Douglas Stewart

And I said, I'm going to go for 12 weeks.

And he says, are you sure that's long enough?

And so and so I went only knowing four people.

I was connected to about four people on the islands.

I started at the very...

I was looking for a sense of my own nation, and I was looking for a story.

But if I didn't come away with a novel or a short story, then at least I would have learned something about my country that I hadn't known.

And I started on the southern island of Vattersea because I was searching for place.

And all the islands have a very different personality and culture and history.

And I moved, I just rented rooms or rented little houses and I moved up the archipelago.

I would speak to anybody who would speak to me and people were so, so generous with their time.

And oftentimes, I mean, you might not like this, but I would knock on a door and I say, can I talk to you about lambing?

And the person who opened the door would say to me, you're not from the BBC, are you?

And I said, no, I'm not from the BBC.

And they say, oh, well, come in, come in.

and so i don't know what you've done with your reputation up there but um it's not me it's not you it's not you it isn't but anyway i yeah so i traveled up and and you know i went through bara and the us and i loved the place but i just didn't feel like the novel was going to be set there and then i arrived in harris spectacular harris where fascinating things converge you know there's the gallic language there is the weaving which i love

There is a crofting way of life, which is always under threat.

And then there is the very sort of devout form of Presbyterianism.

And I was on that lonely landscape on the East Coast and feeling very insignificant.

And it was just a really moving experience.