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The Wasp Factory

I've recently finished reading Iain Banks' 'The Wasp Factory'. It's a gripping and disturbing tale centred on Frank, a teenager who lives alone with his father on a small Scottish Island. Frank's warped world is one of violence and bizarre rituals. He exercises his power by lavishing violence on animals, creating the factory of the title where wasps are killed in a number of grotesque ways. Frank believes that he can use this as a way of telling the future. I was really impressed with this book. Banks relates Frank's voice brilliantly. Frank is an 'unreliable narrator'. He tells us that he has killed 3 other children in bizarre ways but it's hard to believe this entirely. He presents himself as sane but the reader is able to see how warped his mind is. The end of the book, as Frank's brother, Eric, returns to the island, is a terrific climax as Frank discovers some dark family secrets. This is one of those books that I've heard a lot about, but haven't got around to read until now. I was impressed by this dark and compelling tale of power, isolation and fractured minds.

Harry Patch and Andrew Motion

Harry Patch, the last british survivor of the first world war, has died. Yesterday's Independent On Sunday carried a picture of Patch on its front cover with his powerful words, "War in nothing but organised murder." It was fantastic to see Andrew Motion talk about Patch and read part of his poem in salute of the man on Channel 4 News on Saturday. Poetry being read on a new bulletin ? I had to blink away my disbelief. I head Motion read that poem at an event in 2008 and it brought tears to my eyes. Mr Motion has been a brilliant advocate of poetry over the last ten years, and I always enjoy hearing him at events or on the television. As for Patch, he wasn't even able to speak of the horrors of t he trenches until he was 100 years old. Many men who were caught up in the war, or the wars that followed, were unable to speak of it. Goodbye Harry, and thanks for speaking out. Miles, York, July 27th 2009.

John Ryan - Obituary 25th July 2009

Words Words Words was sad to see that John Ryan, the Creator of Captain Pigwash, has died aged 88. In the films, a comical pirate had a number of adventures battling his nemesis, Cut Throat Jake, and was accompanied by Tom the Cabin Boy and Willy. The BBC commissioned the first series in 1957 after spotting potential in Ryan's books. His agent, Jane Gregory, said there was "a huge amount of love" for the childish pirate and his shipmates. Ryan had continued to write books until the 1990s, publishing more than 20. Jane Gregory added: "They're all now republished and they're hugely successful - partly because all the parents and, indeed, grandparents now, remember the delight of Captain Pugwash." Miles, York, July 25th 2009

Bang a Gong For British Poetry !

It's a good time for poetry. Although poetry's appeal is relatively small (you rarely catch poets' new works troubling the Bestseller Lists), there is nevertheless a distinct and passionate audience for poetry. The Forward Prize has just been announced, and the list includes Don Paterson's 'Rain', Christopher Reid's 'A Scattering', an intensely personal collection about the illness and death of his wife. The Forward prize's founder, William Sieghart, said the entries – 109 submissions in the best collection category, 57 for best first collection and 120 for best single poem – highlighted "the rude health of the UK's contemporary poetry scene". Josephine Hart, chair of this year's judges, said she sensed a renaissance in poetry, which was "immensely heartening". She said: "Poetry is language at its best, the highest literary art form, and increasingly people are turning in these challenging times to a place they can find wisdom and beauty and without wanting to sound too pious – truth.' This concurs with what Carol Ann Duffy said about poetry when she was appointed Poet Laureate a few months ago. She said (and I am summarising here), that in an age where we are overloaded with advertising, half-truth and political spin, poetry is about telling the truth. The internet is also proving to be a fertile ground for poetry, with thousands of people logging on to 'The Poetry Archive', a site which Andrew Motion helped to start and says he is very proud of. Miles, York, July 24th 2009

The Pre-Raphaelites on TV !

I really enjoyed the new series about the Pre-Raphaelites on BBC TV last night. It was sassy, sexy and didn't take itself too seriously. It's the kind of show the BBC should be doing a lot of, but these things are notoriously expensive to make, so we get truckloads of crappy reality TV nonsense instead. But this was great, with an excellent script by Peter Bowker and some good acting to boot. I'm inclined to overlook the factual inaccuracies (which crop up in almost every screen adaptation of a real-life group of situation) because this was enjoyable and well made. I want to see the next part ! Miles, York, July 22nd 2009

Literary Prize In Memory Of Harold Pinter

Good to see that a new literary prize set up in honour of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter. I've read a few Pinter plays, and once tried my hand at writing something with a Pinter-esque edge to it. He was the master at writing dialogue that was laced with menace, threat and ambiguity. His plays, 'The Birthday Party', 'The Caretaker' and many more carry a dark undertone to them and he had a fantastic ear for the natural rhythms of speech. Pinter was also active in politics, frequently championing causes that he thought were important to human freedoms and peace. The judging panel will include Pinter's widow Lady Antonia Fraser, playwright Sir Tom Stoppard and the broadcaster Mark Lawson. The prize will be awarded at the British Library on 14 October, with the British or UK-based writer receiving a cheque for £1000. Their work will be expected to fulfil the vision for writing that Pinter set out in his 2005 Nobel acceptance speech - turning an "unflinching, unswerving" gaze upon the world, and showing a "fierce intellectual determination ... to define the real truth of our lives and our societies". The National Theatre's Nicholas Hytner and Lisa Appignanesi, president of English PEN, will also help judge the winner.

Frank McCourt Obituary

The author of the world famous 'Angela's Ashes' has died aged 79. Frank McCourt's tough story of a wretchedly poor childhood and a drunken father sold millions of copies and wss turned into a film. The 78-year old writer had been suffering from meningitis. He was also diagnosed with melanoma, the unpleasant skin cancer. McCourt called the story an 'epic of woe'. It told of his Irish family and their struggle to survive in Ireland in the 1930s and 40s. McCourt had been born in Brooklyn, New York, but the family returned to Ireland when they couldn't find work. They returned to Ireland in 1934. But it was an ill-fated move. Angela's Ashes describes the squalor of that life, with several families haveing to share a single outside toilet. The houses were infested with rats and vermin. Three of his seven siblings died, and he nearly perished from typhoid fever. The book opens with a terrific opening line : 'Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.' McCourt would write several more books, including 'Tis and 'Teacher Man', but it was Angela's Ashes that made the most impact. Miles, York, 20th July 2009

Virginia Woolf's Beach Sold for £80,000

I was interested to read recent reports of the sale of the beach that inspired Virgina Woolf's novel 'To The Lighthouse' in the news in the last few days. The piece of land, Upton Towans, on the Cornish Coast, went for £80,000. The sale had gained interest from around the world, including Russia and the US.I reckon £80,000 was a bargain. The potential revenue from a Virgina Woolf museum and cafe must surely be in excess of £100,000 per annum, but sadly it looks like the rules say that the buet will not be allowed to develop it. It s a tourist attraction waiting to happen ! I can't help thinking more should be done with places like this - Philip Larkin's house in Pearson Park in Hull would be a wonderful musuem. But most people who pass by wouldn't know he lived there (although there is a small plaque on the wall).BBC ***** BBC Radio York called me up on Friday and asked me to go in to talk about the writers as paedophiles story, so I trooped in for a quick natter with the unflappable Jonathan Cowap. Nice piece in today's Sunday Times which asks if J K Rowling will be getting her check done. It's a bit laughable, really. Talking of J K Rowling, the Sunday Times review of the new film agrees with me about the Potter phenomenon, saying much the same thing as I did. Thank God I am not alone. ****** Am very tired after 3 poetry and music gigs this week, although they went really well with good audiences and good atmosphere. Thanks for everybody who came and to all those who took part. Great ! Miles 19th July 2009

Writers In Schools - We Are Not Paedophiles !!!

Oh dear. A big broo-ha-hah has busted out today over the potential screening of writers working in schools. The Independent splashed it all over their front page, with suitably outraged comments from top children's authors like Anthony Horowitz, Michael Morpurgo and Anne Fine all saying how crap it is. Others are more conciliatory, saying that the measure is designed to protect children. The fact that writers have to pay over sixty quid for the test appears to have added insult to injury. I have mixed feelings about this. I've worked in schools a lot as a writer and storyteller for the last four years, and have really enjoyed it. It's a great way of engaging children in the written and spoken word. I try to involve them in the work as much as possible. I remember being asked once for CRB (or something similar) that showed I was 'okay'. I remember feeling really pissed off that I was going into their school to help with their literacy work and I was being asked to prove that I wasn't about to start enticing kids for perverse reasons. It is desperately sad that our society is so paranoid about these things that it feels the need to have these checks in place, and relentlessly pursues them. On the other hand, I feel some sympathy for those people who are working with the best intentions in mind. Disgusting crimes that have occurred from the Moors Murderers onwards have led us to feeling highly protective towards our children. On balance, I'd rather be 'checked', pay the money, and continue to work in schools. I won't be boycotting the scheme, but I will also be agreeing to it reluctantly. Miles Salter, July 16th 2009

How To Finish Your Novel Without Going Completely Nuts

Oh dear. Having laboured for over 18 months on my novel for teenagers, it still is not finished. The words 'teeth' and 'pulling' come to mind. Various re-writes have taken place, and I hope the current round of edits will be the last. We shall see. Still. At least I know the enterprise has not been entirely wasted, as it has helped me to improve as a person who puts words in one order and then changes them to create a different order. In fact this editing process is crucial, and may be what separates the good writers from the lousy ones. 'Writing is re-writing,' is a common maxim which is very true. Too often the poor writer dashes something off and thinks it is good enough. In reality, months of re-writes are in order for the work to become a great story or poem. Something I have read in writing competitions and the reports issued by judges for said contests is : 'not enough editing is taking place'. Editing and re-writing is where the rubber really hits the road for the writer. It's where you take your dirty piece of coal is transformed into a bright golden nugget. But to get that result takes massive patience and stamina and determination. Michel Faber spent 18 years on 'The Crimson Petal And The White'. You may go slightly mad in the process. Stay calm. See a friend. Take a jog. Have a bath. Get a god night's sleep. But tomorrow, my friend, is another day. Writing is work. And hard work is what separates the great writer from the mediocre one.

York Copywriter Journalist | Leeds Writer Storyteller