Friday 22 August 2014

Bill Bryson on storytelling

Some newcomers to our competition may not be aware that our supporters include the best-selling writer Bill Bryson OBE.
Bill has supported our Global Short Story Competition since it started more than six years ago. I thought that it would be interesting to remind ourselves of his take on storytelling.
Bill, who as you can see from the picture was at the time Chancellor of Durham University in the North East of England where we are based, said when he agreed to support us: “From as far back as I can remember, I have been blissfully enchanted by the art of storytelling. I once read that the skill of a great writer or storyteller is the ability to capture the reader and seduce them into accompanying you on your journey – a journey which so often is loaded with personal experiences, prejudices and imagination. This is a maxim that I have often thought of but at times found so difficult to fulfil.
“The demise of our traditional communities and the compromises of modern family life mean that for many the telling or re-telling of stories is a forgotten craft as the demand for multimedia experiences and the mind-numbing repackaging of tired tales continues to rise.
“It is wonderful, therefore, to hear that a competition has been developed to showcase new creative talent and, in, turn create a community of writers and story-makers across the globe.”
You can enter the competition here at www.inscribemedia.co.uk - the latest quarterly one closes at the end of October.

John Dean

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