㰀栀攀愀搀㸀 㰀洀攀琀愀 渀愀洀攀㴀∀搀攀猀挀爀椀瀀琀椀漀渀∀ 挀漀渀琀攀渀琀㴀∀䴀猀氀攀砀椀愀 圀爀椀琀椀渀最 䐀愀礀 䄀琀 匀眀椀渀搀漀渀 䘀攀猀琀椀瘀愀氀 漀昀 䰀椀琀攀爀愀琀甀爀攀 戀礀 倀愀甀氀椀渀攀 䴀愀猀甀爀攀氀∀㸀 㰀洀攀琀愀 渀愀洀攀㴀∀䬀攀礀圀漀爀搀猀∀ 挀漀渀琀攀渀琀㴀∀猀眀椀渀搀漀渀Ⰰ 氀椀琀攀爀愀琀甀爀攀 昀攀猀琀椀瘀愀氀Ⰰ 眀爀椀琀椀渀最Ⰰ 猀栀漀爀琀 猀琀漀爀椀攀猀Ⰰ 洀猀氀攀砀椀愀Ⰰ 栀攀氀攀渀 搀甀渀洀漀爀攀Ⰰ 瀀愀甀氀椀渀攀 洀愀猀甀爀攀氀Ⰰ 洀愀稀稀礀∀㸀 㰀琀椀琀氀攀㸀匀眀椀渀搀漀渀 䘀攀猀琀椀瘀愀氀 漀昀 䰀椀琀攀爀愀琀甀爀攀 ㈀ ㌀㰀⼀琀椀琀氀攀㸀 㰀猀琀礀氀攀㸀 a:link {text-decoration: underline; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ眀攀椀最栀琀㨀 渀漀爀洀愀氀㬀 font-size: small; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ昀愀洀椀氀礀㨀 吀椀洀攀猀 一攀眀 刀漀洀愀渀Ⰰ 猀攀爀椀昀㬀 color: #5E5EFF; 紀 ऀ愀㨀瘀椀猀椀琀攀搀ऀ笀琀攀砀琀ⴀ搀攀挀漀爀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 甀渀搀攀爀氀椀渀攀㬀 font-weight: normal; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ猀椀稀攀㨀 猀洀愀氀氀㬀 font-family: Times New Roman, serif; 挀漀氀漀爀㨀 ⌀㌀㌀㤀㤀㌀㌀㬀 } 愀㨀栀漀瘀攀爀 笀琀攀砀琀ⴀ搀攀挀漀爀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 甀渀搀攀爀氀椀渀攀㬀 font-weight: normal; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ猀椀稀攀㨀 猀洀愀氀氀㬀 font-family: Times New Roman, serif; 挀漀氀漀爀㨀 ⌀䘀䘀㘀㘀㌀㌀㬀 } a:active {text-decoration: underline; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ眀攀椀最栀琀㨀 渀漀爀洀愀氀㬀 font-size: small; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ昀愀洀椀氀礀㨀 吀椀洀攀猀 一攀眀 刀漀洀愀渀Ⰰ 猀攀爀椀昀㬀 color: #FF6600; 紀 ⸀栀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀 笀琀攀砀琀ⴀ搀攀挀漀爀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 戀漀氀搀㬀 font-family: Times New Roman, serif; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ猀椀稀攀㨀 氀愀爀最攀㬀 font-weight: bold; 挀漀氀漀爀㨀 ⌀ 㬀 } ⸀栀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀㈀ 笀琀攀砀琀ⴀ搀攀挀漀爀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 渀漀渀攀㬀 font-family: Times New Roman, serif; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ猀椀稀攀㨀 猀洀愀氀氀㬀 font-weight: bold; 挀漀氀漀爀㨀 ⌀ 㬀 } ⸀挀漀氀甀洀渀 笀琀攀砀琀ⴀ搀攀挀漀爀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 渀漀渀攀㬀 font-family: Times New Roman, serif; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ猀椀稀攀㨀 猀洀愀氀氀㬀 font-weight: normal; 挀漀氀漀爀㨀 ⌀ 㬀 } .caption {text-decoration: none; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ昀愀洀椀氀礀㨀 䄀爀椀愀氀Ⰰ 猀愀渀猀 猀攀爀椀昀㬀 font-size: x-small; 昀漀渀琀ⴀ眀攀椀最栀琀㨀 渀漀爀洀愀氀㬀 color: #999999; 紀 㰀⼀猀琀礀氀攀㸀 㰀⼀栀攀愀搀㸀 㰀戀漀搀礀 戀最挀漀氀漀爀㴀∀⌀䔀䔀䔀䔀䔀䔀∀㸀 㰀℀ⴀⴀ 䘀䔀䐀䔀㤀䌀 ⴀⴀ㸀 㰀琀愀戀氀攀 眀椀搀琀栀㴀∀㜀 ─∀ 挀攀氀氀瀀愀搀搀椀渀最㴀∀ ∀ 戀漀爀搀攀爀㴀∀∀ 戀漀爀搀攀爀挀漀氀漀爀㴀∀⌀㘀㘀䌀䌀㌀㌀∀ 戀最挀漀氀漀爀㴀∀⌀䘀䘀䘀䘀䘀䘀∀ 愀氀椀最渀㴀∀挀攀渀琀攀爀∀㸀㰀琀爀㸀㰀琀搀㸀 A Day Out @ Swindon Festival of Literature 2003 㰀琀愀戀氀攀 眀椀搀琀栀㴀∀ ─∀㸀㰀琀爀㸀㰀琀搀㸀
| 㰀琀愀戀氀攀㸀 |
| 㰀昀漀渀琀 猀椀稀攀㴀∀㘀∀ 挀漀氀漀爀㴀 ∀⌀䌀䌀䌀䌀䐀䐀∀㸀㰀椀㸀㐀㰀⼀椀㸀㰀⼀昀漀渀琀㸀 | 㰀琀搀㸀
| 㰀猀瀀愀渀 挀氀愀猀猀㴀∀挀漀氀甀洀渀∀㸀
㰀椀㸀匀甀渀搀愀礀 㐀 䴀愀礀 ㈀ ㌀ꀀꀀ㰀⼀椀㸀㰀戀爀㸀㰀戀爀㸀
Mslexia Inspiration Workshop - the short story ꀀꀀ䴀猀氀攀砀椀愀 倀攀爀猀瀀椀爀愀琀椀漀渀 圀漀爀欀猀栀漀瀀 ⴀ 㰀愀 栀爀攀昀㴀∀⌀瀀攀爀猀瀀椀爀愀琀椀漀渀∀㸀㰀戀㸀瀀椀琀挀栀攀猀 愀渀搀 挀漀瘀攀爀 氀攀琀琀攀爀猀㰀⼀戀㸀㰀⼀愀㸀ꀀꀀ㰀戀爀㸀 Helen Dunmore - reading and in conversation about the short story 㰀戀㸀䴀猀氀攀砀椀愀㨀㰀⼀戀㸀 㰀愀 栀爀攀昀㴀∀栀琀琀瀀㨀⼀⼀眀眀眀⸀洀猀氀攀砀椀愀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀⼀∀ 琀愀爀最攀琀㴀∀开戀氀愀渀欀∀㸀眀眀眀⸀洀猀氀攀砀椀愀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀㰀⼀愀㸀ꀀꀀ㰀戀爀㸀 Lower Shaw Farm: www.lowershawfarm.co.uk 㰀戀㸀ꀀꀀ匀眀椀渀搀漀渀ꀀ䘀攀猀琀椀瘀愀氀ꀀ漀昀ꀀ䰀椀琀攀爀愀琀甀爀攀㨀㰀⼀戀㸀ꀀ㰀愀 栀爀攀昀㴀∀栀琀琀瀀㨀⼀⼀眀眀眀⸀猀眀椀渀搀漀渀昀攀猀琀椀瘀愀氀漀昀氀椀琀攀爀愀琀甀爀攀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀⼀∀ 琀愀爀最攀琀㴀∀开戀氀愀渀欀∀㸀眀眀眀⸀猀眀椀渀搀漀渀昀攀猀琀椀瘀愀氀漀昀氀椀琀攀爀愀琀甀爀攀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀㰀⼀愀㸀ꀀꀀ㰀戀㸀㰀戀爀㸀 Save Our Short Story Campaign: kate.griffin@artscouncil.org.uk 㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀 㰀⼀琀搀㸀 㰀⼀琀愀戀氀攀㸀 㰀⼀琀搀㸀 㰀⼀琀愀戀氀攀㸀 㰀⼀琀搀㸀㰀⼀琀爀㸀㰀⼀琀愀戀氀攀㸀 | 㰀猀瀀愀渀 挀氀愀猀猀㴀∀栀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀㈀∀㸀
Setting the scene 㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀
㰀搀椀瘀 愀氀椀最渀㴀∀樀甀猀琀椀昀礀∀㸀
This Writing Day was jointly organised as part of the tenth Swindon Festival of Literature and Mslexia's Ignite the Writer Roadshow. It took place at Lower Shaw Farm, which is set on 3.2 acres of land that were once dairy farm and are now a rural oasis hugged round by the housing on the outskirts of Swindon. 㰀瀀㸀吀栀攀 搀愀礀ⴀ氀漀渀最 攀瘀攀渀琀 漀昀 眀爀椀琀椀渀最 愀渀搀 搀椀猀挀甀猀猀椀漀渀 眀愀猀 昀甀氀氀礀 戀漀漀欀攀搀⸀ 䴀愀渀礀 挀栀漀猀攀 琀漀 愀琀琀攀渀搀 戀漀琀栀 漀昀 琀栀攀 眀爀椀琀椀渀最 眀漀爀欀猀栀漀瀀猀 昀漀爀 眀漀洀攀渀 愀渀搀 琀栀攀 爀攀愀搀椀渀最 愀渀搀 搀椀猀挀甀猀猀椀漀渀 眀椀琀栀 䠀攀氀攀渀 䐀甀渀洀漀爀攀 氀愀琀攀爀 椀渀 琀栀攀 愀昀琀攀爀渀漀漀渀⸀㰀⼀瀀㸀 㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀 | 㰀⼀琀爀㸀
The Mslexia Ignite The Writer Roadshow
㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀 㰀搀椀瘀 愀氀椀最渀㴀∀樀甀猀琀椀昀礀∀㸀 On arrival we were greeted and offered refreshments by the extremely helpful volunteer staff and able to enjoy some fresh air before being invited into the space being used for the day's workshops and readings. The festival organiser, Matt Holland, explained that it was dubbed The Cowshed Cabaret Theatre although there are no cattle in residence any more, only a range of tables, chairs, comfy sofas and arrangements of wild flowers.
Debbie Taylor, the editor of Mslexia introduced the first workshop session in the morning and told us that the Roadshow initiative had been funded by some of the last money available from the National Lottery Touring Fund.
㰀戀爀㸀㰀戀爀㸀 㰀⼀搀椀瘀㸀 㰀愀 渀愀洀攀㴀∀椀渀猀瀀椀爀愀琀椀漀渀∀㸀㰀⼀愀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀琀愀戀氀攀 戀最挀漀氀漀爀㴀∀⌀䘀䔀䐀䔀㤀䌀∀㸀"It is a crime to bore your reader."
㰀瀀㸀ꀀꀀ∀夀漀甀 洀甀猀琀 栀愀瘀攀 愀渀 攀瘀攀渀琀 漀昀 猀漀洀攀 猀漀爀琀⸀㰀戀爀㸀 In order to have a story you must have"Ruthlessness is good in writers."
㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀
㰀搀椀瘀 愀氀椀最渀㴀∀爀椀最栀琀∀㸀
- Patricia Duncker
㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀
㰀⼀琀爀㸀
Patricia Duncker is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and author of short stories and novels. Her latest collection of short fiction, Seven Tales of Sex and Death was published in March 2003. Her journey to Lower Shaw Farm to lead the workshop that morning had involved traversing "every roundabout in Swindon". When she arrived, she was at pains to point out in her 'outreach' capacity that the MA at UEA is for any writers who seriously want to develop their writing and said that she "couldn't stand the idea that anyone would think 'it's not for me'."
The morning's warm-up exercise involved participants sharing ideas about which books had really gripped or influenced them. Patricia Duncker went on from this to warn that as a writer "you forget the reader at your peril" because "your reader is the person you're hoping to seduce." She explained that the commitment is on both sides between reader and writer.
She went so far as to suggest that the words THINK OF THE READER should be prominently on display as you write. You need to think about whether you are allowing a slow release of information or fast and seriously analyse each part of your writing to consider how it has involved the reader or moved them. She told us that "ruthlessness is good in writers."
She decreed that you need two things to write good fiction: tension and emotion. The pace and texture of writing is also important. She was strongly against the idea of "going with the flow" and then deciding how long a piece will be. She cautioned us to think about the distance we are planning to write over so that we knew how far we had to go. She declared that "it is a crime to bore your reader."
Location and a sense of space is tremendously important in fiction. One of the reasons that people read is to travel.
Language is your main weapon in writing. Daily spoken language can be very impoverished. So, if you don't read well you can't write well. You can find new language in what you read. Your own library is a research tool for your own writing. English is a language which has many languages in it, very different ones relating to particular types of knowledge or activity.
For writing dialogue it is useful to listen to people that you know well when you converse and to hear how you don't actually communicate any more through words. Where you have two characters speaking to each other in a novel you also need to be aware of the reader who is a third party overhearing their conversation and be sure that the dialogue also communicates with the reader as well.
One of the acid tests for writing is hearing it read aloud. She said that it was much easier to spot places where writing was cliched, twee, naff, cheesy or banal if you could hear the words "hit the air" and that you can sometimes hear things that you can't see. For writers who felt blocked she actually suggested that 'telling stories aloud' might be an alternative way to get started again. She suggested trying writing both by hand and word processor and also printing off and keeping copies of writing. She advised doing revision on hard copies and said that it was also easier to see problems on the page than the screen.
For our first exercise we were given the task of finding words to do with ice, looking particularly for verbs, sensations, sounds and colours. We were then asked to think about a cold place and go on to describe it further. Although a strange theme for a bright spring day, it tied in with a call for work in Mslexia on the theme of ice.
Patricia Duncker explained that description can be a good place to go and open up space in writing but that it needs to be closely tied to point of view. To stay interested the reader has to know why they are looking at something. Good descriptive writing can have humour, tell you something interesting about a character and how they view their world and surprise the reader with something new. But description is also a place where you can lose the reader. You need to use description to draw the reader in rather than push them away.Description also slows the reader down and creates a pace for reading. She gave an example of the opening of Graham Swift's Waterland and how the descriptive passages about the fens bring the reader to a slower more contemplative pace so that when the body is described the reader is aware enough of detail to notice the murder weapon when it is mentioned. She also cited the opening of Ian McEwen's Enduring Love as a great example of pace to draw the reader in.
Patricia Duncker said that, "You must have an event of some sort. In order to have a story you must have an event," and explained that if there was no change then there was no story. An event need not necessarily be a 'happening'. It could be a decision or a conclusion, or there may be more than one event. In Raymond Carver's short stories, for example, events are very often changes which happen within the reader. Sometimes a non-event or what doesn't happen is actually the important thing in short fiction.
We read extracts from A.S. Byatt's Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice and looked at the language and description used and what takes place. Patricia Duncker emphasised that English is extremely rich in tenses and that there are ways of using verbs which don't exist in other languages, such as the present perfect (e.g. I have lived), continuous tenses and compound prepositional verbs. She urged us that when our writing felt flabby we should concentrate on the verbs.
She also pointed out that repetition is a powerful weapon. Reading more poetry can give us a sense of this as writers. She said that poetry is the place where language is remade. Poetry is "mainlining energy for writing." When you repeat a phrase it means something different the next time. "There is a relish in repetition and it's something you can control." She said that repetition is powerful but "it can finish you." You can use the same words when you write but you have to know that you're doing it because then you are calculating the effect.
She urged us to consider the palette of colour in our writing and finished by reminding us that "writing is made from other bits of writing."
| 㰀椀洀最 猀爀挀㴀∀栀琀琀瀀㨀⼀⼀眀爀椀琀攀爀猀樀甀渀挀琀椀漀渀⸀渀攀琀⼀愀爀琀椀挀氀攀猀⼀椀洀愀最攀猀⼀挀漀挀欀⸀樀瀀最∀㸀 | 㰀琀搀 眀椀搀琀栀㴀∀㔀 ─∀ 愀氀椀最渀㴀∀挀攀渀琀攀爀∀㸀
㰀戀爀㸀
㰀猀瀀愀渀 挀氀愀猀猀㴀∀栀攀愀搀氀椀渀攀㈀∀㸀
㰀戀㸀倀攀爀猀瀀椀爀愀琀椀漀渀 圀漀爀欀猀栀漀瀀 ⴀ 吀栀攀 瀀椀琀挀栀㰀⼀戀㸀㰀⼀瀀㸀
㰀瀀㸀ꀀꀀ∀吀攀爀爀椀戀氀攀 琀栀椀渀最猀 愀爀攀 椀渀琀攀爀攀猀琀椀渀最⸀㰀戀爀㸀
You have to say what the shameful secret is."
㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀
㰀搀椀瘀 愀氀椀最渀㴀∀爀椀最栀琀∀㸀
- Debbie Taylor
| 㰀⼀琀爀㸀
The workshop leader, Debbie Taylor, is editor of Mslexia and sees hundreds upon hundreds of covering letters with writing submitted to the magazine. She read us a few examples and explained that a bland cover letter which tells nothing about either the work or the writer is "acceptable" but also "a wasted opportunity". She urged us to think from an editor's perspective and said that a pitch needed to "prime you to read" and "tweak the imagination".
She suggested that in some settings maybe only 10% of submissions would get through a first sift process and that writing a good cover letter was one of the ways of helping to ensure that your writing at least gets a chance to be properly considered for itself.
The workshop was conducted as a practical exercise to write a pitch letter for a project of our own. We were presented with a set of 'rules' and questions to help us go about doing this.
A covering letter needs to be short. For a single short story or selection of poems, for example, probably no more than 75 words. For a major project, such as a novel, script or collection of poems, no more than 150-250 words. One page of A4, 12pt font and no more than three paragraphs.
Include:
㰀戀氀漀挀欀焀甀漀琀攀㸀㰀氀椀㸀椀渀琀攀爀攀猀琀 琀栀攀 攀搀椀琀漀爀 椀渀 琀栀攀 猀甀戀樀攀挀琀 漀昀 琀栀攀 眀爀椀琀椀渀最㰀⼀氀椀攀㸀 With these things in mind we embarked upon our exercise with instructions to write the three paragraphs for a covering letter of our own.convince her that it will sell 㰀氀椀㸀爀攀愀猀猀甀爀攀 栀攀爀 愀戀漀甀琀 礀漀甀 愀猀 愀 眀爀椀琀攀爀㰀⼀氀椀㸀
Describe the subject of the writing in 50 words:
㰀戀氀漀挀欀焀甀漀琀攀㸀㰀氀椀㸀眀栀愀琀 最攀渀爀攀 漀爀 猀琀礀氀攀 椀猀 礀漀甀爀 瀀爀漀樀攀挀琀㼀㰀⼀氀椀㸀what is your aim with this book? 㰀氀椀㸀眀栀愀琀 椀猀 甀渀椀焀甀攀 愀戀漀甀琀 椀琀㼀㰀⼀氀椀㸀why is your project relevant now? 㰀氀椀㸀眀栀漀✀猀 最漀椀渀最 琀漀 爀攀愀搀 椀琀㼀㰀⼀氀椀㸀
This is your chance to say why your project is interesting and important to the editor. Talking in generalities doesn't help, you have to be specific.
㰀瀀㸀䐀攀猀挀爀椀戀攀 礀漀甀爀猀攀氀昀 椀渀 㐀 眀漀爀搀猀㨀㰀⼀瀀㸀㰀氀椀㸀眀栀漀 愀爀攀 礀漀甀㼀㰀⼀氀椀㸀why are you qualified to write this? 㰀氀椀㸀眀栀愀琀 攀氀猀攀 栀愀瘀攀 礀漀甀 眀爀椀琀琀攀渀㼀㰀⼀氀椀㸀
Debbie Taylor reminded us that the last paragraph of a covering letter should be about the author and her writing generally, and not the first. A publishing record isn't as important as people sometimes think but unless a writer is really bankable as personality or character then the work is more important than the person.
This is the place for a pithy summing up such as "I am a forty-year old, anorexic taxi-driver..." although, she said we shouldn't feel obliged to divulge our age or eating disorders unless we thought they were relevant!
She said that it was perfectly acceptable to cite experience in other fields even if it was not directly relevant to this particular project, if we felt it would help to instil confidence. The editor has an actual piece of work in the submission and ultimately, they will make their judgement on this and not on the strength of a reputation.
Finally, the covering letter should be addressed to an individual editor by name if possible and it is worth doing some research to try and get this right.
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㰀⼀猀瀀愀渀㸀 | 㰀⼀琀爀㸀
Welcoming us back for this session Matt Holland quoted Ben Okri, who had appeared earlier in the festival, "'Little things' is where mastery begins. Practice the short story. Practice the short story." Debbie Taylor introduced Helen Dunmore who is short story writer, poet, novelist and children's writer, saying that she had been a "warm presence on the sidelines" since the beginnings of Mslexia magazine.
Helen Dunmore is the author of two short story collections, The Love of Fat Men and Ice Cream which Debbie Taylor extolled as demonstrating "so many ways of writing a short story".
Helen Dunmore began by speaking about how she was pleased that Mslexia had broken down some of the mysteries of aspects of publishing and the "circles of privilege" that surrounded it. She read for us the moving short story Esther to Fanny which was inspired by the letter of Fanny Burney to her sister, following a mastectomy without anaesthesia in 1811. The story was a commission to appear in an anthology of stories to be sold in aid of breast cancer charities. She said that she found the commissioning process very useful, whether it was from a publisher or from a group of friends in a workshop, or even commissioning yourself to produce a piece of writing.
Debbie Taylor began with some questions before opening the discussion up to the audience. She asked Helen how she characterised herself as a writer? Did she think of herself as a poet, novelist, children's writer or short story writer? Helen Dunmore replied that she simply thinks of herself as "a writer". She thought that she might go full circle and return to poetry later in her life but commented that there were not enough examples of women who have expressed themselves creatively through long lives to have much indications of how such transitions might take place. She explained that it was possible to earn a living as a poet but that this doesn't come through selling the books, but from teaching, touring and doing readings. She said that now she only writes the poems that she wants to write.
Debbie Taylor mentioned that she had interviewed Helen Dunmore on a previous occasion and knew that her novel-writing method often involves doing dry runs, starting out on a novel to see if it will work. She asked whether The Love of Fat Men, which contains linked short stories, had originally begun as a novel. Helen Dunmore replied that it hadn't but that a few of her stories, such as The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife in Ice Cream had originally begun as something larger. A children's story she is currently turning into a novel was, she said, only a short story by chance. But she said that in general stories began as one or the other, saying that, "There's a difference between a proper short story and one that isn't."
Helen Dunmore said that she had been influenced by Katherine Mansfield's short stories, such as At the Bay. She felt was still developing as a short story writer and said that "a short story does a lot of business in a compact space." She felt that her short stories were very different from her novels and that sometimes a short story begins as just a mood. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Superstork was based on the concern about the control of women's fertility. Ice Cream looks at the manipulation and persuasion that takes place in the fashion industry. She says that she recognises short stories as contained, compact ideas, but that poetry comes as a "sound" and not an "idea" although Debbie Taylor and Helen Dunmore speculated that there was a connection between short stories and poetry.
The issue of contemporary novels which are really collections of linked short stories was raised and it was suggested that novel's such as Hotel World, by Ali Smith, might equally have been marketed as linked short stories in a different publishing environment. Helen Dunmore commented that women writers are much more apt to be dismissed as 'trivial' by reviewers.
Debbie Taylor asked how Helen Dunmore's short story sales compared with those of her novels and she very candidly replied that they sold around a sixth of an eighth of the number of copies. She felt that the amount of space they got given in a book shop played a part in this. Lower sales for short stories could pose a problem for authors because the book trade's advance ordering tended to be based upon the sales of a writer's previous title. Hence, short story collections represented a braveness for writer and publisher alike.
On the positive side she said that short stories have "a huge life" and could continue to sell over a long time span. They could also appear in different forms, on radio and in magazines and anthologies. They are easier for readers to 'encounter' and can provide an opening or taster of a writer's work. However, she didn't deny that the economics are extremely difficult.
Debbie Taylor mentioned the Save Our Short Story campaign which had been instituted by short fiction writer and Mslexia columnist Margaret Wilkinson in October 2002. She went on to explain that the short story seemed to be in a particularly parlous state in the United Kingdom compared with America and the rest of Europe. The New York Times Literary Supplement, for example, reviews copious numbers of short stories. She claimed that the UK is unique in the world for not publishing, selling or reading short stories. An article in Mslexia on this subject had been reprinted as a lead feature in The Times and moves were a foot to suggest ideas to redress the balance.
Suggestions for invigorating the health of the short story included a major prize, a festival and getting information out to reader groups and book clubs. Helen Dunmore said that there were signs that changes could be affected since sales of literary fiction have rallied in recent years. However, while publishers don't believe that there is any money in short stories they won't promote them. She pointed out that if everyone in the country who wrote short stories were to buy five books of short fiction, or even one, each year, it would represent a tremendous difference to the market and send a signal to publishers that there was some interest.
A member of the audience commented with sadness that small press periodicals such as Iron, Panurge and Story Cellar which featured short fiction had closed due to having more submissions than readers. Someone mentioned the Prose Cafe which had started up in Frome and was building up an audience for short fiction in performance. Publishers could make more effort to tap into readers groups by promoting the short story form in book clubs. There was also a suggestion that "Prizes make stars" and that a major high-profile prize would elevate short stories in the public consciousness. One particularly inventive idea to sell short stories through vending machines on railway stations had foundered when Cadburys wanted to charge £2,500 for the use of each machine.
Helen Dunmore pointed out that attitudes do change with time and persistence. She cited the way that visiting art galleries has now been popularised. "We have to support the forms we love," she said. However, there will always be some reader resistance. Short stories aren't for everyone. Some people mentioned the fact that they so often want more after reading a short story. But the short story will always have its enthusiasts. As one person said, "I prefer a single diamond to a string of pearls."
Asked about writer's block, Helen Dunmore said that she doesn't worry when she's not working. If she couldn't make progress in one area then she would search for a different form. She gave us the analogy that creativity isn't like washing up liquid. She said "you can't use it up" and spoke of the "terrifying boundlessness" of creativity. If people were experiencing problems writing she advised keeping a playful quality and "letting it splash about a bit."
Helen Dunmore explained that she structures her day by having an office away from her home and that she actually deliberately goes to work. She always tries to leave her writing when she is on an upward swing and knows she will have more to come back to. She is interested in the women's tradition of writing and how they have found time and space to write in their lives.
When asked whether she found it difficult reconnecting with life after being immersed in writing she agreed that she felt drained afterwards. But she explained that she had always had a child living at home and that this had been very grounding. She said that she saw the difficulty might come for her in some years when there is no longer a child in the house. She said, "having a child is very present."
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In the evening there was a campfire story telling session planned. I should have loved to stay on for this but it had already been an extremely long and full day. Perhaps another year.
The Writing Day was extremely well organised and seemed to wear well its multiple hats of being part of the Swindon Festival of Literature and the Mslexia Roadshow. In addition it was strongly characterised by its very unique and welcoming venue at Lower Shaw Farm.
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