The missing chapter

As I set to work on the final chapter of Dolphin Girl I noticed something about the story. When I wrote it for the original edition of Eating Clouds in 2008 I chose to tell in the present tense.

Having read parts of it again to refresh myself before creating the 'missing' last chapter, I was struck that the tense was unusual and almost jarring. It would be perfect for a film screenplay treatment, but in a book the more natural choice past tense.

Now, as I begin the writing of the last chapter (of which 250 words today), I am using the past tense and will rework the rest of the novel accordingly. Reworking also gives me an opportunity to sharpen things up.

The initial reaction I received to Dolphin Girl in 2008 and 2009 was favourable - more than I had hoped - which gives me added faith in the story and the way it is written. The abrupt ending always seemed a bit of a cop-out. The new ending will tie things together, and that is what has been taxing my mind for the past few months as I've juggled scenarios.

Once written and re-worked I shall approach suitable agencies, while also keeping an eye on the possibility of making it a trial e-book release, having read much about the success of a number of others who have blazed that particular trail.

Returning to Dolphin Girl some four years after it was completed is an interesting experience, and one where I have had to revive my knowledge of the characters and their mannerisms - in actions and words.

Two hundred and fifty words done, and there is a long weekend stretching ahead to add to that total.

Farewell, Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, died at the weekend aged 82. He was the Columbus of our time.

During the weekend I also finished reading the biography of George Mackay Brown. Inspired by the creativity of expression he achieved through his writing - even in letters to friends - I applied some of that to this epitaph to Neil Armstrong:

The night galleon sails through the darkness and gazes upon Earth's gardens, sighing, no longer able to see the gentle ambassador who was the first to visit.

There is magic in the way Mackay Brown weaved and juxtaposed words and images to create vivid, memorable imagery and moods.

From the biography I take many things, not just the fascinating tale of the poet-writer's life in the remote Orkney islands but also his methods and the way he set his working schedule whereby he would write for a given time each day (three or four hours after breakfast in the morning). His words were shaped and immersed in the surroundings he loved, treasured and rarely left. Also, when he was not writing, he would read regularly.

I shall apply these lessons to my own writing as I polish up, and complete, Dolphin Girl.

Today is also a special day, being the 32nd anniversary of my first recorded training run in 1980. Beneath the blazing August sun I ran along the trailway by the aquamarine and turquoise waters of the north shore, flushing countless buckeye butterflies from the grassy path near Bailey's Bay as I sweated out six miles in the 30C (85F) heat.

Running is both exercise and thinking time when I often explore story ideas, dreaming up plots and dialogue. My mind now is on Dolphin Girl.

George Mackay Brown - island poet

Throughout his life he rarely left his island home. His poems and books were reflections of the place that he called home - the remote Orkney islands to the north east of Scotland.

George Mackay Brown's connection with the place where he was born, and which he left only for the briefest of spells, is something remarkable as I discovered while reading a biography of his life, written by Maggie Fergusson.

Many years ago it was by chance that I picked up one of Mackay Brown's books 'Time in a Red Coat'. Since then I have always been curious about who this seemingly hermit-like writer and poet was.

In Fergusson's biography there is a richness of unexpected depth and insight. More than just a story of a gifted writer and poet, it traces a life filled with joy, tragedy, love and heartbreak and a cast of fascinating characters who wandered in and out of Mackay Brown's own quiet and mostly island-centric life.

"The best biography of a poet I have ever read" says A.N. Wilson by way of a recommendation on the cover of the book, and his words echo my own thoughts.

The story is told in a thoughtful and detailed way. It is interspersed with pieces of Mackay Brown's own writing and verse, and lines and chunks of private letters both send and received. How he worked, what he loved and cherished, and the way he processed the world around him - which was predominately the Orkney islands - provides much to ponder and appreciate.

At the same time, the quality of his writing and the way he sculpted his thoughts is a lesson in the craft of writing.

As important as it is to write, it is equally important for writers to step back and immerse themselves on occasion in the works of others. 'George Mackay Brown - The Life' is a truly inspiring read.

'A crofter at early light

Found an empty boat stuttering on the rocks...'

- Thorfinn (by George Mackay Brown)

UPDATE (31 August 2012): My review of the book on Amazon is HERE

Tony Scott dies

Today as I switched on my computer I was shocked by the news of Tony Scott's death in Los Angeles, where he reportedly jumped from a bridge. He and his fellow film director brother Ridley Scott have always figured in my mind as amongst the best in the business.

When I imagine which film makers I might one day seek out to dramatise one of my novels (even the ones as yet unwritten but sketched out inside my head), the Scott brothers are right there, along with Mike Leigh, David Lynch, Walter Hill and Richard Curtis.

Of the two brothers, Ridley made the films that I most admire (Alien, Legend, Bladerunner and Thelma an Louise), but there is no denying that Tony was an accomplished director too, with Top Gun and True Romance among his most well-known works.

Who knows what the story behind this tragedy is. I'm sure it will become clearer in the weeks to come. At the moment I feel shock and sadness that a great moviemaker is no longer with us. Farewell, Mr Scott.

A man who played with the Beatles

Even though it was my day off, I switched into journalism mode today and interviewed a man who once played with The Beatles before they were superstars.

Roy Young was fairly well-known in England in the early 1960s and was in demand on the booming rock and roll scene in Hamburg, Germany. It was there he shared the stage with the young Beatles before they had even secured a record contract.

Roy is coming to Bermuda to play at the John Lennon tribute event on September 21, hence my reason for doing a phone interview for the newspaper.

Having watched films like 'Backbeat' and 'Nowhere Boy', which detail those early years of the Beatles story, I can only imagine what it was like to have actually been there and been friends with the group. Roy has that story, and I felt it was a privilege to hear him talk about it.

Here is some of what Roy had to say: "John (Lennon) was really the funny guy, you really had to watch your step with him because he would do some strange things. He was my favourite friend. He was a good guy to be around. He was a lot of laughs. He just had that sort of magic about him. It was nice to be in his company. I found him to be an absolute gentleman, as much as he was fooling around.

"John was always chewing gum when he was singing. I don't know how he could sing and chew gum. And of course he and I were always on the same microphone and one night he was chewing this gum, he must have thought about it and he spat it out and it hit me on the nose and stuck there. I looked like Pinocchio. John started laughing when he saw it stuck there. Paul and George looked over and John pointed at my face, I had left it there because I could see the funny side of it. Paul and George fell on the floor."

It was a toss up whether to seek out this interview or spend time on Dolphin Girl. I'm glad I did reach out to Roy. It was an enlightening and engaging hour on the phone.

It also gives me a little more time to consider a shift in Dolphin Girl, from present tense to past tense presentation; a debate of which I shall write more very shortly.

UPDATE (24 August 2012): Link to interview with Roy Young CLICK HERE

The lights of the Olympics go out

Finally the London Olympics are over.

It have been great, but also a great big distraction that has kept me from writing. I had anticipated that would be the case, particularly as the Games were taking place in the UK - my far off home.

If I couldn't be there, the next best thing was to immerse myself in the experience through online live broadcasts - which I did, without regret.

The closing ceremony included a video of John Lennon singing 'Imagine' - a song that more than ever is recognised the world over for its peaceful sentiments.

Imagine a world where we all get along happily, with shared experiences of an uplifting nature like those provided in abundance by these Olympic Games.

Farewell Olympics 2012 - it was a great journey.

Tom Newton Dunn, political editor at The Sun newspaper, captures something poignant with these few words: "The lights are going out all over East London, we will not see them lit again. But we will always remember the greatest ever Olympics."

And now my focus returns to that final chapter of Dolphin Girl.

1980s music at the Olympics

In between writing the final chapter of Dolphin Girl, I have been catching up on the London Olympics. I've been struck by how much of the incidental music - the tunes played between the action - comes from the 1980s.

Today, for example, I heard 'You Spin My Round' by Dead or Alive, and 'This Charming Man' by The Smiths.

Not that I'm complaining. I love it. It's the music I remember from my youth. Could it be that these are the songs the organisers feel the general audience will most readily identify with, even if much of the music harks back almost 30 years old?

I'm sure it wasn't like this when I was growing up. If, as a youngster watching the 1980 or 1984 Olympics, the interlude music was from the 1950s, I'd have been miffed.

Perhaps the music of that era (and the late 70s) is better loved generally. Who knows. I enjoy it even if it, and the Olympics coverage, distracts me from writing at times.

So, why blog?

So, why blog?

To say a few things about my writing. To say where I am at the moment, and where I'm heading to.

It is four years since I brought out Eating Clouds, a collection of life stories and journalism that had amassed in my life. That was a print-on-demand release.

Next month will see the publication of my non-fiction book on John Lennon, which is being handled by a publishing house, and of which I shall write more in September.

Currently, I'm working on the final chapter of Dolphin Girl. The novel debuted as the anchor to the original edition of Eating Clouds. As rounded as I felt the story was when I finished it, on reflection it needs a final chapter to tie up things and give it a less abrupt conclusion.

Dolphin Girl may become my first foray in the world of e-books. In the past two years there have been a number of notable success stories about writers who have broken with tradition and gone on to achieve wide acclaims and readership as e-book authors. One of the most celebrated being Amanda Hocking. The freedom and leveling of the playing field which e-book publishing offers is exciting and refreshing.

Genre writing seems to be the real forte for the successful e-book authors. That said, I do wonder if Dolphin Girl, with its sprinkled use of Scottish lexicon and its real world setting, can capture a ready audience, for it doesn't fall neatly into any given genre.

Time will provide the answers. For now, if I can drag myself away from checking on the Olympics medal table, I must write and complete the Dolphin Girl tale.