Explanation and Links to Chapters

So last year (2009) I began one of my many writing projects. I do this from time to time and pretty much always get bored before what I’m working on is anywhere near finished.

The idea came to me one morning on the tube, I would guess somewhere between Embankment and Aldgate East on the District Line.

I go into my inspiration in more detail in a later entry, but in a nutshell, I wondered how many of the commuters around me on that packed tube train had any real appreciation for the city above them, it could be very easy to do the same journey day after day and have no idea what was going on in the outside world above.

My mind then wandered on to how I felt I didn’t get as much out of living in London as I maybe should.

25,000 words later and I ran out of steam.

Having secured a place in the 2011 London Marathon, something which I always planned to write about either from the viewpoint of a spectator or competitor, I want to give this another shot.

I'm posting the chapters in their current draft form, most of which have been written some months ago. As my objective is for this to eventually appear in book form, some of these sections are longer than you might expect for blogs or online articles.

The potential for things to do in London and therefore write about was the appeal of this project, but it has also been my undoing. Writers block has hit me and as a result, I'm open to any suggestions for where to take this next.

This introduction will remain at the top of the blog, with what I've done so far linked from this page, as well as posted below in the order which they are intended to be read, starting from the top.

And why the working title Gates of Rome?

It’s Cockney Rhyming Slang for home, which, after all, is what London is, for me anyway.

Proper Intro: written in June 2009 the day the idea first came into my head.
A Few Facts and Stats
So why am I writing this stuff anyway?
I try to define London and present a beginners guide to Cockneys
A Weekend in the City Part 1: comedy at the Bedford in Balham
A Weekend in the City Part 2: a Super Furry Animals gig at one of London's most iconic venues
London: It's a Funny Old Place