This week, I’m sharing what a terrifying interview at a big publishing house in Scotland taught me about the long-game of writing!
First of all, can we appreciate that blue sky and sunshine in Dundee, Scotland?! These are fierce temperatures for Scotland, and we’re not used to it!
Still, I set off on Saturday to the Dundee Book Festival, something I only learned about during that week when tickets to a writing event appeared on social media.
The three Js of Dundee: Jam, Jute and Journalism, are closely linked to me and my family, even though I’m not from Dundee. My grandparents were farm labourers, as was my dad before he joined the army for a while, and the females most certainly would be picking berries in season (as well as potatoes). My brother spent years working as a screen printer in a Dundee firm who printed jute and cotton bags. And me - well, my link is to journalism via my maternal grandfather, who was a freelance reporter after the war and handed down his Pitman Shorthand book to me!
Photo by Jackie Morrison: D.C.Thomson office building, Dundee, Scotland
Back when I was a teenager, I walked into that very building - the imposing D.C.Thomson offices - for my very first job interview. School had not prepared me. Despite having an A-pass in English, they sat me down for a spelling and grammar test that was harder than I could ever admit to anyone at the time.
I didn’t get the job. Soon after, aged 16, I applied to journalism college and was turned away for being too young. “Go get some life experience,” they told me. I was hard-headed enough to try again - and I got in that time! I was told by adults that there no jobs in Scotland for someone who loved writing. They said there was no money in it either - and although we might agree with that today, back then in the late seventies and eighties was when publishing was just opening out its doors to regional voices.
If I could go back and whisper to that young girl today, I would say:
Believe in yourself, not the adults who tell you there is no space or money for schoolgirls like you in writing.
There were jobs—in libraries, bookshops, local papers, and publishing. You just had to take the scenic route.
I thought about that schoolgirl this week as I stood in the glorious Dundee sunshine during the Dundee Book festival, taking photos of that very same D.C. Thomson building. A military pipeband marched past as we stood there, and the sounds of bagpipes rang out across the centre of Dundee: The Freedom of Dundee.
As a fellow writer pointed out to me during the event, life has a funny way of working out. I might not have passed their test as a teenager, but today, I work for D.C. Thomson in my own roundabout way, having published numerous short stories and two novellas with The People’s Friend.
The festival was a beautiful reminder to fill your own creative well. We walked past many bronze statues of comic book characters, past the MacTaggart building where poetry was being read aloud outside, and wandered past the V and A, glimmering in the sunshine like an ocean liner in port. The riverside walk was alive with generations walking and stopping to appreciate the view of the River Tay sparkling in the sun.
Photo by Jackie Morrison: The V and A Dundee
The real gold of the festival didn't come from the buildings or the history—it came from the people. I unexpectedly met two fellow writers in person after months of chatting online. Writing can be a solitary business, spent staring at screens and sending words into the ether. Standing in the sunshine, hugging people who truly "get" the writer's life, and talking craft face-to-face was absolute magic.
It was a beautiful reminder that while we write alone, we belong to a wonderfully supportive community.
PUBLISHING NEWS
Speaking of the long game: I received an acceptance this week for a short story I submitted over a year ago!
If you are a beginner writer, let this be your sign that immediacy is a myth in this industry. A slow response is not a rejection; sometimes, your story is just waiting for the right season. In this case, it was waiting for Christmas, as they are reading for Christmas right now (and was written and submitted last summer!)
I have some exciting news about a large print novel releasing to libraries on July 1st! I’ll tell you exactly how you can request it next week.
Until next time, trust the timing, keep writing, and believe in your younger self.
PS EXCITING NEWS
I am off to the Grand Prix, the Formula 1 racing, and I can’t believe I’m saying that! When Mr.M went into remission earlier this year, we were too afraid to plan a celebration, but once things had settled down, I got thinking about what would really excite my particular lovely petrolhead husband - so F1 it is!!! I am sure it will prompt a story or two, or simply fill my well (and his) for now!
Look out for photos and thoughts appearing on Notes!
OVER TO YOU
Have you ever received a “yes” that took a wonderfully long time to arrive? Or is there something you would love to go back and tell your younger, less-experienced creative self?
Let’s chat in the comments below—I’d love to hear your stories!
*
That’s all for this week, from Jackie in the Little Writing Corner in Scotland x x x
