Will Napier, Writer

Writer, Will Napier, was born in West Virginia, on the East Coast of America and first came to Scotland in 1996. "I met my wife, Elaine here while I was on holiday," he says. "After I finished my degree in the United States I wanted to do a post-graduate course. I wanted to try something different and I thought it would be nice to do something in Scotland."

Will moved to Scotland to do his PhD, and he likes how Scotland is so accessible. "The University of Glasgow had a Creative Writing course and I started it in 1999 and stayed on to do my PhD. I’ve been trying to finish my PhD on American Gothic Literature; it’s on the books by Stephen King.

"There are so many things I like about Scotland. Everything is so spaced out in the States. You have to travel so far to get from one city to another, whereas in Scotland it will only take around an hour. Everything is more accessible here," he says.

Elaine and Will's children were born in Scotland as well. "We have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, and Elaine takes care of the little ones," says Will. "Ethan is the oldest at 6-years-old, Zac is 2, and Alex is 1. The boys have been to America to see family and they have dual British and American nationality. But we haven’t been back since Alex was born. In fact, I haven’t been for the past three years.

"We live in Dunfermline and I travel to Glasgow everyday to work on my PhD. It’s nice to experience the city when I need to and when the mood takes me."

Even though Will likes the city, he finds it difficult to pick out Scotland’s best feature. He says, "I wouldn't be able to say what Scotland's biggest selling point is; it's a difficult question. Once you're here it's easy to take the good parts for granted. I like things such as haggis and Irn-Bru and the good sense of national spirit Scots have in sporting events. There is a good sense of pride here. The people don’t take their heritage for granted.

"There are many appealing things. Everyone is so welcoming in Scotland. It’s a culture you become familiar with very quickly.

"The landscape is another thing that stands out. In the States, everything is new. In Edinburgh there is the castle and everywhere you go you can see Arthur's Seat. The landscape and architecture always amazes me. When my wife and I first travelled here there were flats we stayed in that were older than some cities in America!"

Although Will was impressed with Scottish architecture, he was even more impressed with the writing community. "I was worried about 'competing' with the talent in Scotland, but everyone here is so accepting," he says. "The writing community is very diverse. People from different backgrounds are producing fiction; it is not just those who have gone to university to study for a PhD.

"The stories are honest and open, the language used is strong, and it's a distinctive part of Scotland. There are opportunities to get stuff published. The talent in Scotland is exceptional and it’s great to be a part of it. It helps me with my own writing."

Being in Scotland helps Will with his own writing because there are lots of opportunities for new writers. He says, "The best thing about being a writer in Scotland is that there are places that accept new writing. The Scottish Arts Community offer support to people who want to write. More and more people are seeing that there are opportunities to get their work out there.

"There are so many things I enjoy about Scotland and I don't want to take it for granted."