Music and Writing - Your Inspiration

If you are a writer or intend to be one then here is a small tip that you may like to help inspire you during those drought periods, when just what to write eludes you.
If you are able to collate a list of your favourite music then go ahead and do so. Just like the smell of freshly cut grass, a newly creosoted fence or your Mothers perfume bring back memories to you instantly, then the same can be said for music.

At the very moment I write this, I am listening to music. Over a period of two years, I have been able to amass several hundred of my all time favourite music tracks. There are several ways to do this and it is certainly getting easier. At one time you would have to save your pocket money, dash down to the local music store and buy what was called a "single". This was a vinyl record comprising your cherished number one on the "A" side and something a little less attractive on the "B" side. This could be a tedious way of accumulating your desired collection.

Now things are a lot easier. My collection is amassed on what is called "Spotify". I am able to download tracks from this provider completely free, many of which are very up to date. Adverts get in the way but if you pay £10 (UK) per month, then the ad's disappear and the music just keeps on coming. Due to the popularity of this service, a waiting list has developed but it may still be worthwhile trying to join.

So, getting back to the point of what this article is about, if you have never tried this before, whether you are an accomplished writer or a complete novice, have a go at writing whilst listening to some of your most moving and momentous tracks. It may well surprise you in the way it can inspire you. Different types of music can have different effects of course depending on your mood . Some music is bold, some is uplifting but all of it can be inspirational to your writing.

See just what effect it had on me when I was writing my autobiography.  Some peculiar coincidences with music and writing can occur also. For instance, as I was typing this, I was thinking of a track that might inspire you. I thought of "Wind Beneath My Wings" and guess what it is playing as I write this sentence.  Not only was it life-changing to have written a book but it did me a world of good and gave me so much satisfaction in my soul, that today I am a changed person.

See just how I got on with the writing of my book "Running For Home"

New Website - Best Autobiographies

New Website called Best Autobiographies

I have recently constructed a website called Best Autobiographies which features some of the more interesting autobiographies around. Some of these books are life changing titles and will give the reader a lot more than a "Celebrity" autobiography since these books are about real people.

If you are interested in books, especially autobiographies, which incidentally are particularly popular at this time, then have a look at some of these recommended books here: best autobiographies

Are Free Books Worth Reading?

From time to time, you might see advertised on Amazon, a number of free books for you to download to your Kindle, computer or phone among other devices. Are these books free because they are not by famous Authors? Not necessarily.

Actually, it is a way for Authors, both successful and new to the world of writing to promote their new labour of love.

Many extremely good books can be picked up absolutely free from Amazon by both famous Authors and otherwise. Personally, I fall into the unknown category, but I did not expect to become famous overnight. In fact it will probably never happen.

What has happened though, is in the writing of my autobiography; "Running For Home" is a great sense of achievement and a sort of "getting it all off my chest" type of situation. If you have ever thought of writing your autobiography or memoirs, then don't put it off. At the very least, it will be a lasting legacy to all your close relatives and friends alike.

The best bit of it all to me was that I didn't need a publisher. To publish a book with Amazon you don't. This may come as a revelation to some and might even give you the impetus to start writing. There's lots of help too and Amazon are very good at this and I have to admit, I will always be eternally grateful for such a great company.

If you are wondering just where to start in all of this, why not take a look at my effort. As I have always said, if I can do it, then most others can as well.  "Running For Home" is an example of a book written from the heart. It does not purport to be a masterpiece or to be anything but an honest attempt to put into writing the account of an ordinary man's life. A man that is not afraid to say he was scared.

"Running For Home" is available for free for the next five days, starting tomorrow, 6th August. http://goo.gl/pkIhOI

The Benefits of Writing a Book.

The Benefits of Writing a Book

This is why I wrote my book entitled "Running For Home". I was wondering just what life is all about. I found writing my book a very liberating experience and I found that all the bitterness of failure seemed to melt away as I wrote it. It's as though I was telling my whole life story to someone else and I suppose in reality, I was.

Now that thousands of people have read it I am surprised that I don't feel embarrassed about all the things I did that were farcical to say the least. One of the benefits that I have noticed in writing a book, is the sheer satisfaction of becoming an author. Don't get me wrong though, my book is no masterpiece but I knew that this would be the case right from the start.

I saw writing this book as a challenge in as much as I knew that I had no professional help whatsoever. All I had was a basic education and a computer. I have to say that I am overjoyed at the advent of the "Self Publishing" scheme run by Amazon. Of course Amazon is not the only company that have joined the e-book revolution but I chose this company to publish my book because it has the biggest selection of on-line books in the world and indeed the "Kindle" reading device is one of its biggest sellers.

Anyone can publish an e-book as long as you follow the guidelines. All the information and help is there if and when you should require it if you want to publish your own book. I found this opportunity of being able to by-pass the official publishing houses, quite refreshing and I knew that I could become an author should I finish my book. I did finish it and the rest is history.

One of the most rewarding things about writing this book I have to say was a bit unexpected and that came in the form of therapy. Yes I found the whole experience very therapeutic. When you write about yourself and have had traumatic events take place in your life, then the writing becomes a form of sharing your problems with others and you know how the saying goes; "A problem shared is a problem halved".

Even if your book does not become a best seller, then at the very least, you have left a lasting legacy to your relatives and an historical document for future generations.

Best Autobiographies - Write your memoir

Best Autobiographies - Why write your memoir?

Why write your memoir? Firstly, what is a memoir? Well it is a personal account of a period of your life such as "My Harsh Upbringing" or "How I overcame shyness" anything like that. A memoir is different to an autobiography in that it is a slice of your life rather than an account of your life from beginning to present day.

Why should I write a memoir? No one will be interested anyway. Never think like that since there is a story in everyone. Everyone has something of interest to say and that includes you. You don't need to have had a massive life to write a memoir. Everyone has something that they would like to say and put the record straight and it will be a lasting legacy to those close to you even if they don't seem interested now, the time will come when they will be glad you did it.

I can't write to save my life! I thought the same when I wrote my autobiography. I thought I could spell and boy, did we have a laugh when we came to correct them all! For instance, I actually wrote the following sentence: " I was never very good at grammer". Note that the spelling should be grammar! All you need is a computer and even then, if you don't have one, write it all down and get someone to type it for you.

Where do I start? Fix firmly in your mind what you want to write about first. Something you want to say to others about your life or that you feel passionate about. Write down on paper a framework of incidents dates and places that you remember and use that as a guide. Do some research if you can on the subject. For instance, I sailed on several ships but did not know anything about them except their names so I looked them all up to find out where they were built, dimensions and tonnage etc.
It will all help to make you more confident of your subject.

I feel inadequate, people will laugh at my work. You will be surprised at what you can achieve. When you write, write for yourself and not others. Don't worry about how it sounds or if there are any mistakes in it at first, just get it all down. Don't try to edit your book as you go along because you will get disheartened and give up, leave it all untill later. That's the beauty of writing, you can keep coming back to it, adding, correcting and changing sentence structures.

Should I set myself a target? I would advise against this in trying to finish your book in "record time". All I did was to write when I felt like it, when I was in the mood. It took me a year to write my autobiography but I just plodded on and finished it in my own time. This way your writing is likely to be more natural and unforced, you will tend to include more humour and display more exuberance in your writing and this will come across to your readers. http://goo.gl/GjwUs

How do I edit my memoir? Try not to think about this until you finish your writing. You can get lots of help to do this and besides, that's the fun part. Remember, be honest, write for yourself and be yourself when you write. It's the best way to succeed.

Locked in a cabin with a gay.

When I was in the Merchant Navy, as a 16 year old deck boy, I was a very good looking lad. Of course this was noticed by a rather large gay Officer who took a real fancy to me.

The rest of the Glaswegian crew knew this and one day conspired to get us paired up. Several of the crew pounced on me and once again I wondered what was to befall me. I soon realised what was to happen when I was thrown into the Officers cabin.

I was seriously terrified as he locked the door, removed the key and placed it in his pocket. I sat on his bunk with a certain amount of trepidation whilst my mind raced and I desperately looked for a way out.

He asked me if I would like a drink and to buy time for myself I sheepishly said "yes". It was then that I noticed that the porthole was open. Now at this time I was a lithe fit young lad and an idea sprang to mind. If I can just squeeze through that porthole fast enough.

Whilst he was fixing the drink I knew I had to act fast or become a statistic. I was up in a flash and through that porthole like greased lightening ending up back on deck. I can still hear him swearing as I triumphantly walked away.

Actually, I had been practising this manoeuvre some days before. Little did I know how handy it would be.

Safer Motorcycling - Top Autobiographies

Safer Motorcycling.

In the 1970's, I bought a brand new Honda CB750K7. At the time it was cutting edge technology, way ahead of anything British. I was really into motorcycling but I still had a lot to learn and it showed.

I loved my bike and indeed it was an impressive bike, a real head turner for it's day. But one day stands out that could have ended in complete disaster and when I think about this incident now, it still brings a shiver to my spine.

I was on an 'A' road with a pillion and behind a queue of fairly slow moving traffic. I wanted to overtake and of course I had the power and it would be quite an easy and safe move. Nothing was coming the other way (British roads and driving on the left) A quick check of my mirrors showed me that no one else behind had decided to go for it before me. Dropping a gear, the bike accelerated quickly and smoothly and I pulled out and would make the manoeuvre easily.

All was going well when suddenly my worst nightmare happened. A car from the queue decided to pull out with the same intention as me. The unfortunate thing was that I was virtually alongside him when he pulled out.

My passenger was also seeing all this and I could feel him clinging on to my chest so hard I could not breath. I managed to avoid the car by swerving onto the grass verge. It was fortunate that the road in question did not have a curb or any drainage ditches as I fought to keep control of the bike on grass at about 60mph. I did not dare brake or close the throttle too quickly since this would cause me to lose control with the limited grip on grass.

After slowing down, the car rapidly moved ahead and I wrestled the Honda back onto the road and back into the flow of traffic and not a moment too soon since I was seconds away from running out of grass verge. I had got away with it by the "skin of my teeth" especially with a passenger. About half a mile up the road I got the opportunity to overtake the rogue car and point at my mirror as I passed him as a signal for him to look into his mirrors before making the same manoeuvre again.

From then on though I would always be extremely wary about overtaking queues of vehicles and would often wait until some had overtaken themselves first. Though a bit frustrating, it was always a lot safer. Often these days, what I will do when overtaking is to flash my headlight on full beam in the hope that it will be noticed by a driver that might be tempted to pull out having not seen me.

To be fair, when looking to overtake, you are so intent on trying to see if anything is coming the other way that you forget that another vehicle could already be overtaking you and that's why mirrors in this situation are so important. Of course we are all imperfect, and I have on occasion forgotten to look into my mirrors myself when overtaking, only to realise with a jolt what the consequences could have been.