Dickson Telfer
When did you begin writing?
Probably around 24, or at least that’s when I started taking it seriously. I wrote little stories and poems as a child, but (wrongly) assumed that’s what every child did. I didn’t realise it was the beginning of a lifelong obsession with storytelling and language!
Tell us about your Call of the Isles story.
When I heard about Tantallon Tir’s idea for an isles-based anthology, the phrase “No man is an island” sprung to mind. I decided to play with that theme, flip it round a bit and write something about a man who takes every opportunity he gets to live on his own little island, to the frustration of his wife, in turn making him retreat even more.
Do you prefer writing short stories or longer pieces of fiction?
Short stories. They allow me to wear lots of different characters’ clothes and play around with different perspectives, voices, stances etc. Also, if a story isn’t working, the loss is never more than, say, 5,000 words, which is much less painful than binning something longform.
What is your favourite novel or short story that has an island setting?
Lord of the Flies is a pretty obvious answer, but it is a belter. Makes me wonder if William Golding just woke up one day and thought to himself, I’m going to chuck a bunch of kids onto an uninhabited island today and see where the words take me. It’s harrowing stuff at times, but the descent into savagery is compelling.
Another one I enjoyed – as a kid this time – was Butterfly Island by Rick Searle, the book version of the 1980s Australian children’s TV series. I remember it being a page-turner and, as is often the case, it was better than the telly version.
What do you dislike about being a writer?
Nothing really. It keeps me sane. It would, of course, be great to guarantee x number of readers, but the process of taking an idea, working away on it and knocking it into shape, is great fun. If I had to pinpoint one down side, it’d be wasting time and heart on a lost cause. Almost every writer experiences it, and it’s arguably an essential part of the game, but it’s never nice.
What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel or short story?
Tracey Emerson wrote a short story called April, which I read in issue 24 of New Writing Scotland, published back in 2006. As soon as I finished it, I read it again. It’s a devastating piece of prose and a perfect example of the form, where every word counts. I’ve read lots of great short stories over the years, but this one takes a lot of beating. I’m not entirely sure if it’s under-appreciated, but Emerson is largely a psychological thriller writer and has published several books, so my guess is that April is probably lost in that busy room.
What are you currently reading?
Fiction wise, I’ve just finished Sweet Home, Wendy Erskine’s short story collection, and just begun The Voids by Ryan O’Connor. Non-fiction wise, I’m reading Food of the Cods by Daniel Gray, which makes me hungry.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve just finished writing a short story collection, Reciprocity, and will soon be returning to my novel, which has the working title of The Albino Bee. I’ve also been speaking to a theatre company from Bo’ness, The Barony Players, about staging a couple of one-act plays I’ve written, both originally short stories (one from Reciprocity and the other from my 2013 collection, The Red Man Turns to Green). Readthroughs have gone well as has casting for one of them, so fingers crossed one or both will end up on the stage at some point.
What is the best piece of writing advice you have come across?
Show, don’t tell.
Where can readers connect with you and your writing?
Social media is a bit of a horror show at the moment, but I’m on Bluesky and X – and if you’re in or around Falkirk (or don’t mind travelling there), I can always be found at Words with Seagulls, a spoken word event that runs on the third Sunday of every month (except January, July and August) 2-4pm at the Tolbooth Tavern in the high street.
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You can read Champion in Call of the Isles.
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