Saturday 21 November 2009

The Write Lines

Broadcaster and writer Sue Cook has a short series about writing and getting published running on Sunday evenings on BBC Radio Oxford. It's called The Write Lines: last week's episode is available to listen to again, and its next episode will run live tomorrow evening, from 9 to 10pm GMT.

Tomorrow night the discussion will focus on how to find an agent and get your work into print. Guests include literary agent David Godwin; literary agent and founder of the London Writers' Club Jacqueline Burns, and writers Katie Fforde, Caroline Smailes, Elizabeth Chadwick, Robyn Scott, and Miriam Wakerly. Writer Ben Johncock (who blogs for The Bookseller) will be tweeting live from the studio; and some woman called Jane Smith will be there too, butting into the conversation from time to time and generally making a nuisance of herself.

Even if you live outside the range of the BBC's Oxford transmitters you should be able to listen along on the internet from the links I've given above. If you'd like to participate and you have a Twitter account, please Tweet your questions to @theWriteLines before and during the programme, and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can. Meanwhile, you can prepare for the show by reading up on the participants either by following the above links to their websites, or by following them on Twitter: all our user-names are below. I'm looking forward to hearing from you: and please forgive me if I mumble or giggle uncontrollably, I'm not used to radio and Sue Cook provides free wine--it could be a dangerous combination.

@theWriteLines
@SueCookcom
@MiriamWakerly
@Caroline_S
@Chadwickauthor
@robynscott
@KatieFforde
@writersclub
@hprw

9 comments:

Chris Stovell said...

I came across this programme on Kate Harrison's blog and listened to it on iPlayer. It's been a really informative series with plenty of real debate and valuable insight from the experts. I shall look forwards to listening to you on tomorrow's programme.

Derek said...

Miraculously, also available out here in the colonies at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/hi/tv_and_radio and click Listen Live at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

Unknown said...

As you can imagine I will be glued to you on radio as I was on telephone.

Barry Walsh said...

Many thanks for this.

Jane Smith said...

Thanks, all. I'm looking forward to it enormously, and just hope that I don't blurt out something ridiculous! Remember to send in any questions you have via Twitter: I'll look out for your names.

Chris Stovell said...

Excellent programme, Jane - interesting stats on self-publishing v mainstream and very pertinent comments.

Nicola Morgan said...

Annoyingly, I only got the second half as I was one of the many people who was affected by BBC iplayer deciding to do maintenace during the show, but you didn't say anything embarrassing at all - you sounded remarkably sensible. How did you manage that? Was it the wine?

Jane Smith said...

I thoroughly enjoyed myself: Sue was so calm and focussed that I didn't feel at all nervous, and each time I stumbled she filled in for me so smoothly that even I was barely aware it had happened! She really is very good.

Nicola, I only remained upright in the studio because I was tied to my chair and each time they switched to a pre-recorded section Ben Johncock would come in and ladle black coffee into me. He was terribly helpful, although he did forget to photograph my comfy shoes. And it was infuriating that iPlayer was down for most of the show, but you can Listen Again until next Sunday if you have that broadband thingy. Which I don't, so I have no idea how daft I sounded!

Inkling said...

Is the BBC really this out-of-date? Many of us don't listen to radio shows at our desks. Many of us listen to them on the go with iPods and iPhones. BBC History Magazine has a podcast. These people need one too.