Welcome to the Editors Blog!
Shortbread Editor Fiona Smith, will inform you of any website developments, as well as keeping you up to date with our latest Shortbread fiction!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 4th March 2010 3.56PM | 1 Comments
Today is World Book Day in the U.K. and this year in order to honour the day, a brand new initiative has been launched across the country: Read to a Million Kids.
The main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own. Therefore each school child will receive a £1 book token to enable them to purchase one of the specially selected £1 books.
The eleven £1 Book stories, read by their authors or actors, will be broadcast online during World Book Day.
To find out more information about World Book Day click here.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 2nd March 2010 1.22PM | 0 Comments
The last time it was The Beatles Competition, and now it’s The Rolling Stones!
So why not give yourself the satisfaction of getting off your cloud, stop sitting on the fence and write a story based on any Rolling Stones song? Use it as the theme but give it a different slant. Provide your own title and don’t reveal the name of the song so that the community has the opportunity to guess which one is the inspiration behind your writing. Try to restrict the length to between 1000-3000 words. And don't forget to tag your entry with the word Stones
You will have until Tuesday (Ruby’s day), 27th of April to submit your story, so don’t think that time is on your side. Our members will judge which are the best stories and the top three will go forward for audio production. The winner will receive a £50 (US$75) Amazon gift voucher.
If you don’t win, don’t worry. You can’t always get what you want.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 26th February 2010 11.40AM | 2 Comments
Due to popular demand, we have three new audio stories from Bill Kirton:
Stanley's Pet
Stanley and Mildred
Stanley on Holiday
So take some time out and listen to our favourite miserable fairy.
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Monday 22nd February 2010 1.38PM | 6 Comments
It could have been a bit of a disaster, really. Longforgan Primary School was having a Book Week and so I was asked to go and talk to the children about being a published author. I rarely prepare anything for an event of this type, usually finding it easier to let the kids take the lead, but I did have with me Emily Copland’s brilliant short story, ‘How To Deal With A Ghost’ which I found right here on Shortbread. Anyway, they were suitably enthralled with that, but as soon as I had finished reading out the story, I sensed a rumble and a grumble amongst the assembled company and knew they’d all just about had enough of this baldy old geezer standing in front of them. And there was another thirty five minutes to kill before the bell went. So, with a click of my fingers (which weakly signified the attempted switching-off of the panic light flashing in my brain) I said, right, let’s do our own story. So, I pointed out three kids and asked them to come up with three plots.
First one:
“A little girl gets lost in the woods and is never found.”
I decided to leave that. Could all go horribly wrong, and distraught parents would have insisted on having me named and shamed me on some ‘unsavoury character’ listing.
Second:
“A spaceship hurtles towards a black hole and the crew fight to adjust its course, and the story should be called, ‘Seconds from Oblivion.”
I left that one too. I gave up sci-fi with the Eagle comic and Dan Dare and the Mekon back in the ‘50’s. Mind you, I liked the title. Might even use it for myself one day.
And the third:
“What about pirates, then?”
I scratched pensively at my chin. “Good one – and it’s topical. Okay, let’s go for it. We’ll start with a boy called…Jamie Brown who sets out to sail his yacht single-handedly around the world. His parents don’t want him to go round the Cape of Good Hope so he sails across the Mediterranean and down the Suez Canal into the Gulf of Aden. And then…
The kids took it on from there, hands going up all over the place. The plot of the story twisted and turned like an inebriated snake, thrown from suspense to the ridiculous in a matter of seconds. But when the bell rang, and I’d said those immortal words ‘The End’, there were still hands waving in the air.
“Could he not just…?”
“Wouldn’t it have been better if…?”
And they left the room slowly, dragging their heels.
The head teacher came up to me afterwards. “Mmm,” she said, “that’s rather strange. They usually do that when they come into class, not when they leave it.”
There was an article in the Daily Telegraph last week about the present literacy level of children. I wonder if maybe they need more than just having a book dumped in front of them. Maybe the first step is getting them involved with the creation of a story to fire that first instinct of imagination. It’s something to which we’ve begun to give a great deal of thought here at Shortbread.
I shall now attempt to write up the children’s great pirate story, ‘Trouble on the Indian Ocean’ – if I can remember every last weird detail!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 18th February 2010 3.10PM | 2 Comments
Glasses, brimming with champagne, should be raised to Shortbread member Bryan Islip on the publication of his novel Going with Gabriel. May copies sell like hot cakes, or even sweet shortbread. Talking of which, I asked Bryan to give his own personal slant on Shortbread. Always best to ask a busy man, because he came up trumps immediately.
The Eating and Writing of Shortbread
Hemingway’s novels impacted my life, but his short stories had an even greater influence. Perhaps they were and remain the mantra for today, ‘less is more’. In some mysterious way, a mere incident or an episode transmuted itself into an epic story. For instance, I recall so well a young soldier returning from the war, wounded in spirit, trekking the wilderness alone in search of a life gone by. Or long before On The Waterfront, a washed up prize fighter awaiting his Armageddon in a run down hotel. Or a young couple at a railway station, she newly and frighteningly pregnant, he staring out at those lovely Spanish ‘hills like white elephants’. I read these stories fifty years ago and they still live in me – for me.
I used to read a lot of short stories when it was easy to find them at W.H Smith. Argosy magazine was my favourite. As a young and impecunious man, I gave up many a pork pie and soft drink lunch in favour of buying the latest issue. Argosy has been dead these many years and more’s the pity. If ever there was a time when the human psyche needed to be nourished in small, digestible portions, this has to be it. Shortbread indeed.
The advent in 2008 of www.shortbreadstories.com has helped focus my mind and broaden my understanding of short fiction. As has so often been said, writing is by nature a solitary pursuit, but it’s good to know there are plenty more people out there like you. As the poet said, No Man Is An Island …
I conceived and wrote my first short story in 1956 and my second in 2002, but in the interval conceived hundreds of others without actually writing them. Perhaps I should have had what it takes to break away, release myself from the main river current that speeds us all downstream into that great ocean of ‘what has been’. You know, drop out and live in the proverbial garret and just do it. Like Hem or Mr Shakespeare. But perhaps not. I have loved and still do love my life and the fruits of it. To be any good as a writer of stories, you need to realise and reveal in your words the truth in what you are yourself. All else is window dressing and cannot count.
Beautiful prose does not waste words or fail to move its reader. If a short story is, as it should be, an incident or an episode in a life, then there must be a before and an after to that life.
My new novel, Going with Gabriel, was conceived from a short story I wrote called Len the Piper. Poor old Len, to be reborn as this Gabriel fellow, never to see the light of day beyond the hard disk of my PC! But I’d like to believe that he lit the torch that illuminates, in some small way, one dark corner of our world.
Bryan Islip
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 10th February 2010 8.41PM | 0 Comments
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and so I thought it only fitting to highlight some of the best romantic stories available on Shortbread. Before you break open the champagne and guzzle some oysters, get in the mood by reading the following Shortbread love stories.
The Dance of Romance by David Appleby: Whoever said romance is just for the young has obviously never met this charismatic Picasso look alike. A funny and beautifully written story about a man who despite his age and deteriorating health is very much enjoying his Dance with Romance.
The Healing Process by Michael Dhillion: A powerfully written story which shows love is not skin deep. Michael's portrayal of a relationship coping with racial bigotry is realistic and intriguing, showing true love really can overcome all prejudice.
The Booksellers Dream by K.R Boyter. A lonely bookseller spends his days pining for a street violinist. Will it be Happily Ever After for the bookseller? K.R Boyter expertly treads the line between true love and obsession.
To be Longing For by Mark Patrick: Love in a library. Mark writes this poetic and flowing story with humour and style, a short and quirky love story with a difference.
And if you aren't quite in the mood for love hearts and roses, have a listen to these stories and being single won't seem so bad!
In a Suitcase by Eva Giannetti. A wonderfully narrated tale about a man who loves his girlfriend so deeply that the only question is, can he move on now she is gone?
Why Did it Die? by Kris Wallace. A series of snapshots from a relationship, this story reads as if flicking through a couple's photo album, discovering those personal and at times heartbreaking memories. Kris brilliantly captures the emotion and thoughts behind a man breaking up with the love of his life.
So whether you are single or loved up check out all the romantic stories on Shortbread!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 3rd February 2010 1.47PM | 0 Comments
If the weatherman is to be believed (although personally I'd rather put my money on the furry little groundhog) we're in for a long winter! So to help you hibernate in the warmth, we have three great audio stories for you to curl up to, all narrated by the wonderful Flora Montgomery.
First up is The Pope's Revenge, by Erica Brooks. A long time favourite on Shortbread, and nominated by many to be produced in audio, A Pope's Revenge is a moving and yet hauntingly realistic story which is brought to life by Flora's narration.
Through the Cracks in the Cubicle Walls by Rachel Marsh, is a story for anyone who has ever worked for a huge soul-less corporation. And for anyone who hasn't, listen to Flora and sigh a huge breath of relief.
Lilo is a Fat Cow by Lucy Douglas is a story to scare the sloth in us all, particularly if you're an Editor/Proofreader! A humorously dark tale to entertain, delight and most of all to warn those who like their bed just a little too much! Perhaps listen to this one in the gym...
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 22nd January 2010 10.24AM | 3 Comments
It feels like only yesterday we were congratulating ourselves on reaching the 600 story benchmark, and now we've reached 700!
While this is clearly very exciting, we still appreciate the sheer daunting nature of 700 short stories. It is all too easy, for tales to get lost amongst the crowd.
At a meeting yesterday over very tasty coffee and rather stale biscuits, Robin as always, had a brainwave.
"Why don't we get members to use the site like a fruit machine?"
After raising a confused eyebrow, I started to see the absolute brilliance of his idea.
We're asking members to shake things up. Instead of always going to the New Story List, or your Favourite Tag, we're asking you to read something you never normally would. Go to our search bar and type in any word you can think of, can be as mundane or as different as you like, for example, robot or baby or yellow, or if your feeling wreckless all three! Then select one of the results, read it, and leave a comment for the author, using 'Fruit Machine Selection' and your 'search word' as the title. You can then access all FMS's under 'Comments' on the right hand side of the main page.
Sound good? Obviously we need to feed Robin more stale biscuits in the future.
N.B William would like to make it absolutely clear that the biscuits were left over from the previous meeting and that he is not in the habit of buying stale biscuits.
Yours, Crumb-in-cheek,
Shortbread.
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Tuesday 19th January 2010 10.55AM | 2 Comments
Georgina Simpson, who won our Christmas Competition (the prize for which was an i-Pod Shuffle), told us that she was already well i-Podded and that she would rather we donate the value to a worthwhile organization or charity. We have decided therefore to give some money to help the continuance of the privately-funded Pushkin Prizes, a tie-up between schools in Scotland and St. Petersburgh in Russia which promotes and encourages creative writing. So thank you, Georgina, we know it will be very much appreciated.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 14th January 2010 1.12PM | 0 Comments
It's time for me to announce the first new audio stories of 2010! And what a great selection we've got for you:
Up There by Angela Dyer, narrated by Flora Montgomery. This is a thought provoking and beautifully read story which recounts the many fleeting moments of lust and love within the bedroom.
Bump on a Bus is a humorous tale guaranteed to make you giggle, written by Charlotte Wemyss and read by Posey Brewer
And I'm also delighted to say we now have the sequel to the much loved Getaway Driver, The Great Car Boot Heist by Bill MacKenzie, read by Toby Hadoke.
Hope you enjoy the first audio stories of 2010, there are many more to come!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 8th January 2010 1.49PM | 0 Comments
Firstly I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year from Shortbread. 2010 is set to be a rather exciting year, and we have a few surprises in store for our members over the next few months!
However, right now it is time to announce the winner of our Christmas Competition: Drumroll please....
Twas the Party before Christmas by Georgina Simpson
Congratulations Georgina! A special Shortbread ipod Shuffle is winging its way to you.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 24th December 2009 10.18AM | 1 Comments
With only one more sleep till Christmas, I'd like thank everyone for the support, encouragement, and of course, the stories, we've received over the past year. It really has been overwhelming.
We launched last year with 20 authors, and 45 stories. In just twelve months, thanks to you, we now have over 100 authors, 2800 members and 668 stories. Looking forward to another great year from Shortbread in 2010.
And another huge thank you, for everyone who sent Christmas cards and festive wishes- it is very much appreciated.
All that is left to say is:
"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Shortbread!"
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 18th December 2009 9.10PM | 0 Comments
It's that really exciting time again... Christmas? No, I'm not talking about Christmas. It's time for this month's Guest Editor!
And this month, the selection is brought you by; a world renowned author, a entrepreneurial genius, an editor, a website designer and the brains behind Red Barn Studios. Who could this wonderfully talented individual be, I hear you ask? How could one person be all these fantastic things? The answer: It's not one person- It's the Shortbread Team!!
Check out our selection and Robin's blog here.
Enjoy,
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 7th December 2009 1.30PM | 2 Comments
The very popular Thunder in the Valley saga by Steve Oliver is now available on the site in audio. Read by the lovely Helen McAlpine, let these stories transport you to another time and place: The Wild West.
Enjoy!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 1st December 2009 5.19PM | 0 Comments
The First of December is here, and as we all open our Advent Calenders and rejoice for chocolate before breakfast, I thought it only right to share a little gift with you.
The Gift by Kenneth Steven, read by Shortbread Narrator Helen McAlpine, is a story which strips back the commercialism of the season and shows us all the true spirit of Christmas.
So why not have a listen while wrapping up the Christmas presents and pouring out the eggnog.
Enjoy.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 27th November 2009 4.50PM | 1 Comments
No matter how much I prepare, Christmas always seems to creep up. One minute it’s far too early to even discuss the C-word, and the next, Santa Claus is checking who’s been naughty and nice, the halls are being decked with holly and everyone's telling you to be of good cheer.
And this year is no different. I'd tell you how many days are left till Christmas but I'm worried it may send you into a frenzied state of merriment, so instead I'm launching a Christmas Competition (to make things just a little bit less – or maybe more - stressful!)
As time is short, oh so short, we're not going to put a lot of restrictions on this. It can be about anything festive but, as an introduction, Robin has put up something he wrote last year for the children in the local primary school: The Advent Campaign.
So throw a couple of logs on the fire, hang up the mistletoe and pour out the mulled wine for some festive inspiration.
Good luck!
P.S Just submit the usual way, and remember to tag the story, "Christmas".
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Monday 9th November 2009 4.43PM | 5 Comments
THE HONORABLE HANDYMAN, A BREAK IN SEVILLE, 500 MILES, STARBURST. Okay, so you might recognize the last title. It’ll maybe give you a hint of what those are. My books, my titles. THEY changed them, while I kicked and screamed, to AN OCEAN APART, STARTING OVER, A RISK WORTH TAKING and then, when I got down on my hands and knees and pleaded with them, swearing that I would never ever kick up a fuss again with any other title, they left STARBURST as is. Now the latest book, THE DRAGON PLANT HOUSE (my title) is going to be called A MATTER OF TRUST in the UK and THE LONG WAY HOME in the USA. You see, I kept my word and didn’t kick up a fuss.
It was Caroline Hogg, my editor at Little Brown in London, who was the most insightful on this. She said, “A title that goes well in the UK won’t necessarily work in the USA. It’s a completely different market, almost a different language.” And that’s true, I suppose. Not one of the translations of my books has a title that is anything like the original.
So I’m really glad that Angela Dyer has written this article for Shortbread. It’s a great discussion point. And I happen to know that Ros’s American publisher nearly threw a hissing fit when he learned that her new novel was going to be called THE SHELLSEEKERS. He wanted to call it LEGACIES. So what does anybody know about a sellable title?!
Angela Dyer writes:
Titles matter. How many books do you think Lynne Truss would have sold if her book had been called The Importance of Punctuation? I don't know how many copies Eats, Shoots and Leaves did sell, but I believe it was its title that got it into the bestseller list – along with a winning dustjacket, but that's another subject.
Of course if you are Shakespeare you can get away with a title such as As You Like It, but most of us need to work harder than that at selling our wares. And if the opening sentence is the most difficult to write, the next most difficult thing is finding a catchy title – and by 'catchy' I mean one that will go out and catch people.
As a newcomer to fiction I discovered this myself, the hard way, when I wrote my first story for Shortbread. (I won't tell you the title because that might be seen as self-promotion, but if you scroll down until you find the most boring and uncatchy title on the 'All short stories' list, that's it.) Because life on the 'New stories' list is short, the title needs to make a mark, quickly. And because the number of words is limited, it helps if the title is short. 'The Man in the Black . . .' isn't exactly a come-on, even if the next word turns out to be 'Bikini' rather than 'Pin-Striped Suit'. Which may be a shortcoming of the Shortbread website design rather than of your ability to think up a snappy title, but that's how it is.
Tips? Don't ask me, ask Charlotte Wemyss: all four of her titles are short, grabby, original, alliterative (well, three of them) and let you know what to expect without giving anything away. That says it all, really.
Angela Dyer
P.S. Serendipity is a bonus. Dunce I may be at titling my own stories, but I can claim the credit for one hit title, even if I didn't think of it on my own. One day, going to make a cup of coffee in the small publisher's where I was working, I interrupted a huddle of people in the corridor, publishing director, editor, author and illustrator, racking their combined brains for a title for a children's book that they were excited about. I was introduced and jokingly asked for my ideas, then suddenly there was a pause, a collective click – and Angelina Ballerina was born. I wonder how many copies of 'The Dancing Mouse' they would have sold?
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 3rd November 2009 5.30PM | 5 Comments
As I posted last month, in the run up to our first birthday we will be sharing with our members various articles and correspondence inspired by Shortbread. Here's the next instalment...
An introduction by Eliza Langland:
This is the blog piece by Erica Brooks that set me thinking. This is the blog piece that sent me over to read her stories that set me thinking. This is the blog piece that set me thinking about how to answer … and what came out is, I think, worth sharing:
Erica Brooks wrote the following for the Guest Editor’s Blog on www.shortbreadstories.com
Okay, it's true confessions time.
I'm a fraud. I feel like one, at least. I have two stories up on Shortbread, both of which have gotten some (much appreciated) positive attention, but here's my big secret: both of them were written at least two years ago, as part of my creative writing dissertation at university. The truth is, I've hardly written anything since I graduated in 2007. Now, I'm not looking for a free therapy session here. Rather, I want to explain just why all of you writing on this site put me in such a state of awe.
You know why I haven't been writing? Fear. Well, and a bit of laziness too, but mostly fear. It's terrifying to stare at a blank page (or screen) and suspect that you don't really have it in you, or that hostile eyes will read it, or worst of all, that it will be bad writing. But everyone here sits in front of that screen and plugs away, and in the process we have created a place where that sort of thing is allowed. This is very rare. I'm immensely grateful for the intelligent, supportive readers and their comments. But I'm even more grateful for the existence of all these scribblers, fearlessly putting all these gorgeous stories out there and slowly convincing me that, maybe, I might have the guts to do it myself again soon.
Eliza Langland wrote: (by private email to Erica)
Tuesday, 25 August, 2009 13:12
Hi, Erica,
I'd love to pass on a little bit of a tale about my writing that might chime with your current writing collywobbles and maybe go some way to addressing those fears you expressed in your editorial address. Please let me know if I may and I'll contact you again.
All the best
Eliza
Erica did and what followed was a little email exchange. Thus:
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 7:07 PM
Hi, Erica,
Here's the thing.
“There was this writer who knew his stuff was good. He just needed approval from outside himself to validate it -- or so he thought. He was always reading on dust jackets what reviewers said about other writers but his stuff wasn't in print so there was no validation there for him. He was always hearing what other people said about other people's writing they'd read. They'd recommend it to other people and on and on and so on, but his writing was in his head so no recommendations for him there. He just wasn't sure he had anything to write about or, if he ever did find something to write about, he'd be able to do it justice. And he worried. What would people think of him, if he dared to commit something to paper? Commitment. That was something he struggled with in other ways too. Then one day he wrote a story - well it took longer than one day but you know what I mean. It was a good story. It was long. It was well formed. It had clever metaphor woven with tight narrative. It had engaging characterisations and, furthermore, it was written in a style that perfectly matched its subject. It was economically written with not a word out of place, not adjective too many, not a paragraph overblown. There was even one person, a significant person who knew what she was talking about when it came to writing, who read it and pronounced it a piece of perfection -- and asked for more. Now the writer really started to worry. He hadn't written another one. It had taken so long to write that one; it had come to him apparently out of the blue he knew not from where; he didn't know if he'd ever be able to write another one. After all, he didn't know how you wrote a story, not really. Every time he started to try to write a story he found he didn't actually know how it was supposed to be done. But somehow, by some miracle (nothing to do with him) he'd written this gem. In fact, if anything, it was because it was so good, he feared nothing else he wrote would ever hold a candle to it. The more he thought about writing a story the more he realised he didn't have a clue how to do it, where to begin, how to plan the ending, how to get into that place where the words flowed. He just didn't know. But here were all these other writers effortlessly writing away prolifically, engagingly, entertainingly ... being published. There were even some writers he didn't think were all that good who were being published! How did they do it? How did they do it and he couldn't?
He looked at the blank page, the computer screen, the empty notebook, the backs of envelopes with nothing scribbled there, the scraps and notes and doodles of nothing ... and the screens and pages all stared back.
And then the writer remembered something. “
But I'm getting weary writing this so I'll close and start up again another day ... or you could write back to me and tell me what the writer remembered. It has to do with the way he wrote that first story. It would be good if you could tell me what that was rather than me because then you'd take ownership of the secret that is no secret at all. It's a secret we all know but keep forgetting and it's funny when we remember it because we laugh and then wonder why we seem to have to be reminded of it. It's a secret that contains a conundrum, a conflict of ideas. It's a secret that scares some people but calms other people right down.
It has to do both with commitment and freedom, discipline and abandon, right and left brain working as one. You know what it is, Erica. You know what it feels like to be in it, because the evidence is in your story therefore you have the resources to experience it again. But I won't spell it out in case you've got it already. I'll send this off and trust, if you're still reading thus far, you'll take it in the spirit I'm sending it.
Now it just so happens I was a victim of crippling self doubt once upon a time. I'm glad now because, in my line of work, it helps me empathise with people who're dealing with it themselves. I'm not touting for business though. I don't think you need therapy. I do think you are a superb writer. Maybe you just need to hear that a bit more often until (and I suspect your talent will never let you become complacent or arrogant if that's what's worrying you. It's too fine for that.) ... until you let yourself believe it. And then, when you remember the secret you already know, you'll get productive again.
Any of this help?
Let me know.
Yours with enormous respect and admiration,
Eliza.
See ya, pal.
Erica Brooks replied:
Date: Friday, 28 August, 2009, 9:41 AM
Hi, Eliza,
This had me stumped at first -- naturally, since it's a riddle with no clues except in the person reading it. So I'm the riddle, which is the scary thought that spawned the story to begin with. What do we all know (what do I know) about writing, but still forget, over and over? Then all these anecdotes and bits of advice came back to me, including:
-A friend who said to write a little each day, without hope and without despair
-An introduction to a Jack London book that quoted him as saying he firmly believed, each time he finished a novel, that he would never write another one again
-Anne Lamott's advice in Bird by Bird, that you might write six pages of shit before you come to a sentence that actually does what you want it to do, and says what you want it to say... but you wouldn't have written that sentence without first writing six pages of shit
-A novelist I met at a friend's wedding a few months ago, who agreed to let me e-mail her, but warned that she would always, only, ask the same thing every time: what have you done? (I still haven't e-mailed.)
-The writing tutor who quoted some other writer as saying a novel is like a long car trip at night -- you can only see as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way
-More Anne Lamott advice: don't 'save up' the good writing, because it doesn't work that way. The writing gets better by being written.
So while I puzzled over the puzzle (which was really me), all these bits and pieces rose up and swirled around the backs of my eyes, all these little whispers, until I did, in fact, remember what I always forget. So here's my answer to the riddle:
Here's what he did: He remembered that his first story, that other, perfect one, hadn't existed either before he wrote it, and that he hadn't known, when he'd started it, anything about it at all. He'd started it without a single thought of metaphor or characterization, or any of those other things that were so good about it. But the thing was, he'd written it.
So he sat down with a blank sheet of paper and wrote "Once upon a time" or "The cat yawned and stretched" or maybe "Morag hadn't killed her husband yet, and she was very proud of herself", or maybe something else. And each sentence that he wrote posed a question, and the answer was the next sentence, which then asked a question of its own. And so he was writing again, because he was.
You're a life coach, right? Thank you very much for this -- it helps a lot.
With awe and gratitude,
Erica
"Once they let you get away with running around for ten years like a king hoodlum, you tend to forget now and then that about half the people you meet live from one day to the next in a state of such fear and uncertainty that about half the time they honestly doubt their own sanity."
Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72
Eliza Langland replied:
Friday, 28 August, 2009 11:42
Yikes ...I (no shit) read everything you wrote with a little tear in my eye. Well done. Well done. Well done. Wasn't completely taken with the "what have you done' question but in a way she's made her point ... without having to send a single email. Have a great day whatever you do with it. Thanks for such a great reply. Eliza XX
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 2nd November 2009 3.09PM | 0 Comments
This month we asked Shortbread member, author and editor of New Writing Dundee, Rachel Marsh, to select and review her favourite stories from our Shortbread Library. Read her insightful editorial and check out her selection here!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 20th October 2009 4.21PM | 0 Comments
The saying 'Curiosity killed the cat', always makes me very curious. How exactly did Curiosity kill the cat? And what sort of cat was it? Black? And the weapon that Curiosity employed? Poison in the milk bowl? These are all questions I'd like to know the answer to. By my very nature I'm a curious person, some might say 'nosey' but I always opt for curious. I like to know things, all things, everything, and at Shortbread you learn a lot about fiction, about writing and about people. The correspondence which Shortbread encourages is, at least in my opinion, very interesting. Over the next few months as we creep closer to the grand old age of One, I thought it only fair, to share some words of wisdom from our members.
First up is Willie Robertson, who most of you will know from our featured 'Tales From Wee Grannie' series. I asked Willie a few weeks ago if he would share with us his motives for writing and this is what he said:
I didn’t begin writing in order to produce a short story, let alone a published book. It seemed to me that I was just recording a series of tales and anecdotes from a time when things were much less complicated: even innocent. It was just a series of unrelated jottings.
But the more I jotted, the more I began to appreciate how much the experience of being a milk laddie had impacted on my formative years. Before long the thing seemed to take on a life of its own and, I was writing so that my kids would know what it was like to be a young boy on a milk lorry in 1962. I wanted them to realise how far their own teenage experiences had differed from mine. I also wanted people of my generation to remember their own experiences.
The thinking was ‘I should have got my grannies to talk into a tape recorder, because all that treasure is lost forever’.
So all I can offer to aspiring writers from my own experience is:
1. Write about things you know.
2. If you believe that your characters are real people, the reader will believe it as well.
3. Don’t overcook it. Don’t get too ‘literary’. Keep it simple and flowing.
4. Most of all, don’t give up. You’ve probably got much more in you than you think.
Hope this helps a bit.
Willie Robertson
Willie will be at Waterstone's in Dundee from 7pm on the 21st of October signing copies of his first book On the Milk.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 13th October 2009 9.26AM | 1 Comments
The month of October is here and as a result the dark nights are creeping in. So to keep the kids entertained during the up and coming dreary days we have not one but two fantastic audio stories from Bill Kirton.
Stanley and the Poem and Stanley at Christmas continue the wonderful series of children's stories from author Bill Kirton.
Enjoy!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 9th October 2009 10.09AM | 4 Comments
It is confession time, the Wee Granny Competition didn't exactly go to plan... And aren't we shame-faced. We decide this time around to to put up the Wee Grannie stories nearer the end of the comp, and as a result only two people entered. They were great stories, but doesn’t make it hard for us to judge, does it? It was our fault though and we won’t let it happen again, but our entrants will still get the copies of Willie Robertson’s new book: On the Milk. A big thank you to Kate Smart and David Appleby for their submissions!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 30th September 2009 1.37PM | 0 Comments
Shortbread will be attending a Literary Salon at Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre on the 1st of October at 5pm. So for all our members who are Dundee based why not come along, tickets are free and lots of people from the publishing industry will be there as well as a question and answer session, and of course wine if you so wish!
Hope to see you there!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 28th September 2009 2.50PM | 0 Comments
To kick off a rather rainy Monday we have a great selection of audio stories to get you through the week!
To soothe the soul, we have the beautifully written Maine Coon Cat from Charlotte Wemyss. We've had many feline tales, and this is by far one of the best.
To lighten the mood, we have a quirky, humorous drama from Michelle Braffman. You're Next is a wonderfully told story which captures the ups and downs of a mother and daughter relationship in an interesting and entertaining way.
And if all else fails, escape to another world, through the words of Anna Day and her portrayal of events after the Clutter Family Murders. In Black and White is a chilling and strangely satisfying tale of revenge.
A great selection from three very talented female writers, all narrated by Shortbread favourite Flora Montgomery.
Happy listening!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 23rd September 2009 7.12PM | 0 Comments
Wee Grannie is back in our fourth instalment of Tales From Wee Grannie: The Necklace O' Trooth written by the the very talented Willie Robertson.
And I am very proud to announce that Willie Robertson's first novel On the Milk will be available to buy from the 1st of October click here to pre order. And for all you lucky Dundonians there is even a book signing in Waterstones on the 21st in Dundee at 7pm. We'll certainly be attending, so look forward to seeing you there!
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Tuesday 15th September 2009 11.57AM | 0 Comments
My word! What with all the excitement in getting the new audio stories out and asking for your much-appreciated help with the updated website, I suddenly realized we had gone through an important milestone – the submission of our 500th short story!
A couple of years ago, when the whole idea of Shortbread was just a mere twinkle in the eye, I approached a friend, himself a well-respected author, and asked his advice about putting together a website for short stories. His first reaction was that ‘for every one submitted that is good, there will be ten that will be complete dross.’ It gives me great pleasure (and quite a lot of satisfaction!) to announce that that has been far from the case – in fact, we’re all in agreement that the quality of story writing continues to improve.
So thank you everyone - writers, readers, listeners – for taking to heart the concept of Shortbread and sticking with it. And once we’re firing on all cylinders with the website, there’ll be no stopping us!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 28th August 2009 3.03PM | 10 Comments
In the past I’ve written many a blog talking about delivering a brand new shiny Shortbread to you. Well, I think our postman may be a little unreliable as it seems to have been lost in the post!
I’m not going to write another tired blog asking for suggestions and making promises. I’m not going to tell you about all those fabulous things we propose to do, or ramble on about new features or state of the art writing facilities. I’m not going to tell you what you want, or what you need.
This time, I’m going to sit back put my feet up and have a Kit-Kat while you click here and tell me what you like, what you don’t like, what you want and most importantly what you need. We’re giving you a chance to make Shortbread exactly what you want it to be. We’re listening, and now we need you to talk - just keep it relatively clean!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 27th August 2009 6.14PM | 2 Comments
This month we asked Shortbread member, author and storyteller Erica Brooks to select and review her favourite stories from our Shortbread library. Read her insightful Editorial and check out her selection here!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 17th August 2009 2.57PM | 0 Comments
Just in time for the kids going back to school, we have two new audio stories for you to stick in the car c.d player for the school run!
Firstly we've got Stanley in Love written and narrated by Bill Kirton. This is a humorous tale about a little Fairy called Stanley who lives in the bathroom sink!
And The Oak Door written by Georgina Simpson and narrated by Posey Brewer is a tender tale about a mother's love.
Through out August we will be adding more stories to our audio library, and we will be showcasing the first Shortbread Winners from our Beatles Competition.
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 6th August 2009 4.07PM | 0 Comments
To kick off this month we have three great stories for you! We have a great retelling of a classic fairytale by Linda Bond, an emotional and beautifully written drama from Owen Lysak and a black comedy written by Gordon Darroch.
A FOREIGN PERSPECTIVE written by Owen Lysak and narrated by Toby Hadoke captures the tumultuous relationship of a young couple as they struggle to deal with recent trauma.
PEARLS OF WISDOM written by Linda Bond,, narrated by Paul Jerricho, is a deliciously dark version of the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood.
DO NOT READ THIS STORY written by Gordon Darroch, narrated by Paul Jerricho AND Toby Hadoke, is the first Shortbread story to feature two narrators. Have a listen to our favourite Shortbread actors performing this very amusing and original tale.
Throughout the month we will be bringing you a new selection of audio, so get your mp3 players at the ready!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 3rd August 2009 7.03PM | 0 Comments
Coming up through out August, we will have a new selection of great audio stories available for free download. The the winning Beatles entries: will be available later this month in audio:
Why Did It Die which has been recorded by BBC 1's Raven- James MacKenzie, With A Little Help From My Friends read by Helen McAlpine and Into the Light of the Dark Black Night narrated by Flora Montgomery. As well as a great mixture of children's stories, comedy and drama.
And don't forget to enter our new Shortbread Prize Competition for your chance to win a brand new ipod Shuffle and have your submission turned in to a professionally narrated audio recording.
So get writing and good luck!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 16th July 2009 7.49AM | 0 Comments
We are back with another tale from Wee Grannie. This week we are featuring The Story of Green Gatey, the third instalment of Willie Robertson's serialised feature: Tales from Wee Grannie. And don't forget to enter our second competition: The Shortbread Prize, for the chance to have your story made into an audio recording. Click here for details.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 8th July 2009 6.11PM | 6 Comments
This month we asked Shortbread member and author Kate Smart to select and review her favourites from our Shortbread library, and she did us proud! Kate uncovered some real Shortbread gems from our vaults, so check out her selections and reviews here!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 7th July 2009 8.34AM | 0 Comments
This week, we'll be taking a break from our serialised feature: Tales From Wee Grannie. We will be back with a new story for you all next week, in the meantime why not write your own story about your granny and enter The Shortbread Prize!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 29th June 2009 4.01PM | 0 Comments
As it is Monday again, it is time for our second instalment of The Tales From Wee Grannie! The Wells 'o the Weary is a weepy tale, so make sure you have your hankies at the ready!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 24th June 2009 2.20PM | 2 Comments
For some of our members it may come as a surprise to learn that we are a company which is based in Scotland. And to be more precise we work out of an office just outside Dundee. We are very much a world wide site (with members from over 140 countries to prove it!) however we believe very strongly in community and in supporting all writers and authors, in a local and global manner.
So we will be attending Dundee Literary Festival on the 25th and 26th of June. If you are in the area and fancy meeting the Shortbread team or coming along to many of the fantastic events on offer, why not pop down to the the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, Dundee. For more information about Literary Dundee check out their website.
And if your very lucky we might have a few free C.D's and the odd bookmark to give away!
See you there,
Fiona
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Friday 19th June 2009 11.48AM | 4 Comments
Willie Robertson, whose brilliant first novel “On the Milk’ is due to be published by Hachette in October, has given Shortbread a wonderful collection of stories called ‘Tales From Wee Grannie’, which we’re going to start putting up on site on Monday. To understand how they came to be, you’ll need to read Willie’s explanation about them, but they really are sort of fables ‘wi’ awfy serious morals tae them.’ As yet, we’re not quite sure how many there are – Willie says about five, but knowing him, he’ll probably keep pulling them out of his hat – but, starting on Monday, we’re going to start drip-feeding you with them over the next few weeks.
…AND, while that’s going on, we’re going to run our next competition (we're going to call this THE SHORTBREAD PRIZE from now on. Doesn't sound like any other literary prize , does it??) basing it on Willie’s idea of “TALES FROM WEE GRANNIE” and hoping very much that he doesn’t sue! These stories can be anything you want – anecdotes, recollections, fiction – it doesn’t matter – but the challenge for you will be to make them into good short stories. And you’d better tag your submission with ‘TWG COMP’, just so’s we know.
You can have until…erm… the end of September, and that’ll mean we can award copies of ‘On the Milk’ as the prize! Yesss!
Does it not make you feel so good when a plan comes together?!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 16th June 2009 6.06PM | 1 Comments
Now that the sunshine is finally here, and I don't need to sit in the office with a scarf and a pair of mittens on, we thought we'd add our June Audio Stories to the site. All of which are perfect for playing on an mp3 player while sunbathing in the garden.
HOLIDAY BUTTERFLIES written by Linda Bond and narrated by Julie Ann Dean is a poignant and beautifully told story about a little girl going on vacation, perfect for playing to the kids during those long hot drives to holiday destinations!
PERVERT by Paul James Barrett narrated by Posy Brewer and THE SEVENTH SIN written by Nikki Layzell, narrated by Caroline Woodruff, are humorous and surprising tales which look at the lives of two thirty year old women.
BEYOND REPAIR written by Mary Edwards and narrated by Posy Brewer is a powerful and masterfully written tale which examines the sorrow and heartache of a woman dealing with the loss of a child.
And finally a collection of stories by Sam Chesterton: THE GARDENER, THE PORTRAIT and SWANSONG all read by the wonderful Paul Jerricho. The Shortbread Office is very fond of this collection and often refer to them as 'The Lula Stories'! All three stories centre around the life of a rather unusual Seventy year old women. Not for the faint hearted!
We should have another collection as well as the featured Beatles Competition stories available soon! But in the meantime we hope you enjoy our June Collection!
Fiona
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Sunday 14th June 2009 2.55PM | 5 Comments
Fiona has given me the job of announcing the winners of The Beatles competition, an honour which I’m doing grudgingly, because I’m a bit hacked off that every one of the stories submitted paled my original contribution into relative insignificance. Seriously, every one of them was innovative, fresh, imaginative and well-written, and I’m relieved that the task of judging it all was down to the Shortbread community and not to the editorial staff. We are finding it hard to make a decision on what chocolate biscuits to buy for the tea break (or what level Fiona keeps the heater at in the office – Will has threatened to bring in his tomato plants to give them a boost.)
Anyway, I’m heading off on a tangent there. We decided that because the standard was so high that the writers of the top three stories will receive The Beatles No. 1 album and the winner will also get something else as well – but we haven’t yet worked out what that is!
So, the winner is:
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS by Heather Reid
The runners-up are:
INTO THE LIGHT OF THE DARK BLACK NIGHT by Erica Brooks,
WHY DID IT DIE? by Kris Wallace.
Well done everyone. They were all brilliant, and we’re making tentative enquiries into getting them printed up as an anthology. We’ll keep you posted about that.
Meanwhile, we’re scratching our heads over the next competition. It should be up pretty soon.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 4th June 2009 5.43PM | 6 Comments
We're working hard to bring the next version of Shortbread to your screens, and it has to said that your continuing support, comments and ideas, have been very encouraging. At the moment, we're designing a new rating system that will provide a more detailed analysis of each story. When voting you will be asked to rate each story on a number of categories. The categories which have been suggested are;
1) Plot & Structure
2) Character Development
3) Overall Enjoyment
4) Audio Suitability
It would be great to hear some suggestions from you. And any other ideas or opinions about Shortbread, are as always most welcome!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 3rd June 2009 11.21AM | 0 Comments
The Beatles Submissions are now available for free text download. All submissions can be viewed here, so please start reading through them and voting for your favourites. The three most popular will have their story produced in audio as well as receiving a copy of The Beatles 1 album. The winners will be announced on the 14th of June.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 1st June 2009 4.40PM | 1 Comments
The Beatles Competition has now finished. We've had a surge of entries in the last few days and are working to get them up on site as soon as possible. We will be announcing the winner on the 14th of June, so if you haven't checked out our most recent entries you can find them here! And a huge thank you to all our members who took the time to enter.
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 26th May 2009 3.17PM | 0 Comments
Just a quick reminder that our "Paperback Writer" Competition will be ending on the 31st of May. I've been delighted by the entries received so far, and have had a lot of fun reading through everyone's imaginative interpretations of The Beatles Songs. If you haven't submitted anything yet, you still have five days, so get writing! And if you haven't check out any of our Beatles Stories, you can read them by clicking here. Don't forget to vote and nominate for your favourites!
Good luck,
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 20th May 2009 8.51AM | 1 Comments
This month we asked Shortbread member Kris Wallace to select and review his favourites from our Shortbread library - check out his selections and comments here!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 6th May 2009 4.19PM | 0 Comments
Over the last few weeks we've had some enquiries regarding The Beatles Competition. We've had some very good entries which are unfortunately exceeding the 3,000 word limit, and because of this we've decided to amend the original rules. We are now accepting stories from between 1,000 and 5,000 words in length. To submit a Beatles story simply tag the submission with Beatles.
Happy writing and good luck,
Fiona
Posted by William Thomson on Wednesday 6th May 2009 2.37PM | 0 Comments
On Monday, the 2009 Pushkin Prizes for Creative Writing were presented to the ten winners in The Archers Hall in Edinburgh. These awards were started 20 years ago by Lady Myra Butter in honour of her great-great-great grandfather Alexander Pushkin, and are aimed at encouraging and rewarding creative writing in children aged between 11 and 14. A unique feature of the Pushkin Prizes is that the competition links English-speaking schools in St Petersburg, Alexander Pushkin’s birthplace in Russia, with schools in Scotland. Prize winners are presented with a recognition scroll and books before joining together for a week-long creative writing course, tutored by well-known authors, at the Moniack Mhor Writing Foundation in Inverness-shire.
The winners’ works are available to read at Pushkin Prizes, and I would particularly recommend “Lethal Tennis” and “The Black Wolf.”
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 30th April 2009 1.59PM | 0 Comments
As we are approaching the month of May I thought I’d remind everyone about The Beatles Competition we’re currently running. We’ve had a really great entry from Erica Brooks: Into The Light Of The Dark Black Night- and we are looking forward to reading many more song lyric stories. Check out our latest entry and see if you can guess which Beatles song inspired this story!
Good Luck!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 16th April 2009 12.58PM | 3 Comments
When Shortbread launched we had received a total of 36 submissions to our website. After reading our small collection, I felt immediately reassured as I rediscovered my passion for short fiction. A passion which, I’m afraid to say had been knocked out of me while studying at university. And I realised that, if I could laugh at a David Gaffney story, shake with fright while reading a Bill Kirton tale and feel a solitary tear roll down my cheek after an Eliza Langland narrative, Shortbread was an idea which could really take off.
And 6 months down the line it certainly has and many people have also discovered a passion for Shortbread. We have just published our 300th story and by sheer coincidence it has been penned by Bill MacKenzie, one of our very first members and in fact the author of the very first audio recording we produced: The Getaway Driver.
I got in touch with Bill to let him know that he had submitted our 300th story. He was delighted and kindly said this about Shortbread.
I was lucky enough to be in from the start of Shortbread and as my stories had a measure of success I thought it about time I threw another offering into the arena.
And it landed on number 300. My reward for that coincidence is that Fiona asked me to answer the question, "What do you think of Shortbread so far?"
For an enthusiast of short fiction writing there can be only one answer and that is an enthusiastic thumbs up.
For readers and listeners the scope on offer is now so wide that everyone will find something to please.
For writers Shortbread has offered a welcoming platform and the added bonus of the audio stories. It really is thrilling to hear my words beautifully read by professional actors.
And that is a massive morale boost for the scribbler!
Thank you Bill for such kind words about Shortbread and for submitting the 300th story.
We hope it won’t be long until the 400th!
Best wishes,
Fiona
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Wednesday 15th April 2009 12.57PM | 0 Comments
Fiona gave me a firm nudge this morning about putting up a synopsis for All the Lonely People, and it reminded me of the reason that I had written the story in the first place and gave me the idea for a competition. Finding myself between books a couple of years ago, I thought it would be a nice idea to write a collection of short stories loosely based on some of the Beatles songs. I wrote this story, obviously with Eleanor Rigby in mind, and sent it to my agent, but unfortunately, the idea was met with little enthusiasm (because publishers didn’t want short stories, hence the reason for Shortbread!) so I just stuck it away on my computer.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t do it here! Why not take any Beatles song and write a story about it, simply using it as a theme and giving it a different slant? Also let the community guess which song you have written about by giving the story your own title. Try to make it between 1000-3000 words. We’ll give you until the end of May to do this and then we’ll throw it open to our community to judge which is the best. The top three stories will go forward for audio production and our winners will also be sent a copy of this.
Good luck,
Robin
P.S Don’t forget to tag your story with "Beatles"!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 14th April 2009 11.32AM | 0 Comments
During the Easter break, Shortbread has changed and the more observant of our members will have noticed a few alterations have been made to our front page.
We now have a direct link to our Guest Editor's Picks which have been selected by Shortbread member Sam Chesterton. We also have a selection of featured and new audio, so give your eyes a rest and listen to some tantalising tales from Halloween raves to a night out at the local writing group.
We will be introducing some more changes to Shortbread over the next few months, and look forward to hearing from you regarding any suggestions or ideas for www.shortbreadstories.com
Best wishes,
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 9th April 2009 4.16PM | 13 Comments
Shortbread Stories has always been about developing a community of avid readers and talented writers. We want to make sure that we’re providing the best website we can and so we are asking you, our members, to help us. Is there anything you would like changed on the website? Are there any additional features you would like to see on Shortbread Stories? Please let us know by adding your comments to this blog post. We look forward to hearing from you!
Best wishes,
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Thursday 9th April 2009 11.53AM | 0 Comments
We have a great selection of new audio stories available now for free download:
Eyes and Ears written by Bill MacKenzie and narrated by Jonathan Battersby
The Pianist written by Daphne Kim and narrated by Flora Montgomery
Casualties of War written by Stephen Buss and narrated by Jonathan Battersby
The Dark Corner written by Jacqueline Pemberton and narrated by Lucy Aitken
Dream written by Gordon Sturrock and narrated by Jonathan Battersby
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 18th March 2009 3.57PM | 0 Comments
As we've had such a great response to our Audio Nomination feature we've decided to record four of the most popular Shortbread stories this month! Throughout March the members of Shortbread have chosen the following stories for Audio Production:
Great Car Boot Heist by Bill MacKenzie
Pearls of Wisdom by Linda Bond
The Seventh Sin by Nikki Layzell
Holiday Butterflies by Linda Bond
Congratulations to Bill Mackenzie, Linda Bond and Nikki Layzell!
We've had some great submissions lately, so why not have a look at our New Stories and start nominating for April!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Friday 13th March 2009 4.18PM | 0 Comments
Shortbread has been running at maintenance level over the past month due to my absence and unfortunately there has been a lack of blog posts, however I promise this is all set to change through out March!
While reading our new submissions I have been blown away by the quality of writing. Writing a short story is never an easy task and yet we continue to be inundated with interesting and well constructed submissions. I’d like to thank Kate Lord Brown, a recent Shortbread member, for writing a great article about Shortbread. To read about her insight into the craft of writing check out her blog at What Kate Did Next
I’d also like to thank Robin Pilcher for being our first Guest Editor. Robin put together a really varied and interesting Editor’s Picks during February. His insight into each selected story has been fascinating. This is the first of many Guest Editor Spots which we will be bringing you through out the year.
We have a whole host of new audio stories coming soon including The Pianist by Daphne Kim narrated by Shortbread favourite Flora Montgomery and Rainer by Gordon Sturrock narrated by the talented Jonathan Battersby. Votes for Audio Recommendation have been flooding in this month and we are currently tallying up the votes for March’s Audio Nominations so stay tuned for the results!
Fiona
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Friday 27th February 2009 1.28PM | 1 Comments
I’ve been given the task of being the first editor, one which I found pretty tricky as there is so much good material up on Shortbread. I have made my choice from the whole collection and have held off from star-rating them myself. I’ll leave that up to you readers to judge my selection!
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Wednesday 18th February 2009 10.32AM | 3 Comments
Six new audio stories are now on-site, amongst them those which you voted for in January. Development work on the Alpha site is going apace and, as part of that, we will be altering our main page. At present it’s not giving a good enough indication of what’s new - and the existing ‘Top Ten’ format is limiting the exposure of some very good stories and excellent writers. However, with Fiona being away in the Antipodes, we’re keeping everything very much at maintenance level for now – but once we’re into March….
Posted by Robin Pilcher on Friday 6th February 2009 10.28AM | 4 Comments
One of the hardest things a writer has to undergo is ‘editing’ – believe me, I know! But I have learned that one can become quite tunnel-visioned in writing a book or a story, and more often than not someone else’s professional input can really improve a piece. It might not entail great changes, but a slight realignment in structure or even quite simply punctuation. No matter how many books one writes, the learning continues.
So we have been wondering how much editing to do to the stories that are submitted to Shortbread and, so far, we don’t seem to be able to come to any agreement! Therefore, we think the best thing is to let you, our Shortbread writers, decide for yourselves. My own feeling is that a bit of guidance from a professional editor is always a great lesson in the art of writing, and we want Shortbread to continue to be seen as the home for really well-written stories. I am not talking huge changes here – most of the submissions have no need for that – but simply a bit of advice that would be the normal input from any literary agent or publisher to improve your story.
So what do you think? Please let us know.
Posted by Fiona Smith on Wednesday 4th February 2009 4.29PM | 0 Comments
The last few months have been pretty hectic but really enjoyable here at Shortbread Stories. Every day we seem to uncover fresh talent and we have been quite stunned by the quality of writing that has been submitted. We have been having more stories recorded and they will be put up on site over the next month.
Shortbread continues to grow daily and last month we achieved a record number of hits! Our membership is now up to 900, coming from over 92 countries, so I think we can now truly say that Shortbread is a global site with a global audience!
We have been quite amused by the fact that some of our authors have been trying to do a ‘Top of the Pops’ manipulation of the ‘Top Ten’, but Gary, our site ‘policeman’, is quite adept at picking this up and we leave it up to him to wag a stern finger when necessary!
Over the next month I will be travelling to Sydney, New Zealand, Singapore and Sri Lanka and I shall continue to spread the word about Shortbread. So for the time being, I am passing my duties on to Will and Robin who will keep the home fires burning until I get back in March, hopefully with a tan and a suitcase full of Shortbread Stories!
Posted by Fiona Smith on Monday 19th January 2009 12.25PM | 1 Comments
Last month saw the inception of Shortbread Editors. The most nominated stories, as voted for by our Shortbread Editors for this month are as follows:
› Eyes and Ears by Bill MacKenzie
› Fullerton CA by Kris Wallace
› Come Home by Bill MacKenzie
Congratulations to our winners! And a Big Thank You to our Shortbread Editors!
These will be recorded shortly and will be available for free download.
And don't forget to keep nominating for February's winners!
Good Luck!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 13th January 2009 1.23PM | 0 Comments
Over the last few months, Shortbread membership has continued to expand, as
has the Shortbread Library with many short stories being added daily. 2009
will prove to be an exciting year here at Shortbread. We have great new
features in the works as well as some tantalising audio treats in store!
Last month we revealed a brand new feature of the site: Shortbread Editors.
I’ve relinquished my editorial duties and have handed my power over to
the people of Shortbread. So far we’ve had a great response with many of
you nominating your favourite story for audio production. We are currently
tallying up the votes and will be announcing the winners for this month
soon.
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Tuesday 23rd December 2008 8.54PM | 0 Comments
Shortbread Stories would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year. Thank you for your support and encouragement during 2008
and we look forward to a very exciting and busy time throughout 2009. We
hope Santa is good to you! In the past I've found it helps to leave some
shortbread and a wee glass of whisky out, and of course don't forget the
carrots for the Reindeer!
Merry Christmas!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Saturday 13th December 2008 6.23PM | 0 Comments
We have recently introduced a new feature to Shortbread Stories. I am relinquishing my editorial authority and passing it on to the people of Shortbread! We are giving all members the chance to recommend their favourite stories for audio recording. You will now find a link on each short story page which you can click on to nominate the story for audio production. You now have the power to decide who belongs in the Shortbread Audio Library, so please vote wisely!
Fiona
Posted by Fiona Smith on Sunday 5th October 2008 4.53PM | 0 Comments
Welcome to Shortbread Stories!
Do you like short stories? I love them. They are perfect for my lifestyle. Like a piece of shortbread they can be consumed anywhere; on the bus to work, sitting in a restaurant waiting for a friend or perhaps while having a quick cup of tea before the kids come home. A short story is an instant insight into another world, from the sullen girl walking to school, to the lonely supervisor’s obsession with his secretary, to a shark-hunting mother in Australia. Through them we are given direct access to another time and place. This is the attraction of the short story and why we, at Shortbreadstories.com are championing the genre. And we’ve made it very easy for you to get on board! You can listen to one of our audio short stories performed by top-class professional narrators, read through our library of new and classic short fiction or if you’re feeling inspired by what is on offer, why not join in and submit your own short story! If you need further encouragement, why not read Rosamunde Pilcher ‘s simple guide on ‘How to Write a Short Story’?
If you’d like to learn more about the site, you can visit our Frequently Asked Questions section or have a look at the About Us page. Or you can experience Shortbread Stories right now by listening to one of our featured audio stories, ‘Forgiveness’ by Alexander McCall Smith narrated by Rick Knight and ‘All the Lonely People’ by Robin Pilcher narrated by Flora Montgomery.
We’re always on the look out for great short stories, and welcome stories from writers’ of any age. So whether you are 12 or 112 please feel free to submit any material to us. So now is the time to sit back, relax and enjoy a slice of Shortbread!
With best wishes,
Fiona
