A Year In The Life Of Some Guy

I am quite surprised that this hilarious story wasn't one of the first to be snapped up by HC. What is the male version of chick-lit? Dick-lit? There is not much more to say about this other than, brilliant. I've often wondered who the self assured looking guy poking his tongue out on the forums was. Now I know. I try to keep away from the already high up in the chart books as I am new and don't have much pull when it comes to my comments. Can't help backing this one though.
Good Luck Oli.

So glad I saw your plea Oli. This is sidesplitting and if my eyes weren't boggling from looking at this screen for far too long, I would still be devouring your writing now. It's begging to be made into a film, after it's been published, obviously. As soon as my current backings have had at least 24hours on the shelf (it's only decent) yours will be whisked on up there (hmm, should I have said that?)
All the best!
Faith

It has taken me many years to learn that, sometimes, postponing a pleasure only makes that pleasure more pleasurable when you allow it to pleasure you ... er ... where is this going? Oh yeah - it's taken me weeks to get round to reading 'A Year' and I chose just the right moment. I needed a distraction, and I got it. Fast and funny - you've got a great gift, man!

What can I say? It's fresh and it's fecking hilarious. Read through the whole of the first section (what's that, two chapters? plus your explanatory note, which I assume will not appear in the first published edition) with barely a moment's rest, quickly getting swept along by the energy of the writing and the sheer pungent fun of it all.

Maybe I held back for so long because you'd been so enthusiastic and supportive over 'CY' that I really didn't want to feel in any obliged to back your crummy effort. So - good news - I'm backing it entirely of my own free will and volition because it's the right thing to do! Besides which, one day you'll be in print and I want to be able to tell everybody that, ah yes, I spotted his talent, just several weeks after I bloody well should have.

Well done, Oli. You will let me know when you've got a comedy slot on Radio Four, or anything like that, won't you?

Keep it up!

Simon

What a great voice you have here Oli. Its immediate, funny and resonant. Congratulations at the start of a great career. Cant wait to see more from you.

Oli,
this is brilliant! The dialogues are real and funny, and the situations are hilarious! Tim's a great mc and Garth an excellent back-up.
Keep the 12 chapters, month by month works realy well. (Although maybe some asterisk-type breaks or something so people can put it down at an easy place to find again - though they probably won't want to!)

a few chronological off-the cuff comments:
fav line no. 1: 'I took my annoyance out on my liver'
just before the code yellow with Karen: 'yeah, yeah it is, isn't it.' - add the 2nd comma
loved Garth's facebook status change
totally agree with your opinion of Man Utd. And my mc is also a Leeds Supporter!
oh the sweaty hand!
fav line no. 2; The flab and rolls were jiggling and slapping each other
not sure about 'snuck' (sneaked?) - sounds American in a very English story.

This IS the male answer to Bridget Jones!
And I'll buy it when it's on WH Smiths bookshelves. For the moment it's on mine.
Cheers!
Simon

Not sure if this is still an active project or not, but I actually enjoyed the writing so far. Yes, there are the occasional rough patches, but they're something the sub-editor can smooth out, or highlight, and after the success of Beautiful People, maybe this could be pitched towards a production company (or even directly to the BBC or ITV - though I'm not sure if they're still open to that, rather than having a production company with a firmed up idea making the approach.)

Read and enjoyed, backed with pleasure.

Hi Oliver -- Very, very funny -- backed with tears, Barry
(Little Krisna and the Bihar Boys

If I wake myself up tonight laughing, you're to blame! Absolutely hysterical. Backed. lynn

Simply, very funny!
Backed!
A look at Sicilian Shadows would be greatly appreciated.
Frank.

BACKING you. I can use your comments on my book if you can spare the time. Cheers!

JC
The Obergemau Key

Bugger all, another rotter. Fun stuff. Backed.

ARISE, AUTHONOMY GHOST!

Ease those weary, withered limbs from your coffin. Push away the stone from the mouth of the tomb.

You have one last task to perform. One last, sacred shelf to confer.

Whether you were plugger, spammer, gusher or troll, whether you flirted or fought in the forum or beavered away in the shadows, now is the time for your resurrection.

One last time. Marshall your strength, muster the last vestiges of your power and carry out your final Authonomy act:

Back my book, MIRROR IN THE SKY.

Then, only then, you may rest easy in your Authonomy grave.

Nick Poole2 (formerly known as NickP)

Backed January 13.

Jesse - Savant

http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=14062

I'm all commented out today - but this was a cracking piece of work (and I see from your blog that it's getting well-deserved favourable comments from publishers). Shelved, with absolute pleasure.

Dude! This is absolutely hilarious! You have got the greatest voice for... jeez, I'm not even sure how to describe it... the greatest voice for the single, drunk, horny man (which has been my natural condition for a great part of my life, oddly enough...). I haven't gotten far enough in to find out if you've got a good story on your hands, but I can say without a doubt that you've got a fantastic style and a hella good sense of humor. This is the first book on authonomy to make me throw back my head and laugh - multiple times! Well, done, sir! Very happily shelved!

Oh, just remembered: one suggestion: split it into smaller chapters.

Good luck,

C.I. DeMann
Writing Home

I have just stumbled over your book by putting 'Leeds' in the search engine (I think). Anyway, I read some of the first chapter, and despite myself, found a good chuckle or two. It looks like it will be unpretentiously funny, and when I have time, I shall probably read more. Thank you.

UPDATE. PLEASE.

Oh my God how come you are not already published. This is absolutely hilarious. HARPER COLLINS THIS IS A HIT!!! You had me laughing right from the beginning and I just couldnt stop reading. This is one that I would definately buy. Good luck with it because you deserve it. Backed.

I love this stark, British humour, two guys just living there lives against the rub and grind of London life, contstantly battling their typical British gloom and desperation. Watch out Richard Curtis and Ben Elton; your time maybe up.

Andrew

I agree that this is the male version of chick-lit...hilarious and topical, and Tim is fun to be with.

To counteract the knee-jerk reaction to the word "paedophile," you can simply say (not really) instead of (sort of) because do you explain it later.

Shelved because you made me laugh.

Cheers,
Sheryl (In All The Wrong Places)

Terrific style.
Please clarify Garth's pedophilia charge right away. This subject is NEVER funny. The reader is just meeting Tim and deciding whether to spend time with him. The smell of diry socks and dinge is already in the air. Tim's living with a pedophile, however odd couple style, will get many readers to close the book.
In the Earl's Court para delete 'what seemed to be', 'appeared to', and 'what could well have been'. It's a guy on a leash wearing a bondage suit. It's a group of middle-aged transsexuals. The later you might describe in a little detail ala they're trying to pull off a double switcheroo-old acting young and men as women.
You are talented. Best of luck.

Hi there,
This is a brilliant read, thoroughly enjoyed it. Your writing is fresh and witty and I laughed out loud at times. I'm disappointed to see that it has a red arrow at the moment and hope that will change. As others have said, I could see this as a film, great fun! I have no nit-picks but then I tend to leave those to the better qualified.
On my shelf!
Bests,
AnnabelleP
(Adelaide Short)

Good fun, larger than life - but is it? This is a quite pictorial book. Anyone brave enough could film it. But it's your idea and you deserve the cridt which i duly wextend with my backing.
Rick gammons
(Touching Bottom)

Haven't finished reading it, but some comments: Love the voice of the clever, bitter, humorous main character. Grammar issues make it not a smooth read. Lots of missing commas, quotation marks, etc. For my taste, I could do without warnings like "I don't want to bore you so I'll only tell you so much now." Let the reader trust that you are revealing certain information at certain times for a reason.

Dear Oliver,

I have been reading your stuff, liked what I saw and decided to back you. A Year in the Life of Some Guy is on my bookshelf.

let me know when you get back and I shall write a critique.

Kind regards,

Pierre.

This was a good read. It comes across almost like a stand-up comic doing a very long routine, very conversational and entertaining. The narrator is very candid, including about his own shortcomings, and that is almost always a good thing when it comes to getting the reader’s sympathy.

There were a few things that I didn’t like about it, though.

First, the narrator is sometimes a shit, and, although his candour redeems this a little, there were some parts where he lost my sympathy completely. For some reason, some writers seem to be able to get away with making their characters obnoxious, and I wish I knew how they did it. Maybe it’s when the bad behaviour is caused by some problem we can understand (the guy was abused as a child, was in a concentration camp, has claustrophobia, whatever)?

For instance:

“I managed to pull myself up and drag my own flailing body out of the pub, though I did succeed in copping a little feel of the arse of one of the blonde fake-breasted bimbos on the way out.”

His contempt for Rebecca’s birthday present. (After all, it’s the thought that counts!)

Not that he’s obnoxious all the time, but those one or two times were enough to turn me off a bit.

Second, gross-out jokes. Farts, diarrhoea, urine, vomit and all those. That’s maybe just me. Or maybe it used to be funnier when everyone wasn’t doing it and it was more shocking.

Finally, some of the dialogue needs tightening up. You do a lot of stuff like this:

“‘Oh! Tim, I’d like you to meet my mate Leanne. Leanne, this is Tim!’

‘Hi there Tim, nice to meet you’

‘And you! How’s it going?’”

It’s as though you’re just trying to transcribe dialogue accurately, which is usually a mistake. Only include the good parts. If nothing interesting (funny, informative) is said, don’t include it.

You’ve got a strong voice, but maybe you need to focus more on the characters and what makes them tick.

Hola Oli!

Lovely stuff. Very funny, fluid and immersing from the first line. Shelved on the strength of the first 2 chapters. I can see bags of promise in this. To be honest, it's not often that I'm 100% certain I'll go back after the first two or three chapters / leaving comments, but in this case I will. Good work.

Best wishes,
M :-)

Hi Joe/Oli
Well, I read the first part of this a while ago, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to return and read the rest of the first two chapters. Nothing personal - haven't read anything here for far too long.
My thoughts on this need to be taken with a large pinch of salt - or anything else you would prefer to pinch(!) - as I am way outside the target audience for this. That said, you succeeded on 'offending' me in several places -not majorly - and I'll get over it(!) - but Tim's sexist attitude, and way out of date attitude to women really made me squirm... but then, I know it was meant to. The two chapters made a good job of setting up Garth and Tim's characters and had some great one liners - eg 'you know you're in a shit job when the boss hates it more than you do...' I thought there was too much in italics and brackets in chapter one which slowed the pace a bit. I'd look at these and see if you can trim any without losing much. The one about Tenerife didn't really seem to add anything to me.
Shall I shelve it? This is the conundrum which is authonomy...I wouldn't buy this but then you wouldn't expect me to! Will it appeal to its target market? Well, I suspect so, but how the hell do I know??? I probably will give it a quick shelf! One last word of advice -seeing as I'm old enough to be your mother, I'm good at dispensing such things - take care with contemporary references - Gordon Brown, Knightsbridge prices. With the world changing as fast as it is now...might seem dated before it's published. Good luck.
Tricia

Hysterical. And you are the only other person I've read who uses the ™ symbol as story enhancement.

You're the third writer here to make me laugh out loud in the first chapter (no easy task, I assure you). If you want to see my criterion for backing, just check my profile. I'm not in the business of critiques unless absolutely forced.

Frankly I don't think I've got anything to tell you that would make your work better, anyway. Maybe take a look at some of your comma use.

Back, baby. Backed as hell.

Oliver, This is a terrific piece of work. Terribly funny! I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it.
Of course I did notice some spelling errors and a few mistakes but I was so amused with the story and dialogue I can only remember one (They had slicked back greasy hair and were stood there) I believe you meant (were standing there). Good writing, hope to see you make the editors desk and beyond.
Jan

Oli,

I'm blaming you entirely for the fact that I barely wrote a word today! I couldn't stop reading once I got started. This book is genius and absolutely hilarious. I was laughing so hard in parts I thought I might wet myself...

One thing I noticed was in the awards brawl chapter you say something about Gaffer's white dress and then three or four paragraphs later it's a green dress. But that's the only thing I found wrong with the entire thing.

As you've probably guessed, I've shelved it and look forward to more!

Cameron

You have an easy-going, fast-flowing style, and a tough sense of humour, which has won you many backers here already. I think there's quite a market for this kind of laddish humour, although there's no shortage of stories involving young men working in London, in jobs they hate. If I were you I'd give serious consideration to setting your next novel in Leeds, because I think it would give you an edge on the competition.

One thing that didn't work so well, for me, was your decision to render dialects phonetically. I've never been in favour of this, although I'm aware that lots of Authonomites are. (Authonomites sounds obscene doesn't it?) The problem is that if readers aren't familiar with the dialect they can't really reconstruct it from the phonetics, and also it dates very quickly. Look at Kipling's attempts to write poems in dialect (e.g. They're Hanging Danny Deever), which are almost unreadable nowadays. (An' 'e'll swing in 'arf a minute for a sneakin' shootin' hound.) A safer approach is taken by John Le Carre, where the rhythms and grammar of, say, a Russian speaking English are preserved, but no attempt is made to represent the accent.

That's just my opinion, and I suspect I'm in a minority of one here. Best of luck with A Year in the Life.

Top-notch stuff this!

It's so refreshing to hear a proper, sharp, intelligent northern voice (not the usual patronising drivel one tends to read when a middle class southerner tries to 'do northern' if you know what I mean?!). And the raging (yet harmless) homophobia really rings true with me. I recognised many aspects of Tim in several of my own friends which made him really easy to relate to.

And funny too! Although my sides didn't exactly split, there were more than a few smiles and little chuckles to warrant the title 'comedy' ('Oceanography' at Teesside made me chuckle - nearly as bad as 'Klingon' at Hull or summat like that!!)

Proper good stuff "love"!
SHELVED
God Bless
Stephen

Loving the pitch - really looks like my kind of thing this. I'm off out for some beers then I'll settle down for a read! Watchlisted.

This is brilliant and it's on my shelf. good luck, janie.

Shelved. Good luck.

I think George Cloony would be a better shag because Pitt is secretly gay. How come there aren't any English guys as an alternative suggestion? How about that Daniel Craig. He's tasty. That's not useful commentary on your book I know. I'm not an editor, and won't even pretend to act like one. I just try to read as many interesting books as I can. This one is interesting. In a good way. Not in that you just got a bad hair cut and I don't want to tell you way, but in the it's nice to read something different interesting way. Does that make sense? Anyway, I'm going back to read some more.

Hi Oli,

Finally got to AYILOSG - sorry about the time I took!

I laughed, amid mild shocks, and found this generally to be a fun book. I do, however, think it could be tightened up a little. This would make it funnier and faster. There are a few typos littered around, but some lovely lines and a lively personality shines through.

I wish you all the best with this as I dust off a space on my shelf.

Take care,
Kat

I am thoroughly enjoying this read when I get the chance to look at it. Certainly one that I hope continues to rise up the charts.

All the best, Luke

This is great, the internal dialogue as he fails to pull the girl is genuinely very funny, the pace is quick, the characters real, there is such a lot of good humour here, Oceanography from Teeside to mention but one of the very clever lines... I would imagine that this book would appeal to both men and women so would present some marketing challenges, it almost seemed at times that it would make a good script for a sitcom. Writing something funny while keeping it believable is a tough call and one I think you have risen to well...will watchlist and squeeze onto bookshelf when I have made space, will also come back to read some more soon - Andrew

Hey Oli,

WOW! I love this!! The first chapter had me in stitches... So close to pulling a sickie at work just so I can stay and read some more!!! Will definatley be back... shelved it.. had too!!!

Lacey

I am quite surprised that this hilarious story wasn't one of the first to be snapped up by HC. What is the male version of chick-lit? Dick-lit? There is not much more to say about this other than, brilliant. I've often wondered who the self assured looking guy poking his tongue out on the forums was. Now I know. I try to keep away from the already high up in the chart books as I am new and don't have much pull when it comes to my comments. Can't help backing this one though.
Good Luck Oli.

Read some more of this last night and it had me laughing out loud! I'm coming back to this to read some more when I get a little mor time but there's not really anything I can say for 'constructive criticism!' I love it!! :-)

Sarah

I've read the first two chapters, Joe. This is *way* outside my usual reading, and I'm really not your target market. But with that caveat, it seems to me very well done, funny, clever, and with an "I have no idea what's going to happen next" feel about it to draw the reader on. So I'm shelving it.

Hi Joe/Oli, some thoughts on your first chapter. A cracking voice all the way through, with some quality swearing. "It's got cock in it" made me laugh, as did "Yes, the same as the washing powder", plenty of zinging lines. Garth the flatmate was a living, breathing character - it would have been too easy to make him a sort of turbo charged John Inman/stock camp character, but you rendered him very well. This has a lot of charm and plenty of warmth to it. One thing though - do you worry about people being prejudiced towards your characters? I mean, a central character as an estate agent... sheesh!

Cracking stuff all told - I liked the way he sussed out Karen was a D-cup immediately - and looking good for the desk in the future. All the best,

Pat

Hey Oli,
I've read the first 2 chapters and I've enjoyed them very much, You write effortlessly and the reader follows Tim's thoughts and observations all the way. It's witty and funny, but gritty and real, too.
All the characters you're introducing seem alive, some even familiar.
I will be back to read more (not now, though, it's after 1am here!), but until then, I'll be honoured to have your book on my shelf.
It's clear, smooth engaging writing and I'm hooked!
Well done! Can't wait to read mroe!
Take care,
Annia ;-)

Oliver: Just read a few chapters of your book....not exactly PC is it? But it was funny and the protag is definitely a good character. Hope you finish it and give it a good edit. It's on my watchlist.

cant remember if i already commented or watchlisted, i'll wl it now and having read ch 1 it starts pretty good the pickup scene in pub is great, the gay chat's less my scene but it looks like these characters are up for some fun


freddie

cant remember if i already commented or watchlisted this, but i'll wl it now and having read ch 1 it starts pretty good the pickup scene in pub is great, the gay chat's less my scene but it looks like these characters are up for some fun


freddie

Howdie Oli,
Doing some late night reading, can't sleep. I've finally made it up to your book on my watchlist. Oh, and I see you have a character named karen - good choice, you dont see many of us around.

i like your style, this is fun and casual and your MC has a great sense of humor. I love how he has a random career, I can relate to that one. But, I'm a pitt fan myself, clooney is scrawny in real life.

moobs, why am I thinking fight club? fun.

Is the calgonator really trademarked? I like how he meets Karen...wow, all i can say is i like, i like, i like...no negative stuff yet..will try harder...

Ok, now I have to shelf you because it's time to go to bed. I plan on reading more though -- gotto find out what happens. Of course I have to decide which book to take down, I've been working on my TSRs -- doing quite well -- which is good for you. lets see what happens....

cheers
karen

Hi Oliver. On the positive side, I think you have a really good voice--it's light and easy and seems real enough. I think you have a target audience and that with some work, this could do well. But this middle-aged single mom living in the raging sea of hormones created by three teenagers, and who has a history of sexual abuse, a lot of your humor was lost on me.

For example, as one who has seen the ravages of pedophilia, there is nothing funny about it. I read far enough to have had those initial comments explained but that doesn't alter the fact that in any way, shape, or form, child sexual abuse is a serious crime with long-reaching effects. In my opinion, making light of that is to show pretty bad taste.

On the other hand, homosexuality can be pretty funny (I cite The Birdcage) but constant sexual references didn't do a thing for me. I guess I come from a different generation in which our individual preferences were a thing that should be respected, not exploited.

Again, I'm not your target audience so some of the language was a bit much for me.

I will, however, forgive you for all the slams against us "cheesy" Americans! In many cases, you're aboslutely right!

I'm sure I'm in the minority here (because your book is doing a lot better than mine!) and I wish you the best of luck.

I love you're 'cut the bullshit' language. Straight to the point, in your face and its certainly a double-taker of a story. I like the fluidity and how you pull the reader in. All the best dude. x

Hi Oli! This is light, quick fun with an assured voice -- since I've read just the first two chapters (two authonomy chapters), I may be dead wrong about the structure, but A Year seems to be pretty much a picaresque (a structure I LOVE and do not see NEARLY enough of!) with just a whisper of a broader plotline (namely...Karen). Tim annoys me sometimes and then wins me over again and then annoys me all over, but he never bores me ;-) . And there's something very refreshing about the lack of tension in events that COULD be dramatic...except that Tim is too good-natured (despite all his bitching about, um, everything) to take anything to heart, and ultimately the world seems more interested in tweaking him than in punishing him...and that makes it all just a fun place to be. And a silly one. THERE, I kept myself to one paragraph ;-) -- best of luck!!!

Hi Oli!
Thought I'd return the favour, and I'm very glad I did! This is looking great, and definitely something that should be on bookshop shelves. We girls have so much 'chick lit' floating around the place, and I think that you men have been sorely deprived! Keep going, can't wait to read the finished product.
Kirsty

I really like this.