Anita Sullivan

Multimedia storyteller and playwright. 1982 Janine. Blown away. I’ve applied Alasdair’s lifechanging feedback on my novel Dog to everything I’ve written.

What does Alasdair Gray mean to you?

Explain yourself?

1982 Janine went fearlessly to difficult places and broke the form of the novel. Reading it was a revelation. Alasdair read my work and was amazingly generous with his feedback. His advice stays with me to this day.

What have you done differently because of Alasdair?

I write shorter sentences.

How does Alasdair continue to influence or inspire you?

I aspire to be bold, big-visioned and exact in my own work. Reading the Ministry of Voices section in Janine, I hear it. The typography is oral choreography, defining volume, timing, stereo position, layering and performance. I want to make that audio, with animated typography. Anyone want to work with me?

DOG: A Masochist’s Tale

Anita describes the making and remaking of a novel that’s taken her almost as long to write as Lanark and shares some editorial advice from Alasdair Gray. Read more.