My short story Papercut was recently removed from the Short Stories section of this blog, but it has now returned. The reason for the removal was that I submitted a screenplay version to the BBC Writers Room. It didn’t win, but I did make it to the second round (the top 10 percent of five thousand odd submissions). I received an encouraging note from the BBC saying this was no small feat considering the competition. They also encouraged me to send further screenplays, which was nice.

Papercut was originally published in the Dragon Soul Press romantic fantasy anthology First Love. The story concerns a lonely teenage boy living with his ultra-strict Jehovah’s Witness mother. In his dreams, he is visited by a mysterious girl made entirely of paper, leading to a fantastical journey into… Well, click here to download the story for yourself.

If you’re curious, you can also download the screenplay version which streamlines and reinvents one or two areas of the story, particularly in the first act. Translating from one medium to another is a challenging task, especially when trying to find visual equivalents for inner monologue.

In case you were wondering, the above images, from classic fantasy adventure movie Jason and the Argonauts, and the iconic music video to A-ha’s 1985 hit Take on Me, were a visual and tonal influence on Papercut.