This week I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful session at Glasgow Women's Library Story Café. Fellow Thunderpoint author Helen MacKinven was speaking about her fantastic novel Talk of the Toun. Actually, she wasn't just talking about the novel, she spoke passionately about her journey as a writer; her route to publication, and her determination to stay true… Continue reading Staying true to voice, however that may sound.
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Today the world lost a friend and the island mourns.
I'm at my island home. There's a storm outside. The wind is strong and vocal, its intensity tossing the sea into a sky kneeling so low it is swallowing salty water hungrily; head back, gaping throat open, the effervescent foam gushing down its impossibly long neck. The peat is burning, its heavy hue hitching an easy ride on the fertile surf that… Continue reading Today the world lost a friend and the island mourns.
Finding your voice in fiction. Writing the POV that’s true to you.
I had an interesting chat recently about point of view and how writers use different voices in their writing. The Birds That Never Flew regularly switches between first and third person narrative voices. I used this approach because it feels natural to me and the way I write. I enjoy the intensity of the first person narrative; the intimacy of the voice,… Continue reading Finding your voice in fiction. Writing the POV that’s true to you.
A winter tale.
It has been a long time since I've made it home to Mullindress, my wee house up the hill on Rathlin Island. Nothing has changed and yet everything has changed. The light has altered, and continues to do so daily. The sun rises and falls from a new perspective; this morning barely climbing beyond the horizon,… Continue reading A winter tale.
Hogmanay & Handselling. Only in Scotland.
It's Hogmanay! Or for those of you reading this outside of Scotland it's New Year's Eve. Traditionally, in oor wee bonnie country, the last day of the year is spent preparing to say goodbye to the year past by welcoming in the next with a variety of cultural nuances that have regional variances but fundamentally deliver on the same… Continue reading Hogmanay & Handselling. Only in Scotland.
Scottish fiction isn’t boring, it’s bold and beautiful.
This week, I read an article in the Herald which quoted Scottish publisher Adrian Searle (of Freight) as saying that "Scottish fiction can be really boring". Like many others my first reaction was to be a wee bit miffed at the headline. The quote apparently attacks the fiction that I, and many other excellent Scottish authors, passionately support. A few… Continue reading Scottish fiction isn’t boring, it’s bold and beautiful.
Spotting the (Irvine) Welsh man in Chicago.
I'm really fortunate that in my work for purpleTV I get to tell stories in a visual format, building narratives using testimony, archive and various other creative mediums. In the course of this work I've met some amazing people and this week was no different. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Irvine… Continue reading Spotting the (Irvine) Welsh man in Chicago.
The true meaning of life…
I was really privileged to be invited, (as a VIP guest no less) along with my colleague Stefanie Smith, to the Raith Rovers Football Club annual Hall of Fame event at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy on Monday night. The invite came from Ally Gourlay, a remarkable man who never fails to amaze me. Ally… Continue reading The true meaning of life…
Rathlin Island swallows and #JimBaxter
The swallows are making ready to leave. Birds from all over the island are gathering in gulps (I'm on Rathlin), their polished backs glistening as they line up on telephone wires, preening and prancing as they wait for the word that will send them on down to South Africa for the winter. Occasionally they appear back up… Continue reading Rathlin Island swallows and #JimBaxter
Bloody Scotland debut!
A month or so ago my publisher sent me a link to a new initiative from the organisers of the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival in Stirling. Called "Crime in the Spotlight" it is designed to give emerging authors an opportunity to shine by reading from their books at one of the main festival events. The… Continue reading Bloody Scotland debut!
Margot McCuaig 