When does failing to win a competition have its up side?

Well, let’s be honest, winning is best – but failing that, being introduced to some fantastic new writing is a close second – particularly when it comes with some great advice.

This year’s InkTears Flash Fiction Competition attracted around 400 entries, so I was thrilled when my story ‘Coffee’ was long listed. It didn’t make the final winners’ list but reading some of the stories by previous winners has been an eye opener in terms of the quality and sophistication of the flash out there. Plus, I picked up some great advice from last year’s winner Ingrid Jendrzejewski who said: ‘Cut. Stuff. Out. Then cut out some more. Quite often, the beginning and end are the first things that need to go. Most explanations can go. When you think you’ve cut out enough, read the story aloud until you find more things that need to go and cut them too. Then, put the thing in a drawer for a couple of weeks. When you finally take it out again, try to find at least one more thing to cut.’

InkTears is one of the best online short fiction literary magazines, running both an annual short story and flash fiction competition, and featuring both modern and classic writers. Contributors include Tania Hershmann and Nicolas Royle. If you are interested in short and flash fiction you can sign up free of charge and have a new story land in your inbox each month.

For an interview and more tips from Ingrid click here and visit the InkTears site here.

Sophie Livingston

Rehearsals have begun for a new, three-part series of ‘The Inn on the Green.’

Expect more marital rows and a lot of unhelpful advice from the locals as Alicia and Jonathan continue to try and make a go of the village pub. This time there is a baby on the way, which almost certainly means a Christmas birth and one of us having to fake contractions.

It’s been great fun inventing the world of Crompton Bassett – and we’ve learnt a huge amount about the dos and don’ts of radio drama in the process. It’s fair to say we’ve created some warm moments, some weird moments and some unintentionally funny moments of radio. The aim was to do something that enriched us as a group – it has  – we just hope the listeners have enjoyed it as much as we have.

The first series was constructed by each cast member writing and acting their own lines. In this second series each writer has taken a turn at producing a whole episode  – and we have a guest performer in the shape of actor David Higgins, who plays Lydia the cook’s new kitchen assistant.

The first episode of the new series will be broadcast on Corinium Radio on Christmas Eve with the next two episodes going out on the last Sundays in January and February at 4.30pm. To learn more about the making of the series do tune into the ‘Inn on the Green’ section of this website, where you can listen to some of the writing team being interviewed by Rona Laycock. You can also catch up with earlier episodes, and if you miss the new broadcasts on Corinium Radio they will be posted on the site early next year.

Sophie Livingston

How do you pitch a drama idea to BBC Radio Four?

That was the theme of a return visit to Somewhere Else by radio writer and producer Paul Dodgson.

After a morning analyzing the nuts and bolts of successful afternoon dramas we took it in turns to pitch our ideas to Paul, who has written fourteen plays for BBC radio and directed and produced more than 400 programmes across all BBC radio networks.

Was the process painful? Yes, a little, but it was also hugely instructive – and
entertaining. Our thanks to Paul, whose comments on our 15 pitches were
enormously helpful.

You can find out more about Paul’s work here

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Clare Finnimore has been learning about Scriptwriting at Bath Spa University following her MA in Creative Writing. The course culminated in a practical demonstration of skills learnt – a Showcase event at Newton Park Theatre on 30^th September, with a final night at The Cube in Bristol. Clare was delighted when fellow SE writer Selwyn Morgan agreed to take a key role in her controversial radio play ‘Shared Space: Oliver’s Story.’ A ten minute extract from her play aired as part of the Showcase along with films, plays and an animation from BSU students in the class of 2017.

The ideas for ‘Shared Space’ began in February with talking and recording local people and moved on to include a trip to  London’s South Bank to meet a Paralympian currently in the House of Lords, and then in September to a protest at 10 Downing Street. Meanwhile Clare also found herself working with Southwest Scriptwriters at Bristol Old Vic, casting and working with actors (including a 10 year old boy), and technicians in the recording studios at BSU.  Clare enjoys writing but says for her the fun and most creative part is working collaboratively with actors and other writers.

The scriptwriters of the 2017 MA Scriptwriting course: Laurence Guy, Clare Finnimore, Ben Crushcov, Sophie Torry-Cook, Mike Williams, Oliver Hutton, Aaliyah Al-Lawal

Stephen Connolly’s short fable ‘Fog’ has been selected for the Bath Spa University anthology A Place in Words. The anthology celebrates  twenty-five years of Bath Spa University’s very successful creative writing programme, and the culmination of a “flash fiction” competition for novels of 25 words in length.

The new anthology also features contributions by Naomi Alderman, David Almond, Susan Beale, Nathan Filer, Maggie Gee, Tessa Hadley and Philip Hensher. To reserve a copy, go here.

Stephen graduated with an MA in Scriptwriting from Bath Spa in July 2015. His most recent script ‘Urbini’ was performed at the Salisbury Fringe in October 2017.