Freedom From The Mundane

Image: Lizzy Siddal

And so, the madness is over for another year. Edinburgh is slowly returning to normality as all 250+ venues go back to what they did before—sell, display or hire out. Temporary venues disappear (goodbye Udderbelly) and backrooms and shops turn their attention back to quieter afternoons. Charlotte Square has emptied of readers and authors; the RBS tent, Scottish power tent, Peppers Theatre, yurt and all will shortly be dismantled. Very soon, the Square will return to being nothing more than a patch of grass; Edinburgh is being handed back to the residents.

So what of the writer? Once the magic created by the existence of the tented village and the boards is gone, where do they go once the tourists and readers all return to their lives? To answer that I can only tell you where I go, and that is back to the page.

My office has become a tip since the 14th August. It’s barely been used other than to dump clothes, books, papers, notepads and ticket stubs. It badly needed a tidy, which I took care of last night, but after that short flurry only one thing remains: to sit down and use the last two and half weeks to my advantage and begin to write, write all the way through to August 2011.

With that in mind, one of the things I’ve been doing as I immersed myself in this year’s book festival is to plan out what I want to achieve and where I want to go over the next 12 months. This “plan” is now complete and I’ve taken a few risks, been bold and slimmed down on my priorities. I know where I want to go more clearly than ever before.

First, though, I want to review the kind of book festival I had. I want to look back at the things that blew me away and what I took out of it to put into my next year of work. I want to look at it more closely now it’s over just to see if I can pinpoint the reasons I now feel so elated, motivated, charged and exhausted.

EBF Highlights

There were so many highlights this year but the absolute tip-top ones would have to be:

• Seamus Heaney – a spellbinding hour of the most wonderful poetry that I will never forget
• Jackie Kay – such a lovely and inspiring woman and a credit to Scotland
• Kevin Barry & Simon van Booy – inspiring in both the short written form and in the art of giving a reading
• Alan Spence – having seen him perform and then buying two of his books, his style spoke to me loudest among all the poets I saw this year
• Joyce Carol Oates – just to be in her presence…
• Candia McWilliam – getting the chance to speak with her 121 was an absolute pleasure
• AudioBoo interview with Book Fest – a great opportunity that also proved a lot to myself
• Social networking- embraced with eagerness yet only feels as though a door has been pushed open slightly. The benefits from this are still being felt

There were so many other highlights, in fact, that I feel I should remember more. Looking back through my diary as I write, Philip Pullman’s discussion about religion was fascinating as was Allan Brown’s talk about The Wicker Man. There was US Correspondent, Gary Younge, the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy with an amazing reading, Bill Clegg’s memiors, Louise Rennison’s kisses, Alan Bissett and Lars Husum reading under fighter jets and fireworks, Ian Rankin’s Tweets, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize Giving, AC Grayling’s lecture, Roy Hattersley slating Blair and Mandelson, Garry Trudeau’s remarkable insight via cartoons, Alexander McCall-Smith losing the plot at his own jokes, Gillian Galbraith, Craig Robertson and Mark Billingham’s crime fiction, Antonia Fraser laughing at Rankin’s jokes, Vidal Sassoon laughing at Ian Rankin’s hair, Don Paterson and his poetry, and of course, Donald S Murray and Will Self talking about their love of St. Kilda.

As you can tell, it was an extremely memorable book festival.

EBF Lowlights

There were a couple of cancellations that had to be made due to personal circumstances (myself and the authors) but nothing that did anything to dull my enthusiasm. Any opportunity to meet new people and get involved with something I took. There were no lowlights of which to speak.

Did it boost my confidence?

Just being around so many wonderful writers and hearing them talk about their work is enough to motivate any writer, but I have got so much more out of meeting my contemporaries and sharing perspectives, stories and experiences this year that I feel as though, yes, I am going in the right direction and yes, I have a support network there when I need it.

This year I embraced social networking that the book festival has begun to incorporate and it led to so many wonderful networking opportunities and experiences.

Did it change my outlook on my writing?

The social networking angle has definitely changed things. I’m going to invest in a smart phone and this will allow me to continue to promote myself and my work on a more professional and instant manner. It will also allow me to keep closer to contacts made and to continue pushing myself out there in avenues I never even thought of until 14th August.

This year’s book festival has also helped me shape my GDR for the next year in that I am going to focus on the things that really matter to me. I am sticking to those forms that I get the most out of and that I enjoy doing.

To what extent did it influence the development of my 2010/11 GDR?

Massively. I now know of brand things I can do to market and promote myself and I also feel confident enough to go through with them. Not being able to read at the Story Shop was a downer before the start but some of the compensations have more than made up for it.

Were there any unexpected events?

Meeting Candia McWilliam was amazing. She sat down next to me at the Carol Ann Duffy event and we chatted for a while. She was as lovely in person as she was when I saw her at both her 2009 and 2010 events.

The Audioboo interview with the book festival was a great opportunity that I simply could not pass up. It was a bit of a test being told to talk in an interesting manner about the festival for 4 minutes while being recorded and timed, but apart from an abundance of “eh’s” I think I did pretty well.

There have been many unexpected benefits from the social networking angle I’ve got involved with. The book festival has started to embrace this side of things and I think I’ve been quite lucky to have been there when they do. Obviously the interview was cracking but I’ve realised how many benefits from simple exposure to book sales and the opening up of further opportunities that is to be had.

Did I get all from it I set out to before it began?

I got more. I wasn’t expecting as much this year but immersing myself in it and following up on every opportunity and contact has helped me get so much more out of it I thought could be possible. I have met so many wonderful people this year it’s impossible to know the full immediate benefits that could come from them.

Was I disappointed with any aspect that I never expected?

How can I possibly be disappointed? I never spent as much time as planned due to family circumstances on the middle weekend but that’s the way it goes. That’s life. The rest more than made up for it.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more positive about my writing after a book festival than I do this year.

Time then, to reveal my Goals, Dreams and Resolutions Plan for 2010/11. For the next year this is what I’ll be working to, with these goals in mind I hope to achieve the dreams. The resolutions, I’m afraid, are too personal to publish this year.

GOALS

• Complete and submit all partially completed manuscripts
  • Greener is the Grass
  • Baccara Burning
  • Gatecrash
  • Blood Ties
• Get at least one novel/novella published
• Write one new full-length novel
• Publish a new chapbook
• Read 42 novels

List three positive, active steps to take on each goal to ensure it is achieved.

Complete and submit all partially completed manuscripts
• Stop wasting dedicated writing time
• Develop ways to remain focussed
• Set realistic timescales

Get at least one novel/novella published
• Keep in mind all I have learned
• Ensure manuscripts are polished to a high standard
• Target publishers more effectively

Write one new full-length novel
• Be more open and decisive with ideas
• Try to ‘explore and explode’ ideas
• Sit down and write!

Publish a new chapbook
• Follow through previous ideas
• Brainstorm ideas more often
• Try out new forms of poetry

Read 42 novels
• Set aside specific reading time
• Carry a book with me at all times
• Get into a routine

What Other Things Do I Need To Ask Of Myself To Achieve These Goals?

How will I structure next year to support my writing?

Read more, write more and continue to keep a balance with family/life more. Not much restructuring therefore required, but I need to focus on the time I do have more.

Where do I need to ease up on myself?

Can’t do it all at once.

What steps do I need to take on the technical front to achieve these goals?

• Invest in an iPhone
• Potential to invest in Mac Mini
• Develop podcasting and other social media routes

What new and unique marketing arenas will I enter this year to promote myself and my work?

• Podcasting
• Readings
• Promotion to book fairs

DREAMS

• To win a writing competition
• To have all of my completed manuscripts picked up

List three positive, active steps to transform each dream into a goal.

To win a writing competition
• Enter as many competitions as possible (fiction/poetry)
• Write entries specifically for the competition
• Hone my craft

To have all of my completed manuscripts picked up
• Complete all partially completed manuscripts
• Improve quality and targeting of publishers
• Research and target agents better before submitting

RESOLUTIONS

• Personal
• Personal

THE FUTURE

Where do I want to be with my writing in the long-term?

I want to be regularly publishing fiction.
I want to be recognised by my peers.

How can I change/compromise on the non-supportive elements in my life?

Cut out negative and non-supporting aspects from my writing life.
Try and get across that I also need support in this endeavour.

What will make me refer to myself, first and foremost, as a “writer”?

I already do, but having more fiction published in paying markets will help.
Promote myself more and take any opportunities that arise.

With what new type of writing will I experiment with in the coming year?

None (at the moment), though I am going to look into undertaking more writing courses.

What new non-writing interests do I wish to add to my life this year?

None (at the moment).

What overall changes do I need to make in my life to achieve ALL of my life goals?

• Not allow writing to encroach on my family time and vice versa but to integrate it instead.
• Move further outside my comfort zone and put myself in more challenging situations.
• Network in positive areas as much as possible and be more confident about doing it.
• Maximise output – Maximise visibility.
• Think big – Think positive.

That’s all for today—peace and out!

September 2nd, 2010 | Tags: Books, Charlotte Square, dreams, Edinburgh Book Festival, Fiction, GDR's, Resolutions, social networking, Twitter, writers, Writing, writing goals | Category: Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Poetry, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (1)

Image: BBC

It has been a crazy but magnificent few days both at the Edinburgh Book Festival and on the gigging front, I don’t quite know how to begin. When I last had the time to sit down and write a blog entry it was Thursday morning and I was about to head through to Glasgow for a Limp Bizkit gig, which was a hell of a night out!

I met up with my mum and dad in Glasgow for some coffee and muffins, the weather being so nice we sat out under the sun in Royal Exchange Square. My sister also joined us, before we all went our separate ways: mum and dad shopping, my sister and I to the pub. We chose the Clockwork Orange on Cathcart Road, where we annoyed the many Celtic fans who came in to watch the football. We were already half gone by the time they wanted to watch the game, but we had made the pub our own by that time, so nae luck lads.

Limp Bizkit in the Glasgow O2 Academy was an amazing night. It was wild, loud and fizzing with energy, everything I hoped it would be and more. Say what you want about these guys but on stage they are a phenomenal prospect, Wes Borland in particular stealing the show in his wizard’s hat and black leather and painted torso. Fred Durst was his usual “badly in need of anger management class” self, when at one point he launched into the crowd to sing. Some twat grabbed his nuts but probably didn’t count on Durst leathering him with a few deft punches to the face for his trouble.

It was an awesome gig with all the tracks I wanted to hear being played: My Way, Nookie, My Generation, Break Stuff, Take A Look Around and Rollin’. How it should be done.

The next day was a day of nothing. I stayed at my sister’s, we went out for lunch, stayed in for dinner, watched some television and basically chilled out until the hangovers were gone. Saturday, though, was a different kettle of fish altogether.

With my gear on—a Bonnie Prince Charlie dress kilt of McCallum tartan—we headed to a small church in Restalrig to see a couple of friends get married. It was a short and romantic ceremony (the two pints in the Bird In The Hand pub down the road saw to that) and then it was off the Hilton in Edinburgh’s west end for the reception.

They plied us with champagne from the get-go. That, mixed in with copious amounts of other drinks like lager, red wine, more champagne, vodka and whisky, meant the night ended up a bit messy. There was lots of laughter, camp frolics, dancing—disco and ceilidh—and unfortunately, jagerbombs also making a small and unwelcome appearance. It was with no small amazement then, that I was able to get myself up and out of bed the following morning to get my ass up to Charlotte Square for an unmissable event.

Joyce Carol Oates is a giant of American literature and it was a complete honour to be able to sit and listen to her speak. She spoke about her life in writing, her influences and her friends, and she did so with an air of brilliant modesty. She was incredibly witty and intelligent and everyone who was there I think knew how lucky they were. I even managed to bag a picture of her in the signing tent afterwards, which you can see in the slideshow I’ll put together for when I review the book festival a a whole tomorrow.

While I was in the signing tent I also stopped for a drink with my sister who had arrived, when an interesting tweet arrived into my phone. It was @edbookfest asking if I would be up for an AudioBoo interview. Naturally, I jumped on the opportunity and a few moments later I was being whisked off by Colin Fraser to find a quiet place to be interviewed. The broadcast tent was closed off so much to my absolute delight, I was taken behind the scenes and past the press tent. This meant walking past the famous yurt, the author’s tent, and I gazed longingly inside at the magic I’d often heard and read about. One day, Colin, one day…

The interview wasn’t an interview. Colin explained he would give me four minutes to talk about the book festival and that he would record my thoughts. Four minutes, I already knew, would be a long time. I would have to think fast (I was already forgetting all the events I’d been to) and have to speak with character. Bearing in mind I also had a hangover from the previous day’s wedding, I knew it would prove to be test of my oratory skills.

I started to talk. Half way through Colin realised the timer wasn’t running but other than that I completed the full 4 minutes in one go. He asked me to plug my website but I think that due to a small overrun it had to be expertly edited into the start of the interview. It was an amazing opportunity and a huge thanks go out to Colin for asking me to do it and being so relaxed about it. If you want to hear the resulting audio, visit this link: http://bit.ly/cQG077 or press play below.

Later in the day I went to the joint Katharine Hibbert and Sheena Iyangor event with my sister, Lindsay. Neither of us were truly convinced about the motivations or extent to which Hibbert had gone to in her test of living for free, although kudos to her for having the guts to do so. Iyangor was more interesting to me, discussing choice and how we, as humans, live our lives based on the choices we make.

With a few hours to spare between book festival events and our main evening appointment, my sister and I found ourselves in Au Bar in the west end. We had a few drinks and some food before heading into the Picture House to see Modest Mouse a band I’d wanted to see for a wee while now. It was a good gig (I was disappointed they never performed Doin’ The Cockroach) but both of us were so tired after our Saturday exploits it was a rather mute affair. I was glad to get home and to bed by the end of the night.

That takes me to yesterday and the final day of the book festival. With this in mind, I decided to immerse myself in it 100% so as to take as much as I could from the last few events. I wanted to go out with a bang and as such, picked as varied a schedule as I could.

Regretfully I missed the ‘Ten at Ten’ due to traffic problems. I’d convinced myself it was only a free event and therefore I wouldn’t have missed much, but when I arrived I discovered it was Ryan van Winkle and would have loved to have heard him read.

So my first event of the day was with Louise Welsh in the Spiegeltent. We were provided with free coffee for the event, which was also being filmed, and which saw Louise reading her contribution to the “Elsewhere” book festival theme, a short story called Vanishing Point.

I went from there straight into see Don Paterson in the main tent, which was an hour of humorous and gripping poetry. “I’ve got nothing to read to you all,” he said. “It’s all about death and divorce.” But it was a privilege to hear him read from a variety of sources, during which, he was intensely funny one moment then heart stopping the next. When he said his “back and genitals were the main case against intelligent design” I couldn’t hold back from raucous laughter. Simply awesome.

I had a couple of hours to spare and filled them with coffee and a chat with a friend before heading off for some lunch in my usual coffee shop alone. My pal had to get back to work but I was happy to be able to get some respite from a busy morning and catch up on some reading over my coffee and Panini.

Back to Charlotte Square for 3pm and in to see Antonia Fraser in conversation with Ian Rankin. Fraser spoke candidly and warmly about her life with Harold Pinter, telling us of the night his true philosophy came to the fold was when he appeared on Newsnight with Kirsty Wark. “Life is beautiful but the world is hell,” he had said.

Fraser still enjoys going to see his plays, and as the executor of his literary estate she has some responsibility still in that area, and of his Nobel Prize speech, she said: “will resonate forever.” No wonder the biggest applause from the audience came from an elderly man in the front row with the best haircut in the tent: Mr Vidal Sassoon.

I met up with another friend afterwards, the lovely @lisadempster from Melbourne, Australia, who also runs the @EmergingWriters festival there. We compared notes about the different festivals we’d had and who we’d seen, before we realised both our next events were on in the same, the ‘Writing Into The Future’ event with local graduate authors from creative writing courses around Scotland.

I had time to grab another coffee before my next event, short story writers Kevin Barry and Simon van Booy, both of which blew me away with their short fiction readings. This is how the short form should work; an audience should be captivated, drawn in and entertained in all directions—they were superb and I will be buying both of their work shortly.

A big fan of theirs, @RobAroundBooks was also there and he recognised me from my book fest AudioBoo picture. It was great to meet him, also because he is a voracious and passionate reader and runs an excellent website of all things literary which you should all go and check out. (www.robaroundbooks.com)

Finally, and after yet another coffee and long read of my book, it was into my final event, which for the 3rd year running was in the Scottish Power tent. The authors I had chosen to see (booked before the sad passing of Edwin Morgan and subsequent organisation of his celebration event) was Scottish author Donald S Murray and novelist, Will Self.

The topic concerned the island of St. Kilda, one of the most remote islands in Scotland, and of each man’s love for the place. Murray’s passion came through in the form of poetry and prose, his readings of which ran on at length into Will Self’s time. Worth it, though.

Self revealed that the location used in his book, The Book of Dave, is based on St. Kilda, which is something that has been largely missed be almost every reviewer and critic of the novel since it was published in 2006.

With that final event over I took one slow walk around the square for one last time. I popped into the book shop on my round and bought my final two books for this festival: Portrait Of An Addict As A Young Man: A Memoir by Bill Clegg and Glasgow Zen by Alan Spence, a poet I’ve grown more fond of as the festival has run, since I saw him on the second day ‘Ten at Ten’. One final look back at the square and then I was off, out into the darkness of Edinburgh and the promise of another full year of charged, motivated and enhanced writing to come.

This post is already long enough so I’ll call it a day there. Tomorrow, I’ll review the Edinburgh Book Festival I had, the highs and lows and what I have taken from it. I’ll also be publishing my GDR for 2010/11, a document I’ve been thinking about and developing a lot over the last two weeks in the delight that is Charlotte Square in August.

Until then—peace, out!

September 1st, 2010 | Tags: Antonia Fraser, Au Bar, AudioBoo, author's tent, Celtic fans, Charlotte Square, Clockwork Pub, Don Paterson, Donald S Murray, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Emerging Writers' Festival Australia, gig, Glasgow, Glasgow Academy, Harold Pinter, Hilton, Interview, Joyce Carol Oates, Katharine Hibbert, Kevin Barry, Limp Bizkit, Lisa Dempster, Louise Welsh, Modest Mouse, Music, Picture House, press tent, Ryan van Winkle, Sheena Iyangor, Simon van Booy, wedding, Will Self, yurt | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Interviews, Music, Poetry, Reading, Writing | Comments (4)

Image: Edinburgh Guide

I had another half day yesterday but this time with an early start, so my hours spent in the day job office weren’t as short as they were on Monday. With work building up around my ears, though, that probably wasn’t a bad thing.

I had my lunch in work before leaving then headed off to Corstorphine to pick up some new computer parts I’d promised my wife—a brand new computer in fact. It’s a high performance PC, built with gaming in mind so it runs very fast and can handle a lot of heavy graphics. This was the best option I figured she had available given she doesn’t want move to a Mac, not just yet anyway, not until I’ve gone there first and figured it all out.

By the time I got the new PC home I only had time left to get changed and head out to the book fest for my afternoon event with Mark Billingham. Billingham used to be a stand-up comic so his readings are always very funny.

Billingham writes crime fiction and I’ve greatly enjoyed his Tom Thorne series of novels, so it was with much delight when we were treated to an exclusive showing of footage for the TV adaptation of some of his previous novels. Sleepyhead was the trailer we got to see and it looks fantastic when it will shown on Sky1HD. He also read from his latest, as yet untitled novel, due out next year.

On the state of crime fiction in the UK Billingham is pretty much in agreement with most of his peers, in that it is in a very healthy state. Although when asked about the trend of crime fiction to stick with large cities, he argued that every time he thinks of crime in the countryside he “can’t get the theme tune to The Archers out of my head.”

After the event I headed home and began building Gail’s new PC. Backups, recovery disks, software, etc. it all had to go back on and be set up for her to get back to work and get the business moving again. I’d done half of it before I had to leave for my next book fest event, although getting there was a bit of a stress.

The bus was late and if it hadn’t been for a friend who passed in her car and gave me a lift to Leith Walk, I may never have made it. As it happened, I got to Princes Street and ran like the wind, arriving at the RBS Main Tent to find it almost full and the practically gone. I found my seat and settled down for Jackie Kay.

Kay was an absolute treat. She read from her latest book, and autobiography called Red Dust Road, which also acts as a form of sequel to her first poetry collection, The Adoption Papers. She read from passages that described the moment she met her birth father in Nigeria for the first time, which was as hilarious as it was emotional, and she did it with the most amazing warmth and bravery.

The subject of her sexuality came through strongly in the readings and later discussion, but what came through more than anything else was her love for her adoptive parents, her “real mum and dad”, not just through the book’s reading, but through her talking about them. To have them in the audience with her along with her son, made it quite the family affair.

Although there was much laughter through the event one could also sense a strong feeling of warm empathy towards Kay and it was left to the Director of the Scottish Poetry Library to sum up what the audience were already thinking: “We’re proud to claim Jackie as being Scottish and part of us,” to which Kay received a standing ovation.

Back home again and I completed building Gail’s PC. At around 1am I finally finished and got myself to bed.

Today at the book festival: nothing! I’m off to Glasgow for a gig shortly and then I have a wedding on Saturday. I won’t be back at Charlotte Square until Sunday for Joyce Carol Oates and Katharine Hibbert & Sheena Iyangor.

Until then—peace, out!

August 26th, 2010 | Tags: autobiography, computer, Corstorphine, crime fiction, Day Job, day off, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Jackie Kay, Leith Walk, Mark Billingham, PC, Poetry, Scottish Poetry Library, Tom Thorne | Category: Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, I.T., Internet, Writing | Comments (1)

Image: The List

Things conspired against me yesterday leaving me unable to post my blog entry. That’s twice in less than a week it’s happened and I am less than pleased with myself. Therefore, I voluntarily stick out my virtual bottom and drop my kegs for you all to heartily spank my plump little cheeks.

Monday was a bit of a disaster. I slept in big style and never made it into work until 10:30am. Not good, but then again, I was on a half-day for the afternoon so it made it one heck of a short working day. Then it was off to the book fest.

I neglected to mention I could have sworn I saw Dianne Abbott at the book fest prior to the Roy Hattersley event on Sunday. She was sitting at the entrance typing out a text message into her mobile phone, and if I hadn’t been so unsure if it was her or not, I would have approached her. I think she’s great—she’s the best reason to stay up late on a Thursday night for just to see her spar with Portillo.

And as if to reinforce the positive effect that Twitter has had on my book fest experience this year, just check out my statistics for week 1, which came in on Monday:

• 706 visitors to my site last week, that’s 300 more than average
• Sales of FRINGE FANTASTIC and POOLSIDE POETRY both up by 20%
• Daily blog registrations and newsletter sign-ups both more than doubled
• Many new writing friends made and contacts throughout the industry

It is indeed a remarkable thing that is the power of Twitter. As a result of seeing the benefits of engaging in social media this past week and a half, I’m going to invest in an iPhone to see where I can take it. I have plans for all sorts of things that, had I seen these benefits beforehand, would have had an even larger impact. As it stands, I think it can help my year-round promotion no end.

Of course, you know what’s next – Apple Mac!

The main event for me on Monday was Garry Trudeau in the RBS main tent. I got there early and wandered around the book shop. The Square was practically deserted due to the heavy rain we’d had during the afternoon. Large puddles dominated, one of which even had a couple of little rubber ducks flowing on top! Ian Rankin popped into the signing tent while I was waiting for a coffee. He was hoping to catch Trudeau as well but I knew he would never make it when I saw the length of his signing queue.

Gary Trudeau was interviewed by the Guardian’s award-winning cartoonist, Steve Bell. The event was a total sell out (although Rankin’s seat remained empty). Trudeau was fascinating to listen to. Bell, who was clearly overjoyed at finally being able to meet the man, hardly need ask him any questions as Trudeau began to talk in a laid back yet wonderfully informative style.

He told us of the time he was at school and knew George Bush, who after a photocopying prank admitted to his habit of “torturing undergraduate students” to the New York Times. This led into an analysis of the previous US administration, where we discovered that “Dan Quayle is a gift to everyone in my business” and that he “didn’t have many friends in the first Bush administration,” after their first term in office.

Trudeau went on to explain how he felt America had “behaved like it owned Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf conflict, which was where our later problems were born,” after he was whisked out of a line-up to get into the country on the command of a General. And thus we cut to the root of why he was there in the first place: Doonesbury.

Doonesbury “began as a way to explain a generation” explained Trudeau and although he struggled to sell it at first, within five years it had been sold to several hundred newspapers. “The wide differences in newspaper standards tripped me up a lot in the early days” he continued. “I once lost three papers in one day.”

Reflecting on the current situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, Trudeau became very humbled as he described his encounters with returning wounded soldiers. “Humour is the membrane between soldiers and the darkness,” he explained. “I am deeply anti-war.”

Last night’s evening at the book fest was, remarkably, even better. Things kicked off with the most amazing reading of poetry I’ve ever experienced. So moving and so spellbinding was the hour between 6:30pm and 7:30pm, the hour passed like only a few short minutes.

Seamus Heaney captivated a sell-out audience as he read various poems, spending time talking about the inspiration for each one, where it was written and why. Such was his calming, and I use this next word in no way lightly, intoxicating manner, the audience sat in total silence and as still as rocks as we followed his every single word. It was a truly awesome experience, akin only to the time I went to the theatre with my mother and saw Sir Ian McKellen performing in Waiting for Godot.

Only one man could follow such a breathtaking hour of poetry and match it with his own brand of literary insight, humour and joy: Alexander McCall Smith. Unfortunately Andrew Sachs had to cancel at short notice, who as the orator of many of Smith’s Corduroy Mansion series in The Daily Telegraph, was to have also have interviewed him. The amiable Gaby Wood stood in as his replacement.

Smith was on top form as he talked about his workload schedule—he’s currently on five novels per year—and how he manages to remember which book he is writing at any one time. Unsurprisingly, when asked what he and near neighbour Ian Rankin talk about over drinks, he explained that not anything really that interesting. “Certainly not much literature or work, but more what might be in that day’s paper—The Daily Telegraph, for instance,” he said, poking fun at Wood who is the Book Editor for the paper.

Smith gave a reading from his latest book, The Dog Who Came In From The Cold, which not only had the audience in stitches, but Smith himself could hardly complete it when he broke down into uncontrollable laughter on the stage as it came to a hilarious conclusion.

Smith introduced a man from his orchestra, the RTO (Really Terrible Orchestra), who gave us a rendition on the cello, of the kind of music he might listen to when writing about Precious Ramotswe. The musician then played Somewhere Over the Rainbow using his bow and a saw much to the elation of Smith and the audience.

And so, over the past two evenings I’ve been fascinated to hear about the life and work of Garry Trudeau, utterly swept away by the man and poet, Seamus Heaney, and entertained into tears of laughter by Alexander McCall Smith. If you ever needed an answer to the question: “why do you like the Edinburgh Book Festival so much?”, I’ve just answered it for you.

I’ll sum up today’s epic post with the final quote Seamus Heaney gave us last night when closing his event: “At the end of art is peace.”

Today at the book festival:
Mark Billingham
Jackie Kay

Peace, out!

August 25th, 2010 | Tags: Alexander McCall Smith, America, Andrew Sachs, Apple, cartoonist, Dianne Abbott, Doonesbury, Edinburgh Book Festival, Fringe Fantastic, Garry Trudeau, George Bush, Ian Rankin, iPhone, Jackie Kay, Labour MP, Mark Billingham, Michael Portillo, naughty, New York Times, poetry reading, Poolside Poetry, Roy Hattersley, Seamus Heaney, social media, spanking, Steve Bell, Twitter, USA, website statistics | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Poetry, Reading, Writing | Comments (1)

Image: Wikimedia

My planned weekend at the Edinburgh Book Festival fell apart at the seams due to unforeseen circumstances. Higher priorities took over that meant everything else had to be cancelled at short notice or rearranged. It was just one of those things that had to happen.

Of the seven events and several hours meeting people, reading and writing that I had planned in Charlotte Square, I only made it to two events, each time arriving immediately prior to it starting then leaving once it was over.

The event I made it to on Saturday was my 4.30 with AC Grayling in the RBS Main Tent. I’ve never read any of Grayling’s work but I had a scan through some of his books in the shop before going in. I was half expecting a stuffy old professor to bore us all to tears. Not so. Grayling was a fascinating and engaging speaker, managing to make the world of philosophy an understandable and interesting one to the outsider.

Other than a final ten minutes at the end for a Q&A, Grayling delivered a 50 minute lecture on, what seemed to me to be many things, but in the end only one point really stuck in my mind—his final one. His point was that if the universe had been brought into existence by a huge bang and spread out into the vacuum with only one tiny, miniscule piece of dust having the consciousness enough to develop, i.e., the human race on earth, then he concluded that if the amount of good we do outweighs the bad it will all have been worth it. And if the reverse were to be as then there will have been no point in us being here.

Obviously, this raises this issue of how you measure all the good and bad in the world and all that kind of thing, but I enjoyed his way of painting a philosophical picture and it made sense to me for he hour.

After the event I handed back my evening tickets to the box office for someone else to use and headed round to the Royal Mile for a quick pint with a friend who is up from England for the Fringe. I’d not seen Simon for 11 years so we had a bit of catching up to do. There wasn’t enough time for it all, but with things the way they were on Saturday a pint and a quick catch-up was all I could manage.

I had the morning off yesterday so I took the chance for a lie in. I felt much better for it, too, managing to shake the sore head and much of the chestiness that has been plaguing me over the past couple of days. I headed back up to Charlotte Square late afternoon for two events, but in the end could only stay for one.

I was in the main tent for 4:30, this time for an hour with The Right Honourable, Roy Hattersley, ex-Labour Party Deputy Leader and Cabinet Minister. His subject matter in a “chairless” event was political biographies, which he claims are mostly dross with the occasional exception. He argued that most are written too quickly and with not enough time having passed, and that their content makes them boring and without point.

Hattersley also argued that private discussions between politicians should remain so, and that temporary privacy is essential if government is to remain objective. Then he turned his attention to the forthcoming Blair biography, A Journey, and that of Peter Mandelson, The Third Man. While he is relishing the thought of reviewing Blair’s book, he said that the fact Mandelson was writing his at the same time as playing his part in the downfall of the last Labour government, was utterly despicable, a sentiment agreed by a large portion of the audience. He added that a biography of this nature merely serves to prove his point that content, friendship and diplomacy means nothing to some, and the call of fame and fortune is everything.

I had to skip the Ken MacLeod and Adam Roberts event, and so headed home to be with the family. An Indian takeaway was ordered and the telly switched on.

Today at the book festival: Gary Trudeau

Peace, out!

August 23rd, 2010 | Tags: AC Grayling, Adam Roberts, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh Book Festival, Ken MacLeod, Labour Party, Peter Mandelson, philosophy, Politics, Roy Hattersley, Tony Blair | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, Fiction, Politics, Reading, Writing | Comments (1)

Image: Forbidden Planet

I’m definitely coming down with a bit of chesty nonsense. It’s been worsening as the week progresses, which is just NOT what I needed with it being slap bang in the middle of the book festival. I’ve started with the medicine, pills and Vit-C tablets in a vain hope I can shed it quickly, but I get the feeling it’s going to hang around for a little while, much to my dislike.

The day, job, which I think is partly responsible due to the crap air conditioning system—warm one minute, blowing freezing cold the next—dragged its heels as long as it could yesterday. There seems to be a mountain to deal with at the moment and no matter how much I chip away at it, it just isn’t getting smaller.

I nipped home briefly before setting off for my Friday evening in Charlotte Square. It was a lovely night for it; the sun had come out earlier in the afternoon and really heated the place up. It had also rained at times, though, and two of the lower corners in the square have now been reduced to muddy messes.

First up was the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Ian Rankin chaired the awards, which are Britain’s oldest literary award awards since they were established in 1919 by Janet Coats, widow of the publisher James Tait Black.

The awards have two categories: biography and fiction, the eventual winners joining a long list of eminent previous winners. Literary critic, John Carey, took home a cheque for £10,000 and the award for best biography, for his book William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord Of The Flies, and Man Booker prize winner, AS Byatt, won the fiction prize, also receiving a cheque for £10,000 for her novel, The Children’s Book.

Following the event I grabbed a coffee and found a chair in the now cooler garden area and took out my notepad. Inspiration had struck during the Tait Black awards, which I had to get down on paper before they were gone. After which, it was into the Scottish Power tent for an hour with Alan Warner.

Warner gained massive success with his previous works including, Morvern Callar and The Sopranos. His latest novel, the sequel to the latter is called The Stars in the Bright Sky, which is what he read from last night.

It was a fast hour. Warner seems to have a magnetic effect on his audience, both through his demeanour as well as his prose; the sections he read from his new book particularly engaging and hilariously funny, it was no surprise most of the post-reading discussion revolved around the similarly fascinating characters of his book. I’m looking forward to reading his latest work and have added it to my list.

My book festival events today:
10:00 – Ten at Ten
12:00 – Heather Brooke
16:30 – AC Grayling
19:30 – Lydia Davis

Peace, out!

August 21st, 2010 | Tags: air conditioning, Alan Warner, AS Byatt, Charlotte Square, chesty, Day Job, Flu, Ian Ranking, James Tait Black Memorial Prize, John Carey, Morvern Callar, sunny weather, The Sopranos, The Stars in the Bright Sky, Writing | Category: Books, Day Job, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Reading, Writing | Comments (1)

Image: Twitter

Before I get stuck into yesterday’s goings on at the Edinburgh Book Festival, I want to say a humongous thanks to everyone who has emailed and tweeted me to express their enjoyment of my book festival blogging and tweeting. It’s an unexpected but deliriously welcome compliment.

And now here comes the plug: If you want even more of my wit and humour then you will definitely enjoy FRINGE FANTASTIC and POOLSIDE POETRY, my two top selling chapbooks of poetry that will leave you contemplating life one moment then wetting yourself the next. They are so good it’s almost as though someone else wrote them!

Okay then. So I seem to have packed out my schedule so much for this year’s book festival I’m actually struggling to find time to wind down or get anything else done. On one hand there’s my day job (that can be stressful enough) but every spare moment other than that seems to have been spent in Charlotte Square, either at events or meeting up with people. I’ve yet to single out any blocks of decent reading or writing time, and now that I’m almost through the first midweek period I’m starting to feel a touch run down; a cold is developing, I have a growing irritation on my throat and I need a damn good kip. Bookfest Burnout is coming towards me.

Last night when I turned the light out my head was so busy I was unable to nod off. My skull was tense, by head buzzed as though a swarm of bees were angry inside it, and I could hear every pulse of blood as it pumped through the veins behind my ear drums. Nightmare.

The big news of the day, though, was the death of Scotland’s Makar, Edwin Morgan. He was our National Poet and a treasure at that. I found out on Twitter (didn’t everyone?) and the news swept the nation before the media even had a chance to update their websites. Lin Anderson and Ian Rankin were later to discuss the speed at which the news spread. He was 90 years old and will be hugely missed; his shoes will remain empty evermore.

I’d been persuaded earlier in the day that a live Tweeting stream from Ian Rankin’s event would be a good idea. Indeed, the man himself seemed to accept it would be inevitable and if you ask me, he practically encouraged it. So I took a seat near the back corner and settled down with my jacket covering my mobile and waited for the event to begin.

The RBS tent was, as you would expect, packed out. Rankin was on top form: funny, witty, honest and thankfully in a big news sharing mood. He started off with a heartfelt tribute to Edwin Morgan before settling down to questions from the Chair, Lin Anderson, a Glasgow crime writer. Of the more exciting things Rankin had to say, he feels he has “unfinished business with Rebus” after he wrote a short story about him recently for a national newspaper, his Justified Sinner project is now in a workable film format and ready to move forward, the rights to the The Complaints has been sold to the BBC, and the Doors Open rights have been purchased by none other than Stephen Fry.

There were some memorable quotes to: “Novelists are lazy—readers do all the work” and “We, as fiction writers, can make you, the reader, believe anything we want.”

Of Twitter he admitted he tends to use it as a daily diary these days and regards it much like a “little God of information”. He has no plans to publish his tweets in a book, though he would like them all to be burned after his death. Of crime writing he feels it has never been in a healthier state in this country, and with that in mind he will be starting a new Complaints (probably) novel in October for a June 2011 release. It will definitely not be a Rebus book, though.

If you want to read through the tweets from last night’s Ian Rankin event, or to follow me for more of the same as the book festival goes on, click here: @colingalbraith

After a lazy coffee in the square I headed into the Scottish Power tent to see Candia McWilliam. Candia, if you remember, is the author I saw on the final day last year who had just had a tough operation to regain a certain amount of her sight after she was overcome with blindness, and who on Sunday evening at the Carol Ann Duffy event, sat down next to me and we had a chat about Edinburgh and books.

She read from her new book, What to Look for in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness, two passages. One was a hilarious account of when she visited a Shamen in Portobello, the other on a visit to a physical therapist. Candia’s prose when read aloud is a beautiful experience, and when turned on herself—the self-deprecating humour, the cutting observational wit and her ability to poke fun at any situation on the spin of a coin—one can easily see what a remarkable human being she is as well as an exceptional writer.

All of the questions she was asked by the audience revolved around her health and blindness, which seemed to irk her at one point but it did occur to me that she was promoting  a book that concerned that precise subject. However, when asked about this, she said: “this book is more about writing—actually, to be blunt, it’s about writing and death,” said with a warmth that left us all wanting to give her a big hug.

When I got home in the evening the spikes in my blog stats and activity that had been going on via Tweetdeck was quite scary. Thanks to all who followed on Twitter last night—my thumb is aching now so I might have to give it a day off!

My book festival events today:
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Alan Warner

Peace, out!

August 20th, 2010 | Tags: blind, blindness, Blogging, Bookfest Burnout, Candia McWilliam, chapbooks, crime writing, death, Doors Open, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edwin Morgan, Fringe Fantastic, Ian Rankin, Lin Anderson, live tweeting, Makar, poems, Poetry, Poolside Poetry, Rebus, run-down, social media, The Complaints, Twitter, What to Look for in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Poetry, Scotland, Writing | Leave a comment

Image: ChildrensStorefront.com

I started yesterday off with a good deed and I felt like was on a bit of a high for the rest of the day. A lady sat on the top deck of the bus as it moved along the route through Leith into Edinburgh. I noticed two tags sticking out from under her hair. I looked harder and noticed one was the product label, the other the half price tag.

For a few moments I debated whether I should tell her—one voice telling me to do the good deed, the other telling me to watch and enjoy the view—but in the end I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t just let her walk off the bus into the heaving streets of Edinburgh to be laughed at. She was most thankful and embarrassed when I pointed it out, but as I said to her: “it could have been worse—only I had seen it.” That was before I’d Twittered about the whole event on the Internet, mind you.

Starting the day off with a good deed made me feel happy. I felt like I was glowing on the inside. There was a hop, skip and  jump to each of my steps as I walked to the office. I felt cleansed on a spiritual level. I was as merry and gay as I could be. Get the picture or am I overdoing it?

Spotted yesterday, this headline on BBC Scotland’s news website: Salmond Calls For Mackerel Action (say it out lout for full comedic effect).

I left my office sharp yesterday and shot up to Charlotte Square to meet my daughter. I’d bought two tickets to see teen author, Louise Rennison, Laura’s favourite author. I knew I would be outnumbered female to male, but was surprised by just how much. Of the hundred or so teenage girls, I was only one of three males in the audience.

Rennison holds great appeal to her fans and it’s easy to see why. She relates to them in a way I can’t imagine (I tend to get on with 5 year olds better), she talks to them at their level, understands them and they have their own coded language created through the novels. I only knew some of what was being spoken about because Laura sometimes reads Rennison’s books to me, so the Snogging Scale, Nunga-Nungas and Trouser Snakes came as no major surprise to me. Laura was in stitches for almost the entire hour.

What did surprise me was the ferocity of the stampede to the Signing Tent. We’d sat up the front-centre near to the exit but even before Rennison had finished signing off the mad rush was on. It was a primal fear, and through it I was able to connect emotionally to my cavemen brothers. I told my daughter to run ahead and I’d catch her up but she went the wrong way, so it was lucky I was able to get a place towards the front of the queue then let her in.

During the wait there was much Twitter activity, as a result of which I nipped outside for my first official Twitter meeting. @lisadempster has travelled from Australia on invite from the British Council and the Book Festival to attend the Bookcase Conference, which starts today. She’s the Director of the Emerging Writers’ Festival in Oz. We only had time for a brief chat before I had to go back in to take my daughter’s picture with Rennison, but we’ll get together again soon for a proper meet up.

Laura was near the front of the queue by the time I returned so we didn’t have too much longer to wait. She had two books signed: her favourite one, ANGUS, THONGS AND FULL-FRONTAL SNOGGING, and Rennison’s new one, WITHERING TIGHTS, which I bought for her before we went in. I never realised Laura had mentioned to Rennison how much I laugh when having her books read to me, not until we were walking away and Rennison shouted over: “Oh, you’re the dad? I just left some kisses for you in that book!”

Definitely my lucky day!

Could this be the best football headline ever?

We headed home but I only had time for a quick shower and change before heading back up to Charlotte Square. No dinner; bad move. My evening event was with Alan Bissett & Lars Husum. Bissett I’d seen before and know some of his work, Husum, a Norwegian writer, was new to me.

Husum was first up to read from his novel, MY FRIEND JESUS CHRIST, which was a struggle at times but only because it was the third time he’d ever delivered it in English. Full marks to the guy for coping with the pressure he must have been under. Bissett delivered his reading from DEATH OF A LADIES MAN in his usual charismatic style, acting out the part with a highly polish oratory style. His delivery can have you rolling in the aisle one minute then afraid to swallow the next.

Bissett revealed that he’s been commissioned by STV to write a screenplay sequel to DEATH OF A LADIES MAN, but the most memorable moment for me was when he had referenced his previous novel, THE INCREDIBLE ADAM SPARK (about a boy with learning difficulties who thinks he’s a super hero) and a fighter jet roared over the tent during the nightly fly-past for the Military Tattoo at the Castle. It was a surreal moment that changed to hilarity when Bissett raised himself from his seat, arm outstretched in a Superman pose as though about to fly off. Superb stuff.

We were also treated to a brief preview from Bissett’s one-man Fringe show, THE MOIRA MONOLOGUES – it was fantastic entertainment.

My book festival events today:
Ian Rankin
Candia McWilliam

Peace, out!

August 19th, 2010 | Tags: Alan Bissett, Alex Salmond, BBC, Candia McWilliam, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Emerging Writers' Festival Australia, good deed, Ian Rankin, Lars Husum, Leith, Lisa Dempster, Louise Rennison, screenplay, STV, Superman, Twitter | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, Fiction, Leith, Reading, Writing | Comments (2)

Image: inloughborough.com

I’m often charged with appearing as an aggressive sort. I’m a big guy, I shave my head and I tend to frown a lot. Why? I’ve grown into that shape, I enjoy the freedom of having no hair and I do a lot of thinking while I’m walking. That fact this gets translated into “this guy looks like a violent son of a bitch” isn’t really my fault, but one thing I’ve noticed is that during August, the frowning tends to decrease.

I became aware of it yesterday on my way to work. A woman stopped me in the street by waving at me. I was lost in thought but she had no problem flailing her arms in my face to ask me the time. Not a normal thing to happen on any level, but it was then that it occurred to me my usual frown wasn’t there. Why so? I think it’s down to the calming and fulfilling effect the Edinburgh Book Festival has on me; I relax more to my surroundings, ergo, no frown. I wonder how long it will be before my wife notices?

Another thing I’ve come to realise about this year’s book festival is how much more I’m getting out of it due to the presence of social media. Twittering to a show that was happening inside a tent while I was standing outside it on Sunday is one example of the fun and interaction achievable, but on a more meaningful level, I’ve been making contact with other readers and writers through the medium of Twitter, podcasts, Audio boos and all other forms of media available.

Also good, is that my aim to stay away from the “higher profile” authors and events has opened me up to writers and people I might not have gone to see at first pass. I’ve already been surprised and delighted—the magic that happens in Charlotte Square never ceases to amaze me—but I’ve also been opened to a lot of new thinking and points of view. And this is only after the first three days!

Last night I attended a crime writing event with authors, Gillian Galbraith and Craig Robertson. Robertson was standing in for local crime writer, Tony Black, who had to cancel, and who had also been the reason I bought the ticket in the first place. Oh well, it was rather thrilling to see the name “Galbraith” up on the stage backdrop for the first time.

It was an easy hour with both authors reading from their novels and then answering questions. Roy Wood who was chairing made a schoolboy’s error, when with 35 minutes still go, and having exhausted himself of the questions he’d brought with him, turned the mike on the crowd. This would be fine in a larger, fuller hall with higher profile authors, but this was the Peppers Theatre and it was half empty. Result: several embarrassing silences as Wood struggled for questions and the audience felt pity for the authors.

Between them, though, Galbraith and Robertson pulled the event out of the hat and made it enjoyable and entertaining. Galbraith, an ex-lawyer and well spoken resident of Edinburgh, promoted the latest in her series of Alice Rice detective novels (DYING OF THE LIGHT), and Robertson, a journalist for The Sunday Post, with his gritty and violent view of Glasgow from a serials killer’s point of view (RANDOM).

It was a stark contrast in writing and authors, for despite Robertson’s obvious benefit of being an active journalist he came across as very nervous and shaky about the whole thing. Galbraith on the other hand, took to the stage with much ease and slickness, her years as an Advocate standing her in good stead. Forget the two protagonists of their books, these two made just an interesting couple to watch bantering on stage as you could hope for.

The discussion got me thinking about two of my own books. SLICK has just come back from its latest round of submissions and was written from the criminal’s view point but BLOOD TIES, as yet unfinished, is my first attempt at detective fiction. Both books sit firmly in the crime genre but both from different ends of the spectrum.

I compared these books to some of my others that are non-crime specific and then asked myself if that makes me a crime writer? I couldn’t really answer. Possibly. It’s a genre that excites me and I enjoy writing so I reckon I’m split on the issue. I suppose it may all depend on the first one that gets published. Some have said HUNTING JACK is a low-brow crime novel, being set against the back drop of the Glasgow Ice Cream War, but then it could also class as a YA book. Fogginess abounds.

Someone’s been Googling the following query: “When’s Colin Galbraith’s birthday”. I spotted it in my website stats. When I entered it into Google to test it out, it came up with the correct answer! Weird, but hopefully it means I’m in line for something nice come September.

My book festival events for today :
Louise Rennison (YA author – I’m taking my daughter)
Alan Bissett & Lars Husum

Finally, it appears some of you may be thinking I paid 1800 quid for a bottle of wine. Not the case – that was just the most expensive one – ours cost £22

Peace out!

August 18th, 2010 | Tags: aggressive, Alan Bissett, Audio boos, Craig Robertson, crime fiction, crime writing, Edinburgh Book Festival, frowning, Gillian Galbraith, Google, Internet, Lars Husum, Louise Rennison, social media, tartan noir, Twitter, Writing | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Internet, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (2)

Image: fanpop.com

So yesterday was my 7th wedding anniversary. Seven years with Gail. The remarkable thing looking at it, is that of all our friends who said we’d never make it because we “bicker too much” or “are both too fiery for our own good”, we’re the ones still going strong while the rest (and there were a few) have all split up, divorced, or had to take time out from their marriage.

I always said I’d only marry once and I stand by it. Gail’s the only one I’ll ever want enough to ask for her hand for. Besides, marriage is way too much hassle to go through any of it again.

To celebrate our anniversary I took Gail out to see a show and then for a meal. We left the house in a taxi around 6.30pm and headed up to Bristo Square in University-land. We had a couple of drinks in a bar next to the Udderbelly and took in the atmosphere: the mixture of people, the well kent faces (Stewart Lee standing having a pint), the noise from the Underbelly “tent” and the general buzz about the place.

Shortly before 8pm we joined the queue for Sean Hughes and made our way, beers in hand, to the Debating Hall on the top floor of the Gilded Balloon.  I used to watch Hughes on the TV in the 90s and I thought he was great back then. Live, and with him now a 44 year old “veteran comic”, he is an absolute scream. I had tears rolling down my face for most of his 75 minute set, and experienced several convulsive moments when I couldn’t stop roaring with laughter (much to my wife’s embarrassment). What can I say—I love laughing!

After the show we jumped into another cab and headed out to the salubrious surroundings of Prestonfield House and its exclusive award winning restaurant, Rhubarb.

This is a restaurant that is way off the scale where opulence is concerned. The staff were absolutely lovely but the place reeked of ostentation, which was where my enjoyment of the meal started to wane. We were seated at a table alongside another couple already halfway through their meal. Gail was mouthing something to me as we sat down but I misheard her. “Pet shops? What are you talking about?” I asked, but just she shook her head in disgust and sat back in her couch—yes, she was seated on a small couch for the meal.

For my meal I had a starter of roast quail and chanterelle mushroom tartlet with wild mushroom chutney. My main comprised 21 day aged roast rump, spinach, warm sauce vierge with English mustard mascarpone. And for my dessert I chose the chocolate spiced chocolate torte with orange sorbet. This was all washed down with a bottle of red wine—not the cheapest and not the dearest (that came in at £1800 (yes, that’s not a typo)—which I struggled to finish it was so heavy.

During the meal I realised the couple next to us—a middle-aged man and a lady—were talking as though they had nothing much to say and were filling a void with random words. The man started singing at one point, which although Gail found annoying it helped me join the dots from earlier—we were sitting next to Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys.

What did become annoying, or perhaps to be more accurate, slightly complimentary, Neil and his partner decided their conversation was so dull they started listening into ours. Cue several nifty remarks about the best of 80s music from myself (Erasure, Madness, etc.), helped along no doubt, by the wine and beers consumed earlier.

We retired after dinner to the (wait for it) Drawing Room, where I really began to feel uncomfortable. All throughout I could hear this voice in my ear saying: “who the fuck do you think you are?” and “what on earth are you doing here?” So we had the concierge call us a cab and off we went into the wet night, slightly worse for wear for the drink but having had an excellent night.

Although I’ve finished with last year’s GDR and am still working on the next one, I have put together an August work plan in order to keep me ticking along so to speak. Most of my time and energy will be going into book festival events and going with the flow with what happens in Charlotte Square, but there a few things I would also like to try and get done in the next couple of weeks.

Fiction
* Writing sessions at EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL
* Polish and complete final draft of GREENER IS THE GRASS
* Re-submit any rejected/recalled short stories
* Submit to selected fiction/poetry competitions

Poetry
* Writing sessions at EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL

Editing
* Layout RR issue 12 for 1st Sep issue

Freelance
* Expect site update requests from photography client
* Keep all my websites updated and relevant

Reading & Learning
* AMERICA LIBRE by Raul Ramos – IP
* EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL

Annual
* Complete 2010/11 Annual GDR Plan

Tonight at the book festival: Gillian Galbraith.

Peace out!

August 17th, 2010 | Tags: Edinburgh Book Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, fine dining, Gilded Balloon, marriage, Neil Tennant, Pet Shop Boys, Prestonfield House, Rhubarb Restaurant, Sean Hughes, Stewart Lee, Teviot, Udderbelly, Underbelly, wedding anniversary | Category: Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Family, Food, Drink, and Bevvy, Music | Comments (5)

Image: Unknown

Day 2 of the Edinburgh Book Festival and my first full day in the Square. The weather, as it did on Saturday, started off cool and overcast but by lunchtime it was sunny and very warm ,perfect weather in fact, for lazing around on the grass with a book and enjoying a drink or two.

My literary day began early, with the Ten at Ten event in the Writer’s Tent. In previous years the organisers have published a list of those authors reading at this short preview event, but on asking one of the staff I discovered they’ve decided not to this year, so each morning will be a surprise act. Yesterday I was lucky enough to catch Alan Spence reading a selection of poems from his book, MORNING GLORY.

The book contains haiku and tanka forms and I was immediately taken back by Alan’s peaceful and friendly nature when delivering them. To say his work is exquisite is an understatement. In as many as eight words he was able to create vivid snapshots in my mind that I could smell and feel, and through emotional verse laced with subtle humour, he left me wanting more. So I walked over to the book shop and bought my own copy of MORNING GLORY, grabbed a cappuccino and sat down outside to read it. Illustrated by Elizabeth Blackadder, it is truly a wonderful find.

My 11am slot was taken by Philip Ball delivering a talk on How Music Works And Why We Can’t Live Without It. He was able to portray the link between the science of musical notes and the emotional responses they generate in a human being, why this happens and why it will always be needed. It’s too scientific for me to go into but it was very interesting, so you should probably just buy his book of the same title here.

It was approaching lunchtime by this point so I headed back home to grab some food. I also took the opportunity to get changed, having gone dressed for the morning with a jumper on as it was cold enough for it, but with the sun coming out I really needed to get into summer mode.

By half past three I was back up at Charlotte Square and sitting in the Scottish Power Studio tent to see Gary Younge, the Guardian’s foreign correspondent for the U.S. He was talking about national and personal identity through his book, WHO ARE WE AND SHOULD IT MATTER. In researching it, he visited a variety of countries around the world to bring together an account that challenges conventional thought and breaks down much of what we think of ourselves and others.

My next event was Bill Clegg, talking about his life and book, PORTRAIT OF AN ADDICT AS A YOUNG MAN. Clegg was (and is again) a top literary agent but in his mid-twenties destroyed his life through alcohol and crack-cocaine, and the book is his portrayal of those events leading up to his downfall. It was powerful stuff and Clegg spoke with a brutal honesty about himself, which he seemed uncomfortable yet not unconfident in doing with Andrew O’Hagan. The reading he gave from the book drew you in, and while he gained a lot of praise from the audience, I sat there wondering about the hypocrisy of the audience. Had a junkie from Leith wandered in at that very moment would the audience have been so forgiving towards someone with no money, no sense of cleanliness and in need of their next hit? I doubt it. I think the only way drugs can be approached in Edinburgh and Scotland is if the life of an addict is presented to middle class audiences like that in such a harmless and removed manner.

I stopped off for a double espresso afterwards since I was starting to lag by this point. The Square was still full of people lounging around in the sun, reading, drinking and chatting, and for the whole weekend I’d felt there had been a superb atmosphere.

I’d also been aware of some activity on Twitter during the day about an event called #ElectricFriends. It was due to start at 6pm in the RBS Corner Tent, during which time I was standing outside in the queue for Carol Ann Duffy. The theme was to do with a scientific claim that people can only deal with a certain number of close friends, yet despite this, Facebook users average around 130. Much of the discussion was happening over Twitter so I joined in and ended up having a brief discussion with the book festival rep in the audience, after I tapped into the feed it to tell them that “Twitter was great because you could get involved with a discussion happening inside a tent, while standing outside it.”

Onwards then, to Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate. I was in my seat early for this one and was still involved with Twittering when a lady came up to me and said she hoped I wouldn’t be offended if I left a seat between us. “I’m a bit blind, you see,” she said, and on hearing her voice I recognised who it was immediately. “Excuse me, you’re Candia McWilliam, aren’t you?” I said. She looked surprised I knew who she was. “I was at your event last year,” I continued, “and I thought you were marvellous.” The look on her face made my day.

Candia McWilliam has published many wonderful books but it was when she took to the stage last year and revealed that she was recovering from her blindness after an operation, which left me with such an unforgettable memory. Book festival events come and go, some you remember more than others, but listening to Candia last year was as much moving as it was inspiring. When I told her this she seemed delighted and we went on to talk about the kind of festivals we were having, what authors we’d seen, the weather, you name it. Within minutes it felt as though I’d known her for years. It was a special few moments.

Shortly after 6.30pm, Carol Ann Duffy took to the stage along with multi-talented musician, John Sampson. The event was split into two parts: Sampson playing tunes on a variety of horns and woodwind instruments, followed by readings by Duffy.

I’d never known until last night how funny Duffy could be. In the interviews I’d seen of her she’d always come across as quite a serious person, but in actual fact she uses her intelligence and writing skills well to compliment her sharp wit with brilliant effect. She delivers her poems at a level one can only dream to achieve; funny, serious, political, socially relevant and deeply emotional, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when she finished with a poem dedicated to her mother.

And that pretty much wrapped up my second day at the book festival. On my way out the front door, though, I’d just crossed the road and was heading round to get my bus home from Princes Street, when I noticed a taxi sitting outside a hotel with its door wide open. As I walked past I realised two women were leaving the hotel and were chatting about publishing. I looked up. It was Fay Weldon. “Evening Fay,” I said, as I sailed past with a large smile on my face. She’s appearing at the book festival later day.

I’ve no events at the book festival today but that doesn’t mean it’s a night off. Today is my 7th wedding anniversary to Gail and tonight I’m taking my wife out for drinks followed by a comedy show at the Teviot—Sean Hughes, the brilliant Irish comedian, is appearing there. That will then be followed up by a later dinner at Rhubarb Restaurant, one of Edinburgh’s top eateries situated at Prestonfield House. It promises to be a fantastic night.

Happy Anniversary, Gail!!

Peace out!

August 16th, 2010 | Tags: Alan Spence, Andrew O'Hagan, Bill Clegg, Candia McWilliam, Carol Ann Duffy, Charlotte Square, drug addiction, Edinburgh Book Festival, Elizabeth Blackadder, Fay Weldon, Gary Younge, Guardian, haiku, John Sampson, journalist, literature, Music, Philip Ball, Poet Laureate, Poetry, Prestonfield House, Rhubarb Restaurant, Sean Hughes, seven year itch, summer, tanka, Teviot, Twitter, wedding anniversary | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Music, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing | Comments (4)

Image: British Council

It’s good to be back. Walking up to Charlotte Square yesterday morning, I felt like I was on some sort of pilgrimage. I felt like I was returning to a happy place, a place where I feel at home among many like-minded people, and where I can sit and read, write and listen without fear of non-creative energies getting in my way. It’s great to be back at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

I made it to the centre of Edinburgh early doors and after doing a small spot of shopping, I bought a paper and went to kill some time in a coffee shop. Before long, it was time to make the walk round to Charlotte Square; the excitement was palpable as I approached the white tents in the Square.

The first day problems were self evident (as they are most years): the intrigued and the curious were packing the place out to see what it was all about, which made it impossible to find a clear place to stop, whether in the book shop or just to absorb the venue. The square was mobbed and not just with tourists or bookies, but with the Press also, and there seemed to be a lot of first time visitors who hadn’t a clue where they were going and catching this year’s intake of staff off guard. It was somewhat chaotic but let me tell you, what an atmosphere.

My first event with Philip Pullman was uncharacteristically late by 15 minutes. Nick Barley, the new book festival director, introduced the guests—Philip Pullman and the Bishop of Oxford, Richard Harries—as well the Chair, the brilliant Richard Holloway. While the focal point of the discussion was about Pullman’s new book, THE GOOD MAN JESUS AND THE SCOUNDREL CHRIST, things deviated somewhat into some rather serious, but at times humorous commentary, on theology, the Bible and all things Testamentary. It made for some fascinating people watching with such a mixed crowd, one man getting himself into such a state of apoplexy he looked like he may have to be carted out before the lady behind him died of embarrassment.

It was all good stuff, though, and throughout it I was forced to re-examine how I view the Church and God and all that kind of thing. I have my own opinions but for an hour at least, I was challenged by three top thinkers of widely differing opinion on the subject, into at least double checking myself and running the arguments through my mind. Religion remains something that doesn’t work for me, but for slightly different reasons now that before the the event.

It was a great way to kick off the festival but I had to leave as soon as it was over in order to get a few more purchase for events next week. Then I headed home for the afternoon to take care of some house chores—got to get the boring stuff out of the way first—then got down to the meat of things in the form of my notebook and a novel.

I also ordered a new even for later today since I’ve a gap between two events in the evening: ex-New York literary agent/heroin addict, Bill Clegg, in conversation with Andrew O’Hagan, discussing his life and book, PORTRAIT OF AN ADDICT AS A YOUNG MAN: A MEMOIR.

After dinner it was back up to Charlotte Square, this time for an evening with Allan Brown in discussionn with Peter Guttridge about the inside story of the ultimate Scottish cult movie, The Wicker Man. First published in 2000, Inside The Wicker Man became something of a cult book—just like the film—and last night Allan convinced us why it has been republished and why it really is such a unique film.

One thing he said that really stood out for me, is that “cult films have something that no other film does: hysteria, a form of hysteria that takes the believable and turns it into the unbelievable without us noticing. They touch something in the psyche that has remain untouched for hundreds of years, which is why it can never be repeated.”

Onto today then and I’ve a packaged day

10:00 – Ten at Ten
11:00 – Philip Ball
15:30 – Gary Younge
17:00 – Bill Clegg (new event)
18:30 – Carol Ann Duffy

Should be a whole lot of fun!

August 15th, 2010 | Tags: Allan Brown, Andrew Hagan, Bill Clegg, Bishop of Oxford, Carol Ann Duffy, Charlotte Square, coffee shop, Edinburgh Book Festival, Gary Younge, Nick Barley, Peter Guttridge, Philip Ball, Philip Pullman, Richard Harries, Richard Holloway, The Wicker Man | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Reading | Comments (1)

Image: Ed Fest Guide

Finally, it is here. The 2010 Edinburgh International Book Festival will begin in a little under two hours, and in a little under three my first of over thirty events shall begin. Between today and August 30th, I’ll be treading the famous boards in the Charlotte Square village for all but four days. I have to say, I’m a tad excited.

This morning I feel like a child at Christmas, enjoying the magical build up before you’ve walked in to see if Santa has been. Such is the nature of the book festival, it generates a special atmosphere in Charlotte Square, one of magic and possibilities, dreams and hopes. It also represents a huge social occasion for us writers and, of course, a somewhat excellent opportunity for marketing.

Yesterday I tied up my final GDR review for 2009/10 (which comes up next) and over the next couple of weeks I’ll be absorbing all the book festival has to offer. I’ll be writing, but not to any form of plan, because over the next two and a bit weeks I’ll also be formulating next year’s GDR, using the inspiration and creative energy I get from the book festival to charge me up and set me off and running.

I have two events today:

11:30 – Philip Pullman
16:30 – Fast Changing Britain Debate (cancelled)
20:30 – Allan Brown

In between these events I have much to do around Edinburgh, and of course, back at the house. I’ll also be tweeting extensively from the book festival so if if you want all the latest (bear in mind I’m going to be there a LOT), follow me here: @colingalbraith.

So without any further ado, here is my final wrap up for my last “year of work”. I say “year”, I extended it to 18 months to bring my Writing New Year into line with the Edinburgh Book Festival. From now on, I’m back to a twelve month span.

Overall, it’s been a mixed year. I’ve been left frustrated at the lack of finality on several projects and my inability to get more more fiction out there and with a chance of being published. On the other hand, I completed five out of eight goals, all of which were designed to shape me into the writer I want to become when I designed them. So all things considered, with the publication of a novella and a new chapbook, I can say it has been a fruitful period with no regrets. I just need to work more intelligently.

GOALS
(Jan 09 – Jul 10)

1. Have a major piece of fiction accepted for publication – GOAL MET
2. Complete and submit two fully drafted novels or novella – GOAL NOT MET
3. Write one new novel or novella – GOAL MET
4. Write one new poem per week. – GOAL MET
5. Write one new short/flash story per month. – GOAL NOT MET
6. Publish a new chapbook. – GOAL MET
7. Increase my freelance earnings by 50% – GOAL NOT MET (SCRAPPED)
8. Become 100% debt-free – GOAL MET

DREAMS
(Jan 09 – Jul 10)

1. To obtain the services of an agent – NOT MET
2. To have a novel bought by a publisher in a traditional book deal – NOT MET
3. To win a fiction competition – NOT MET

RESOLUTIONS
(Jan 09 – Jul 10)

1. Reach target weight – NOT MET
2. Personal Resolution – MET

LAST YEAR’S HIGHS

• STELLA published by Eternal Press in June 2009
• SILLY POEMS FOR WEE PEOPLE VOL.2 published in April 2010
• Three poems sold to two anthologies and one publication
• Video/audio promo ideas launched
• Meeting William McIlvanney
• Edinburgh Book Festival
• Reading ON WRITING by Stephen King
• Applied for Story Shop – but didn’t get it in the end
• Cutting out freelance and thinning down clients
• Offered gig reviewing ops for News of the World
• Launching www.compassfreelance.co.uk

LAST YEAR’S LOWS

• Far too long to write and edit novellas (BACARRA BURNING, GREENER IS THE GRASS, GATECRASH)
• HUNTING JACK rejected as serial proposition
• Not enough short fiction written
• Not enough short fiction subs->acceptances
• Chapbook ideas not followed through on (Amsterdam/Rome/Bus-stops/Pubs)
• Stella promotion from EP didn’t go as well as expected
• Not submitting to compos enough or turning around rejections quickly enough
• Not reading enough
• Not done anything with SLICK since final rejection

This is a summary of my full annual GDR. For a full look, you can download my 2009/10 GDR as a PDF file here.

August 14th, 2010 | Tags: Allan Brown, authors, Books, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh Book Festival, GDR's, Goals Dreams and Resolutions, literature, Philip Pullman, poets, Reading, writers, Writing | Category: Books, Edinburgh: the City & the Festivals, Fiction, Poetry, Publishing and Marketing, Reading, Writing, Writing Process | Comments (2)