Scottish Book Trust

The workshop day at The Scottish Book Trust was great! On what must have been one of the hottest days of the year so far, Anne Donovan read excerpts and talked about her favourite short stories, then we split into groups for some mini-workshops. There were basically 4 different ones throughout the day, and everyone could choose 2 of these. I ended up in the BBC Radio Scotland one with a producer where we discussed different sorts of radio drama and ways of writing for different shows. We then heard a short play that had been broadcast read by Gary Lewis. The cd went a bit mental and wouldn't play the end, so the lovely producer took down all our names and promised to mail us out a copy - and she did... it came this morning - now THAT is dedication.

The other workshop I did was taken by Canongate. This was less directly relative to me, but proved hugely interesting - did you know that in the majority of book-shops, the advertised 'No.1 book' or 'top book of the week' stands that are always in prime position are NOT there because they're best sellers.... (unless it says so on the display).. but just because they've paid a premium to be displayed there! I don't consider myself naive when it comes to such things but this one actually surprised me. Who'd have thought it!

Splendid selection of cakes too... no scabby little shortbreads in plastic wrappers here thank-you very much. We also had a book swap where you could bring an unwanted title and take away something more interesting.

Lasted 4 hours, and at the end, we were all given goody bags with 4 books - a couple by Anne Donovan, and some by Canongate. A lovely day - I urge you all (especially if you're in Scotland) to go along to any of the Scottish Book Trust events - it's a brilliant organisation.

Workshop and Cake.... what's not to like

Interesting Edinburgh event on 26th July. Particularly interested in the Radio workshop and the cake (of course) :

Scottish Book Trust will be hosting an afternoon of events featuring the award-winning writer Anne Donovan (winner of an SAC Book Award and short-listed for the Orange Prize for her first novel, Buddha Da) and exploring the books world from a number of perspectives.

The day will feature:
Anne Donovan giving a talk on her favourite short stories
Anne Donovan workshop on the difference between writing short stories and writing novels
Cover design workshop by Canongate Books’ Art Director
A session on commissioning and dramatising stories for radio by a BBC Radio Scotland producer.
More workshops!

Readers’ Days are particularly aimed at members of reading groups, but are open to anyone who enjoys books and wants to find out more about authors, publishers, and how the literary world operates. Tickets for the day are £8 (£5 for concessions) and include tea/coffee and cake. We will be running a book swap stall, so please bring along a book (or books) that you don’t think you’ll re-read yourself, to swap on the day. Contact the box office of the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 0131 556 9579 Monday to Saturday 10.00 am - 6.00 pm.

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes was on tv yesterday - I never get tired of watching that film - sublime.

Other news : still not entirely convinced this is real yet.... maybe if I type it, it'll disappear in a puff of smoke and I will know it was only a (Red Shoes-type) dream.... I'm going to be a student for another year as I've been accepted on to an Advanced Film Practice course. It wasn't the qualification that attracted me, I'm not big on getting 'letters after my name', but the chance of a final year of support while I concentrate on and develop my writing.

I did the MA part-time, but this is going to be full-time for a year (initially 3 days a week so I'll be able to fit in some earning time too though it's going to be tight). Can't say I'm not a little nervous about the commitment, but it feels scary enough that I know it's probably a good step for me to take at this point. The easier option would've been for me to graduate with the MA but it feels like time to step up to a new challenge. If you'd have asked me a year ago where I'd be in 2009, my last answer would've been 'in education'. In fact I'd have probably laughed in your face. Yikes. Time will prove whether it's a good decision, but it's an experience I'm looking forward to.

That'll be me writing a Western then.... maybe.

Ready to Meet the World...... maybe

I've been getting ready to workshop my feature comedy this Friday, and it got me thinking about that old adage about writers feeling precious about their work. Nobody likes to get told their work isn't up to scratch, but as long as the comments are constructive, I generally don't feel the burn when anyone says anything faintly negative. However.... as I was off swanning round the EIFF in June, I fell behind with my writing schedule (pleased to have done so though as it was well worth it), which has meant that what little I have for Friday is now not really ready to meet the world. SO, what to do?

I've gone the brave (for me) route which is to send it out there in all its messed-up, scatty, brainstormery 'glory' so I can take advantage of some early feedback, but geez it's painful. I HATE putting things out there until I'm at least a little happy with it, and have had time to live with it, but this time... eeeeeeeeeeeeek, gone and done it. What if the sky falls down!

What if it gets thrashed in the workshop and then I lose all confidence in it? - I'm wavering on that line anyway, as I always am before I get into the guts of a thing.

Thing is, I don't even know if I like it yet, it's too new, like a pair of shoes not yet walked in.

But it will be an interesting experience to see how or if it affects me. I generally enjoy reading people's brainstorms, or automatic writing as it gives you a real sense of energy, especially when you just know they've hooked into something inspiring regardless of spelling or grammar or convention. Some people hate it though - they need a traditional format to clarify what they're reading. If it's a commission, assignment or professional job then of course, don't be sending out your unformatted scribblings unless specifically asked for (does anyone ever ask for unformatted scribblings I wonder), but in other contexts, do you ever let your part-formed youngsters out to gamble about in the world or do you always wait until you've worked them into more conventional form and taken off their training wheels?

Ballerina Ballroom

Frankly this all sounded too delicious to be true...... but it is. Links at the end of the info :

"A while ago, on an impulse, a quixotic seizure, Tilda Swinton rented a ballroom in an old Victorian stone building in Nairn in the North East of Scotland, a seaside town where Chaplin used to holiday and which has a balmy microclimate and vistas across the Moray Firth to the Black Isle, Cromarty and Sutherland.

The ballroom is called Ballerina. In the 60s and 70s Pink Floyd, The Who and Cream played there. The ballroom in nearby Elgin was called The Red Shoes.

After renting the Ballerina, Tilda emailed Mark Cousins to ask if he’d help her put on a film festival in it. As quixotic as she, he said yes. And so, together, they dreamt up a festival of beanbags on the floor, that would run 8 1/2 days, that would be a 6 out of ten on the grunge scale, that would serve home-made cakes and fish finger sandwiches, whose tickets would be £3/£2, and that would transform the Ballerina into something like a ghost train.

And the films? Tilda and Mark clicked at once on what they wanted to show: Gothic Americana, Margaret Rutherford in the morning, a touch of Sherlock, a gripping howl of rage from Senegal, a Bjork video, Norman McLaren’s dreamscapes, a cheeky wee silent Ozu, lots of Scottish mysticism, Margaret Tait, Roman P, a singing day, the most adventurous films ever for kids, something glorious from Iran. We left our two Friday nights slots open for Joel Coen to select two of his faves. Three movies a day for the 8 1/2 days, from 15th – 23rd August 2008. The last movie will be Fellini’s 8 1/2.

We are telling you all this because we would LOVE it if you would join us in Nairn for our fest of swash and buckle, of misty art direction and sinister revelation, of moonage daydreaming, of surrealism, of collisions between films, of passionate love for cinema, its wonder and plenitude. We see our wee festival as a work of the Scottish romantic imagination, in the spirit of Landseer, Powell and Pressburger's The Archers and Michael Clark! We have tried to programme imaginatively. We hope that we are playing with the boundaries between seriousness and play, adult and child, professional and grungy, local and international.

Our wee festival in what we have renamed, for the duration, The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams, will be really welcoming, friendly, especially for kids, and inclusive. We hope that legendary John Byrne will do some design for us. People will make buns. We might cycle in the mornings, or swim, or read or drink tea. If you come, even if you are dead famous, you have to pay your three quid – unless you bring a tray of fairy cakes, that is. Nairn has quite a few b & bs and hotels – book soon! Or camp in tents, or you could stay in Inverness if there’s nae room at the inn.

Tilda hopes that this will be an annual event, a movie retreat (or, rather, as Ian Hamilton Finlay used to say “not a retreat, an advance”). Please please come and join on in the state of cinema which, as Tilda once wrote, is “a state of mind, boundary-less, without borders or policies of exclusion.”

For more info, join our Facebook group (search for ballerina ballroom), or MySpace page: www.myspace.com/ballerinaballroom
Or register your interest by emailing matthewlloyd(at)ippimail.com."

I mean Margaret Rutherford AND Powell and Pressburger.... pffft how could it not be fabulous.

Sharps

Just got an email from fellow MA classmate Ronnie. As previously mentioned, he'd got through to the first stage of the BBC Writers Room 'Sharps' competition, swished off to a workshop in London and then had to draft a quick short piece for consideration. He's just found out that he's through to the final 8 - so a residential week in the Big Smoke beckons, along with a £500 bursary, mentoring from in-house development teams at the BBC, and a showcase rehearsed reading with professional actors - wtg! More info on the process once I've quizzed him.

On a related note (I'm not on commission or related to him I promise), he's currently one of the fine and varied reviewers on www.thereelshow.biz so worth a look if you fancy having a gander at a "truly International Film Student and Film School Graduate website".

Unbeautiful

"The first question I ask when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful? And very shortly you discover there is no reason."

John Cage