PRESENT-DAY SNIPPET: GLASGOW, EDINBURGH, AND LAZY WEEKENDS

The first time I attended the Edinburgh Book Festival

Aug 18, 2024

I technically work as a ‘journalist’ even though I don’t really consider myself one. My official job title is something like ‘Chief Sub Editor of the European Copy Editing Team.’ That’s a mouthful for sure. To me, I’m just an editor.

I do the work with my team. I joke that I’m an overpaid cheerleader. I like my day job. It’s not glam as I’m in a section of data analytics and publishing that is not creative but it’s a good job. However, I’m thankful I have my creative writing on the side and the chapters of this newsletter.

I’m part of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and my company gives us one day per year to do journalistic training (along with generous annual leave, two days to be involved in Employee Resource Groups, and two days to devote to charity). I’ve never bothered taking my NUJ day before but I have a younger, intelligent, talented colleague, Nicole, who is a markets reporter/editor. We have developed a rapport over the time I’ve been with the company and she asked me if I’d like to do our NUJ day together this year and go to the Edinburgh Book Festival. So, I said why not? That would be lovely.

I had lunch Saturday before last with two of my favourite Scottish colleagues from my previous job, Esther and Maureen, and then took the train up to see Nicole, another Scottish colleague and also a favourite.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nicole invited me to couch-surf at her flat in Glasgow, which was very generous of her because she said it would be costly to stay during the Book Festival and she would book us things to do so that’s what we did. We saw panels that included Laura Waddell, Michael MacLeod (who writes the Substck The Edinburgh Minute), Andrzej Tichý, Yan Ge, and Camilla Grudova. The talks were so much fun to listen to and the time zipped by. The authors and journalists had interesting things to say about publishing and news and how journalism has changed.

One event was held in a magical tent of sorts.

My train back was cancelled from Preston to Manchester so that was slightly stressful and I had to rebook another ticket from Preston to Burnley so my gem of a husband Michael could pick me up but other than that it was a great but tiring long weekend.

Me, hopeful, unfiltered, yet tired-looking on the way there.

Glasgow, West Yorkshire, and the countryside

I absolutely loved Glasgow and consider it a ‘hidden gem’ as in the reputation is still not great but it’s truly lovely. Nicole took me on a tour of museums, cafes, parks, and restaurants. I can’t recall where we went but it’s a beautiful city. It’s more in line with Yorkshire prices over London or Edinburgh prices and there’s plenty of green space, which I always find calming.

I often find the lack of green space in some cityscapes a little overwhelming because I have become a sort of country bumpkin with the fact that after I moved from England at age ten to central Florida and to Georgia around age twelve, I lived in seven acres of pine trees down a dirt road. I’m used to seeing stars, greenery, trees, and open spaces. I didn’t appreciate it as much when young but I do now.

Part of Glasgow Uni where we went to a museum. Nicole with her gorgeous cat Jasper. Am I vain but nothing makes me feel more 37 than having my face photographed near a beautiful, vivacious 26-year-old? LOLs.

I think the West Yorkshire town in which I currently live – I moved here to be closer to my Dad, sister, niece, brother-in-law, and wider English family – is a perfect place because there’s enough in town and in nearby Hebden Bridge so we can shop and eat at cafes. Still, it’s not too big and it’s in a valley so there’s lots of greenery and beautiful things to see all around us. Plus, it’s an easy train journey to Leeds, Manchester, and other further-flung places. We don’t, however, have a McDonald’s or a Nando’s and we only have one chain restaurant which the locals truly don’t love: Dominos – and I’ve yet to try it.

Anyway, if I had to live in a city, I think I’d choose Glasgow. Edinburgh is gorgeous but crazy expensive and London is too overwhelming. Not that anyone asked.

In other news, I have to go to London again in December for work. The big, big boss (i.e. Editorial Director) has requested all regional heads of copy editing go to meet him so my boss has to fly in from Singapore and my counterpart has to fly over from Houston in December, so that will be good only in that I can see my team and the colleagues I’m fond of. Plus, it’s all paid for.

Writing competitions and submissions

In June, I submitted my screenplay, Displaced, to two competitions. The tagline is ‘An American woman living in Yorkshire faces deportation after her husband dies in a tragic accident before she obtains a spousal visa – and finds an unusual way to solve the problem.’ The quarterfinalists for The TITAN Screenwriting Contest 2024 came out yesterday and my entry is still ‘in consideration.’ Apparently, I have to wait until Thursday before I can list ‘quarterfinalist’ as an accolade on my profile. Yay! Hurdle one of four I think.

I find out if I am still ‘in consideration’ for The Big Break Screenwriting Competition 2024 at the end of August as well. Fingers and toes crossed.

I have Grandad’s memoir to submit to another competition, a short story, and a draft of a YA novel yet to submit in September and I’ll also hear if I’ve placed for the Penguin competition (everything crossed for this dream opportunity).

I also want to acknowledge my sister, Jae, who is my first reader on everything. She reads my Substack chapters and catches typos (I swear I read things a few times and they are still elusive – that’s why editors are always a must). She has read every novel draft, screenplay draft, short story, anything and everything. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive sister and I’m very grateful. It’s a big ask because she’s a mother, a uni student (again), and a writer herself.

Sisters! We joke that she's my little big sister because she's older but smaller than me.

Lazy weekend

Also, I didn’t write the next chapter of Why We Met this week because I had a break as I was working on my YA submission. This weekend was an utterly lazy weekend. I went to see my family friend Jenny today and I did absolutely nothing yesterday but lounge in bed and take naps with my cat Kit Kat (my Dad’s cat). It has been nice to chill as I haven’t allowed myself such an indulgence in months. But I’ll be back to my writing next week.