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A few nights ago, I made the mistake of rereading Charles Dickens' 'The Signal-Man' in bed. Bad, baaaaad idea. It's long been my favourite ghost story - and the BBC adaptation one of my favourite short slabs of telly - but even knowing every story beat in the tale didn't protect me from that growing unease and dread.

As a young boy, I loved visiting the newsagent. Whenever I was taken out shopping in Stockport, instead of asking to visit the toy or sweet shops, I would pester until I was allowed into WH Smiths. That big two-level store was bliss to me - more books and comics than I had ever seen in one place.

It is often said that the key to great comic delivery is timing. I would go further and say its the key to great writing too. But before I get into that, let's examine the power of timing in the best way possible - Morecambe and Wise.

It may sound odd to some, but the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas has a long heritage. For many, Christmas is associated with more repeats of Chevy Chase struggling with Christmas lights or some animated piece of schmaltz banging on about the 'spirit of giving'. But, particularly in Europe, the Christmas ghost story has a long tradition.

You know that feeling you get when you're staring at a blank sheet of paper? That sense of opportunity mingled with apprehension? You stare at it knowing that the application of your skill could potentially transform that white sheet into a literary masterpiece or budgie-cage lining.