Writing about the Iolaire
Writing a short story about the Iolaire Disaster affected me in unexpected ways. Māori writer Tihini Grant, calls it ‘the deeply saddening burden’. The more you enter in stories like this, the more the burden grows.
Topic
books & writers
Notes on the books I'm reading and the writers who have influenced my work. This includes everything from productivity guides like Cal Newport’s 'Deep Work' to stories about meeting writers like Alastair Reid, translator of Borges & Neruda.
On sitting in cafes thinking of writers.
The book 'Oases' by the late Scottish writer Alastair Reid is probably the book I have given most to people. I met Alastair when I spent three days in New York with himself and my uncle, the late Dr Finlay Macleod, to film a documentary about him and his work.
'Deep Work' by Cal Newport.
Exploring some models for working which are relevant for writers from Cal Newport’s book ‘Deep Work’.
On Meeting Alastair Reid.
The story of when my uncle, the late Dr Finlay Macleod and I spent three days in New York with the Scottish writer Alastair Reid.