Author: janet2014

This story, set in Iran and India, and dealing with women’s right to autonomy, has been shortlisted in the 87 Bedford competition.

I’ve only just discovered – because I wasn’t notified – that I had three short stories longlisted in the Fish International Short Story Competition this year. These were, ‘The Menace at the Gate’, ‘The Queen of Campbeltown’ and ‘Drishti’ (under a different title). Good grief!

What a tremendous week-end! There must be something in this summer solstice business. First of all, it’s the first International Yoga day today, so many goings on and much interest there. (Git on down, Mr. Modi!) Then I attended a thought-provoking workshop with Toby Litt today, on the difference between tales and stories, and another cracking one last night with D W Wilson about how to ‘intensify’ one’s prose. I have come away with much to think about (and not always what the workshop leaders may have intended, either). Paul McVeigh’s strategy of inviting overseas writers who are not so well known to us here really paid off and means that I’ve had to truck home even more books to sit on the landing. This was an extremely stimulating event this year, and I’m grateful to Spread the Word for organising it.

As a Northerner, I am not greatly given to superlatives, unless they feature sweary words, but this evening’s session on the BBC Short Story Award featured three writers – two of whom I am encountering for the first time – whose work is absolutely top dollar. These were D W Wilson, Joe Dunthorne and Krys Lee. Apart from reading powerful extracts from their work, they had some great insights to share about what makes a short story special. Stories that take a ‘left turn’ for example. Then there was D W Wilson’s observation that ‘ a good story is like the sky reflected in a puddle,’ and Krys Lee saying she was motivated by problems she experienced in the Universe (as opposed to the challenges of form or language).

DW mentioned that the difference between writing a novel and writing a short story is like building a house versus building a cabinet: they both require the same materials, but with the cabinet, there’s a greater chance of perfection. So, it seems to me, it’s like writing a symphony as compared to writing a string quartet.

My pile of early morning reading just got larger.

The second session yesterday evening featured writer Ben Okri talking about his considerable oeuvre. Interestingly, the room virtually emptied of its white audience and was replaced with a mainly black one. What does that tell us about multi-cultural Britain and our willingness, or otherwise, to listen to and learn about each other’s experiences? Hmmm.