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Alexander McCall Smith, a bestselling author from Scotland, talks about the art of storytelling, global appeal, and literary travels – Travel+Leisure India & Asia

Original Article – Travel+Leisure India & Asia

By Shireen Quadri 

‘I Write Even When I’m Travelling’, Says Author Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith (75), the bestselling Scottish author, was at Sri Lanka’s iconic Galle Literary Festival, which concluded recently. He gives us a peek into how he crafts diverse characters, the universal appeal of gentle humour, the significance of the place in storytelling, and the synergy between places, people, and the creative process. Edited excerpts:

In Conversation with Alexander McCall Smith on Literary TravelsT+L India: You have been immensely prolific, with over 100 books across genres to your name. How do you ensure the quality and distinctiveness of each work?Alexander McCall Smith: I enjoy writing different series. Currently, I am running about six series of books, with different characters. The characters tend to create their worlds once you bring them into being. Sometimes, that’s surprising. You discover that a character has characteristics that you hadn’t imagined that character would have. They lead their own fictional lives, and one feels like a mere chronicler of what is happening in their lives rather than the creator. I enjoy writing several books that are also different from one another. I like the variety. I also write quite quickly; I couldn’t have written five books a year if I were a slow writer. People think that you have to wait for inspiration to come. But if you do that you’ll never get anything done. You’ve just got to sit down and start writing.

T+L India: Precious Ramotswe, the Botswana detective in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, is one of your most iconic characters. How do you craft your characters in a way that resonates with readers across cultures? 

Alexander McCall Smith: It’s not deliberate. If you set out to create characters that would appeal across cultures, you would get it wrong because it wouldn’t be authentic. In the case of Precious Ramotswe, I suppose I was writing about the lady that I had seen when I lived in Botswana. I had seen people like her. So, I was just describing her. The reason why she struck a chord with readers internationally is because she has human characteristics. She’s the kind of person you would like to sit and have a cup of tea with, and that’s what people like. The world is an intolerant, confrontational place. People see a lot of ill-tempered behaviour and they want to spend time with a character who is kind and tolerant. 

T+L India: Your writing is laced with gentle humour and keen observations of human behaviour. How do you balance humour with deeper themes in your novels?

Alexander McCall Smith: Well, I think I do see the humorous side of things. You can use humour to make a serious point. You can say a lot about the world’s pain and difficulties. You can use humour to communicate with people. And that’s often a more powerful way of getting the message across as opposed to writing something very sad and tragic. You can use humour to comment on human characteristics, failings, and ambitions. I think humour is something that people are very receptive to. It’s very important to retain our sense of humour.

T+L India: Your writing is rooted in a strong sense of place. How important is the setting to your storytelling? 

Alexander McCall Smith: It’s vital for me. I often start with a sense of place first. Then, I put the characters in the plot. I respond to the place instinctively and strongly. You shouldn’t describe it too closely. You should use a relatively light brush and let the reader’s imagination work. People are interested in the characters and the place. They are fed up with planned standardized locations. We need a sense of attachment to a place; where we want to be located. In a world that is increasingly homogenized and characterless, we want to focus on places.

T+L India: What place would you like to go to to rejuvenate? 

Alexander McCall Smith: I have several favourite places. I feel that Sri Lanka is a remarkable, lovely country. Its beauty is in the peace and tranquillity that one feels here. I like being in Galle as it has a tremendous atmosphere. We have a house in the Scottish Highlands and I go there a lot; it’s my writing retreat. It’s the highest in the Scottish Highlands and is very peaceful. The place is called Morvern. It is a peninsula located on the west coast of Scotland. Our house is in the mountains right by the sea and on the high tide, the sea is about 10 meters from our door while I’m writing. I write everywhere. I’m writing at the moment — volume 25 of my Botswana series. I write when I travel. I also enjoy being in India. I’ve been to several cities there, including Jaipur, Cochin, Trivandrum and Kolkata. I wish to see Assam.

T+L India: What are some of the places on your bucket list?

Alexander McCall Smith: There are parts of South America I would like to see more of. I have been to some countries but I’d like to spend some more time in Chile and Argentina. I’ve been to both of these countries, but I don’t know them well. I find South America colourful and exciting. I’ve been to Hong Kong, but I don’t know China at all. So, there are still some places in the world I would like to see. I don’t like sightseeing and soaking up the atmosphere. I go and sit in a cafe or sit beside a street and observe people and have conversations; I love chatting with people at places I visit. That’s the nice thing about Sri Lanka and India — people are prepared to have a conversation. This is not possible in every country. In some big cities, people are always in a rush and nobody’s got the time to talk to you.

T+L India: How does travel shape your writing? 

Alexander McCall Smith: It’s useful because seeing new places and sites stimulates the imagination. It’s good as long as you don’t do too much. Sometimes, people who are travelling spend all their time looking at the sights and taking photographs that they aren’t experiencing at the moment. That’s why I don’t like to go to too many places. I would rather go to just one place and stay there, trying to imagine, rather than going off to local sites. Many of my short stories are inspired by things that I’ve seen in places I have visited.