. Hindsight can make the improbable seem inevitable, and we never fully appreciate all the factors that contribute to success.

They can include:

- Inspiration and influences

- Talent

- Meeting the 'right' people for something to happen

- Making connections

- Timing

- What's going on in the world outside your creative endeavours

- Motivation

- Who's backing you and what influence they have

- What came before you

- What you encounter once you've generated some momentum

- Any controversy you become embroiled with

- How people feel towards you and your creative output

- How long it takes to reach sustainability

- Economics - yours, the business's and the marketplace

Or, as the Fab Four might have put it themselves: I Don't Want to Spoil the Party - What Goes On - All You Need is Love - I Should Have Known Better - We Can Work It Out - With a Little Help from My Friends - Misery - Revolution - Paperback Writer.

Guest spot - Laurence O'Bryan - The Themes of The Manhattan Puzzle

I'm delighted to present a guest post about author Laurence O'Bryan, who writes modern day mystery-thrillers with a twist or three. First there was The Istanbul Puzzle, which necessitated six visits to Istanbul for research (now that's commitment!). Then came The Jerusalem Puzzle, which continued the story and features the same characters. And now, there's the third book in the series, The Manhattan Puzzle, which launches October 10, 2013.

Interesting facts about Laurence in his own words (with additional comments from me in italics).

I was first published by a school newspaper when I was ten. (Start young if you can.)

The Istanbul Puzzle was shortlisted for the Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award 2012. (Get your work out there.)

My roots go back to a small estate deep in the Mountains of Mourne, near the Silent Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland. (Recognise your own history and heritage.)

I went to school in Dublin, drank way too much, studied English and history, then business, then IT at Oxford University. While a student, I worked as a kitchen porter in a club near the Bank of England. (Live a full life and incorporate it into your writing along the way.)

I have also published a guide to social media called, Social Media is Dynamite. (Diversify!)

Laurence's top tip for writers

"Don't expect easy success, it's an illusion, and don't expect to find a short cut, there's only the long way, but do expect to become a writer through the torment and toil that will make you one."

The Themes of The Manhattan Puzzle

By Laurence O’Bryan

What has been hidden in Manhattan by the most powerful people on earth?

What would you do to a Manhattan banker who treated ordinary people like slaves?

What magic is buried under Manhattan that allows it to rise again from anything the world throws at it?

The BXH Bank Building NYC

BXH Bank building, Manhattan, vehicle entrance visible under the arch.

Image © LP O’Bryan

These are the themes of The Manhattan Puzzle. The story sees Sean and Isabel (my characters from The Istanbul Puzzle and The Jerusalem Puzzle) reunited in Manhattan at the headquarters of one of the world’s largest banks, BXH. There’s been some grisly murders, and now the plot takes a new twist. The contents of the book they found in Istanbul are revealed.

My personal journey with this story grew out of my disgust at the financial crisis that has brought many so low. I am interested in the myths and the beliefs of those who value money above everything.

But The Manhattan Puzzle is about other things too. For instance, what would you do if your partner didn’t come home one night? And what would you think if the police turned up at your door the next day looking for him?

Relationships are under stress everywhere, because of the demands placed on us by our jobs, but few of us will face what Isabel has to face when Sean goes missing. 

There is violence from the start in The Manhattan Puzzle too, but the opening has a woman inflicting it on a man. I am tired of reading about men inflicting sexual violence on women. I think it’s time for the handcuffs to swop wrists. And they certainly do in The Manhattan Puzzle. You can download the first chapter here as a pdf.  

But don’t get me wrong. I love Manhattan. It’s a city in a snow globe of dollar bills. So look in your bookstore and on your E-readers and order it too, if you want. 

To order The Manhattan Puzzle click here.

Or to visit my website click here.

And thanks for reading this and for buying The Manhattan Puzzle, if you do. I hope you find it entertaining and the themes interesting.