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Caithness writer Colin MacDonald to hold workshop at Lyth


By Gordon Calder

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'Caithness is never far from my mind,' says Colin MacDonald. Picture: Alan Hendry
'Caithness is never far from my mind,' says Colin MacDonald. Picture: Alan Hendry

AWARD-winning Caithness writer Colin MacDonald is staging a one-day workshop for budding screenwriters this spring.

Edinburgh-based MacDonald, who grew up in Wick, will be passing on his knowledge at the event at Lyth Arts Centre on Saturday, April 18.

He has written for radio, television and the big screen.

"Caithness is never far from my mind and when the opportunity came to do this at Lyth I jumped at it," MacDonald said.

"Growing up in Wick, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t know any writers or how to go about it. Andy Robertson, my English teacher at Wick High School, was an inspiration to me – in encouraging me and pointing me on the way.

"David Morrison, the librarian, brought well-known writers to the town and I got to see that they were human beings and not some kind of otherworldly figures."

MacDonald added: "This is a great opportunity to pass on some of the things I have learned in a lifetime of writing – whether it’s finding stories, or technique, or structure, or simply how to make space for yourself to sit down and write.

"I teach screen writing at Screen Academy Scotland in Edinburgh, and I regularly lead masterclasses at the University of the Highlands and Islands on Skye, so this is a great opportunity to be able to do it where it matters most to me. We’ll have a whole day out at Lyth and it will be good fun."

Tickets for the event, which went on sale earlier this month, have been snapped up already. Numbers are being limited to 12 because it is an intensive workshop.

Lyth co-director Tom Barnes said: "A fully booked event before the brochure has been fully distributed – that's a first for us."

He also pointed out that a waiting list is being started in case anyone drops out of the free event.

MacDonald was part of the Bafta award-winning writing team on ITV's Doctor Finlay which won best drama series. He has also written for TV programmes such as Sharpe's Honour, Blue Murder and Casualty.

His radio credits include Shardlake, The Whole of the Moon and Strummer and Me. He is writing a film for Amazon Studios in Los Angeles about Calum’s Road which tells the story of Raasay crofter Calum MacLeod who, when thwarted by local government, set out to build a road across his island himself – a task that took him 10 years.

MacDonald wrote a successful drama for BBC Radio 4 about it previously.

He is just back from a trip to Paris where he has been "putting the finishing touches" to a story he has set in the French capital.

MacDonald's workshop at Lyth will be part of a weekend of events which also features a total of five films, including Playhouse which was shot in Caithness by brothers Fionn and Toby Watts.

Listen to Colin MacDonald talking about his Caithness upbringing and his life as a writer in an interview for Wick Voices, the Wick Society's online oral history project.

Related article: Film, music, dance, theatre and family shows in new Lyth season


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