Reality writing

Hot on the heels of Bestseller (a reality TV show that appears to have fallen into development hell) the Bookseller.com has announced another reality TV show about writers. This time with a difference: a collection of “celebrities” attempt to write a crime novel on BBC2 under the expert eye of Minette Walters.

Now, I suppose there’s nothing wrong in a reality show aimed at discovering writing talent, in the same way there’s nothing wrong in trying to elevate z-list celebs from mediocrity to jungle heroes, dancing heroes, or singing heroes. Except that being published is a notoriously difficult nut to crack, and yet again, several celebs are getting a chance that most would-be-crime-fiction writers would give their left arm for (or right arm depending on which is less efficient at typing).
The hard-working aspiring writer has every right to feel just a little marginalised here.

Murder most Famous will hit our screens in time for World Book Day, and I’m keeping a fairly open mind – just ajar, I think. I reckon reaction to it will be mixed. For the wider public, it will be a bit of fun (though methinks it might be a bit banal too), but no one involved will win any hearts and minds within the community of budding writers who already think that dull celebs are flooding the market with equally dull (and often ghost-written) biographies. There have been a few notable successes where celebs have managed to write decent books, but I’m sure there are many unpublished authors out there who honestly believe they would have achieved the same success if someone had just given them a chance.

So the jury is out here at A ‘spot of Blood. If the series had been attempted with a group of unknown aspiring writers then I think it would have more credibility. Let’s face it, unearthing the next Patricia Cornwell or JK Rowling from obscurity would be more fascinating than pandering to a group z-list celebs desperate for a bit more publicity.

But we’ll see…