Radio 4 and Short Stories- Help save them...

More bad news for short story writers has been announced, from next spring Radio 4 will be reducing their short story slots from three a week to one- read the Bookseller article here.

The Society of Authors (SoA) have written to the BBC Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams, saying "We were astonished to hear this news, not least because at recent meetings you reiterated the BBC's commitment to showcasing new and original writing." (You can read the complete letter on the SoA link.)

There are also related links on the SoA page and you can also see the current signatories to the petition and their comments.

There is an online petition at the National Short Story Week website, so you can show your support too by signing up- I've signed today, and all you need to give is your name, e-mail address and any comment you wish to add- after you sign the petition there is an option to donate to iPetitions to keep it free, but no donation is necessary to add your name to the petition.

So if you love the short story, sign the petition and/or send your comments to: Gwyneth Williams, Controller BBC Radio 4, Broadcasting House, London W1A 1AA.

School's Almost Out...

Yes it's that time of year again, the six weeks school summer holidays begins at the end of this week, for me.

In the past I've always used this time to do research, whether it's reading up on a subject, or visiting a place that features in my novel under construction, or one in the planning stage.
Neither apply this year.

This year there are no trips planned, so I can't relax while I'm absorbing the sights and history of my chosen area.

Likewise I find any concentrated writing session is also out- there's too many interruptions and background noise. I need quiet to write and I don't get it during this long holiday...

Fortunately there are a few films out currently that my family want to see, so I'll be taking advantage of the silence when they go out-barring unexpected intrusions...

So I've decided this summer to get more organised.

I have lots of information and illustrations in plastic covers sat in a box waiting to be filed. As they're clearly falling into set categories, for example: buildings, costume, law, food, and people (any interesting faces from magazines, catalogues etc). So hopefully by the time September comes these useful items will be filed for easy access- I know there are a number of nuggets of inspiration among them.

So I need to make some room on my bookshelves for easy future access- and of course that means sorting other stuff out and seeing what I want to keep and what can be recycled...

Somewhere I have a folder full of old short stories that got temporarily packed away and haven't been seen since- my computer couldn't read the language they were originally saved in. Some of the hard copies might be worth reviewing- I've learnt a lot since they were written.

So I'm off to order the bits and pieces I'm going to need- a few large boxes included.

But, the good thing is I do still have a couple of days of quiet writing time left...