I love a Funny Story!

Sometimes we hear a tale that really tickles us. A few weeks ago I heard the TV celebrity Graham Norton being interviewed on the radio.

It was a fascinating conversation because he is also a writer. I read one of his books a few years ago and enjoyed it.

He does a lot of research for his stories and then began talking about rabbit holes. We all know about those when looking for one thing, discover something else, and find yourself way off subject. You can also get carried away with research and the reality is, he said, you can only put a small amount in your story.

Occasionally you come across something that just has to go in the book. A snippet of information that capturers your imagination. The one that caught his was when he went on a London river cruise with a friend. The tour guide said, ‘You know why this is called a Wharf? It stands for Warehouse and River Front.’

Graham had never heard that before, as I hadn’t. He was so enthralled he told everyone. Then one day as he sat in a pub or a cafe, he met the tour guide. ‘Oh,’ Graham gushed. ‘Your tour was wonderful and I was fascinated to know what Wharf stood for. I’ve told all my friends.’

‘Oh that,’ said the tour guide. ‘I just made it up.’

I laughed so hard and the story stuck with me,

At time of writing, Graham has two books at 99p. The Swimmer is a short read at 80 pages long. It’s an idea opportunity to try a shorter book and of you like him you can a full one.

Grab them quick though, because the offer may not be on for long.