During the past six months, we have used the web to contact writing groups and associations from Novia Scotia to Queensland, Quebec to the Caribbean, Scotland to New Zealand as we try to spread the word.

We have contacted general fiction writers and those who delight in telling ghost stories, those who make our blood curdle with their tales of horror, those who cheerfully murder the luckless in their crime stories and those who reduced us to laugher with their comedy or make us smile with their whimsical sense of romance.

Why I am telling you all this? Because we are grateful for all the work that each of those groups, and each of you who visits our site, do in passing on the word. The Internet may be the wonder of the modern age but it does not replace the human touch.

We are currently looking at new ways of increasing awareness of our competition on the web through the application of technology but remain deeply appreciative of those of you who already visit our site, like what they see and tell their friends about it.

This all comes to mind because we have had one or two nice messages this week from people saying how much they appreciate the work that competitions like ours do to promote the genre of the short story.

And from the delight expressed by our winners each month, we know that success in the Global Short Story Competition means something.

Yes, but what does it all mean? Well, it means that exciting new writers are being given exposure which some of them might not otherwise have received.

And it means that there was a time not so long ago when the genre was seriously endangered but that now, thanks to competitions like ours and many others, there is a sense that it is being restored to its rightful place as one of the most celebrated types of writing on the planet.

So thanks for all your help as we try to play our part in the campaign to save the short story.

And for those considering entering this month’s competition, you have just over a week to do so.

Have a good weekend.

John Dean