Douglas Thompson
Who are your favourite Scottish writers?
John Burnside, James Hogg, Margaret Elphinstone, Neil M Gunn, Lorn MacIntyre, and Calum Ferguson.
What is your favourite Scottish novel or short story and why?
The novel Blood Hunt by Neil M Gunn. Its ending makes me cry, as all great writing must, and the narrative passes seamlessly into the head of the protagonist’s sheep dog when his owner falls asleep, which is advanced genius to say the least.
What piece of writing of yours are you most proud of?
My 2014 novel The Brahan Seer: Scotland’s Nostradamus published by Acair.
What is your 274 Miles story about?
A childhood memory that serves as a metaphor for everything I see wrong with Scotland and the Scots: the notion that we are not good enough for ourselves.
Tell us about your writing process.
I try not to write for months and years, until I can no longer keep it in. After devising a plot outline which will serve your didactic purpose, write dialogue first in screeds at speed, since that will tell who the characters are and where they need to go. Give birth to people by knowing what their purpose is within the book, as within life. Love all your characters with the infinite compassion of a god.
If you have one piece of writing advice, what would it be?
Sight is the primary sense in humans, therefore you are painting visual pictures at all times. Words must ignite the mind’s eye or they are worthless.
What are you working on at the moment?
Nothing. As ever I am trying to give up.
How can readers connect with you and read your work?
Through my blog and web page.