Laura – I’ve always loved reading and storytelling.  From relating stories and dreams to my aunties as a toddler, to reading Lord of the Rings as a teenager.  I think I first engaged with “proper” literature” when I studied Higher English.  I hadn’t had much confidence with English until then.  I realise now that the advice and encouragement of a great teacher can make a huge difference to a person’s learning.  I grew to love the idea that writing can be much more than just an entertaining story (though there’s nothing wrong with that either!). Literature can symbolise or represent much bigger ideas and truths – and  these ideas and truths are infinite because they are different for every reader.

• are there a few key works of prose or poetry that you perhaps read when you were younger, that you have always returned to over the years?

Laura – I love the warm humour of “To Kill a Mockingbird”.  I feel I laugh at something different and learn something new every time I read it.  Ray Bradbury’s writing has an incredible visual originality to it.  I always mean to get around to reading more of his work, especially after reading his advice in “Zen and the Art of Writing”.  I’m also a big fan of reading as escapism. Fantasy fiction and urban fantasy fulfills that little girl in me that will always believe in fairies at the bottom of the garden.  Literature’s great, but sometimes you just need to relax.  Literature can challenge your preconceptions and values and make you really think.  Reading fantasy on the other hand, for me, is like sinking into a thick, cozy, comfortable quilt.

• where do you find inspiration for your own current creative work?

Laura – Everywhere and anywhere!  I probably work more creatively on finding ways to encourage others’ writing than my own at the moment.   Inspiration can be found in a conversation, a half-remembered snippet of a memory, in flicking through adverts on the telly, even in a face you pass in the street.  I think the key is to be open and to reflect.

Laura viewing some of the rare books on display

• how does your work in the school classroom compare to working with adults in your Figment classes?

Laura – I think people often come to the Figment classes after years away from education.  Many have lost confidence because of that.  My job is to get those creative muscles working again.  Pupils in school, on the other hand get regular practice of thinking in lots of different ways, but can take that for granted and aren’t always so self-motivated.  It’s much easier to make things relevant to the interests of a small group of adults, rather than a class of thirty teenagers.  Adults come to Figment classes because they are doing something for themselves.  Many teenagers come to school and have to wait until they get home to do something that they choose to do from their own interests.

• many people feel that they just aren’t capable of being creative, whether through writing, music, art – How can you encourage someone who feels that way?

Laura – I think people need to realise that there are many ways of being creative.  We often pigeonhole creativity as writing, art or music – which can exclude lots of people whose talents lie in other fields.   This could be cookery, flower arranging, singing or dancing – or it could even be through the way we carry out our housework! It’s all about the way we think about things, the way we stretch ourselves in different directions, whether to improve or simply experiment. As long as someone is enjoying themselves, that’s the important thing.  I try to help people see what their talents are, build their confidence with these, then try to gently open them up to the possibility that they may be better than they realise at other things as well.  People feel inhibited for lots of different reasons.  I try to help them focus on the positives.

Graeme explaining the history of the Cosmographicus

• are there any excercises that you would recommend to get in the right creative frame of mind to start writing, lose your inhibitions?

Laura – There are a huge variety of exercises you can find in books and on the internet.  Experimenting with these and using lots of different things is a good ideas.  I think the best kind of exercise to help a writer lose inhibitions is a kind of “free-flow”, or “stream-of-consciousness” style of writing in which you just type or scribble anything that comes to mind (usually in response to a simple idea or image) – without censoring yourself, without agonising over word choice and grammar.  It can be surprising what arises from the subconscious when you set your inner-critic aside!

• have you ever experienced the frustration of ‘writer’s block’ yourself? how would you get out of that situation?

Laura – Writer’s block can be caused by many things: stress, feeling overwhelmed, lack of confidence, tiredness etc, etc, etc.  it’s important to set aside time for yourself: that’s where I’ve found deadlines and writers’ groups can be very useful to give you that incentive to write.  Classes also give you confidence and with regular practice, you can see yourself how quickly your creative writing skills can develop.  When you get to the point where you’ve written as much as you can on a certain topic or in a larger project such as a novel, I think you need to be honest with yourself about the need to stop.  You can always come back to it later.  The important thing is to write regularly – so when you get stuck with one thing, write about something else entirely.  You’d be surprised how useful it can be to let your imagination wander down a different path.  All the time you work on other things, your subconscious will be working away on your behalf, percolating away with ideas to help you with your original project – then it’ll present you with inspiration at unexpected moments and cheerio writer’s block!

• with a busy life, job, a new business, do you need a well structured routine to ensure you get some creative time for personal projects? can a creative process really work in a structured way where you can ‘turn it on & off’ when required?

Laura – I think that’s the way it needs to work.  Even full-time writers need discipline: that particular time of the day when they sit down and write – write anything – but write.  Most writers have routines: they won’t leave their desk until they’ve written two thousand words that day, or they won’t leave their desk between 6am and 10 am, and so on.  I’m not sure that creativity is ever completely “turned off”.  When you get the writing bug, there’s always a part of you that’s keeping an eye out for new ideas, new plots, new characters, new descriptions – or solutions to a tricking point you’ve gotten to in your writing.

• how do you prefer to enjoy a good book or collection of poetry – have you embraced the digital format?

Laura – I’ve totally embraced digital reading!  It depends though: if I’m going to take notes (as I do when I read poetry and sometimes short stories), I prefer to be able to highlight and annotate.  While you can do this in digital format, I still prefer to have it on paper.  Reading for pleasure, on the other hand, is so convenient for people with busy lifestyles.  I don’t always have room in my handbag or pockets to take a paperback with me wherever I go – but I always have my phone on me with its Kindle and other e-book apps.

• how do you feel physical bookshops & libraries can remain relevant & useful going forward?

Laura – I think libraries need to make the most of their function as a community focus – and I think many local libraries are doing this, particularly when it comes to encouraging toddler engagement with language.  I’d like to see more of this with teenage and adult readers and writers as well.

• what plans do you have for Figment for the year ahead?

Laura – I’m looking forward to starting up writing classes in other areas as well as Stirling.  I want to give as many people in Central Scotland the chance to access support for their writing without having to travel to Glasgow and Edinburgh.   I’ve been hugely impressed by the talent that goes unsung in the Stirling area.  I’m starting to run creative writing competitions with “The Wire” and “Central Links” so I can help showcase these.  I also want to give people with other creative talents the chance to get professional advice and encouragement so I’m excited about starting art classes very soon!

rare historic vellum bound books

• Could you recommend your 5 favourite pieces of work from the last few years that you really enjoyed?

Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
- helpful, friendly, enthusiastic and unpretentious advice from a guy who’s been there, done everything.

Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing
- I envy Bradbury’s passionate addiction to writing – he feels he’d actually go insane without writing every day.

Any Carol Ann Duffy collection of poetry – her poems are so accessible because her use of language is so familiar to all of us and unpretentious – yet they still explore deep and meaningful ideas and emotions

To Kill A Mockingbird
- every time I read it, I find something new to laugh about.  The warm humour and portrayal of realistic characters seem effortless, but the more you study it, the more you realise what a work of art this novel really is.

“The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber was highly recommended to me recently at a networking meeting and it gives great business advice.

Thanks to Laura for taking the time to talk, check out her website for details of upcoming classes.

Thanks also to Graeme Young who kindly allowed us special access to the Leighton Library. Graeme gave a great account of the history of the building and the Collection – which is well worth a visit. The library will be open to the public from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, May to September, see their website for more details. Here is some more information on Bishop Leighton which is a good starting point before your visit.