Cathy Forde - Virtual Writer in Residence The Final Blog!

Over the past six months, Cathy Forde, has been our Virtual Writer in Residence. As well as giving us a monthly blog, Cathy has been making video podcasts where she presents simple creative writing tasks in an attempt to encourage teens to get writing. Sadly Cathy's residence has come to an end, but as she tells us - there is an exciting new project on the horizon...

How time flies! My time as Scottish Book Trust’s Virtual Writer in Residence is coming to an end next month and this is my final blog. I am still blogging, however, as I am providing regular updates to the National Theatre of Scotland about progress during rehearsals for my play, Empty. If you want to read what I write about with my drama head on check out:

Cathy: http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=s590


Although I won’t be making any more podcasts for Scottish Book Trust, I am delighted that I will still be involved with the team in Edinburgh through the Young Writers Awards, mentoring several promising young writers between June and December. Who knows, I might even be allowed to write a guest blog revealing how the mentees are shaping up. ( Hint. Hint.)

With full day rehearsals and then lots of rewriting of my play when I get home at night, I’ve not been managing to read as many books as I would like. However, I did manage to devour an exquisitely written memoir: Just Kids by the poet and musician Patti Smith. Smith arrived in New York in the early 1960s with few possessions and nowhere to stay. The first person she met was a handsome, tousle-headed youth who duly became her lover, best friend, and, in time, one of the world’s most famous and notorious photographers. Patti Smith didn’t know this about Robert Maplethorpe when she met him, she just knew they were kindred souls who wanted to make something of themselves in one of the most exciting cities in the world at one of the most exciting times in history. From descriptions of meeting Salvador Dali in the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel to babysitting Janis Joplin, the quality of Smith’s writing never falters. It could almost be a companion piece to Bob Dylan’s Chronicles Vol One as he arrived in New York just a couple of years ahead of Smith, blazing a trail. When I read books like Just Kids it makes me feel very boring indeed! How I would love to turn back time and show up in New York in 1962 with a suitcase in my hand…A wee Weegie in the Big Apple.

Finally, I can’t leave my blog without mentioning one of the most chilling yet moving films I’ve seen for a long time. Let the Right One In is a Swedish vampire film. There are no beautiful Edwards in it whatsoever, just lots of concrete apartment blocks and two twelve year old kids, one with a dribbly nose and the worst haircut I have ever seen on screen ( a kind of home-hacked- in- the-dark  blonde version of assassin Chigur’s in No Country For Old Men). The other kid has the creepiest eyes, and a lot of strange habits. That’s all I’m saying about her. But the film is superb, and transcends the usual vampire clichés by a mile.

And now I will bow out, thanking Anna and all the team at Scottish Book Trust for letting me witter on randomly for the last six months. I hope my successor has as much fun as I have had.

Other News:

As Cathy mentioned, she will be working with us on the Young Writers Awards project. If you are aged 14-17 and would like the opportunity to work with Cathy, developing your writing skills and meeting publishers and agents, then apply now! Check out the Young Writers Awards page for details and application guidelines.