I have visited the west and north coasts of Scotland only once, but they made such an indelible impression on me that I made it the home of a character in my historical fantasy series, a poet/musician called Sorley (although his real name is Somhairle) who leaves his land once because of war, and then for love. But it never stops calling to him, and at the end of the series he does go home. Reading this I can feel again his/my longing for his landscape, the call that is always there. (I did not - consciously - know of Sorley MacLean when the character appeared in my head.) Thank you for the pictures you are painting here, and the deeper questions contemplated.
Thank you so much for this. It is a remarkable landscape, with a powerful history (and prehistory), and people who are quite simply wonderful.
That is somehow not surprising that you named your character Sorley without knowing of Sorley Maclean (also Somhairle MacGill-Eain), I find that this land and people have a way of sneaking their way into story whether you know they will be there, or not. Sometimes, I will reread something I have crafted a long time ago and only now realise that a place reflects somewhere on the west coast of Scotland, or a character is clearly based on someone I knew.
It is a magical place, and I really doubt anyone who visits leaves the same.
Thanks again! And thank you so much for subscribing, that truly means a lot to me.
I have visited the west and north coasts of Scotland only once, but they made such an indelible impression on me that I made it the home of a character in my historical fantasy series, a poet/musician called Sorley (although his real name is Somhairle) who leaves his land once because of war, and then for love. But it never stops calling to him, and at the end of the series he does go home. Reading this I can feel again his/my longing for his landscape, the call that is always there. (I did not - consciously - know of Sorley MacLean when the character appeared in my head.) Thank you for the pictures you are painting here, and the deeper questions contemplated.
Thank you so much for this. It is a remarkable landscape, with a powerful history (and prehistory), and people who are quite simply wonderful.
That is somehow not surprising that you named your character Sorley without knowing of Sorley Maclean (also Somhairle MacGill-Eain), I find that this land and people have a way of sneaking their way into story whether you know they will be there, or not. Sometimes, I will reread something I have crafted a long time ago and only now realise that a place reflects somewhere on the west coast of Scotland, or a character is clearly based on someone I knew.
It is a magical place, and I really doubt anyone who visits leaves the same.
Thanks again! And thank you so much for subscribing, that truly means a lot to me.