This is the fourteenth in my occasional series of “Books on the Horizon” – travelogues I dream of researching and writing, though probably never will. My “Books on the Horizon” are an exercise in creativity, idle whimsy and – through any reactions I get – testing the water.
Read more about the series in this introductory page, and see the idea that inspired it – The Impossible Books of Keith Kahn-Harris.
TITLE
Island Hopping: Travels to Scotland’s Island Breweries.
THE ELEVATOR PITCH
Tapping (excuse the pun) somewhat belatedly into the zeitgeist of the craft beer revolution, and using it as an excuse to do a tour of Scotland’s islands.
THE “OVER A DRINK” PITCH
Unusually for my Books on the Horizon, this is the only one that I’ve actually started the research for. I conceived the idea in around 2015 or so, thinking it would be a great way to see some (relatively) handy parts of Scotland, some of which I’d been to before and others not. I even got as far as writing a page for this work in progress, in the hope it would then be the book’s own page once it was finished.
So to understand more about why I wanted to write the book, head over to that link. There’s no point me repeating the pitch here.
WHY ME?
The main reason is that I’ve started. I know the region, I love beer, and I write about both quite well I think.
WHAT WOULD I BE MOST HOPEFUL OF?
Though I’ve not read it, I suspect the late Iain Banks’ Raw Spirit is the sort of whisky equivalent to what I am trying to do here for beer. I’d like to do two things: explore the region and also celebrate the product. And I’d hope to do both well, in an adventure that is engaging, positive, and revealing for both author and reader.
WHAT WOULD I BE MOST FEARFUL OF?
Not finishing it. Which, given the current situation, is a near certainty. This new blog post explains why I “retired” the book, and I would be fearful of the three reasons I mention there.
WHAT WOULD I NEED TO WRITE THIS BOOK?
Quite simply, the overcoming of those three reasons. In a practical sense, though, it’s one of the easiest books to write because of its locality and the ease in which it would fit into holidays. Spread over a long period, I’d need very little extra resource. As a single, intense trip, probably a free summer (or longer) and probably two or three grand in my pocket.
HOW LIKELY AM I TO WRITE IT?
Despite the fact that this is the only Book on the Horizon I’ve started, or perhaps because of the fact that I abandoned it, I could imagine this being the least likely of my series to come to fruition. The three reasons I give in this blog post for stopping the project all stand true today. Even if I had the money and time, there are others that would be easier to undertake the research for.
What do you think? Is this a book you’d like to read? Let me know in the comments below. And read the rest of my series of Books on the Horizon here.
