Tag Archives: #Blogging

Do you have a doppelgänger?

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Twenty-five years ago, I worked for a construction company in the Midlands. One day in June, my boss phoned the person he left in charge to ask why I was driving the outskirts of town instead of being in the office.

They were confused, seeing as I was sitting opposite the person who took the call. This was the first time I discovered I had a doppelgänger, though to this day, I have not met him.

In the intervening years, I saw my co-writer’s doppelgänger outside a Beijing bookshop he frequented. Surprised, I took a photo moments before my wife tried chatting with a person she thought she knew. The look of surprise on their faces confirmed Cyrus remained in America.

A week ago, a similar occurrence happened. One of my students said she saw me on her way to school and asked at the start of class why I had changed my shirt from blue to white. My amusement perplexed her until the students I had breakfast with confirmed my location at the time she believed she saw me.

How, I wondered, is this person in the same city as me again? Or, even more extraordinary, is there another version of me wandering about the streets?

Have you ever wondered how your doppelgänger has your face and body type? I mean, it’s not like you share the same DNA, right? Unless… you do! 😱

Maybe your doppelgänger is your long-lost twin, separated at birth by a nefarious plot. Or, a secret society of clones raised them and are planning to take over the world with their identical faces. My favourite, however, is they are you from a parallel universe, where everything is identical except for one tiny detail.

As a writer, these are fun ideas to play with. A random person who looks like me. What are the odds of that? Well, according to some experts, there are only about seven basic facial shapes in the world, and each one can be combined with different features to create a unique appearance. So, it’s possible that someone out there has a similar combination of facial shape and features as you do.

But what about your body type? You would think that’s more distinctive than your face, right? Well, not really. Your body type is determined by your genes, which influence how you store fat and build muscle. Add in environmental factors, such as diet, exercise, and a rake of bad habits, and viola, your body shape recipe is complete.

So, how does your doppelgänger have your face and body type? The answer is: by chance. It’s a rare and remarkable coincidence, but not impossible. And hey, look on the bright side: at least you know you’re not alone in this world. Let’s just hope they, not you, are the evil twin. 😈

Write What You Know.

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A recent post in a writer’s group I use for research was about terminology and specific procedures. The writer finished their post with an acknowledgement they had little experience in the subject.

One member replied with, “The answer is in your last paragraph. Write what you know.” which considering the group’s purpose is to assist writers in getting the details correct for their creative masterpiece, was an annoyingly ignorant response.

Like many phrases, the context in which it’s used is key, and sadly, the responder had the delusional belief they were providing sage advice. Perhaps next time, I’ll direct them to authors like Mary Shelley, HG Wells, Lois McMaster Bujold or a host of other fantasy, science fiction, and horror writers to show how useless that answer can be.

A better phrase would be “Use your experiences.”

Now, I’m not saying write your actual experiences unless you’re intending to write a non-fiction piece or a memoir. Instead, combine things you have experienced with your imagination and develop your creative writing.

After all, I’m pretty certain Mary Shelley never met a reanimated man stitched together from a multitude of body parts, or that HG Wells travelled to the future, discovered mankind’s failures and returned to write about it.

During the summer holidays of my childhood, while my friends were flying abroad to fully catered resorts, packed beaches, and, for a lucky few, Disney in America, I explored caves, climbed mountains, swam or sailed rivers and trekked through deep green forests.

Each year was one of four locations where we explored the seemingly endless openness of Derbyshire’s Peak District, the forested hills of Wales’s Brecon Beacons, and a multitude of caves and beaches in Devon or Cornwall.

After that, it was much closer and equally fun day trips to St Helen’s in Thetford, much of the Norfolk coast and the occasional old English fayre where I wore chain mail, heaved a sword or watched jousting and muskets being fired.

When we wrote the epic fantasy The Nacocit Pact, it didn’t matter I had no first-hand knowledge of elves or magic or strange creatures, because I had something better. The active imaginations of two writers and my mind, filled with childhood adventures and memories; and with these elements, I have an abundance of resources to draw from.

So, the next time you’re stuck and unsure of what to write, tap into your memories or browse an old photo album and try adding those details to your scenes.

A Learning Opportunity

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There never seems to be enough time to do all the things that we want. For new writers, it’s not just about putting words on the page, getting it edited and proofread, it’s also about website creation, blogging and producing other content that will generate an interest in you and generate income from your books and, if you have them, other services.

It is to say the least, overwhelming at times. With the Corona virus sweeping the world, more and more people are finding themselves stuck at home. Instead of constantly flicking between each of your social media accounts, online newspapers and glancing at the TV, now is the time to spend a little quality time, that you say you never have, to learn a new skill.

An email I received on Saturday from Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur had a couple of links within it to help with this process. Whether you are new to blogging or have lots of experience, these courses can provide some great information in improving the way you attract visitors to your site.

The first is for AHrefs, a site that has tools to help you grow your search traffic. The course Blogging for Business is normally $799 but for a limited time, they are offering it for free. Covering areas such as: Converting visitors to subscribers, Keyword research, Search engine optimization (SEO) and a host of other things. I am a little under halfway through the course and have already learned a great deal.

The second link is for Digital Marketer Lab. Through to the end of March, anyone affected by Covid-19 can sign up without needing a credit card. Just click on the banner at the top of their page to learn more and make use of their training.

I only wish that I had discovered these two learning opportunities earlier. But there’s still a week left and I intend to make the most of the time available. I hope you do too!

None of the links in this article are affiliated.