I am sat in the Birmingham Library on one of their really comfortable hard plastic chairs (yes, sarcasm). And I am taking a break to give you an update on my new book.
It is going reasonably well, thank you for asking.
I use the word 'reasonably' with care as I don't feel I have moved out of first gear yet.
But I have managed to secure Saturday's for writing and here I am in the library, and I was here last week and the week before and I see no reason why I shouldn't be here next week, either.
I have booked a comedy club night for 7th March and I have secured an interview with one of the performers, the brilliant Eddy Brimson.
Ah, yes, I haven't told you what the book is about yet, have I?
The book follows the trials and tribulations of a trio of stand-up comedians.
I won't delve too deep here. I just propose you think about the potential the premise has...
And so, I need to know stand-up like the back of my hand. I was about to make a joke about knowing the back of my hand really well, but I'm sure I've used a joke about that before. I've been reading books and watching videos but that is only going to touch the surface. To really understand comedy, I need to roll up my sleeves and really live and breathe comedy. So I am going to shows. A whole lot of them. And that just has to include the home of alternative comedy, The Comedy Store in Leicester Square. But even that is only observing comedy. It isn't really getting involved and understanding it from a comic's perspective.
My big idea is to actually perform in Open Mic Nights.
That really is a daunting, scary prospect, but that is just another reason to do it. I need to understand just how daunting and scary comedy is.
Talk is cheap though, and at the moment all I am doing is talking (although admittedly I am sounding impressively tough). I will let you know when I have booked a night and then the talking can stop (hopefully not when I am up on stage, though, tongue-tied).
It won't feel like I have moved from first gear until I actually start the writing part.
In two weeks time I hope to be able to tell you that I am in second gear, moving swiftly into third...
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