Consolation Prizes, They Ain't

'Books, which we mistake for consolation, only add to our sorrow.'

This line comes from the character Black in Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red. I've become a fan of Pamuk in recent years, ever since reading his tender memoir Istanbul: Memories of a City. 

Then I read Pamuk's The New Life, a metaphysical thriller about a guy who reads a life-changing book. Feeling somewhat more appreciative of spirituality in the last couple of years, I enjoyed the wisdom within.

However, I disagree with the quote in bold. 

Do books add to sorrow? 

Not in my opinion. It depends what you read. I don't read harrowing biographies or novels, but I'm pretty sure that despite all the tragic events in them, they become more positive towards the end and inspire the reader. 

The closest I got to this kind of book was reading the Angela's Ashes trilogy by the pioneer of miserable literature, the late Frank McCourt. I loved it. And far from depressing me, the trilogy introduced me to literature I'd not read before, namely Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (which I thought was brilliant!), and new observations on life.  

What do books do for us, then? (Or why I love them so much!)

The obvious answer is, they educate. You don't have be an astrophysicist to know that.

But not only do they educate. Far from add to any sorrow, they inspire me. Whether it's a fiction novel, a blog post, a business biography, a reference book on an area of interest, or a 'smart thinking' book... I feel inspired to write and by what I'm reading and what I'm learning from them. If the person who wrote the book can be that brilliant at writing or whatever else they specialise in, then so can I!

As well as educate, books broaden our (mental) horizons and provide us with different perspectives on the world. Though we may not always realise it, they develop our capacity for thought, even if we might not be trying to solve a mind puzzle or contemplating a piece of philosophy at the time. 

And books do offer consolation. When we're feeling bad, there are books out there that can help lift us out of the mire, books by people who have been through what we have. By reading others experiences and their ideas, we can also make sense of our own lives, not to mention life itself. Well, maybe some of it, at least!

Books are an aid to a lifelong project

That project goes by the name of happiness. They may have added to Black's sorrow in My Name is Red, but, for the reasons above, they've enriched this blogger's happiness.

Life is a learning curve, and when  the teachers and the lecturers are gone, you've still got to learn from someone. Books can help you live the life you want to lead, both personally and professionally. 

And I think here is where I'll end the lesson for today....!

Let's See How They Got On...

Have you ever read Outliers by Malcom Gladwell ?

Pretty interesting stuff, this interesting theory on success. The book challenges our assumptions that exceptionally successful people, or 'outliers' as Gladwell refers to them, are so because they're extraordinarily talented. In each chapter, he illustrates how people from different walks of life have made it big on circumstances other than sheer natural gifted-ness.

Gladwell argues that:

• culture
• timing / date of birth
• practice
• communication (in some cases)
• opportunities

... are all factors in success. Very interesting ideas, it has to be said.

And so...

This got me thinking about some of my own achievements, about my own life, and whether any of these factors could be said to have had an underlying influence. Let's take a look at the findings!

Timing/date of birth -- Let's start with my birthday. I was born in '79. This was also the same year Maggie 'Milk Snatcher' Thatcher became PM. Nasty! Can I attribute any of life's disappointments to spending the first 17 to 18 years of my life under Conservative rule? Since I've had a terrific upbringing, I think I'll say yes!

Culture -- Well, we Brits are famous for our good manners, reserved, er, manner and fleme britannique (the good ole British stiff upper lip). I'd have to say being quintessentially British has gotten me far at home and abroad. Cup of tea, old chap?

Practice -- According to Gladwell's Outliers, Bill Joy, one of the world's most successful computer programmers put in 10,000 hours of computer programming practice. Using my noggin and the power of Excel, that works out at 416 days, 6 hours. To be the very best at writing, blogging or anything else I choose to do, that's over a year of solid, round-the-clock practice. That sounds quite pleasurable, actually! Am I a geek?

Opportunities - Sticking with our friend Bill Joy, it turns out that not only did Billy boy put in 10,000 hours behind the computer screen, he also happened to be in the right place at the right time. At the time Joy attended university, computer programming was a tedious and lengthy process. However, he studied in Michigan, one of the first places in the world to switch to a new system of programming, the timeshare. Better still, the computer labs were open 24 hours a day. Joy may as well have given up his student digs and moved into it!

Have to say I've had my fair share of the breaks in the past. But at the same time, some of these breaks I've also created for myself. Not sure I can concur with Gladwell on this one (not that he cares, I imagine!). Sometimes you gotta make your own luck.

Communication --  I'm a languages specialist. I'm a wordsmith. I'm a customer service expert. I read a lot. I write a lot. It's gotten me places. (Just a short entry in case you felt I was waffling above!)

Didn't he do well!

Okay, I've been messing about in this post, but Gladwell puts forward some interesting arguments, though some of his theories may only ever be just that: theories.

Nevertheless, it makes his book somewhat inspiring. If you're no good at something, it doesn't mean you never will be. You've just got to keep at it and keep your eyes and ears open. Eventually the breaks will come and things will start to fall into place. The forces of the world will conspire to make it your oyster. Bon appetite, soldier!

Tell Me a Story

Recognise the man in the video below? 

Correct. It's the late Steve Jobs - Rest In Peace - giving his famous 2005 Stanford Commencement speech. At the same time, although it wasn't his intention, he's giving a masterclass in copywriting.

By encouraging people to follow their dreams, it's inspiring. By drawing on his own experiences of adversity, it's poignant. It connects with people's emotions and moves them to action. It's one of the best speeches I've ever heard. It's beautiful.

And how does he do it? With one of copywriting's most effective techniques: some good ole storytelling! People love to hear stories, and Steve Jobs's story, as Apple-ites and non-Apple-ites alike know or will imagine, is particularly engaging.

By telling his own stories but making them relevant to his audience, Steve Jobs taps into people's emotions. By explaining what he learned, he rewards them. By combining the two, he moves them to action. Brilliant.

Whether you're a techie or not, whether you're a copywriter or not, listen to this speech and learn from it. Your future starts now!

(Source: Stanford University; http://www.youtube.com/stanford)

(Licence link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.) 

Reaching for the stars

When was the last time you felt inspired? What was it that inspired you?

Maybe it was a film, a song, a person, a quote by someone famous, or something someone in your everyday life said, that suddenly energised you to take arms against a sea of troubles. It could even be something that happened to you recently.

Whilst Paulo Coelho's novels and wisdom offer comfort, my own inspiration comes from an unlikely source: Stephen King. I always thought it came from books by self-help specialists, not from horror fiction writers!

I've read four of his books now and watched several film and TV adaptations of them and his short stories: the depth of his imagination amazes me every time. Stand By Me, The Running Man, Misery, It, ' Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption and Pet Sematary - yep, you can thank Stephen King for them all!   

The way he creates such realistic characters and situations is impressive. We all know an Eddie Kasprak or a Dolores Clairborne somewhere! And the way he injects horror into everyday things is another fine talent. That burial scene in Salem's Lot and Paul Sheldon nosing round Annie's house in Misery put me truly on edge!

Every time I read a Stephen King novel I want to write something terrific afterwards, whether it's a blog entry for you or advertising copy for my work (well, I want to do it all the time, but you get the picture!).

So tell me: who or what makes you want to go out and give the world everything you've got?

'I just felt like... writing'

Ever seen Forrest Gump?

If you haven't, there's an inspiring scene where Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks) just gets up and starts running nonstop. Hair long and beard raggy, he runs nonstop from town to town to town. The people start to run with him just to see how his journey will end. 

Suddenly, he comes to a halt and just turns around to walk home. When asked what was the point of it all, he answers: 'I just felt like running.' Brilliant.

And that's how I'm feeling today. At odds with my own style and at a loss for a topic, after two weeks away from my blog and a few copywriting books later, I just felt like writing! 

Today I've freed my mind and recaptured my creative spark and spirit. Normal service will resume next week!

Let the good (writing) times roll once more.

I Don't Care What the Weatherman Says... If the Weatherman Says It's Raining

Come the sunny weather, the first thing I want to do is whip on my T-shirt and shorts, get out there, and let me and my moobs and muffin-top enjoy the glorious sunshine! I want to zip out for a stroll along the seafront, stop off for a 99, and then revel in the warmth some more.

(Of course, before doing all that, I slap on a bucket of sun cream.)

But come the wet and windy weather, my dressing gown and slippers go on, as does the kettle. Then I'll maybe hop into bed and let a good book do the rest. What else can I do?

On second thoughts, though, rainy days do have a purpose. They're Nature's way of making you clean out a cupboard, tidy your room, do homework or some other long overdue task. They're the chance to do everything you've been putting off because the weather has been so damned good!

Capitalising on your rainy day gives you such a boost. Then when the ole currant bun (sun!) comes back out to play, you can slip into your summer gear without that nagging voice in your head saying, 'You're gonna have to do it sooner or later.' 

So whatever it is you've gotta do, now's the time to do it. Then you can truly always take the weather with you!

Feed my Frankenstein!

A good Friday afternoon to you!

Today I'd like to go back to that old chestnut of inspiration (or bang on about it some more, if you prefer!)

But this time it's you I want to inspire me.

Normally I get my fodder for this beloved blog of mine from:

• the news
• anecdotes and experiences from everyday life
• random comments from others
• blogs
• anything else that makes pucker online tucker.

Fine and dandy as they are, I'd love to know the things you like to read. What would you like me to write about? 

Here are a few questions to get you thinking:

• Do you like the current light-hearted approach, or would you prefer something more serious?
• Do you like the topics so far?
• Do I sound too much like I'm preaching from a soapbox, or is it okay for me to exorcise a few demons once in a while?
• What about the writing - is it stale and in need of livening up a bit, or do you find it fresh, crisp and uplifting?
• How can I make it better?  

I'm a fan of storytelling, myself, so I look for a balance between topical or reflexive and light-hearted, enjoyable and, of course, original (how original!).

I want this blog to be as fun for you to read as it is for me to write. If I have my wicked way, you'll be itching to read the next entry!

So I'll appreciate any feedback - good or bad- you can give me on this Frankenstein of mine.

I'll just go and check on the oven, in the meantime ....