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.
So it's not just me, then! I was about to go and get pills from the doctor. The voice recognition thing on the telly is FAR more interesting than the programmes! And I do the texting thing as well. I wrote a blog about what happens when you put Shakespeare into predictive text - I came up with all kinds of ideas for new plays.
The teleprompting during the Eurovision song contest is the funniest thing ever.