The year has been flying in. The years seem to come and go faster with age. However, it’s been a productive year in many ways. I managed to finish my novel I Want to Live about the last years in the life of George Orwell and am confident it will be published next year, 70 years after Orwell finished writing Nineteen Eighty-Four on the Isle of Jura. I can see part of the northern end […]
WEDNESDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2014 Seize The Day! On the eve of the most important day in Scottish history for over 300 years it’s difficult to concentrate on anything else. It’s time for us all to decide – between more of the same, and worse, from the UK parties and the prospect of a better future for the people of Scotland, and, indeed, the rest of the world. In my view it’s not just about a […]
Starting this new blog I’ve been reflecting on an old one back in 2009 in which I outlined my thoughts on how the future of literature in Scotland should be taken forward. What follows are the views I sent to the Literature Working Group set up that year by the then Scottish Government Culture Minister Michael Russell to make recommendations about a new approach to public funding of writers and publishers in Scotland. The Working […]