It's safe to say that British-born, New York-based novelist Patrick McGrath is dark in his concerns – safe because the description was applied to him by Hilary Mantel, who knows a thing or two about writing, and because the man himself agrees with every word of it.
Comment & Debate
Comment & Debate
Signposts near the Border south of Coldstream point to the site, their crossed swords the tourist equivalent of a skull and crossbones.
Gore Vidal's writing routine was simple: "First coffee, then a bowel movement, then the Muse joins me." Not for him the agonies of staring at a blank page and wondering how to fill it.
Reading Robert Peston's description of typing up his wife's last book, shortly after her death, the words blurred on the page.
It's hard to think back to a time when book festivals were as unheard of as mobile phones or laptops.
I read an old novel recently, which has left me wishing I had chosen something else.
Aye Write's opening weekend offered an excellent example of how the right combination of experts can make a session a success, and how the wrong combination can knock it askew.
The Girls Of Slender Means, Muriel Spark's seventh novel, was published half a century ago to great acclaim and, like its predecessor, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, became a bestseller.
Put your ear to the ground and you might be able to hear the scampering of 100 feet as the Mitchell Library's staff rush up stairs and down corridors ahead of the doors opening on Friday night for the eighth Aye Write!