I don’t believe in ghosts. Well, not true. I would believe in ghosts if I’d ever seen one, but I haven’t and since I’m a scientist by training, evidence is key and my own eyes and ears are the best judge of that and so on that basis, the jury is still very much out and unconvinced.  However, regardless of my own beliefs, I’ve always wanted to write a ghost story and make it about the ghost as much as the persons he or she are haunting. What if the ghost appeared quite ordinary, dwelt amongst the living and interacted with them without raising much suspicion?  Would anyone realise?

Ghosts are supposedly trapped between of life and death – existing but not alive. Do they know this?  I remember watching the film The Others and it’s clever how the ghosts interact with each other: those who know and those who are oblivious to their state. I could say this film has inspired me and that’s certainly true. However, I didn’t want to write a scary read-under-the-covers-of-your-bed kind of ghost story, not that there isn’t suspense, but I don’t like the notion we should fear ghosts or run away from them. If they exist, were they not people once?

That being said, this is a work in progress and naturally it will bend to the characters and the plot and might turn out to be something quite different. Isn’t that the fun of writing – taking your characters on a journey and letting them inspire you.

Today’s book –

Antonia Barber – The Ghosts (or sometimes known as The Amazing Mr Blunden)