Birmingham writers will be challenged to stop using their computers as word processors and start thinking digital.

People who write for radio, television, theatre or work as novelists or poets will be thinking about the difference the internet can make to writing in an event for the Birmingham Book Festival, which is supported by Birmingham Post.

The impetus for Thursday's gig, which is co-hosted by the Writers’ Guild West Midlands Branch and the Royal Television Society Midlands Centre, is funding that has becoming available from Channel 4.

Channel 4 and Advantage West Midlands have created a £10million fund, 4iP, to kick start a wave of digital media with a public service content in the region.

Screen West Midlands is administering the scheme and Jason Hall, head of innovation, will be talking at the event.

“Writing specifically for digital platforms is definitely a challenge for writers,” he says. “There are huge benefits, but you have to take into account that you will be writing in a nonlinear fashion.

“Traditionally a book or an article or a screen play follows a strict linear route with a beginning, a middle or an end.

“If you use an interactive platform then users can chop and change the way the writing goes. You have to be prepared to give up part of your control as a writer and allow the user to find a route through a story.”

4iP is looking for the writers that can make the most of digital media by using its interactive nature.

“An example of the kind of thing someone might want to do is encourage people to contribute elements of their own lives by uploading their stories and then the writer collates those stories to produce an over-arching story from the contributions of users,” says Jason.

Screen West Midlands has already co-financed the world’s first user-generated movie, Faintheart.

Users of the world’s largest online community, MySpace, played an integral part in every stage of the filmmaking process from directing the film, to joining the cast, submitting music for the soundtrack, or being part of the production crew. It was filmed in Ludlow, Worcester and Birmingham.

* Writing for Broadcast is being held at Birmingham Conservatoire, Paradise Circus, B3 3HG on Thursday at 6.30pm. Tickets from 0121-303-2323