SpideryWriting - Ghost Writer, SEO Writer, Content Writer & Storyteller

To Hell With Nightclubs - Give Me a Book!

Whenever I go to people's houses I make a beeline for their bookshelves. Apart from telling me their real interests (unless they are doing the 'bookshelves-as-decorating-accessory' thing with colour co-ordinated volumes), I am constantly on the lookout for new authors, compelling biographies, fascinating facts and I hope that if I ask nicely they will lend me a copy or two, or ten.

On trips back to the UK the first place I head for is a bookshop. In charity shops (of which there is a real dearth in Italy) I go straight to the shelves at the back of the shop with their tatty treasures, waiting patiently until those already there move on, because selfishly, I prefer browsing freely with no-one breathing down my neck. My heart races with excitement as I scour the piles of books, hopeful for a gem that will keep me spelbound for a few hours.

Then there is the library - don't even get me started on the joys of the library! Yes, this former girl-about-town who used to party until dawn readily admits going weak at the knees at the sight of all those books waiting for me in one place. The fact they are handily divided into categories is even better. Oh yes, happiness is a sparsely populated,well-lit  local library on a winter's afternoon...

Books have their own smell too. New books give off that freshly printed, come-hither perfume, whereas old book shops have a musty and wonderful scent that is unmistakeable and evocative. Maybe someone should capture and bottle Eau de libre, except you might start getting followed by earnest middle aged men in raincoats with Tesco bags!

I once read about collectors of rare books. These tomes can exchange hands for many thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of pounds. There are special exhibitions, shows and trade fairs where people source new additions to their collections and exchange gossip. All fascinating stuff, but for me the most extraordinary thing about this group of people was to learn that they don't read the books. Sometimes they barely even open them, except to check no-one has ripped pages out or faked the age. For them the thrill is in the chase and the discovery. It's like those fine wine collectors who never open the bottles.

To me it is incomprehensible that you would own a beautiful book and never read its contents. Because the real value is in what you discover between the covers. The secret of a good book is what is can do for your mind and your soul,  not how much it fetches at auction or how rare it is.

So when it comes to three wishes or desert island possessions, birthday presents or Christmas gifts I am a pushover. Books, books and more books please. Because they can take you anywhere and teach you everything. What more could you want?

 

 

A Cure for Writer's Block

As a professional writer I never get writer's block when writing my clients' stuff. I can't afford it! It has been said many times before, but you don't hear about people getting builder's block or doctor's block, do you? 

But I do suffer from it sometimes when writing my own stories. My block takes the form of a kind of quiet but inexorably rising flood of panic at the thought of too many ideas and not knowing which to choose to work on. This can get so bad that I sometimes end up not writing anything, and that makes me feel worse than ever.

Well, I think I've just found a cure and every time I'm blocked I swear I will read this for inspiration. The following is not only a breathtakingly good piece of writing from Doris Lessing's Nobel Prize Lecture speech, but the content itself makes me realise how lucky I am to have the luxury of even contemplating writer's block when some people have so little at all.

You'll see what I mean when you read this and I defy you not to have tears in your eyes by the end. And to be reaching for your pen or pencil or keyboard ...

Doris Lessing Nobel Prize Lecture 2007

So You Want to Write a Book? Free Ebook!

I have spent this week writing my new free ebook:  So, You Want to Write a Book? You can get your copy by filling in the form on the right of this page on the site.

The book was inspired by all the questions people ask me about ghost writing and getting published and so I thought I would gather all the information together in one place and compile what I hope is a useful guide. It includes information on how long typical books are, genres, writing a proposal, how to work with a ghost writer and more.

I hope you find it useful. If you do - pass it on!

 

 

 

Amazon Announces Ebooks Outsell Paperbacks and Hardbacks

Last week it was widely reported in the press and online that Amazon's unit sales of the Kindle ebook had outsold all other kinds.It looks like paper is losing ground as the ebook phenomenon escalates.

How do you feel about that news? 

I'm a huge fan of ebooks for non fiction, especially if they come free of charge! But I stil find it hard to read fiction on my Kindle. It just doesn't feel right somehow.  Mind you, I never read fiction during the day and so part of it must be a fear of falling asleep with a Kindle banging onto my nose.

Do I believe this is the end of real books? No, I don't. Nothing will replace the sight, smell and feel of a book, whether a much loved old friend or a spanking new one. I love libraries, both at home and in public places. Seeing rows of books lined up on shelves immediately makes me feel both relaxed and thrilled. I don't get that feeling with the menu on my Kindle, I can tell you!

 

 

Diana Gabaldon on Writing - Inspirational

It's fascinating to hear writers talk about their writing process, especially when they are as amusing, intelligent and articulate as novelist Diana Gabaldon. For people who work on several projects at once, she is an inspiration!

 

Just Write - You Never Know Who'll Read It!

A few months ago I was in a shop selling second hand goods - quite a novelty in our part of Italy -  and as usual I made a beeline for the books. They were almost all in Italian apart from one, the intriguingly titled Thoughts of a Clodhopper, which the owner gave to me free of charge!

It turned out to be an inspirational treasure trove of beautiful writing. I have no idea why it ended up in that little shop all those miles from home, but I'm glad it did.

In this slender volume the writer, Ernest Ballard, shares his thoughts about simple living, love of the land and the real l0cation of true values. It is a lovely little book, but this is the part that interested me most:

"I desire to explain why I try to write at all. It is because at times an irresistible force compels me: I cannot rest until I have made the attempt to crystallize such thoughts - but then I am faced with an utter incapacity to find words to convey clearly what I want to say.  And if... these few fragments of thought that the soil has taught me, give those who honour me by reading them any pleasure, and possibly help them to see greater beauty and understand a little more of the mysteries of life, then to my readers I dedicate this effort and my rewards will indeed be great."

I have searched for Mr Ballard online (the book was published at least 45 years ago I think) but there is no trace of him. And yet  the fact that he bothered to follow the "irrestible force" and set his thoughts on paper has led me to enjoy what he has to say and to share it with others online. It's ironic really, as he is not greatly in favour of technology, but I think he would understand.

I own another slim book, bought at a local market from a fed-up looking lady standing alone at a stall decorated with green and brown woodland scenes and acorns. In front of her was a pile of pristine books,  seemingly untouched since the market had opened several hours before. I went over to try and cheer her up and to buy a copy. The book was called Casentino:  I Mestieri d'un Tempo (Casentino - the Crafts of a Byegone Age) and like the Clodhopper book, was not written by a professional author, but by an 'ordinary' man - Ademo Rossi - who wanted to document local crafts that were dying out so that the younger generation would have a record of their heritage.  In the book he interviews local old people about how they used to scrape a living in this rather isolated Tuscan valley. We learn of knife grinders, charcoal burners and  even - my personal favourite  -  pine nut collectors. ( Pinottolaio if you are interested!)

Ademo describes in the introduction how hard he found the writing at first but bit by bit, he managed to put together the storied of seventeen different local crafts. "It was a beautiful experience," he writes, "because people welcomed what I was doing and nobody held back their stories and that too gave me courage." Beacuse he stuck with it, these old people's stories are now on the record.

My final example of how important it is to just write, to tell your story, is a personal one. One day quite a few years ago now, I got a letter from my aunt who wanted to send me a document that she had been left. It was a simple typewritten few pages called My Life by John Cameron. 

It was written by my great grandfather and was just nine typewritten pages. My great aunt Kata had typed at the end:  "The 'Life' is as dada wrote it (in pencil on the pages of a penny exercise book) except that I have paragraphed it for easier reading."  This touched me deeply. That he had expressed himself in his little notebook, just so that he wouldn't be forgotten. So that his life and that of his family was on paper. And so much was between the lines in what he wrote, and all the more powerful for it: "My third son , Alexander Angus Ewen was a clerk in the Engineering Department of the Post Office, and a Territorial, but he was not allowed to leave his work on the outbreak of war in 1914. In 1915, however, he was permitted to join his regiment, the 4thBn. Cameron Highlanders, and went to France in 1916 as Sergeant. He had been at Invergordon for nearly a year as Drill Sergeant and then at York and Portsmouth. He was killed about 7 a.m. on the 21st september, 1918. he was a very fine lad of 23 years, upright in all his actions."

So when you are feeling a bit down, maybe have a touch of writer's block or think it's just not worth writing anything as no-one will ever read it, remember these three people and what they did - the fact that they bothered to record their thoughts and feelings - and let it inspire you to keep going. After all, you never know who will read it!

The Meerkat Ghostwriter

I knew from the moment I saw the new Compare the Meerkat/Compare the Market publicity campaign back in 2009 that it would be a huge hit. Who couldn't love the crazy Russian meerkat Aleksandr Orlov and his trademark 'seemples' sign off? And what  a brilliant idea from the ad agency VCCP who actually created a real compare the meerkat website! In fact it was a couple of drunk creative guys who thought up the campaign idea in a pub, as you will see from the You Tube video below.

 

 

When back in the Uk last week I noticed WH Smiths had Aleksandr's autobiography A Simples Life displayed prominently on its shelves and it is now an Amazon bestseller standing at number two, which is no mean feat. It's expected to be the Christmas number one, which will no doubt delight comparethemarket.com!

I don't wish to cast aspersions on Aleksandr's writing skills but it is pretty well known that he didn't write the book himself (just look at those claws for a start!) and rumours have been circulating about who his ghostwriter could be.

The lady in question is Val Hudson, a former publisher with 25 years in the industry who left Headline  last year. She is no stranger to ghostwriting, having worked with Billy Connelly and Cliff Richard, but I believe Aleksandr must be her most prestigious client to date. His 'Simples' catchphrase has even entered the latest Collins English Dictionary!

 

Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me

I'm in Bournemouth at my Mum's and have the luxury of visiting the local library where I pounced on a book by the founder of Ecademy - Penny Power. Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me is about using social networking and I thought it was totally brilliant!

I've been a member of Ecademy for many years but have swooped in and out of it. Penny's book has made me want to go back and really make the most of it. I had no idea that Ecademy was the world's first social networking site but that was just one of many, many inspirational nuggets in this book.

The very heart of social networking is in giving not getting. No upfront marketing or sales pitches but sharing, helping and supporting. I like that very much but was never really sure whether I was using sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and Ecademy properly. Should I be mentioning my services? What could I say that would make people interested? Should I be accepting a gazillion friends request from people I didn't know? Can you really have online 'friends'?

I have always maintained that my experience of the internet has been overwhelmingly positive, I've met great people, have always gone to the top when looking for interviews or information and been surprised and gratified when people have given generously of their expertise and time. Penny's book confirms this. Her personality and values sing from every page. She gets to the heart of social media and explains it in a clear and compelling way. I loved this book.

All It Takes is the Right Equipment!

We're lucky where we live here in Tuscany to have a cartoleria just a mile away. This is a shop which specialises in a sumptous array of paper-related goods, from scrapbooks decorated with real autumn leaves to writing paper lovingly crafted in Florence. They also have stationery - pens, pencils, glitter - as well as seasonal items like hallowe'en masks and carnevale face paint. There is personal service and the owners will wrap things, weigh things, count things and cut things for their loyal clients.

It was in a cartoleria that I first spotted a shelf groaning with gorgeous aged brown leather notebooks stuffed with pale cream sheets of thick hand-made paper. Each glorious object made you want to grab a quill and create epic verse immediately.

I feel sure that anything written on such exquisite material would have significance, be valuable and valued. The book that has stalled on the computer screen would dance into life if it was written on this paper, as if the very act of creating the words on the page could transform dull prose into something magical. Imagine - Merlin might have had a notebook like this. Or Shakespeare.

Wouldn't it be amazing to have enchanted paper and pens that pulled great writing out of you and spun it onto the page? Of course there wouldn't be a spell check or editor or cut and paste. But anything written on the magic paper wouldn't need those, would it?

I didn't buy the notebook in the end. I had such high expectations of it and was afraid to be let down. But every time I see one in a cartoleria I stop and pick it up, imagining the wonderful words hovering around it in the ether, just waiting...

 

Twice Shy

Whenever a tv show comes on that I have already seen I immediately switch channels, whilst my husband is quite happy to watch something again. "It's a waste of your life!" I cry, "watching something twice."

I think the same applies to most fiction. I definitely don't re-read thrillers, crime mysteries and the like. What's the point? If the whole aim is to keep you guessing  'whodunnit' then reading it again comes into my 'waste of your life' category. I actually know someone who reads the endings of thrillers before buying them, to make sure she is going to enjoy the book. That really baffles me.

I do read non-fiction over and over again as well as the occasional long novel. I am currently reading Penmarric by Susan Howatch. I know I've read it before but I don't remember a word so far!

No, in my opinion, there are so many books in the world that reading something twice is definitely a waste of your life!