Feelings of the Weird

Hello from the dark streets of Edinburgh.

I finished the final edits of project Mother & Son yesterday. Now I need to move on to restructuring it and deciding on the look and feel of the work. It seems to lend itself to a three-part story, the first focusing on the son, the second the mother and the final piece bringing them together. I think once I have that I will be on the final stretch.

Being on jury duty and getting a new job have left me little time for the project, The Mountain. I’ll try to finish some of it in the next few weeks. I want to break the back of it before I start any new role so I understand what the project means to me.

Reading

The Lock-Up: There’s a lesson here about not changing your authorial name too much because it confuses your readers. I’ve written under Adam J Shardlow, Adam Shardlow and Havelock James, but I’ve never changed names mid-series.

Film

Conclave: I finally managed to see the Catholic thriller, which I’m afraid gave away and signaled its twist far too early in the film for my liking. Fiennes is excellent as the doubting Father Lawrence, who has to bring together the conclave of church leaders to choose the next Pope only to learn of the machinations behind the scenes. Supported by a great cast, its downside is the apparent twist, and it just reignited my annoyance at the pomp and wealth wrapped up in a religion that is meant to be about charity.

Starve Acre: I enjoyed Andrew Michael Hurley's novel. This film makes a few changes, but all make sense in the context of a movie. The film has a 1970s feel, which places it in the context of the Wicker Man and other folk horror traditions. It is more disturbing than outright gore, but there is enough here to unsettle. It also has a great soundtrack that underscores the feelings of the weird.

Art

I’m a sucker for art that was created during the Modernist period, particularly anything that joins up with the works from the early twentieth century artists. It was great then to see the work of the Scottish Colourists, including the Edinburgh-based SJ Peploe, who has just become a favourite of mine and used to have a studio across the road from where I live.

The works are full of colour and vibrancy. Unfortunately, many of them died young and never got the recognition they deserve. The exhibition was at the Dovecot Studios, a fantastic space that all who come to Edinburgh should see.

That’s me out. It feels like spring is in the air, so if you can, get outside, smell the new growth and forget about the cold and the dark.