Nick Elliott's Blog, page 4
January 10, 2017
Clare Hollingworth
RIP Clare Hollingworth. Some woman!
October 19, 2016
The island
Not a bad place to write.
Not a bad place to write.
August 27, 2016
A day of contrasts
Leith is where I worked as a ship’s agent a long time ago. Nowadays, the port is busy with North Sea oil support vessels, but it is also home to the Royal Yacht Britannia which was the purpose of my visit. This elegant old ship has lain alongside Leith’s Ocean Terminal since 1998 having been decommissioned the previous year amidst much nostalgia and the shedding of Royal tears. And only yesterday did I get around to joining the tourists from around the world on board her. It was one of those situations when you know something’s on your doorstep so you never quite get around to doing it.
Research prompted my visit. I wanted to get a feel for a ship like this. In Dark Ocean, the second Angus McKinnon novel I’m working on, a dilapidated old presidential yacht plays a big part in the story and I want to give it a character of its own. The contrast between the Britannia and my old tub couldn’t be stronger. The Britannia is immaculate and it was a pleasure to wander around soaking up her Royal atmosphere and history. Even the ship’s hospital smells of surgical spirit.
Then I walked back towards The Shore, a favourite pub of ours that featured in Sea of Gold.
Between Ocean Terminal and The Shore you pass the Dazzle Ship, aka Windsor Castle and formerly the Northern Lighthouse Board’s Fingal. Dazzle camouflage was used in World War I. It made it difficult to estimate a target’s range, speed, and heading. Whether you like the disorienting appearance of this giant work of art or not, she makes a striking site against the drab backdrop of the port. The Windsor Castle is owned by the Britannia Trust and is due to be converted into a 25 room boutique hotel by 2018. I doubt they’ll keep the colour scheme though.
August 25, 2016
August 12, 2016
Awaiting orders
Procrastination (I should be back at my desk writing, not out taking photos) or the germ of an idea for another Angus McKinnon thriller?
There are four of these fully laden tankers lying several miles off the coast of Dunbar awaiting orders. Having loaded at BP’s Hound Point Terminal in the Firth of Forth, it’s down to the oil traders and the fluctuating price of Crude now to determine their destination, and the length of their delay. You can imagine the boredom of the crew. Some of these ships are there for weeks.
July 28, 2016
July 27, 2016
Breaking rocks
I’m not sure where I read this but someone likened the process of writing a novel to that of creating a sculpture.
The first draft is the back-breaking business of quarrying rock. You end up with a dirty, ugly lump of granite, but at least it’s there. Preliminary research, the basic plot, the characters and settings are there, even if only sketched in. You have become familiar with this block of work. It’s what you want, and you know what you have to do next.
The second draft is shaping the rock into a sculpture. Research continues, the story arc, the characters and settings are fleshed out. Pace and tension, twists and turns are developed.
The third draft is akin to polishing the sculpture into a finished work that shines and is ready for the exhibition. Only not quite. Next comes editing, proofreading, formatting, cover design, the back cover blurb… until finally you’re ready to press the Publish button.
Dark Ocean, my second novel in the Angus McKinnon series, is getting towards the end of stage one. I’m pretty much there with the first draft. Still a way to go though.
July 7, 2016
200 Amazon reviews!
I value every one of the Amazon reviews Sea of Gold gets – even the critical ones. They all tell me something.
The combined number of reviews on Amazon UK and Amazon .com had been stuck on 199 for weeks. Now finally I’ve got my 200th – a four star with a complimentary comment from a US reader.
And 77% of all 200 are four and five star.
This deserves a sundowner – or sooner…
April 6, 2016
Lisbon
What a place Lisbon is. The Russia House and Night Train to Lisbon are two of my favourite films. The city provides the perfect backdrop for these great books turned into such wonderful movies. Could Angus McKinnon find himself there one day?
