BY TARDIS THROUGH THE MULTIVERSE

[manmiles]

Originally Posted by David Mosley

There was one snide remark about Mike's motives for doing a Doctor Who story now at a time when the show is more like SNL than hard science (i.e. because the BBC offered him a big wodge of cash) and I've seen the usual 'Moorcock used to churn out novels in three days so he's clearly a hack' comment at least once, but these are very much a teeny-tiny minority of posters when weighed against all the positive reactions that both Moorcock readers and DW fans have had to the news. And I would prefer to focus on the positives rather than the negatives at the end of the day.

You see, I don't get what the argument is, the BBC offered Mike a large chunk of change to write a book. Why is that a problem? I love Doctor Who, love it to bits, but I also like to pay rent, bills and eat food that didn't come in a tin with HEINZ written on the front. If for some insane reason the BBC offered me a slot in their Who range, I would be hoping I get paid a decent amount and not just printing costs and a bus ride home. Writers need to eat too.

[Reinart der Fuchs]

"Large chunk of change" is something people on The Internet are saying. Has Mike made a statement somewhere that I missed?

[manmiles]

Originally Posted by Reinart der Fuchs

"Large chunk of change" is something people on The Internet are saying. Has Mike made a statement somewhere that I missed?

No, I don't think so. It's just a saying. I've not seen anything anybody's said about on The Internet the last few days. Michael Moorcock's writing a Doctor Who novel, I'm worried if I look into it any further, I'll wake up.

[Reinart der Fuchs]

Originally Posted by manmiles

No, I don't think so. It's just a saying. I've not seen anything anybody's said about on The Internet the last few days. Michael Moorcock's writing a Doctor Who novel, I'm worried if I look into it any further, I'll wake up.

Underneath that saying is the assumption that Mike is going to making a huge amount of money. But only he (they) knows what that is. I am always mistified why people speculate on what other people think other people are going to make on a project. The connotation seems to be that whatever it is, it's way too much.

[J-Sun]

Originally Posted by johneffay

Wait until J-Sun spots this. We'll have to revive him with smelling salts

Anybody need anything while I am down here on the floor?



I have every Dr. Who novel. Ballpark around 60 New Adventures, 30 Missing Adventures, 15 Telos Novellas, 75 Eighth Doctor Adventures, 75 Past Doctor Adventures, 30 Short Trips, 30 of the New Series Adventures (and 9 Torchwood novels). Plus various other books..., all the CDs, all the spinoffs, (I just figurd out why I am so broke...)

This is like.... I can`t describe what this is like. I`m stunned into speechlessness. Its like a conjunction of my million hobbies.... or, at least the best two of them.

[J-Sun]

Originally Posted by UncleDes

Can we denizens of the Multiverse have ummm "walk-on parts" in the book? We all know you've done Easter eggs like that before ("Drallab" "K'cocroom" etc).

That would be the best in-joke ever!

Des

Obviously I would never dare suggest this nor get my hopes up, but good grief that would be the coolest thing ever.

Failing that, the Tardis landing at Mornington Crescent and the Doctor emerging with the words, `well look at that. You reall can win in two moves` or something along those lines would make my day.

Or the Doctor running into Una.

No, wait...

Una as a companion!!!

...okay, I need to quit contemplating this. It boggles the mind too much!

[Kommando]

Originally Posted by J-Sun

Obviously I would never dare suggest this nor get my hopes up, but good grief that would be the coolest thing ever.

Failing that, the Tardis landing at Mornington Crescent and the Doctor emerging with the words, `well look at that. You reall can win in two moves` or something along those lines would make my day.

Or the Doctor running into Una.

No, wait...

Una as a companion!!!

...okay, I need to quit contemplating this. It boggles the mind too much!

I'd settle for the Doctor buying a bagel off a cat wearing headphones. Oh wait, if the story took place on New Earth, that could really happen.

Its kind of amusing seeing the media troll this thread for story content, though the one about "MM strikes at angry fans" seems to be trying to add unnecessary drama. Mainly because I'm having a hard time working out who this alleged angry mob is. A single post with snide remarks and a couple of others with criticisms doesn't exactly make a mob, let alone an angry one.

[Pietro_Mercurios]

Originally Posted by J-Sun

...

Or the Doctor running into Una.

No, wait...

Una as a companion!!!

...okay, I need to quit contemplating this. It boggles the mind too much!

Cold showers all round, I think!

[UncleDes]

Originally Posted by Pietro_Mercurios

Cold showers all round, I think!

Incorporation of something like this may also be helpful....

Dave Mosley made me do it!!! Blame him!!!

[zilch]

I dare you to put in characters called Dr Which, Dr Why, Dr When, Dr How, Dr What & Dr D Document

[porcus_volans]

i cut my sci fi teeth on terrence dicks' dr who books before graduating to moorcock, ballard, bayley, brunner and bradbury (i didn't get much further than B in the library shelves).

a dr who book written by mm will be like a steak and kidney pie cooked by escoffier - the nation's favourite created by the master (no, not that master...).

[Michael Moorcock]

I'm somewhat jet-lagged but something halfway coherent about all this should appear in The Guardian's AUTHOR, AUTHOR spot on, I think, Saturday. I'm being paid a decent advance but not as much as, say, MOTHER LONDON or other books, including Elric books and so on! I'm not doing it for the money, though I'm not writing it JUST for pleasure, either. I didn't have to think about it for long because I've much enjoyed the recent Doctors and they fit in nicely with my own ideas at the moment. I'm revisiting Sexton Blake, too, as you'll note from my introduction to SEXTON BLAKE, DETECTIVE edited by George Mann.
A rattling good collection.
I'm used to certain sf fans not being especially open-minded -- after all, look what happened on NEW WORLDS.
I'm pleased that most people seem enthusiastic and of course I'm going to give it my best shot. I seriously doubt, from what's been said so far, that the editor will 'bland out' what I write. I would like a chance to bring in some of my own characters, of course, but that's really their call. One other thing is sure. I won't be writing it in 3 days. Haven't done that since the 70s when I was somewhat younger. Of course, those books are still selling, so I'm not sure what the fuss would be about if I did take 3 days... I seem to recall some of those books won prizes... I'm not sure it's how many shots you get off a minute as where you aim those shots. I aim to please smart readers and there seem to be plenty of them out there.
And there will doubtless be complaints. After all, there are plenty of people out there who think my newer Elric stories aren't as good as the earlier ones.

[zilch]

I think creative work often benefits from a tight schedule, keeps you from overthinking & overcrafting things

[Rothgo]

Originally Posted by Michael Moorcock

... I'm revisiting Sexton Blake, too, as you'll note from my introduction to SEXTON BLAKE, DETECTIVE edited by George Mann. A rattling good collection...

A shame then that the recent Sexton Blake BBC radio plays were so poor then. Unlike the recent Dr Who radio plays, some of which (the Autons one in particular) were excellent.

[Michael Moorcock]

Yes, they did everything wrong with that radio Blake. An object lesson in how not to go about reviving a character. I hope the forthcoming volume written by George, Mark and myself will show that Blake can be revived with respect AND be entertaining!

[Kyrinn S. Eis]

This all seems very interesting, and I look forward to purchasing a copy.


I just have to say that taking the following out of context made me giggle:

"I'm not sure it's how many shots you get off a minute as where you aim those shots."

Impishly,
-K

[MartinLightfoot]

I missed the Sexton Blake experience entirely (my dad was familiar with at least the films) so I couldn't see the point of spoofing - and so incredibly obviously - something not many people were familiar with now "straight". (Unlike say "Bleak Expectations" on Radio4 which is at least funny if not much like Dickens). It was obviously a big disappointment for SB fans and especially you after you'd contributed to the introductory programme.
I'm not really into Dr Who (though he memorably showed up at Jerry's coronation? party) but I'll certainly make sure I grab the Guardian's "Review" section in the pub on Saturday. Cheers boss!

[Tales from Tanelorn]

Hi Mike, this seems a pretty interesting project!

Are you fully up with the Dr Who universe? For some reason I havent seen even half of the episodes of the new series due to the TV system we have here. I used to watch every episode at 6pm on saturday on BBC but here it is more complicated and out of order!

So do you have an outline for a story already? How does the creative process begin, do they give you a guideline? Can you include anything, concepts, characters from the Multiverse? How long would it be before they would start filming would it be a long time in advance of the story?

TfT

[Klyve]

Originally Posted by Guzzlecrank

It is more than a bit depressing to see such conservatism and provincialism expressed by part of the Dr. Who fan base; it is remarkably, and sadly, similar to the spectacle of a scandalized clique of congregants when a guest preacher is invited to give a sermon, or a new cleric is rotated into service at an established church.

Perhaps I'm misguided, but I've always thought that one of the cardinal virtues upheld by SF-genre literary and performance art--including the Dr. Who series--was intellectual curiosity.

Really? Is this post for real? You actually notice that a story is being made up and then you purposely throw flames on the fire?

Sorry, the intellectual curiosity you note actually exists. It's here and it chuckles, then shakes it's head.

[Chris T]

Originally Posted by Klyve

Really? Is this post for real? You actually notice that a story is being made up and then you purposely throw flames on the fire?

Sorry, the intellectual curiosity you note actually exists. It's here and it chuckles, then shakes it's head.

I haven't noticed much conservatism about Mike writing a novel from Dr Who fans but I don't read the fora. I have been checking a couple of blogs since the new series started and read second hand about a few controversies on the fora giving rise to some rather backward opinions being uttered...

Back to the topic though this blog mentions Mike's news and suggests Neil Gaiman may also be writing somehow? Is this right?