Stiltjack, a new site for writers
I was happily surprised when Martin Cooper of Stiltjack contacted me and asked if I’d like to send in some of my writing for his project, Broadsheet Stories. I think his idea is a terrific one, and I’m pleased to be a part of it. I asked Martin to write me a guest post telling us, in his own words, what he’s doing and where his idea came from. His explanation follows.
“Eighty pounds?”
“The frame’s nice.”
“But it’s a photograph, for God’s sake. The man’s probably printed thousands.”
And so it is. Black and white. Technically accomplished, every texture pin sharp in spite of the enlargement. Street photography school of Henri Cartier-Bresson.
The painting next to it is huge, extravagantly red and yellow, featuring (I think) Bob Geldof and a bowl of oranges. The price tag on that says £300.
We suck the froth off our cappuccinos and contemplate injustice. A novel takes five years to write and sells for £7.95. If you’re very, very lucky.
But how much of this artwork does actually sell? There are tens of thousands of pictures and sculptures in cafes, bars and art centres from one end of Britain to the other – around the world, for all I know. Customers must buy some of them, or nobody would bother. (Let’s see now: three lattes at £1.95, two slices of carrot cake at £2.50, one brownie… Oh, and a post modernist installation piece. That’ll be £533.90.) Not the point, though. The drawings are there to be seen. In an awkward pause in the conversation, turning the page in the newspaper, we sip our espresso, look around the walls.
A free audience.
More injustice.
But why not? Why shouldn’t writers get a free audience too? Shoppers, students, holidaymakers and salesmen between pitches – they’re all readers. Give them something to feed their imaginations while they butter their croissants.
So Broadsheet Stories. They come out once a month, a single story printed on an A3 sheet (that’s about 11.5in x 16.5in – tabloid in the US) and you can find them lying around in the sort of place that has a rack of newspapers and internet access. They last a coffee or two. They’re interesting to handle, fun to look at and completely disposable. If customers spill soup on them or write their grocery lists on the back it doesn’t matter. There’s plenty more. They cost nothing.
At the moment we’re piloting the project in the south-west of England, but the broadsheets are being posted on our website www.stiltjack.co.uk. If you’d like to print off a few and try them in your local hang-out, help yourself. Let us know how you get on.
Oh, and if you’re a writer, we do pay: £25 for 1,500-2,000 words. Lauri will tell you that we’re prompt and polite. Her story After Hours comes out in October.
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September 1st, 2009 at 8:18 am
wow. that actually sounds like fun. thanks for the post!
September 1st, 2009 at 9:06 am
It really is fun! Plus, Martin’s awesome to work with. I’m going to take a wild guess that the other guys are as well.