1974 visit to the Farm

[Peter aka Moggy]

Hello Marie,

Yes, I am he. "Moggy" is the monnicker both my brother and I inherited from our father. I used it on various flight sim boards I've been involved with, and did so here when I first registered.

Thanks for your comments about "The Newcomer". Trying to get the chronology straight, I see I was just finishing the first draft as my friends and I visited The Farm in 1974. I was to say the least, just a little shy of bringing the MS out from its place in the attic after all these years. Seeing the other fan fiction on Louise's site (some great stories there) encouraged me. There were people here who would perhaps understand the need to write it, and would enjoy the story.

[Jane]

I was a little nervous of writing Follyfoot stories and having them on the website for all the world to see but with encouragement from other fanfic writers here, I took the plunge and had a go..and I'm glad I did as I enjoyed writing them. 

[Loopy]

Hi Moggy - I'm so pleased you're over your 'shyness' now.    It's a great story and worthy of its place on the website and not hidden in the attic.  I also love writing FF stories - if/when I can find the time - and I love reading all the fanfics - we do have some talented writers here.     Thanks for sharing.   

[Marie]

Hello Marie,

Yes, I am he.

If you were writing stories of that calibre  back when you were only 17/18, I sincerely hope you are still writing today (whether fanfiction or original fiction) otherwise you're wasting your talent!

I’ve been very impressed by the stories on this site and have read some excellent ones.  I keep meaning to read every single one but haven’t enough time plus it’s more tiring reading on computer than in print.

I’ve today emailed fan fiction.net to ask if they could create a TV category for Follyfoot as I think it would be great to reach a wider audience of readers.  I wouldn’t hold my breath tho, I don’t know if they ever get back to anyone with a reply.

[Peter aka Moggy]

Thanks Marie,

I did as as it happens make some attempt to place "The Newcomer", but being young and niave I didn't realise there was no way in the mid-70s it could have been published. Wm Hieneman, Monica Dickens' publisher told me pretty smartly that she herself was intending to write more Follyfoot stories, and that in theory I was plagiarising her earlier work.

As I wanted to write, I decided the only way to do it was to create a pseudo-Follyfoot scenario of my own. So I worked for a year or two on a MS known as Pumley Croft (parts I, II, III and appendix!) which was about a group of young (and old) people who established a self-sufficient community in Kent. So horses not tractors, organic working etc etc. I actually had some interest from publishers with that one. None said no outright or "You are wasting your time", but after consideration they said it would not fit their list, but they suggested another publisher where it might fit. It the end it didn't fit anywhere.

So plan C became a short novel The Translation which involved other sci-fi/historical themes which I have always been quite intetested in. In this a couple from our reality involved in the politics of the early 80s (Labour turmoil, SDP etc, membership of the EU etc) are pitched into an alternative reality where Britain had been invaded by the Nazis in 1940 and forcibly incorporated into a "European Union" of quite a different sort. Again I had some intererest, but no offers, and by then other things were happending in my life - the Kate Bush connection, getting married etc which precluded any further time spent doing serious writing.

Only recently have I had the yen again.

[Marie]

Yes, I know exactly what you mean, working full time and normal everyday life swallows up much of my writing time too (not to mention being lazy  ).  Plus I find I really have to work at it nowadays and it doesn’t help that I have a constant critic in my head who tells me everything is rubbish…

If I were you, I would re-visit Pumley Croft and The Translation (for some reason I can imagine both as TV series) as, just like everything else, fashions in publishing change.  Particularly with Pumley Croft, the emphasis being on recycling/environmentally friendly nowadays…

I’ve been writing since I was a child; I still write original fiction tho I’ve been sidetracked with fanfiction in the last few years.  I’ve sold an odd story here and there (local radio; teenage romance mag; winning short story mag comp) but it has been very sparse (only about twenty in over thirty years!) as, obviously, there are some very talented writers out there.  I think Peter Fitzgerald-Morris is one of them. 

[Peter aka Moggy]

Thank you for that Marie.

It was MR James the great writer of ghost stories who said that if readers get pleasure from the story then the whole purpose of writing it is achieved.

[loopylin]

hi moggy- well your story certainly gave me a lot of pleasure-i have read all the stories on louise's website and all those on the forum too. they inspired me to write the ones that were half formed in my head too. now the summer season is here and we are busy with family business time is short for my hobby writing too- hope to see something more from you on the forum- linda 

[mjmdvm]

Moggy, I was just wondering (with the surname of the person who wrote it being Fitzgerald-Morris) are you the author of The Newcomer that Louise has posted on the original fanfiction site?     Well done, if you are, it's a fantastic read. 

I agree.  Well done Moggy! I enjoyed the story a lot. 

[sue]

Hi Peter aka Moggy

I just wanted to add my congrats to you on the over due outing of your 70's written FF fanfic. Took me  a while to read, kept dipping in out over several days but I got there in the end. Well Done!
It must a taken some work and time on the typewriter....so much quicker now on pcs!

I wrote FF stories in the mid 70's too, some just in my head (which I recalled again later for use in my more recent fanfics) and some ideas made it to paper but have over the years gone missing!!!

Have you thought of writing any more or have to said what you needed about FF in the Newcomer?

many regards
Sue
 

[Peter aka Moggy]

Thankyou Sue. I really appreciate the comments.

I've been looking at all the stuff that was stowed away with The Newcomer. That was to have been the first of four novel sized Follyfoot stories collectively to be called The Chronicles of Follyfoot.

The next one would to be Renewal - not as I remarked to Louise the most imaginative title. A Whisper of Green would have been better. This would have been May 1974 to Feb 1975 or thereabouts, and covered the final part of the Steve/Mother subplot, Dora and Steve's engagement and marriage, their tough time taking over and running, and renewing the fabric and purpose of Follyfoot. Picking up on the themes at the end of the TV series. I still have a pile of notes I made for this. I see I was going to get Ron involved with Hazel as well! There is a rough of the opening scene of chapter one, with Dora sitting on a dry stone wall, looking into the distance, hair flying in the breeze, then looking down at the plain gold band around her fourth finger. When she is interupted by Ron ...

The third one was going to be Where the Wind Blows Free. This was to be Dora 22-25, but nothing of any plot notes survive unfortunately.

The last one was going to be A Wild Affair. Though there are no notes, I do actually remember this was going to have a kind mystical story arc centred around the lightning tree. Quite possibly it related to the Society of the Horseman's Word, since this was an idea I recycled in Pumley Croft

Will I ever come back to any of these? Never say never as they say. I don't know.

[Jane]

Thanks for posting the link to Horseman's World. I'd never heard of that before. Very interesting.   

[Anne]

I have been reading the link, very intriguing indeed, thanks for posting it. Interesting to think that the horse as species has not changed much for thousands of years, the communication skills of people handling them has been wrapped in different type of packages, but still remains the same. Even today the so called horsewhisperers seem to have an aura of secret talents around them. But this is completely off the topic, sorry.
Anne

[badger]

  I have only just read this post what's happened to Moggys  photos Badger

[Peter aka Moggy]

   I have only just read this post what's happened to Moggys  photos Badger

I think my server is down at the moment, so the photo won't show. Hopefully it will be back up soon.