This is cool. I’ve just had my story, “Natural Selection” accepted by Short Story Radio. It’s especially cool, for three reasons. Firstly, I get paid £30 of Arts Council money for this. Secondly, I get to hear a real live actor reading my piece, recorded by a professional producer. And thirdly, one of my favourite stories finally finds a home. I wrote this for Task 1 of the 2007-8 Eurofiction competition, back in the days when I could count the number of stories I’d written on the fingers of one hand. OK, maybe Anne Boleyn’s hand. Or perhaps the hand of some grotesque mutant. Well not many anyway. You know what I mean.
Incidentally, that means that I have now placed seven out of the ten stories that I wrote for Eurofiction 2007-8. They are as follows:
1. Natural Selection (Short Story Radio)
2. The Amazing Arnolfini and His Wife (Prizewinner, City of Derby Competition, 2008)
3. The Birdman of Farringdon Road (Litro)
4. Ignorance of Chemistry (Every Day Fiction)
5. (still out there somewhere)
6. The Guitarist’s Inheritance (apt)
7. (still out there somewhere)
8. Possible Side Effects (Prizewinner, Calderdale 2009)
9. Somewhat Less Than Thirty Pieces (Cadenza Longlist and The Right-Eyed Deer)
10. (still out there somewhere)
I think that rather makes the case for entering competitions like Eurofiction and the Whittaker, don’t you? And in case you’re wondering, I came tenth equal overall. So it’s not as if I was one of the real stars …
Nearly forgot. If you happen to take a look at Short Story Radio, have a read of this, by one Nick Cook. He’s the President of Verulam Writers’ Circle, you know.
I currently have a story out to a market that produces them into audio files. My fingers are crossed for myself and my thumbs are up for you! Let us know when we can give it a listen.
Congrats! I take it Eurofiction is a collection competition? Terrific that you’ve placed so many.
Thanks!
@jeremy: Thanks for dropping in, and good luck with your submission. I’ve had a couple of pieces read out at Liars’ League, and also a piece read as part of a fringe theatre production, and there’s nothing quite like hearing a real actor read something you’ve written.
@gay: Eurofiction (run by SlingInk – see -> for link) and the Whittaker Prize (run by The Write Idea – ditto) are held over an extended period (20 weeks in the case of EF and 18 in the case of the Whittaker), where you have to write a piece in response to a different challenge every two weeks. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to get their muse in gear. I’ve done two EF’s and I’m just coming to the end of my second Whittaker, and I’ve got some really useful material as a result.
Congratulations, and nice pay day.
Thanks, Cate! The paying gigs are always the best ones.
Dear Mr. Pinnock,
I would like to know if it is possible to have one of your short stories (Natural Selection) in a web written format. It happens that I am an English teacher here in Brazil, and I was surfing the web when I saw shortsoryradio website. I planned some activities for my students but it is missing the text only, for there there is no written text, only audio available.
Could you, please, help me?
Thanks in advance.
Can’t see why not, Clarissa. I’ll e-mail it to you later on today.