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Richard Herring

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Warming Up
Latest Message - Thursday 20th November 2008

This may look like a daily diary, but it isn't exactly that.

The idea sprung up because of writer's block. I have been working hard this year and not really had a break and have been finding it hard to apply myself. This annoys me, because I know that if I just wrote solidly for three or four hours a day then I would never have to get into the mad rushes that I always do whenever a dead-line approaches.

It also makes me wonder about the stuff I could have written if I hadn't been playing Scrabble on my Gameboy

I sort of figured that if I could spend a half an hour at the beginning of each day writing about something that had happened to me on the previous day, then at least I would have done something constructive, and also it might get me in a writing frame of mind and help with the work I actually have to do.

I have made many attempts to keep a diary, but always lose interest, and yet, reading the attempted diaries back years later is a wonderful thing for a writer. It reminds you of great stuff that you've forgotten and is also a window to your emotions at the time. Even when the stuff is quite banal there is usually something worthwhile for the author. I found this particularly when writing "Excavating Rita", as I kept diaries during both my digs as an 18 year old, and I was a total twit. The bit in the play about me and Mahatma Ghandi having a lot to share comes straight out of that diary. Embarrassingly.

And although Warming Up might be a similar inspiration to the 50 year old me, that isn't the intention. It is a writing exercise first and foremost. I take one incident, thought or encounter from the previous day and then write about it. I am trying to improve my writing and to force myself to think about how things have made me feel. But it is something I am doing quickly, half an hour tops, and something that I am not going back and editing. So there will be mistakes and things that are frankly rubbish and embarrassing. Hopefully not as embarrassing as the Ghandi thing.

I also like the idea of recording the day to day minutia that usually gets forgotten. The odd characters. The bizarre happenings. The normal happenings.

Given the speed and the lack of editing I will undoubtedly reveal stuff about my mental state. That's OK. But I'm not going to go into anything too personal. It's just an exercise.

It was going to be just for me. Because I am well aware that there is going to be a lot of crud in it. But I thought that if I put it up on the internet and had even three or four people waiting to read it each day, then that would encourage me to get on with it.

I guess if I am really under pressure that some days I won't make it. And it's not going up at any regular time (because I don't work at regular times). Occasionally I might write up two days worth at a time. But I'll do my best to eventually have something from every day.

Sometimes it is quite hard to think of anything. Especially as much of my day is spent sitting in my house writing, or failing to write. But I figure that there has to be one interesting thing in every 24 hours.

Often I will however ignore a major event to go for something smaller. It's not going to record everything about my day.

It's primarily an exercise.

We'll see how it goes.

And why not try setting up your own web page and doing it yourself? I have enjoyed it so far!

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    FORTHCOMING EVENTS

    PODCAST: Collings and Herring PODCAST number 39 is up at the usual website or you can subscribe through iTunes.

    HEADMASTER'S SON TOUR 2009: These are the dates and box office numbers for my Spring 2009 tour. Please book now to avoid disappointment.
    JAN
    27 CANTERBURY 01227 812851 (ask for Andy) or email Richard@comedyinc.co.uk
    30 WHITSTABLE - 01227 281174
    31 TEWKESBURY Roses Theatre- 01684 295074
    FEB
    17- 21st and 24th-28th LONDON, Leicester Square Theatre - 0844 847 2475 or visit website
    MARCH
    01 WINCHESTER, Theatre Royal 01962 840440
    05 BATH, Komedia 0845 293 8480
    06 COVENTRY, Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524
    07 NEW MILTON, Forest Arts Centre 01425 612393
    08 BRISTOL, The Tobacco Factory -0117 902 0344
    09 TAUNTON, The Brewhouse Theatre - 01823 283244
    11 KINGSTON 07973 783339
    12 CAMBRIDGE, The Junction - 01223 511 511
    13 UPPINGHAM, Uppingham Theatre 01572 820820
    15 YORK, Hyena Lounge 0871 7042054
    16 HARROGATE, Harrogate Theatre - 01423 502 116
    18 LEAMINGTON SPA, Royal Spa Centre 01926 334418
    19 LIVERPOOL, Unity Theatre 0151 709 4988
    20 WOLVERHAMPTON, Little Civic Theatre - 0870 320 7000
    21 GLASGOW, Oran Mor - 0870 013 5464
    22 MANCHESTER, Frog and Bucket 0161 236 9805
    23 SHEFFIELD, Memorial Hall 0114 2 789 789
    24 LEEDS, The Library 0113 2440794
    25 CARDIFF, St David's Hall 029 2087 8444
    26 OXFORD, OFS Studio 01865 297 170
    28 NORFOLK, Kings Lynn Arts Centre 01553 764864
    APRIL
    01 CHELTENHAM, Town Hall 0844 576 2210
    02 SUTTON COLDFIELD Station Pub WEBSITE
    03 DERBY, Assembly Rooms 01332 255800
    17 STAFFORD, The Gatehouse - 01785 254 653
    18 WARRINGTON, Pyramid Arts Centre 01925 442 345
    20 JERSEY, Arts Centre 01534 700444
    22 NORWICH, Arts Centre 01603 660352
    23 BRIGHTON, Komedia 0845 293 8480
    24 ALDERSHOT, West End Centre 01252 330040
    25 CLACTON ON SEA, Princes Theatre 01255 686633

    NEW DOWNLOADS/PRESS: 18 11 08 PRESS 4 star Guardian review of Lyric gig
    17 11 08 PRESS Times review of Lyric gig
    13 11 08 DOWNLOADS Cover of forthcoming GFS release Warming Up Vol I, Bye Bye Balham
    12 11 08 PRESS Guardian Review of Bad Habits
    06 11 08 PRESS Old Observer article about "It's Not The End of the World" and old Guardian article about me being a bit gay.
    15 10 08 PRESS Reviews of THS in Birmingham and Brighton

    ON THE HOUR: Classic Radio 4 series "On The Hour" which I wrote for is to be released IN FULL on CD on the 24th November by Warp Records. Click here for information on how to order

    GIGS: These are my upcoming gigs.
    Click GIGS above for more details or you could have a look on Chortle
    Nov
    20th Wandsworth
    23rd Nottingham
    24th Old Rope, Phoenix, Central London
    25th Gravesend
    28th Aylesbury
    Dec
    1st Oxford
    2nd-4th Kitten Club, Charing Cross
    5th Bush Hall
    6th Chapel, Islington
    8th Hammersmith
    9th Islington
    11th Brigthon
    14th Laughter in Odd Places
    15th Tattershall -Embankment
    Porthole Kilburn
    18th Bloomsbury Theatre



    DAVE CHANNEL: Argumental starts on the Dave channel on Monday 27th October at 9.40pm. I am on the episode on 1st December with Hugh Dennis!
    Batteries Not Included which I appear as an Andrew Collings style talking head and which I also wrote the links for starts on Thursday 30th October at 10pm also on the Dave channel, who it seems are kindly paying my mortgage til Christmas!

    RADIO: My short series of 15 minute documentaries about bad work habits, called "Bad Habits" is broadcast on Radio 4 on Tuesdays at 9.30am starting on the 4th November.

    POSTERS: You can now buy a copy of the poster of "The Headmaster's Son" from the good folks at gofasterstripe.com. Along with many of my recent Edinburgh show posters. Only five pounds each, or buy three for ten pounds!

    YOUTUBE: See a bit of my drunken gig from the Frog and Bucket on July 2nd here and watch as I effortlessly appropriate material from both TMWRNJ and Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World!

    NEW STATESMAN: I write a fortnightly blog for The New Statesman website, which occasionally has stuff that hasn't appeared in Warming Up in it.

    LEE AND HERRING VIDEO: Why buy the audio version of the slightly disappointing Lee and Herring video, when you can hear AND see it here for FREE.

    TMWRNJ: The first episode of TMWRNJ has been posted on google video. I suspect more might follow - Click here to see it
    Or you can access loads of episodes on the website of Stewart Lee.