Roger David Smith
When did you begin writing?
I used to make up stories all the time when I was a kid. You have a great imagination when you’re young, which we seem to lose as we get older. I remember when I was in Primary 6 and we were asked to write a story of a page or two, I ended up writing a thirty page epic. I just kept writing and writing. Our teacher, Mrs Oliphant, to her eternal credit, instead of doing what she should have done and telling me to stop, gave me extra class time to finish it and ended up reading out the final story to the class. Which took a wee while.
Tell us about your Call of the Isles story.
It’s very influenced by myths from the far north of Scotland, specifically Orkney, although the precise location is never mentioned. I don’t really want to say more than that.
Do you prefer writing short stories or longer pieces of fiction?
Short stories are certainly faster to write. I have a lot of respect for long, weighty tomes, however, and must admit I have always wanted to write the great Scottish novel. It is very hard to argue against a book with the heft and authority of, say, Lanark by Alasdair Gray. One day I would love to have a go at something like that.
What is your favourite novel or short story that has an island setting?
I guess it would have to be Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A book I have both studied and taught in high school. There are few better studies of the dark side of human nature, and the island setting, with the isolation and claustrophobia it creates, is vital to the whole thing.
What do you dislike about being a writer?
As a full-time teacher, a father and a husband, the most difficult thing is finding the time. If someone wanted to give me a big advance to sit down and work on that great Scottish novel, that would be lovely.
What’s your favourite underappreciated novel or short story?
I am going to go for The Overcoat by Nicolas Gogol. Not really unknown, but certainly underappreciated. I was always taught that James Joyce basically invented the modern short story; the focus on the everyday, the portrayal of ordinary people, the lack of a traditional ending etc…Then you read a bit more and find out that the Russians had been doing it for years.
What are you currently reading?
I’ve just finished reading The Blackhouse by Peter May (now there’s a good story set on an island for you) and have gone straight on to The Reunion (originally published in French as La Jeune Fille et la Nuit) by Guillaume Musso. One’s a thriller/mystery set in the remote north of Scotland and the other a thriller/mystery set in the south of France, both places I have a strong connection to. I’m from the Virginia Woolf school of reading about twelve books at once, though, and am also reading various works of poetry, history, short stories and a book on improving your French that I really must get around to finishing.
What are you currently working on?
Lately, I have been working on writing poetry. I love the focus and the precision of the language, being able to condense a complex image or idea into a few lines. There’s something very satisfying about getting the words just right.
What is the best piece of writing advice you have come across?
I think every writer I know has given the same basic piece of advice. “To be a writer there is one thing you need to do – write.” After a long pause where I wasn’t writing anything, I am trying to do that again.
Where can readers connect with you and your writing?
You can find me on twitter/X @justrandomwords or, increasingly, Instagram @roger.david.smith
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You can read The Isle of Stolen Wives in Call of the Isles.