Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye, is the great invention of the world … enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space.

Abraham Lincoln

I know haters gonna hate, but lately I’ve had a fair bit of criticism about my career choices. A lot of which could extend to writers in general — that writing perhaps does not contribute all that much to society. We were even called one-dimensional in a particularly scathing comment. I don’t know if it’s because lockdown has given me more time to think (and overthink) about this issue, or if it just made me angry. Either way, it inspired me to think of five reasons why I am proud to do what I do – and why any fellow writers who may be reading this should feel the same!

We Entertain

What better contribution to society can there be than bringing a little enjoyment into people’s lives? I readily admit that writers aren’t exactly a driving force behind the running of the country, but contrariwise, politicians are generally not entertaining on purpose. And they certainly don’t make it their business to instil happiness in everyone – that isn’t their job. Providing entertainment is one of the topmost duties of a writer. For someone to tell you that they couldn’t put your work down is one of the best things that can happen. It means you’re doing the job correctly.

On a side note, it’s worth mentioning that some of the world’s greatest leaders were also novelists, musicians, actors and artists. Think Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, to name a few.

We Inform and Educate

When I chose to become a journalist, it was based off a desire to not only entertain people, but educate and inform them as well.

How do a lot of people learn? By reading, of course. But if you didn’t have writers, there would be quite a shortage of books, blogs and articles out there. And what would we be left with? Ignorance.

We Advise and Assist

I am not just talking about self-help books here — there is a sort of overlap between this point and the last. Writers’ work — whether it’s a review, a column, a feature in a magazine or a full-length book — can be used to give advice to their audience. Advice that can help them save money, win a legal battle with their landlord, put together a new fitness routine — the possibilities are endless.

In terms of assisting, as a freelance writer, I often offer blogging and copywriting services to businesspeople. Particularly those who have English as a second language, but who also have an English-speaking customer base. As a writer, I assist them in getting their websites fully written up and ready for their customers. Correct grammar and punctuation also help retain credibility for a brand.

We Inspire

Now it would be conceited of me to claim I have inspired people with my writing. To the best of my knowledge, I have not… yet. But there are many writers – both fiction and non-fiction – who are often listed among people’s inspirational figures. J.K. Rowling and her rags to riches journey from suicidal single mother to the world’s first billionaire author, is an especial favourite of mine. The woman is a true icon when it comes to perseverance and a desire to follow one’s dream.

Inspiring people in life choices is not the only point to make here. Think about how many much-loved, award-winning films, plays, songs and more were all inspired by the work of writers and poets.

Finally, writers and their work can inspire thoughts and emotions. Comedy inspires laughter, while a romance could provoke tears of joy, sadness, or perhaps both. A murder mystery gets the brain working and a horror story makes you question if you want to turn the page for fear of a grisly surprise.

We Excel

We writers can’t be as wasteful in the world as all that. Would they really have a Nobel Prize for Literature if that were the case? Such an award, banded with those for Chemistry, Physics, Peace and Medicine, demonstrates that writers form a fundamental pillar of society.

Do you agree? Whose side are you on? Let us know in the comments section. And for more news and content or to get in touch, please follow my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

In this state of quarantine, it’s easy to let our brains turn to mush. We have to keep the creativity alive, and here’s a few tips for doing so…

How’s everyone doing in quarantine? Well — I hope! I’m doing my best to stay busy — I still have a podcast to produce and, of course, edits on the book. But even then, keeping my creativity going is proving a bit of a struggle. Especially when sitting back and watching Netflix all day is such a tempting alternative.

On my Facebook and Instagram channels these last two weeks, I ran a series of basic posts. All of which added up to five tips for staying creative while in quarantine. And to expand on them, I have laid them out below.

1. Simply: Try to do Something Creative Every Day

Put simply, my first piece of advice is: try to do something creative every day. It’s not only a means of being productive, but it can be beneficial for your mental health. And you don’t necessarily need to work on a specific project – just do something random for its own sake if you have to. Write a random poem or blog post (as I am right now), or post a photo or video. And don’t forget that research, planning and editing still count towards the creative process. Just in case you can’t bring yourself to finish that chapter today. Tweaking and adding to plans for future stories is one of my ways of feeling productive at the best of times!

2. Write Everything Down!

The best ideas generally come from doing monotonous tasks. Lord knows you’ll probably be doing a few of those while working from home. Keep that creativity flowing for later use and write those ideas down. I would be a rich man indeed if I had a pound for every good idea I didn’t put in a notebook somewhere. Some may form the foundation for a major project.

To name a good example of mine: You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic – the wartime mystery thriller I have had on the back burner for the last year or so. True, it was partly inspired by a dream, but the overall plot was steadily developed while I was working an office job at Nationwide Building Society. I took many of the characters’ personalities and idiosyncrasies from people I worked with (some of my closest friends among them).

3. Look Everywhere for Inspiration

Bit of a moot point, I grant you — given we can only go out once a day for exercise. But we still have that valuable resource — social media. Draw inspiration from wherever you can. I have a lot of artistic friends; photographers among them. And some of the imagery they captured prior to all this coronavirus nonsense flaring up is truly beautiful. Whether that’s a seascape, a photo of a forest or a nighttime image.

One of my absolute favourite photos, taken by a very good friend of mine, Callum Shirley (chuck him a Like or Follow for some brilliant shots), is of Knowlton Church. Looks like the sort of place that could be associated with a ghost legend. With the rather hauntingly desolate surroundings and bleak weather, it has inspired a part of the setting for a new horror-mystery story I’m planning bit-by-bit in the background.

4. Free Writing is a Useful Practice

“What is Free Writing?” you may ask…

It’s something I highly recommend, whether to blow out the creative cobwebs or as a tool for gaining momentum on a project. It is exactly what it sounds like – writing freely on anything you feel like until you run out of steam. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t have to be relevant to your current project. You can save it in a Word document or in a binder, or just throw it away. Equally, you might find the beginning of a chapter you were looking for. Maybe even the foundation for a brand-new story!

Again, to use an example from my own experience, I refer to a passage in Lust & Liberty, pertaining to the moon that I produced while doing a bout of free writing. I had this poetic description of the moon in my head and, while I had no use for it at the time, I wrote it down. And it ended up being the beginning to Chapter 47 of that novel:

Excerpt from The Berylford Scandals: Lust & Liberty — Chapter XLVII: In the Garden in the Small Hours

The moon was a grand, giant pearl of striking, eerie, silver luminescence; a haunting sight to behold suspended motionless amid the black, starless sky, as though it were a ghostly ship abreast great waves of purple and smoke grey cloud. A singular great streetlamp of spectral aspect almost lighting the path to another world. A beacon of the ether, summoning home the spirits of the dead and dying…

5. Share Your Creativity

Last but not least, let’s not forget to share what we’ve been creating. We need entertaining now more than ever while we’re in quarantine. So, for goodness’ sake – share your creativity with your connections and, by extension, the world. Set up a blog, as a couple of my fellow writers have already done. Or keep it simple and just use your social media channels.

For the purposes of this segment, I really wanted to let you read a poem or short story about a lobster who smokes cigars with his owner. But at the moment, it’s not quite flowing in the way I’d like. So you’ll have to wait for that…

In the meantime, please feel free to share links to your own creative musings. Whether that’s stories, photos, videos — I’d love to know how you’ve been staying creative during this quarantine period.

And for more news and content or to get in touch, please follow my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.