About the author "I'm originally from Leeds, but am a graduate of the University of York. After graduating (in 1980)Ìýand "between jobs" I began listening to 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 Afternoon Theatre. I became fascinated by the soundscape of radio drama and eventually began to write dramas myself. Thinking of the mantra 'write about what you know', my first piece was a 45 minute script set in the world of English language teaching (I am a freelance English language teacher based in York). Although never produced, this play, title Pasta Present Future, was well received both by 91Èȱ¬ drama and by independent producers. I was encouragedÌý to continue writing radio drama.
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A further play, Roundhay Ringstrasse,Ìýnow in the process of re-writing, features the arrival of two children who escaped from Austria in 1938 and came toÌýYorkshire through the Kindertransport arrangement.Ìý I alsoÌýwrite short stories,Ìýtravel journalism, arts reviews and poetry. SMIRK was published in York based magazine Aesthetica in Dec 2004 and REMOTE broadcast on Radio York and Radio Ryedale, March 2006. Professionally, I write texts for English language teaching publishers (OUP, Macmillan online, Asia Pacific Press). I have been writing in this way for about 10 years now, but only recently have the nerve to describe my self as a writer. At first it seemed quite hard to say "hello, I'm John King, I'm a writer" but now it seems more natural and it does mean you actually have to get down to the writing - not always that easy when one of my other interests is cricket!" About the story, Remote Back in January 2006, 91Èȱ¬ Radio York and Radio Ryedale teamed up to encourage people living in North Yorkshire to experiment with writing a short story. Together, they ran a competition, and the winner was promised £150 and the chance to have their story dramatised by professional actors and broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ Radio York and Radio Ryedale. John entered his story, Remote, and won! John says, "Remote is a short story describing how an English language teacher breaks free of routine to take a job as a volunteer for an overseas agency, and the tension between the draw of this new life and the residual attraction of the humdrum life left behind. "I wrote this at a time when overseas aid work was very much in the news, (Life Aid, Live 8, Medecin sans Frontiers, British Council etc, although it is of course entirely fictitious!)."
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The creative process "I work from a basic idea, research some background, then write a first draft straight out. Then I may revise and edit the draft quickly - exact vocabulary and style - to produce the finished story." | 
