If you see a man called John Harvey going about, buy him a pint. He’s a playwright to trade. He read the drafts of my book and said to himself ‘It’s good, very good. As answers to exam questions, that is. But where’s the story, where’s the plot, where’s the drama, where’s the author’s usp (unique selling point)?’ One phone call did it. I’m re-casting the material – which, as he says, really is ‘good… very good’ – to attach it to location. Trainspotting is on location or it’s nothing. My tour is on location, or it’s nowhere. The man’s a genius. There’s a new spring in my step.
