Friday, August 25, 2006
The Writing Business
Got a cracking sleep last night. I was so ready for a solid few hours, despite the Muse gig at nearby Meadowbank Stadium. It was almost like listening to a live CD recording as they ran through their set, the heavy noise from the amps pouring out and smothering Leith and beyond. It was a strange quiet that befell when the band finished the set; almost as if they and their 30,000 fans had vanished at the click of a finger.
I'm still buzzing from everything that has been happening this week. Laura is complaining she never gets to see me, and Gail is rejoicing for the very same reason.
Meeting up with Tania last night was brilliant. When I met up with Valentine for the first time a few days ago, I knew it was him immediately; his appearance slightly resembles his statue character. But Tania looks entirely different. She is much shorter than I imagined, probably because she is on a plinth when performing, and her face seems a different shape altogether, more rounded and European. Her personality is totally different to what I imagined, too, in fact, I never recognised her when I met her on Princes Street; it was she who came up to me.
We're going to swap links for our websites and once Valentine's is up and running, we'll do the same there. Tania asked if she could include her poem on her site and I was delighted to agree. It's going to be a trio of individually linked websites from separate ends of the artistic spectrum.
After work I went for a couple of pints in Clark's with Dave, Tom, and Zander. It's been a while since I was last in. It felt like I was returning home in an odd kind of way. Afterwards I headed up to the Book Festival for a session called The Writing Business with writers Colette Bryce, Linda Cracknell, Chris Dolan and Debbie Taylor.
Each one has had entirely different careers to date, involving TV and radio work, plays, poetry, fiction success etc. etc. The purpose of the session centred around making the break from the day job to go full-time with writing.
Most of it wasn't knew to me, although it was interesting to hear their personal anecdotes and experiences. I came away with a lot of notes that I wrote down and also the leaflets they handed out at the end are packed with information.
Making my way back down George Street after the event, I spotted my three drinking pals sitting on the pavement seats of the Assembly Room Bar. I joined them, and the rest, as they say, is entirely predictable.
We had a drink and then moved on to Tiger Lilly's. Not my kind of place at all. Expensive, full of posers and yah-yah's and just not comfortable at all. There was some amount of celebrity spotting as we drank our £5 pints of lager. Vernon Kay, John Leslie, Andy Walker and Jack Dee all were in the house.
I left early'ish at around 11pm as tomorrow I have lots on. It's my last weekend of the Festival and there is much to get through.
Before I go, I read today that the Random House Group has acquired rights to the auto-biography of Andrew Murray, the Scottish tennis player. Century will publish his autobiography in hardback two weeks after the end of Wimbledon next year.
Can I ask why? He hasn't done anything yet except beat a few people and whinge constantly to the media about intrusion. When he wins a major then he can start thinking about having something to say. At least do something with your life first - it's only just begun! Talk about thinking you are something you aren't? Talk about taking the piss out of the public!