Many moments in Stuart MacBride’s childhood were spent either browsing the school library or huddled under the duvet with a torch and a good book.
His love of writing came later in his early 20s when some friends were writing fantasy novels for fun.
Encouraged to give it a go, it was a hobby that sparked a whole new world for the Aberdeen best-selling author.
“It turns out playing God is a lot of fun,” he said.
“I decide who lives and dies, I decide everything. I can rearrange Aberdeen to suit my whims if I wish.
“Or come up with completely different cities. That’s very liberating.”
That is not to say his first attempt at a novel was a success. Actually, in his own words, it was really terrible.
But Stuart enjoyed it and with every book, learnt from his mistakes.
And that, he said, is the key for any budding writer.
‘Enjoy the dreadfulness’ of starting out
In honour of Granite Noir’s newly launched short story writing competition, we asked the former festival ambassador to share any advice for those thinking of dabbling in crime fiction.
Speaking from experience, he was quick to ground dreams of being a literary genius on the first try.
Like learning any skill, such as learning the cello, you have to build it up.
First, there are the “horrible squeaking noises”. Then after a lot of work, a rendition of Baa Baa Black Sheep might be recognisable. It takes much longer to attempt Brahms.
Stuart added: “You will get better and better as you go in your practice. It’s exactly the same thing for writing.
“Your first novel will probably be dreadful. That’s fine. Write it, enjoy the dreadfulness, learn from it and do something a bit better next time based on what you’ve just learned.”
While Stuart admitted he used to enjoy having the north-east crime-writing landscape pretty much to himself, he said it is nice to see the culture of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire shine through other authors and festivals like Granite Noir.
He added: “One of the really great things about crime fiction is that it tells the stories of where we’re from.
“We are unique as a people here in the north-east and we have a language of our own, we have a culture. We have a weird relationship with the oil industry and all sorts of other things that are unique to us. So write about it.”
Top tips: Learn thriller twists from comedians
In comparison to a 100,000-word novel, completing a short story for the Granite Noir writing competition might sound pretty easy.
Or in Stuart’s words, a burger compared to a three-star Michelin meal-tasting menu.
But really it means the few pages created have to be crammed full with the “best and tastiest” goodness you can offer.
Having a final twist in the sentence at the end which reflects the start of the story is also always a nice feature. Especially if the reader cannot see it coming.
For tips, Stuart suggested watching comedians at work.
He said: “That’s something comedians do an awful lot. You can see comedians do that call back to a joke that happened right at the very start. And they do that as they go through.
“There’s a lot that’s very similar in comedy to short story writing… that building of anticipation, the subverting of expectation, and the punchline, which is usually horrible, in a crime novel, but it’s still a punch line.”
‘It should always be about love and fun’
However, instead of focusing on the fortune and fame of winning the competition, most of all Stuart encouraged the art of having fun.
“Don’t get caught up in the fact it’s a competition,” he said.
“That’s not the purpose of doing it. The purpose of doing it is to have fun as a writer, and to learn new stuff and to grow as a writer.
“This is a reason for you to sit down in front of your computer, and create a new story. To have fun writing, try a different style, voice, or something new.
“It should always be about love and fun, even when you’re writing about cannibals and dismemberment.”
Closing date Sunday January 28
The Granite Noir short writing competition is open to individuals aged 18 and above.
One entry between 1,500 to 2,000 words per person is allowed and the entry must be in the theme of Granite Noir e.g. crime fiction, thriller or mystery.
All entries must be sent to the email gncomp@aberdeenperformingarts.com by midnight on Sunday January 28. To find out more or to apply, click here.
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