This was important to me as I am studying Atwood's novels as part of my advanced Higher English course. The book festival captivated me.

I had previously been to Aberdeen's Word festival which had impressed me. The book festival however trumped my previous experience. The authors were more plentiful, the venues larger and the entire atmosphere portrayed a sense of dedication and endeavour.

It was obvious that this is an event that takes a whole year to organise. Charlotte Square had been transformed into an elaborate playground for lovers of literature. Atwood herself was also impressive.

At 69 she is the vision of confidence – not remotely deterred by the large enthused audience or the television cameras. Her sense of humour also amazed me. Although she'd won the Man Booker Prize in 2000 she had been a runner-up five times previously.

"This," she laughed "means I've lost it more times than won it, I don't find that impressive!"



Later that afternoon we left Charlotte Square. A cousin of mine was performing in a play in the Bedlam Theatre as part of the Fringe. This piece of theatre differed from any I'd seen previously.

The three members of the cast were on stage solidly for an hour performing a quirky yet sinister musical. There is no easy way to describe it – one scene involved my cousin dressed as a Tesco manager.
The frustrated character performed a comical dance before seemingly going insane and cutting up limbs from a dismembered manikin (stored in a Tesco trolley).

Although the performance was not everyone's idea of fun there was no way it could be described as dull.

The great thing about the Fringe is that it allows amateur dramatists and actors to really bring their work to life. Without the Fringe many would be unable to fund their performances or obtain a venue.
My final experience was a theatre trip to the festival with my Advanced Higher Drama class.

"365" is a fresh and innovative performance produced by National Theatre Scotland. The play focuses on the experiences of a group of teenagers about to leave care who are in the transition between childhood and adulthood.

The performance strives to break down the boundaries of theatre to show the emotional, rather than physical, difficulties young adults face when leaving care.

The play strikes an emotional chord as it reminds the audience that one in three children in the UK is living in poverty and questions the authenticity of the government's proposition of abolishing child poverty by 2020.

My experience of the festival was highly positive and I have vowed to go back next year. I just hope my subsequent experience can be just as entertaining and enthralling as this year's.