UPCOMING WORKSHOP: Blogging for Beginners

There's now less than a month to sign up for my next Blog Workshop! 

Blogging for Beginners (& Improvers) will take place on 

Saturday 27th October.

It's a 3.5 hour information-packed workshop ideal for those who have yet to begin a blog or for those who want to improve on what they have started. 

The workshop will give you the chance to develop your blog idea, learn the tools to set it up, keep it interesting, promote it, and gain a readership. I will share with you all the do's and don't I've learnt over the last 4 years of blogging.

Below is a rough guideline of what we'll cover:

Introduction to Blogging 

Online vs Offline

Inspiration - Analysis of Material
The Blog Post - do's & don'ts

The Big Idea – Group discussion; exercises to develop your idea

Set it up – Blog platform, layout, design, style...

Content – multimedia, changing content, linking, widgets 

Building an Audience – tools for marketing your blog

Social Networking – Facebook, Twitter

There will be handouts to take away so you won’t have to remember everything!

If you've been meaning to start a blog for a long time, why put it off any longer? Come along to a friendly, fun and informative workshop! 

WHERE? WHEN? HOW MUCH?

Saturday 27th October

10am - 2.00pm (including 30min break) 

@ 77 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TW * (above 'Lost & Found')

Fee: £40.00

Limited Places. 

* Some of you may recognise the venue which inspired 'Shop Girl Diaries' - yes, there will be lots of sparkling chandeliers above your head!

ABOUT ME

I began my blog in June 2008. Since then it has been turned into a book and a short film. It won the Completely Novel Author Blog Awards (published writer category) in 2010 and it has just been featured in the new guidebook ‘Blogging for Creatives.’

WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID:

'Emily Benet's Blog Workshop is ideal for anyone interested in 

blogging and not sure where to start. Emily takes you through the 

basics and really gets you thinking about what your blog should be 

about. I picked up some great hints and tips from the workshop and am 

already seeing an increase in traffic to my blog. A morning definitely well-spent!' – Amy Duthie, blogger of my tattered notebook

'A really inspiring workshop with a friendly and knowledgeable tutor. Hands-on with lots of great ideas to put into practice straight away' 

- Marianne Powell, playwright

For more information please don't hesitate to get in touch with me: emily@emilybenet.com

Or to book your place via Paypal, please visit my Workshop Page. 

Author Interview: Naomi Alderman

THE LIARS GOSPEL

"It was a time of brutal tyranny and occupation. Young men and women took to the streets to protest. Dictators put them down with iron force. Rumours spread from mouth to mouth. Rebels attacked the greatest empire the world has ever known.The Empire gathered its forces to make those rebels pay. 

And in the Midst of all of that. One inconsequential preacher died. And either something miraculous happened, or someone lied."  

*

At the launch of THE LIARS GOSPEL, Naomi Alderman was introduced to us all by Penguin editor, Mary Mount, as 'one of the most important writers of her generation'. I've been very lucky to have spent time with her at a writers group and seen her work in progress. She is a brilliant writer and a gorgeous person. I am thrilled to have her on my blog.

We all cheered when you told us that so far you’ve had no death threats. Is this a genuine concern?

I have already had anti-Semitic emails about the novel, so... maybe? I'm a bit worried about what will happen when the novel is published in the US. But we'll see!

Are you apprehensive of people feeling angry?

Yeah. I don't actually want to upset people, but when I gave it to a Christian friend she burst into tears at a section where she said "but Jesus just wouldn't have done that!" I had to point out to her that I'd taken it directly from the New Testament.

How do you deal with criticism?

I have therapy ;-). I mean, constructive criticism is fine of course.

But now the book's done the best thing is to try to ignore the criticism and just move on with the new one.

I was brought up a Catholic and when I read your book, I was aware of myself feeling defensive and thinking, ‘Wait, Jesus didn’t say that!’ I was quite surprised because I’m a very cynical Catholic! Is this your book’s fundamental aim? To challenge the people who have accepted the story of Jesus without question?

I suppose a bit! There are a few things. Firstly, there are things in the Christian story that are either *really weird* or clearly anti-Semitic, like, for example, the Jews at the crucifixion shouting "let his blood be on us and our children!" and this idea that the people would never have asked for Barrabas if the evil priests hadn't stirred them up. I've been thinking about those things for a long time and how silly it is to imagine that there mightn't have been perfectly good reasons for most of the people not to have liked Jesus. So there was that "can we just stop saying nasty things about Pharisees and really interrogate this story?" feeling.

Also, I got interested while researching the novel in the world that's usually just the backdrop to Jesus' story. It's a really fascinating political and military landscape which gets lost because of this overwhelming story. So I wanted to put that in its right place again - and I feel now that the story of Jesus really only makes sense if you understand the politics of the time.

I was struck particularly by the description of the protests against Rome that were happening at the time of Jesus, and the greater historical context which is generally ignored! 

Was it a subject that was discussed at home? Is it true you had the idea to write this book when you were a teenager?

Yes, it's funny how little we tend to look at that period, since it was the explosive meeting between Jewish and Roman culture that really created the modern world. So many of the tensions in Christianity come from turning a Jewish cult into the state religion of Rome (e.g. how did 'the prince of peace' end up inspiring *so many* crusades?).

My dad's a historian and my mum's also very keen on history so I suppose this sort of conversation happened at home quite a bit – not necessarily Jesus, but the general principle of tracing the reasons for the present in the events of the past.

I did get the idea for this novel when I was a teenager! It was when I was studying Hebrew and Latin at the same time - I remember saying to my Hebrew teacher that someone ought to write a novel about the Jewish Jesus, and she said "no no, that would be terrible for the Jews!" Because she thought it would cause anti-Semitism.

However, I've done it anyway ;-). Let's see...

What’s your writing routine like?

I have a word count I have to reach every day: usually 800 words when I'm working on a new book. And I never sit down to write saying "I must write 800 words", only ever "I'll do 100 words and then I'll have a break". I'm very creative in the evenings, but I do try to get my words done earlier in the day so they don't hang over me.

What are you greatest distractions?

TV. Instant messenger. But the truth is, if I know where the book is going then I usually can't wait to get to it. If I'm distracting myself, it probably means there's a problem with the novel I haven't resolved.

Margaret Atwood is now your mentor! I’m very jealous! What is she like?

It's a really wonderful thing - she is so funny and so intimidatingly clever, I'm incredibly inspired by her sharp honesty and wide-ranging mind.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Keep writing :-). Do it because you love it. If you don't love it enough to do it for its own sake, you probably won't get far anyway.

                                     

The Liars Gospel is available on Amazon and all good book shops. 

New Challenge: A Serialised Novel

I’ve accepted a challenge to write a serialised novel.

If I manage to come up with 35,000 words by the beginning of November my book will be featured on Wattpad, which is a huge online platform for writers.

Normally that amount of words would take me about 6 months so I’m excited but also quaking in my socks.  

The book is about Amber, a feisty young woman on a mission to blag her way into the bizarre world of Conceptual Art; her plan, of course, being to grab some fame and fortune.

The novel will be a light, upbeat romantic comedy, unless the pressure gets to me, in which case I’ll start killing off characters. 

To be honest, my plotting has barely begun but I have a cork board and post-it notes so there’s hope.

I don’t know why I think I can pull a novel out of my pocket in a few weeks but I believe in saying ‘Yes’ when an opportunity arises.  

If my blog starts to look neglected, now you'll know why.

But I won’t be away for long.  

The first chapter of  Spray Painting Bananas has already been written. Now I need a book cover.

To read my serialised novel, you'll need to sign up and find me on Wattpad which is quick and completely free. Once registered, you'll be able to browse through a huge variety of stories and novels.

I'll let you know when my first chapter is up.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it! 

My New Book: Short Stories for Busy Adults

Now Available on Amazon Kindle

I have a love-hate relationship with short stories. 
How can they be so short and yet so difficult to write?

Sometimes it feels like trying to squeeze a horse into a jam jar.

I’ve started stories and left them brewing for years before finishing them off.

Other times I fall so deeply into my fictional world that if you were to interrupt me I’d stare at you blankly and wonder where I was.

My favourite stories were written in short bursts when I’ve been gripped by a sense of urgency to get the words down. I feel like if I don’t write the whole thing in one go I’ll never be able to finish it.

After all this time writing short stories it made sense to publish a collection and here is it:

SHORT STORIES for busy adults

Why ‘busy’? Because the stories are short enough to slip into a busy day but long enough to offer escape!

The collection includes 10 stories which have either been shortlisted, highly commended or performed at literary events.

Comedy and drama appear side by side. There are characters in love, in denial, insane, in character and one who just can’t make his mind up.

It’s available on kindle for just £1.49 – less than the coffee you’ll drink with it!

So please buy it and spread the word to all short story lovers.

I really hope you enjoy it. And if you do, an review on Amazon would make my day!

Apocalypse Theory 2: Death of the Attention Span

Attention Span Test: How many tic tacs can you see?  

                                          

I owe you all an apology.

In an earlier blog I suggested the end of the world would be caused by endless rain. But as you know, as soon as I posted that blog post, it stopped raining. Fortunately I have a new theory.

What will actually finish us off will be the complete collapse of our attention spans.

Are you still with me?

Ha. You were about to click on something shiny weren’t you?   

If you’re on twitter then you have already been infected by the disease. If you used to write 300 hundred page novels but now barely manage 100 word pieces of flash fiction, then you’re also in grave danger.

I myself will be one of the first to fall.

Today I looked at my computer screen and found that I was simultaneously buying a book, editing a short story, tweeting about spelling mistakes, educating myself on internet marketing and of course, signing a petition to save the arctic.

Multi-tasking it was not. I was doing many things and doing them all badly. 

I failed to buy the book because I got distracted mid-payment, my short story was left unfinished, my tweets were illiterate, my self-education ended before I picked up one tip and I didn't manage to save the arctic because what with so much internet activity my computer crashed.

A month ago my attention span was already down to fifteen minutes.

Now it’s down to twelve and falling.

Admittedly, doing a bad job is not life threatening in itself. Unsatisfying, yes, but not enough to bring about the end of the world. The problem will come when our attention spans become so short we can’t concentrate long enough to eat a tic-tac.

There will be many markers along the way towards total disintegration.    

For instance, I’m writing this in the early hours when I should be asleep. 

Could I be awake because my shrinking mind can’t cope with the idea of doing the same thing for seven hours straight?

It’s a theory, take it or leave. I’m bound to have another one next week.   

  

Why I'm Terrified of Childbirth

Pic from Kaboodle

‘When I was pregnant I asked my Mum what labour was like,’ she said.

There were three of us in the shop downstairs. One mother and two with no idea.

‘Her reply was, well love, it's like pooing out a football.’

‘Aaargh!’ we cried.

‘It’s funny really, it's not the sort of thing my Mum would normally say.’

I was still wincing at the thought half an hour later. My first school friend was due to give birth any day and I didn’t know how she was going to manage it. It sounded impossible.

The childbirth talk continued into the afternoon.

‘It’s like having a bad stitch,’ the mother expanded. ‘A bad stitch in the wrong place.’

I felt a little better. I could cope with a stitch. I recalled my PE teacher telling us to lift our arms and run through the pain.

I don’t know if it’s the pain that worries me or the indignity of lying in the midst of all these strangers with my legs wide open. I’ve heard you have different midwives and by the end of the experience half the hospital has prodded your intimate bits, including a class of interns and a bored janitor.

A miracle of life it may be, but it’s not one of the beautiful ones is it?

My cousin told me the program ‘One Born Every Minute’ makes her cry.

Well I can’t watch it, it makes me noxious. All that blood and slime. No thank you.  

I’ve been brought up by parents who would take homeopathic remedies to cure a broken leg. It’s obviously influenced me and I half believe if I take drugs while in labour the baby might have issues with its aura later on. It won’t be the right colour purple or something.   

‘Gas and Air,’ I tell my husband, during another childbirth conversation. ‘That’s all I’ll take.’

‘You won’t be able to cope.’

‘I have a high pain threshold!’ I argue.

He smirks.

You’ll see, I think, you’ll see.

My friend has her baby a couple of days later. We whisper on the phone because the little one is asleep.

‘How was labour?’ I ask.

‘Worse than they say.’

My heart sinks. How can it be worse than they say when they say that it’s the worst thing ever.

‘We’re having goldfish,’ I tell my husband. 

But the truth is a part of me is stirred by what has happened to my friend.

I see the first few photos of the baby in his new home. So small, so vulnerable, so loveable.

‘Wow, you have a son,’ I murmur. 

She sounds so happy. I know she can’t stop staring at him.

The pain, the sleepless nights, she says, it’s all worth it.

Yes, I think, when the time comes I’ll be able to do it.  

The following morning I go running.

Five minutes in and I’ve got a killer stitch. It’s so bad I have to stop.

I think of my PE teacher telling me to run through the pain.

You run through the bloody pain, I think.

I try but I can’t. It feels like burning.

‘It’s like a stitch in the wrong place,’ the mother had said.

No drugs, I'd told my husband.

Doubt washes over me.   

Goldfish, I think, would make us very happy. 

How to Set Up a Company While Working Full-time

An Interview with the Creator of Soraya Amaia Beachwear

We often think if only we had more time then we could do all those things we've always wanted to do.

But could it be that we’re very busy but not very productive? 

When I heard how Soraya managed to start her own swimwear company while working full-time for an investment bank, without any previous design or retail experience, I was so impressed I wanted to know how she did it.

Do we have more time than we think? Or does it just take a special sort of drive?

Soraya of Soraya Amaia Beachwear

You describe your company as a ‘Hobby that got out of Control’ – when did you get the idea to start a beachwear company?

It was always supposed to be a hobby, a creative outlet after spending 12hours a day analysing bonds and derivatives. After 5 years in the job in London, I jumped at the opportunity to work at another investment bank in Sao Paolo.

It was only a temporary escape to try something new. However it’s where I met so many entrepreneurial people that inspired me. My suitcase was full of suits and old, low key clothes, nothing expensive that would draw attention to myself as it wasn’t the safest of places. But I couldn’t have got it more wrong. I was taken aback by the wealth in Sao Paolo: so many women dressed in Gucci with perfectly manicured nails and the latest Chanel handbag. A cocktail in Sao Paolo is just as expensive as in a bar in Knightsbridge! Was I the only person who didn’t know this?  It was nothing like the other parts of Brazil I had travelled to.

In Sao Paolo I met some of the fortunate people lucky enough to live this Miami-vice lifestyle and who were so generous and incredibly kind to me. But looking at their massive houses with pools and huge gardens, the obvious question in my mind was, ‘What do YOU do for a living?’ And if I was going to work hard to get that sort of lifestyle, did I have to spend all day looking at numbers? Or were there other routes than my current career?

Meeting so many women who were entrepreneurs in areas other than banking got me thinking. I don’t know what sparked my interest in designing beachwear specifically, but it definitely started in Brazil and the hours spent on the beach in Guaruja. It wasn’t until I got back to London that I decided to start my own company and even then it took months and months of work.

What were the first steps you made when you decided to take it seriously?

Before I even properly decided to start my own beachwear label, I enrolled in a course for Swimwear and Lingerie at the London College of Fashion. I had a degree in Economics but nothing even close to an Arts GCSE! I had to know what was involved in design and starting up a label. There was a high probability that I’d be awful at it, but it was all supposed to be fun anyway! Turns out that vision is a large component of starting up a label, and I knew exactly what I wanted.

Where did you get the energy/inspiration from after working a full day?

I got a new job after getting back from Brazil and when I started the label, I managed to postpone the start date for another month which certainly helped in getting things organised and the wheels in motion. There’s no way around the fact that working 12hrs a day and then spending 2hrs in the evening on Skype with the factory in Brazil on designs, materials and stitching consumes your whole life, but it’s temporary.

The beginning is very hard, not only do you have the designs, you have to continuously improve the samples, plan a photo shoot, get your logo approved, fill out endless forms, set up the website etc - but  most importantly, how will you market it?

My friends will admit that there was a period of about 5-6 months were I fell off the radar, particularly since I also had to focus on my other full-time job - and working on a trading floor can really take it out of you. Sundays were sacred though: going to the gym and catching up on sleep saved my sanity.  Once the label was set up and I managed to get a shop in Gloucester Road on board, Exotica Brazil, it was much easier to get my work/social life balance back on track. It really is possible to do it all if you want it enough.

You must have come across problems during the process. Is there any that stick out that almost stopped you in your tracks?

There are always problems. Mainly though because I was so inexperienced and learnt as I went along. How much stock do I buy? Where do I keep it all? Where do I source the fabric? The biggest shock was the VAT and import tax that you pay and when I got a call from customs telling me how much it was!! But the quality was worth the extra money of getting the swimwear made in Brazil. You can really feel the difference.

In your opinion, what qualities were essential to achieve what you have?

Vision, determination, organisation…oh and patience, nothing happens overnight. Know what you want and then figure out the steps to get there.

What’s the most rewarding thing about having your own company?

It is something tangible that I can say I’ve done. I can’t do that with my day job, no one outside banking understands what I do!

You say there is so much you want to do, are you thinking of expanding your collection beyond beachwear?

You would laugh if I told you all my plans, expanding the collection internationally would be starters but then why stop there?  Creativity isn’t just designing swimwear for me; I nearly enrolled in an interior design course, but realised I don’t actually have the time working 12hrs already and that I should concentrate on one area. I’m not sure what direction my label will take, but I always have big plans.  

Finally, do you have any advice for someone wanting to start their own 

business...

Yes, do your background research: learn about your market and if there is a niche for you. But be realistic! It takes a lot of time before you can actually make money, so you will have to be prepared to work two jobs to support yourself. If you’re looking at starting up your own business in fashion, do your research on trend spotting and other similar labels. You can take inspiration from practically anywhere, too. Create a book with all your ideas, then write up a plan and organise your time. Finally, networking is incredibly important, if it wasn’t for my course at London School of Fashion, I’d never have met the owner of the shop that stocks my designs. Nevertheless, it is so rewarding, having your own label, and if you want it you can have it!

Visit SorayaAmaia.com to view her full collection of stunning beachwear.