Firstly, many months ago I had booked a ticket to see John Grant at Barrowland Ballroom. A couple of weeks back I decided not to go. I haven’t really been able to get into his more recent albums. I find them starting to get a bit ‘samey.’ The same themes running through them and just a bit too …. Jarring electronically. And if he was going to concentrate on his more recent work, I probably wouldn’t enjoy the gig that much. Also, I just find navigating my way around Gallowgate and the Barras a bit scary late at night this time of year (and no, it’s not a Bible John thing – but my route back to Queen Street station is a bit ‘quiet’ late at night) and with the gig on the eve of being paid, I knew I’d be too skint for a cab ride home. All those reasons meant that I decided to resell my ticket through (boo, evil!) Ticketmaster. It wasn’t budging so I reduced the price and it sold. I only recouped half of what I paid for it but at least it wasn’t a wasted ticket and someone else got to enjoy the gig and I got some money back.
I spent most of this week working on the book. Largely doing all the editing work that needs to be done. Proofreading, correcting grammatical errors and typos, etc. There are very specific criteria I’ve been given to adhere to for the presentation and delivery of the manuscript and it’s going to take some work on my part to get that sorted. I worked on a draft in a different type of office suite (ie: not Word) and have now transferred that into MS Word and so – there’s a lot to sort out. It’s a BIG document, nearing 75,000 words.
As of Friday, I returned to uni studies and began reading the next novel we’ll be working on, Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country. I’ve read up to chapter VI so far and I have to say I’m not really engaging with it half as much as I did with Far from the Madding Crowd. So far, I don’t find the characters as interesting and the main female protagonist is repugnant (in my own opinion). Perhaps my opinion will change the more I read it? Or, it could get more ardent. Either way, I’ll have to try to look beyond the characters and deeper into the way Wharton is creating and writing the work. Analyse it beyond its reading ‘pleasure-ability’ or otherwise.
Yesterday I was at the Open University ‘day school’ which was being held at Glasgow Caledonian University. It’s happened annually since I’ve been a student and I have attended each October. Glasgow city centre was very quiet when I arrived yesterday morning just before 9am. By the time I left the uni and made my way down from the uni down Port Dundas Road down to the intersection of West Nile and Killermont streets – JAYSUS! The people! It was hoachin’! There was a show going on at RCH and there were loads of people congregating around the stage doors waiting for ‘stars’ to come out. I rounded the corner onto Sauchiehall Street and it was even more crowded again! By the time I rounded the corner to get on Buchanan Street, I felt like I was swimming against the tide! Anyone local – you know as you get near the entrance to Buchanan subway and you can see down the rest of Buchanan Street as it slopes downhill? It was a SEA of people. It was like it was the third week of December already. I haven’t experienced Glasgow being that busy since…probably pre-Covid. I was going to do a bit of shopping before heading home but as I made my way down Buchanan Street I thought ‘sod this for a game of soldiers, I’m going home!’ Lol. I wanted to make it back in time for Catherine’s monthly Zoom hangout with The Anchoress fans. That was a great session.
As for the ‘school day’? It was probably the best one yet. Last year was a bit disappointing to be honest, and it didn’t feel like it offered much to the creative writing students. This year it was much better. Better lecturing options, better categories of lectures, great tutors. I really enjoyed it – and I’m hoping it won’t be my last one. I met a few level 3 students (BA undergrads) and it has really given me food for thought about continuing on to get my BA in Creative Writing rather than just stopping at the DipHE in English. But…we’ll see.
Yesterday’s events were a fine way to end a pretty good week.
Next week I have an online tutorial – my first for the year. Also…there’s a little thing happening on Thursday. I might do something to ‘celebrate’ the day before. I don’t really know what yet. Not really looking forward to being officially with the ‘mid 50s’ range, I have to say – but time marches on.
Podcast listening this week has been catching up with episodes of World of Secrets, finished listening to Yeti and started listening to Crime Next Door: The Salisbury Poisonings. I also listened to the two part special of Call Jonathan Pie – the US election specials.
