The Ghostwriter & Pup Podcast

As the world continues to change, and as his writing services continue to evolve into new directions, Jody brings Ghostwriter and Pup to an end with many thanks to his listeners and a little hint about what's coming next for Jody's podcasting. 

Visit jodyaberdeen.com starting May 1st, 2021 for his next writing show!

In the first episode of 2021, Jody reflects on how personal traumas in your life cause creative blockage, even if they've got nothing related to writing itself. He also teases his upcoming Story Plumbing course. 

Worldbuilding can seem like a complicated process (and, depending on your story, it often is), but it can be very useful in giving your story the limitations that it needs for you to be able to write well. Even if you're not writing sci-fi/fantasy or horror, worldbuilding is useful for helping you get clarity on your novel.

In this episode, Jody talks about three key elements you can use for your worldbuilding. 

There will never be a better time to write your novel than lockdown, not only to give you something to do, but to give hope to millions of others through your storytelling. What is on the other side of this pandemic? 

Will getting what you say you want truly make you happy? 

In Episode 2 of the limited series on "regular Joe spirituality", Jody delves a bit deeper into just what a "regular joe" spirituality looks like. He then reflects on the objects of desire that many personal growth teachings tell you you *have* to have in order to be happy, and compares that the actual experience of having them. 

If you are a personal growth professional or a regular Joe seeker of any background, professional, or walk of life, and would like to have a conversation with Jody in a future episode, please email jody@jodyaberdeen.com. 

The final episode of Ghostwriter and Pup's Journal series involves one sentence...and the start of the next special series next week. 

As always, if you have a topic you'd like me to explore in an episode, please email jody@jodyaberdeen.com.

In the penultimate episode of Ghostwriter and Pup's Journal series, Jody delves into why you should hire a VA and a sales person to help sell your books. 

If you have a topic that you want Jody to explore in a future episode, or would like to appear as a guest, email your idea to jody@jodyaberdeen.com.

Jody hates snobs...but yet, he is also kind of a snob. And you shouldn't be a snob, not in your writing. 

Episode #12 of the journal series looks into what Jody believes is the future of professional writing, including the abandonment of the "Lamborghini and books" pretension and posing; poets becoming the next great copywriters; and otherwise just keeping it real.

If you have a topic that you want Jody to explore in a future episode, or would like to appear as a guest, email your idea to jody@jodyaberdeen.com.

Stop saying that it's "just a story". Depending on what it is or what you're trying to do, it can get you the cat you want. Or, get you killed. 

In the 11th episode of Ghostwriter and Pup's Journal Series, Jody delves a bit into the power of story to shape your actions. 

Topics include:

- The difference between "what's so" and "story", and how "story" usually wins. 

- How stories determine ranges of actions, e.g. what happens to Canadians who believe that winters are long and summers short. 

- Implications for pandemic response and pet adoption, based on the story that you believe. 

If you have a topic that you want Jody to explore in a future episode, or would like to appear as a guest, email your idea to jody@jodyaberdeen.com. 

What's waiting for us on the other side of this pandemic? Episode 10 finds Jody a little tired and contemplative.

Topics in this episode:

- The "pipeline" in your brain, and why you need to clear it

- Sometimes the way to get your official work done is to work on your side projects.

- Mental loads are heavier now during the pandemic. 

If you have a topic you want Jody to address in a journal episode, email your idea to jody@jodyaberdeen.com. 

What would you be doing if you weren't doing what you're doing now? In Jody's case, more or less exactly what he's doing now, except with more residuals from book sales.  That's what came up on this episode of the Journal Series. 

Topics in this episode:

- Vanity metrics, like the #1 Amazon Bestseller

- Books as a source of entertainment for prolonged quarantine (as film and TV production slow down)

- Hire people to do the things you don't like doing (if you can) 

If you have a journal prompt or an idea that you want Jody to explore on a future episode, send an email to jody@jodyaberdeen.com.

When we talk about "authentic self expression", how does anger fit into that? And what are the consequences? In this unfiltered episode following the flagrant destruction of some of his plants by local groundskeepers, Jody explores:

• Healthy expression of feelings for guys, especially sensitive New Age guys. 
• What you put out, you can't take back, but should that stop you?
• General umbrage at the flagrant disregard by professional groundskeepers for people's plants (I mean, this sh*t is expensive!)

Episode #7 of the Journal series sees Jody splitting an infinitive in the title and beginning with a talk about "Star Trek" and ending with a note about freelance book marketers. 

Topics also include:

• The end of "dark and gritty" storytelling?
• When your stories are ahead of their time
• How world and character building help break scene blockage
• Touch your important work every day before it gets forgotten

If you have a journal prompt or an idea that you want Jody to explore on a future episode, send an email to jody@jodyaberdeen.com. 

For Week 2 of the Journal Series, Jody delves into:

• Sleep, how it affects anxiety, how it affects your idea generation.
• Social media stimulation and how it ruins your attention span.
• Meditation 
• Quality writing: what is it?

If you have a journal prompt or topic you would like Jody to explore in a future episode, please email jody@jodyaberdeen.com with your idea. 

Day 5 of Jody's series of 1-page handwritten journaling yielded insights on the following:

- Tangents: when are they okay, when are they not?

- Unity, da Vinci, ancient Greeks, Motorcycle Maintenance, and BBQ assembly 

- The value of solitude

- Holding many mutually-exclusive ideas in your head at once and how it helps your writing

If there is a topic prompt you would like Jody to write about on a future entry, send email with your idea to jody@jodyaberdeen.com. 

Episode #4 of the Journal Series finds Jody tired after an early morning Zoom call and more brooding than usual (which is usually a lot of brooding for those who know him or have ever lived with him in the same house).

Topics include:

- Physical energy levels and how they affect what you write about

- How the Pandemic and its impact are never far from our minds today

- Positivity and authentic self-expression aren't always the same thing

- Why it's okay to care about what others think of you (and express yourself anyway). 

In this third entry of Jody's journaling series, topics include:

• Being your own auto-correct
• Memories brought up by journaling
• Politics, politics, politics
• Gratitude, abundance, and empathy

If you have topics or prompts you want Jody to journal about in future episodes, please email jody@jodyaberdeen.com. 

In the second episode of the Journal series, Jody continues to write a daily one page journal entry and shares the insights from the process.

Topics in this episode:

- Private versus public journaling

- Mental revision

- My Writing Lifestyle versus the 9 to 5

- Writing speed

If you have a suggestion for a topic or a prompt for Jody to write, please email jody@jodyaberdeen.com with your ideas. 

After a month long hiatus, Ghostwriter and Pup returns with a mini-series of episodes centered around journal-writing. A daily journal practice can be hard to establish and, once started, very easy to lose. However, it is one of the most useful ways that you can sharpen your writing skills, strengthen your own self-expression, and take care of your mental health and well-being. 

Topics in this episode:

- Words written versus words spoken

- The benefits of cursive writing

- Responsibility for your content (especially medically-based content)

- How writing "sounds" 

Thinking about using your quarantine time to write your memoir? You're not alone!

An autobiography or memoir isn't simply a rehashing of your entire life: you've got to pick a theme.

In this episode, Jody gives you a brief overview of four kinds of memoirs that you can write: inspirational, coming-of-age, journalistic, and essay-driven. 

During this extraordinary time, Jody can offer you not only ghostwriting services, but co-authorship and coaching. Got any questions about your work? Email jody@jodyaberdeen.com to schedule a complimentary 30 minute Zoom coaching call. 

In this standalone episode, Jody reminisces about writing his first book 12 years ago, and all the insecurities and doubts that arose around doing so. If you want to write your first book but have limiting beliefs and doubts holding you back, you may see yourself in this story...with a strong motivational message at the end for you to start writing!

Jody shares a story from his own Christmas Past, perspectives on the Ghost of Christmas Present, and shares a vision for Christmases Yet-To-Come. 

Vulnerability is hard to define, let alone practice, but in storytelling, it's an essential way to connect with your audience. In this episode, Jody does some Q&A with a listener on how Ghostwriter and Pup gets made, tries to define vulnerability with some made up examples, and then provides a truly vulnerable and open conversation with Dr. Samuel Johnson, chiropractor and fellow Hamilton Chamber of Commerce member. 

Topics in this episode: masculinity and sharing, mental health, positive thinking, storytelling, and many more. 

CORRECTION: In the episode, I said that Dr. Sam provides his services from the "Dixon Family Chiropractic". I misspoke. He is actually at Paramount Family Chiropractic in Hamilton. My apologies for that mixup! 

In this first episode of Season Two of the Ghostwriter and Pup Podcast, Jody interviews artist, officiant, and wise woman Sarah Hall about some of the less-fun aspects of the creative life, including the pursuit of money, definitions of success, why so many of us are so damn tired all the time, and what it means to find fulfillment and meaning in today's world. 

CW: Contains profanity and sexual references. Listener discretion is advised...but honestly, it's not that bad, y'all. 

Learn more about Sarah by searching "Sarah Hall Artist" or "Sarah Hall Officiant" on Google. You can learn more about her new project at www.sustainablerelationship.com. 

Jody delves into personal growth/inspirational/motivational writing on a fairly high-energy Monday and touches on:

• How we naturally imitate our gurus (and how that hurts our inspirational writing)
• Why should acknowledge (just a little bit) the inner skeptic of our readers to really get them engaged
• A prediction on where personal growth writing will go in the 2020s (and how you can get ahead of the trend)

What is your work worth? And does it have anything to do with what you think you're worth? It's a struggle that every creative professional deals with, whether they're a veteran copywriter or a painter selling their work for the first time. In an excerpt from a much longer conversation (we could have talked for hours on this!) Krista Willmorth and I take a little meander through the ups and downs of creative freelancers figuring out the true value of their work.