I run the MA in Publishing at Kingston University and was talking to academics in the Psychology department at UCL recently about the personality profile of writers - I am about to start a sustained research project on the same.
We discussed the kind of pastimes often indulged in by writers - apparently crosswords and Scrabble are particularly popular. In which case, I am a sad disappointment, as I have never liked either. What about you, do you enjoy them?
But just to show I do enjoy playing around with words, I'd like to suggest two modern equivalents. The first is a detailed reading of the Sky News voice recognition software, which delivers a typed text beneath the news, a bit like the teleprompter that used to be used on Grandstand for the results (really showing my age there!).
It's most interesting when it gets it wrong (Kabul = car bull) - the only problem is that as I see this in the gym, while cycling, I don't have anything to write with to hand, and so can't remember the misreporting from the last party conference season that had me snorting with laughter (to the confusion of my fellow cyclists).
My other secret pleasure is seeing what predictive texting on my phone throws up as options when I type in the letters I want to use. These reveal a fascinating usage pattern on the part of my fellow texters. Is 'nun' really a more commonly sought word than 'mum', and why is it that when I try to write 'gran' up comes 'Iran'?
And then there are all the words that have the same pressing pattern as those I select, and which mean you have to make a conscious effort to check what you have just thumbed ('good' and 'hope'). Keeps me amused for hours.
Best wishes and do let me know what kind of word play you enjoy.
Alison Baverstock
(lecturer in publishing)
Read more about Alison, including her tips for new writers and getting feedback on your work, in our Insider Interviews section.
Like Alison I am not drawn to crosswords or scrabble but love the idiocies of my predictive text . I also love codeword puzzles where your only clues are word pattern and letter frequency. I really did love reading dictionaries as a child and when I was teaching my pupils were bemused by my ability to get excited about words! This is my first post as I have just discovered this website and I look forwadr to reading and finding out more!
My guilty pleasure? The Antiques Roadshow. Mind you, I can't help think that using the words guilty and Antiques Roadshow is a bit of an oxymoron (unless, I suppose, it is your intention to 'liberate' those antiques). I have no interest in antiques, have never collected them, nor would I ever be able to afford them if I wished to do so. My interest lies in the reaction of the punters, as they eagarly wait the value of their treasure. The slightly raised eyebrow, the twitching mouth, the astonished smile but always, always so restrained and thoroughly British about the whole thing. You can bet you life, I was told my throw away car boot find was worth a few grand my reaction would be 'vocal' to say the least. But what about afterwards? Did the man who was told he had £30k worth of artwork in one tiny miniture, really follow through on his promise to keep it in the bank? Or did he end up with a new conservatory and a week in the Maldives?
I guess it's just another form of people watching. I do the same in supermarket queues and it is SO tempting to examine other people's wares. I like to think of their lives, their stories. Mind you, others have simply accused me of being plain nosey.
My modern equivalent is the voiceover track/band listing function on my iPod Shuffle. It tells me I'm listening to Florence Plus the Machine (Florence and the Machine) or the Soujar Hill Gang (Sugar Hill Gang) etc. I think this might only be amusing when you're actually listening to it as the absurdity catches you unaware.