By Tracey McCallum
West End based, award-winning screenwriter, actor and writer Linda Duncan McLaughlin has recently published her debut novel Original Sins – a tense psychological thriller packed full of family secrets and set between Glasgow and the Isle of Bute.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I grew up in East Kilbride when it was a wet-behind-the-ears New Town. I’ve studied a range of subjects in a range of places: Business Studies at the (then) Glasgow College of Technology, Acting at Guildford School of Drama, a BA Humanities at the Open University, an MLitt in Creative Writing at University of Glasgow, and a Masters in TV Fiction Writing (MATV) at Glasgow Caledonian. #eternalstudent.
You were an actor before becoming a writer, did you always want to act?
Yes, but I never thought I was allowed to because it wasn’t a ‘sensible’ career. A job working with dedicated scientists who were pursing their dreams, and a flatmate who was pursuing a creative career, made me see that it wasn’t just possible, it was imperative. Carpe diem!
How did you get into writing?
Again, it was something I’d wanted to do since I was a kid (I was always writing stories at school) but I didn’t pursue it properly until I’d been acting for about 10 years. I took a couple of short courses at the University of Glasgow, went on to the MLitt, then the MATV, then I started writing seriously: first plays, then screenplays (for BBC Scotland’s River City), and most recently publishing my novel, Original Sins – though the seeds of that were sewn during the MLitt.
What was your first big career break?
In writing, probably the first full-length play I wrote, Descent, which was produced at Òran Mór, was nominated for a CATS award for Best New Play, and subsequently got funding to tour Scotland, including a run at the Fringe.
How do you juggle being a screenwriter, playwright and actor?
I try to separate out the different demands and not take too many projects on simultaneously. But most of the time I’m switching hats frantically, so far it’s worked (so far…crosses fingers).
Tell us about the work you do with the Good Life Group.
I write and direct for The Good Life Group, a group of people with learning disabilities who provide training for doctors, dentists, support workers, housing workers etc. We use Forum Theatre scenarios to illustrate poor communication in a setting such as a meeting or a consultation and the trainees switch in to try to do things better, with feedback from our actors. It’s very effective because it’s delivered by people with learning disabilities and it won a COSLA award a few years ago.
What’s been your career highlight so far?
I’ve been lucky enough to have loads. In playwriting, definitely Descent. In acting, working with the legendary Terence Davies on Sunset Song. And in screenwriting, getting to work regularly on River City. And, of course, finally getting my novel published.
What advice would you offer for anyone starting out in your industry?
If it’s right for you, don’t give up; it’s worth hanging in there and the highs more than outweigh the lows. But if it’s not, recognise it – there’s no shame in taking another path.
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?
I used to wish I’d started acting earlier (I’ll never play Juliet, now…) but now I think there’s maybe a right time for everything and I started on a creative career at the time that was right for me.
What was the inspiration for Original Sins?
A lot of my writing is about identity, relationships, what makes you who you are – and when one of my best friends adopted a baby, it started me wondering about what it would be like to have no history, no information about where or who you come from. Another inspiration was my favourite Steinbeck novel, East of Eden, which interrogates whether someone can just be ‘born bad’ – Original Sins is concerned very much with the nature/nurture debate.
What’s your writing process?
Like many actor/writers, most of my writing starts from a single character monologue, so initially I will probably have a clear central protagonist. But I don’t always know what they’re going to do, or who else will be part of their story, so I’m certainly more of a ‘pantser’ (as in seat-of-the) than a planner.
How did you go about your research around adoption and the prison service?
I read a lot of non-fiction accounts about how people felt about their adopted status, read stories with an adoption theme, and talked to Family Tracing agencies and the General Registrar Office about the technical aspects. I also taught creative writing in prisons, including higher security ones, so I knew something first-hand about how they’re organised, and I interviewed a Forensic Psychiatrist about what happens to long-stay psychiatric prisoners over time. And I made stuff up too.
You must be thrilled to receive award nominations for your debut novel?
I am! The CWA Debut Dagger is really prestigious, and the Grindstone was a lovely surprise.
Original Sins is set in Glasgow and Rothesay. Do you have a connection to the Isle of Bute?
My family (like many working-class families in Glasgow, including my protagonist Joanne’s family) owned a small flat in Rothesay, and when I was a child we all used to go down there for holiday weekends. I still have a strong connection, however: close friends own a flat in Ardbeg, many other friends now live there full-time, and I’ve spent loads of time both working and relaxing on the island.
What do you love most about Glasgow? Where are your favourite spots?
I love the fact that you’re never far from a park in this city, and I particularly love walking through Kelvingrove and the Botanics and along the Kelvin, especially when the penguins are around. IFYKYK, right?
Original Sins is available from Waterstones Byres Road
