Dickson Telfer
Who are your favourite Scottish writers?
Janice Galloway (I’ve always felt The Trick is to Keep Breathing deserves more hosannas), Gordon Legge, and Alan Bissett. There are two others I rate highly but they haven’t written for a while: Laura Hird (last publication was around 2007 I think) and Allan Wilson, whose 2011 short story collection Wasted in Love ended up being his only official publication. He had four or five novels on the go at one point allegedly, so it’s a damn pity they never got into the hands of readers.
What is your favourite Scottish novel or short story and why?
Novel – The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway. It’s sharp, effective and unconventional. There are no wasted words and the voice has strength and impact throughout.
Short story wise, Black 26 by Allan Wilson and Odd Sympathy by Vicki Jarrett are particularly memorable.
What piece of writing of yours are you most proud of?
Probably Secret Weapons, which was a one-man play I did at the Fringe back in 2012. I re-wrote it as a short story for my 2014 collection Refrigerator Cake, but it works best on stage. I regularly think about giving it another run one day . . .
What is your 274 Miles story about?
Lust masquerading as love, a ‘grass is greener on the other side’ story, where the ripple effect suddenly becomes apparent to the central character.
Tell us about your writing process.
I think of a What if? and then chuck a couple of characters in the mix to see how they respond. If they respond in an interesting way, I keep going.
If you have one piece of writing advice, what would it be?
Show, don’t tell.
What are you working on at the moment?
A currently nameless novel and a short story collection with the working title Reciprocity. I’m also on the third draft of a play, which will hopefully end up on a stage at some point.
How can readers connect with you and read your work?
I’m not great with social media unfortunately, but I do exist on X and BlueSky and check regularly. My short story collections are available online and I pop up in magazines/litzines from time to time as well. I do have a website, which could do with an update – but everything on it is accurate.