Why I wrote a Spoof Clickbait Collection
Inspiration can come from anywhere
Last year in an online workshop, I was given a clickbait title to write an article on. I was frustrated at the response, or lack of response from employers and contractors when I was trying to find work. So the title I was given was perfect or me to vent.
“12 Things Employers Don’t Want You to Know”
So, I came up with six things in my spoof list during the workshop, then finished it later in the week. I probably would have left it to gather virtual dust on my laptop, but BBC Radio was looking for poetry and other spoken word submissions. I had tried twice before with other poems and knew people whose work had been broadcast, but I never got a response. This was a last attempt for me, third time lucky, I hoped. But I assumed it wouldn’t get picked.
I was in the supermarket when I got the call and had to ask them to call back. I worried I’d missed my chance and they would pick someone else instead. So, when they finally called me back, I was so relieved and excited. They also interviewed me after the piece was broadcast. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the details of my interview, but you can hear it here.
I also read this out several times at different online spoken word events. I admit I bragged a little, mentioning it had been on BBC Radio Manchester, but it’s not everyday I get my work accepted and broadcast to quite a large audience like this, and it probably won’t happen again.
I decided to create an entire book of spoof clickbait articles, but never acted on this until April, when it was time to take part in NAPOWRIMO (National Poetry Writing Month). I know this usually involves writing a poem a day, and these clickbait pieces of writing don’t neatly fall under the category of poetry, or fiction. Still, I challenged myself to write one spoof piece a day. You can read some of these here and here on Medium and also on my WordPress blog.
The finished book has received positive comments from the few people who have read it, but reaching people and getting them to make that small purchase has been the challenging part.
It’s currently available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle. If you do read it, it would be fantastic if you could leave a short review.
