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"Writers don't have lives. They have ongoing research. Every day is a work in progress. Nothing's sacrosanct. No one's exempt. You can't hand them a note from your mother to leave you alone. It doesn't work like that." - Scottish novelist, Jim Murdoch, talks about writing his first two novels, now available as a single ebook, and explains why his target audience is himself.

Extensive and comprehensive interview with the Scottish novelist and poet Jim Murdoch wherein he discusses his inspirations, his writing process, his books, their characters and the fact that, despite being a Scot, he never tasted haggis until he was a grown man.

So many writers have been inspired by places from RS Thomas' Wales to Woody Allen's New York but what if place just doesn't get your juices flowing? Where does that leave you? Scottish writer Jim Murdoch talks about why places leave him cold and how this has affected his writing.

Some people like to write with music in the background, others need complete silence. There is no right way but if you do find music helps you focus then you might find this list of lesser known modern classics by Scottish writer Jim Murdoch worth investigating further. Some of the composers featured are Elena Kats-Chernin, Edward Gregson, Mason Bates, Doreen Carwithen, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Peter Sculthorpe, Wojciech Kilar, Douglas Lilburn and Nino Rota.

There has been a lot written over the years about the danger of artificial sweeteners and the Internet is awash with articles some more believable than others. Scottish author Jim Murdoch talks about his own personal experience using aspartame in his coffee and the crippling brain fog that followed.

Many writers get their inspiration from places but what exactly is 'place'? According to one writer: "Place refers to the conceptual fusion of space and experience that gives areas an individuality, an identity of place." But what if you're not into places what if your inspiration comes from inner spaces? Scottish poet Jim Murdoch discusses his difficult relationship with places both inner and outer.

A comedian told a joke in a forest but there was no one there to hear it. So was it funny? Humour is something we all have but when was the last time you stopped and thought about what's funny and why it's funny? Scottish novelist Jim Murdoch takes a step back and looks at his own use of humour in his first novel and takes a moment to analyse the famous light bulb joke.

The publishing industry is changing as are reading habits. Paperbacks are out, ebooks are in; bookshops are closing, Internet sales are booming. So where does this leave the poor old reader? How does he find the books he really wants to read and once he has does he need to do anything about it? Can a reader be content that he's done his bit if he's bought and read a book? Does an author have any right to expect more from him?

All of us spend way too much time online. The big question is: How well is that time spent? We read things and, five minutes later, couldn't tell you what we've read. We post blogs and update our Facebook status and imagine there are people who are really interested but are they-and we, of course-only going through the motions of showing interest? And woe betide you if you're trying to sell something to your peers because the odds are they're trying to sell something to you and if they buy what you're offering and you buy what they're offering isn't that all a bit pointless? Step back, take off the pink-tinted glasses and have a fresh look at your online habits.

Ambition continues to suffer a longstanding, old-world, negative reputation. It brings up images of someone who's willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it means sacrificing friends, family and colleagues. Today, for many, ambition is synonymous with mistrust, closely aligned with such international corporate leaders who mismanaged their ambition and destroyed their credibility with the general public and shareholders alike. Is ambition a bad thing? It depends. Read on.

Everyone gets bored from time to time. But is that such a bad thing? Are there positive aspects to being bored? And how long does it take you to be bored, a couple of hours or a matter of seconds? If we can't stand to be unoccupied for a few seconds is that genuine boredom or something else? And what is it with those eureka moments? Why is it when we're bored we suddenly get such great ideas?

Especially with the recent growth in self-publishing and ebooks there has been an explosion of new books across all genres but how many people are writing books that could be described as 'general fiction', 'contemporary fiction' or 'literary fiction'? Or what about 'quiet fiction'? Are writers too concerned with their demographics and less with writing books that need to be written?

The Internet is a very time-consuming place. At best. At its worst it's a very time-wasting place. The question is: How responsible are you for wasting the time of others? Do you update your Facebook status or tweet or blog more often than you really need to? You don't have time to follow what all your friends are doing; do they have the time to keep abreast of everything that's new in your life. Do you ever wonder if all of this is a bit pointless?