After all the excitement of our 150th anniversary event at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library, I was looking forward to a quieter week. All of this year’s celebrations have been great fun, but there is still a weekly magazine to produce. Making sure it is the best possible quality every issue is my top priority.
With that in mind, I spent a lot of time this week reading the short stories that Shirley, our Fiction Editor, puts forward for my final approval. Shirley and I both have to be completely happy with a story before it is bought for inclusion in a future issue. That means I have to keep up a reading rate of 15 to 20 short stories every single week. That’s no mean feat sometimes!
However, inspired by some of the talks I heard in Glasgow, I set aside an hour to make a very special pilgrimage. With Margaret from the Production Team and Barry from the Archives Department, I drove across the Tay Bridge to Fife on the trail of “Friend” legend William C. Honeyman. You can read about our quest to find his grave and pay tribute on the centenary of his death here.
Even a quieter week has its share of meetings and deadlines. I caught up with marketing manager Kirsty and some other colleagues, and also had the usual busy Thursday, getting the issue off to press.
After all that, it was lovely to take some time out at the weekend with a tranquil stroll around idyllic Birnie Loch in Fife.
And even though I had spent most of the week reading, I still found time for an hour or two with a good book!
Read previous instalments of the Editor’s Diary here.
Angela Gilchrist I am the former Editor-in-Chief of “The People’s Friend” magazine. My passions include cats, Highland ponies, good books, vegetarian food and long walks in the Scottish countryside. My favourite place to get away from it all is the magical Isle of Skye.
