Last Saturday of the Wigtown Book Festival, 2012

To tell it quickly, the Wigtown Book Festival is a week-long event dedicated to the celebration of writing. Authors from a wide variety of genres and specialities come together to talk about their work, and there is as much to enjoy for children as there is for adults. Events dedicated to visual arts, and to poetry, are to be seen and enjoyed throughout the week, as well as stands and stalls stocked full with mementos, toys, flowers, confectionary, dairy goods and baking.

Sadly for me, I learnt about the Festival just that little bit too late, and was only able to attend the last Saturday's sights (the 6th Oct.).  The town of Wigtown itself really was quite a pleasant place, with a certain ambience that reflects the charm best seen in these old towns -- overlooked by time and by modernisation, but so much the better for it. What did perhaps add to the atmosphere however, was -- and I was a bit surprised by this -- how quiet it was. Granted, I turned up quite early, and perhaps the day hadn't yet gone into full swing, but what with the Festival's reputation, I had expected things to be a little more bustling!
That said, it was a great day nonetheless. Authors were speaking about their works within the tents and halls (which I hadn't the foresight to book many tickets to), and the stalls and stands each were doing good business (The great big hog roast, most of all!). So, perhaps the empty streets were just a sign of people attending events, rather than a sign of poor turn-out.

Wigtown

As for myself, I thought it'd be worth attending, at least for one day, to see what a true literary festival was like. I'd heard that it's name was well respected, and that some from the business of writing would be attending. With a few copies of an extract from my own work (just in case anybody was interested), and a few questions I was keen to ask those in the know, I attended.

As I said, things appeared a bit quiet while I was there, and so I didn't find very many writers or those in the industry to speak to. However, there were two authors I was lucky and privileged enough to catch a few words with, who each gave me some good advice on how to push oneself onward, when seeking publication. Those authors were: Kevin Barry, who was speaking of his striking collection of short stories in Dark Lies the Island, and Sara Sheridan, who spoke of her post-war murder mystery Brighton Belle.

I was very pleased to be able to speak with them, even for just a few moments, and with both their advice and the day's sights in mind, I do believe I'll be keen to attend again next year!

Rekindling

Well, it's really been some time since my last post (I've been rather busy with things), and to those who read the post before this one -- No, the book isn't yet published. I decided to rear back on that, actually, and opt for another redraft, which I think has been the right decision.
I'll most likely reserve this blog as a personal 'space', upon which I'll talk about anything relevant to TEC. Perhaps, if an audience someday forms a fondness for the tale, this place will serve a slightly larger purpose. Of course, that isn't to say I wont talk about anything else of interest! (Keeping a blog updated could be considered a practice of writing in itself, yes?) For example, I'll be attending the last Saturday of the Wigtown Book Festival tomorrow, and will be sure to say a little something about it!

TEC: Off it goes, on its merry way.

Around a week ago, I sent four extracts of The Eightfold Covert to four agencies. I'm well prepared for rejection, as I know even the most successful authors of our time have known their share of it. I'm glad I learnt that before the first rejection slip came through, else I would've felt pretty crestfallen!
But that's the very thing - the first already has! This might sound odd, but I'm happy about it. It means they actually are taking a look at my work. The first four I wrote to, with printed extracts and all, didn't even respond. Not a courteous letter to be seen. Not even a form letter! At least I'm getting a little better luck than that this time around . . .

It's funny to think, now, that I once imagined the process to be so simple. When I first put pen to paper, in the Summer of 2009, I thought, if I made haste, I'd be seeing my work fly off the shop shelves by Christmas! I've learnt, as every writer should, that patience is as vital a virtue as the staples to a book's very pages.

Wish me luck!

~ David

In Other News: York 2011

It's been a good few days since my first post, thanks in no small part to the sudden disappearance of my camera's USB cable! Well, I tracked down another, and finally got a few photos uploaded (the About page has a photo of me now). Why wait 'til I can upload photos? Because I want to say a little about a place I visited just by the end of October. England's city of York.

The Shambles - One of York's most well-known lanes.

While writing, you need a good source of inspiration - places, activities and goings-on to keep your mind and creativity as fresh as can be. Just what, exactly, depends on your personal tastes, and the very work you're trying to achieve. And if there's any city which'll drive a fantasy author's mind reeling, it's this place!

Thinking of visiting England? York's definitely worth checking out if you'll be nearby. I wont give you a history lesson on the place, other sites can offer one far better than I, but I will say a little about what I was up to during October's second-to-last weekend.

The best thing about York is that you really can spend an entire day just ambling along its streets, admiring the ancient architecture, browsing shops built with just as much character as masonry, and that's just what I spent a good while doing. Sounds dull until you see just how charismatic these streets and buildings are. take Stonegate's maze-like Mulberry Hall for one.

The Armoury

Another interesting shop on Stonegate would be the weapons shop, The Armoury. I've been visiting this city every Autumn for years, and I never tire of checking this place out - I even bought a sword from it once, which is hanging proudly in my room now.
Take a look at the photo there, can you see Final Fantasy 7's Buster Sword? That was a pleasant little surprise for me, since I'm an avid patron of the series. Kingdom Hearts' Keyblade was there too, but... er, it looked a little out of place, around all those authentic life-takers, if you ask me.

Rowntree Park

Stonegate, and every other street worth a visit, can be found beyond the city's Inner Walls. Just outside them rests Rowntree Park, which was, conveniently, right beside the guesthouse I was staying in. Strolling through that before wandering the twisting town was an inspirational godsend! Jest see for yourself.
Banks Music was the first shop I'd visit each day after passing through the park. Three floors of the highest quality instruments, and any study material you'd need on them, is what it has to boast. I don't claim to be an expect pianist, but I sure didn't mind pretending otherwise in there! I'm amazed I didn't clear the shop...


York's hardly short on eateries either; every street boasts numerous restaurants, pubs, bistros, cafes, sandwich shops, and even fast-food joints if you prefer what you're familiar with. Two I tend to visit each year are Plunket's, and Bari. I'm a big fan of Italian food, so that second one's always a welcoming sight, and taste.
Now, after enjoying a meal on holiday, you'll naturally be tempted to enjoy a resort's nightlife. Well, York's is a little more ambient and twilit than most, which was why I attended one of the nightly ghost walks dotted throughout town. York's history is steeped in shadiness and fright, for all its curious decor, and every single night, there'll be many an entertainer to make sure you know it. Trevor Rooney's tour was the one I experienced, which was pretty damn atmospheric! (He's a nice guy too - a friend of his, who worked on the restoration of York Minster, passed away recently. He dedicated a moment to show us his last sculpted work, which I found very touching) These tours will show you many of York's more secretive nooks and crannies, and highlight the darker back stories of even its most innocent areas. If strolling through York during daylight grants a sense of timely whimsy, its nocturnal perks are something else altogether. In this, the city's like a pantomime performer; donning elaborate dress one scene, and a top hap and cloak the next.

York Minster

Writers' inspiration, ghost tours, pantomime comparisons, York's a city ripped straight from a storybook, and a place mercifully untouched by sweeping modernisation. Which is just as well, because York Minster - a building I once believed could only exist in a storybook - is the most inspiring, most looming, and most renowned centrepiece it has to boast, and to boast rightly.

Within York Minster

The history of York Minster will astound you as much as its architecture. Sadly, I didn't take a tour of the place this year, but simply being inside it is enough to captivate me, year after year. No arch, no wall, no stain-glass window is without etchings in their hundreds, each telling stories without number, and hinting t'ward secrets and mysteries just as plentiful. The artistry gleams with the passion poured into it, and each brick and stone gleams with passion just the same. But they gleam with more than just heartfelt craftsmanship - for every inscription, carving and painted scene, there's a mystery to fit, unsolved and unrelenting. Even if I can't hope to solve the place's puzzles, simply knowing they exist is enough to get my creative gears grinding.

Nice to get out, eh?

~ David

Photos © David Stewart 2011

The first blank page.

Hello, and welcome to the blog for The Eightfold Covert. This here's my first attempt at blogging, and I've all sorts of things to learn and get used to, I'm sure, but let's hope that doesn't get in the way of anything, shall we?
Maybe I came into the scene of 'authors blogging' a little late - I understand it's common for a writer to set up a blog before completing their work, but better late than never, as they say. It's amazing just how many things I've learnt are useful and indeed, necessary for a writer to consider while trying to get into the field of professional writing. I, like others, I'm sure (I hope), once thought it'd be the simplest of processes: merely write your novel, give it a once-over to ensure it's up-to-scratch, send it off to a publisher. Done and dusted, right?

Hardly!

Ensuring your work's what others want to read and that you yourself can provide it professionally is a complex, perhaps even frightful process, and to think I'm still learning long after the book's complete shows how strenuous it can be. I really ought to thank the Writers and Artists' Yearbook for many of the tips I've picked up. (If you're interested in writing, be sure to check it out, if you haven't already)
But ensuring my book's what others want to read is perhaps the very purpose of this blog. Please, take a gander at the pages listed to your left - About, Blurb, Extracts and Snippets - and tell me what you think. The Eightfold Covert is a story aimed at Young Adult audiences, primarily, and is of the sci-fi/fantasy genre.
Not put off yet? Good.

The blog's updates will be sorted into two categories: 'TEC' and 'In Other News'. The former refers to anything regarding The Eightfold Covert, and the latter will refer to little personal pieces - thoughts, ponderings, goings on, etc. As I said, this is all fairly new to me, so I can't say just how often I'll be updating, or how long it'll take me to get into the swing of things (Heck, I don't even have a flattering enough photo to upload yet!) but toss an up-and-dragging author a tuppence and bear with me. ;)