DEAR READER

No matter where we’re at in our writing

HOW TO WRITE BETTER THAN AI

Douglas McPherson road-tests some writing AI tools, and asks editors and writers what wordsmiths need to do to survive in a world of computer-generated content

A changing MARKETPLACE PART TWO

InIn the second part of this series on freelancing in an increasingly digital marketplace, Esther Chilton looks at different types of writing as ways you can earn from your work, including blogging, content writing and copywriting

HORROR: The first time hurts

Author Grady Hendrix sets out the seven simple questions to ask before you write your first horror story if you want to increase your odds of survival

deeper WADING IN

Debut novelist Roisin O'Donnell looks at making the leap from short story to full-length fiction with an idea that wouldn't let go

Murderous thoughts

Author James McCreet (writing as Matt Stanley), provides insights into getting inside the minds of serial killers in the process of writing from their perspective in his latest novel

WORK TOGETHER

Amy Sparkes explores how collaboration offers opportunities for children’s writers to create exciting and satisfying new creative experiences

Love & shadows

Dark romance can take your readers into the realms of emotional nightmare, says Alex Davis as he explores writing love in the world of horror

Write moves

Police officer turned bestselling crime writer Clare Mackintosh tells Tina Jackson about how her own property obsession fuelled her new novel, and how the theme of grief underpins all her work

ALICE AUSTEN

The debut author describes how she never forgot Ken Kesey’s advice to collect the ‘acorns’ that would grow into a historical novel set in Brussels in WW2 ©Joe Mazza

SHELF LIFE

The short story writer turned literary novelist picks five titles which struck a chord with him in the process of becoming a writer

FL EVERETT

Margaret James talks to the journalist and author about plotting, planning and juggling different kinds of writing

REAL LIFE, great stories

This month, Jenny Alexander explores writing the historical and cultural settings in your memoir

Your writing critiqued

James McCreet applies a forensic micro-critique to the beginning of a reader’s manuscript

In summary

This isn’t bad but it could be much

TENSE AND POINT OF VIEW: PART THREE

Look at using different types of the First Person PoV to allow varying persepctives in your fiction, with advice from author and tutor Ian Ayris

Away from it all

Author Lucy Diamond describes creating the set up of her new novel, set in a Greek island hotel

Before and after

When is a poem finished? Alison Chisholm fine-tunes a competition winner to see if it might benefit from any further revisions

Meeting & greeting

Writing can be a solitary occupation, says Margaret James, as she reminds WM readers of the benefits of making real-life connections

IT ALL ADDS UP

Helen Walters looks at the subtleties of conveying people and how they feel in your fiction, with an example story by Tessa Hadley

Words as weapons

Cross a writer at your peril, says Lynne Hackles

The world of writing

What goes through a writer’s brain? Readers’ letters and dispatches from the wide world of writing

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: YOUR WRITING The Gift

There were ‘Gift’ themed pieces galore in the

POETRY

Suburban streets tumble with garden Santas and coloured

PROSE

‘You mustn’t just sit her in front of

WE WANT YOUR WRITING

(and we’ll pay you for it!) Each

Subscribers’ news

To feature in Subscribers’ News contact: tjackson@warnersgroup.co .ukuk

MAKE MARKETING WORK FOR SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS

Jim Foley from BookBaby explores marketing for self-published authors in today’s digital landscape

BACK UP YOUR BUSINESS

Data-loss has plagued writers throughout history. Simon Whaley explores the simple strategy you can follow to protect your writing

UNOBTRUSIVE RESEARCH

You can glean a lot of information about human behaviour from observation and evaluation, says research expert Tarja Moles

Behind the tape

Expert advice to get the details right in

GILES KRISTIAN

The historical action adventure writer tells Lynne Hackles about juggling different projects and time periods

SHOULD BE SEEN ON SCREEN

The Adaption List is a spin-off from the

ROMANCE RESONATES

An 80-page Russian novella from 1848 has become

SOLIDARITY MISSION

The Board of the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers

A sense of an ending

Cornerstones’ Monica Chakraverty looks at the importance of giving your story a satisfying resolution

YOUR RESOURCES CHECKLIST

Alex Thompson , managing director at Troubador Publishing, lays out the essential resources for self-publishing success Find out more at: www.troubador.co.uk

A hundred tides

Jacqui Scholes-Rhodes has a PhD in narrative inquiry and published non-fiction work in 2013, followed by an MA in creative writing, successes in Mslexia , Fish and Manchester short fiction competitions, and publication in the 2020 HWA Anthology. She’s working on two novels.

Sea Fret

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY SHORT STORY COMPETITION: WEATHER

STRAIGHT TALKING

From the OTHE SIDE OF THE DESK

GENERAL NEWS

Challenging conditions In January nine members of

INDIE MAGS AND WEBSITES ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS

Black Fox Literary Magazine Black Fox Literary

COMPETITIONS WITH MULTIPLE CATEGORIES

Wildfire Words FF150 Competition 2025 The latest

GENERAL NEWS

Bored of the rings

ANTHOLOGIES INVITING SUBMISSIONS

Harvest the Night: An Anthology of Folk Horror

Elder Things Expeditions

Elder Things Expeditions is to be the seventh

The Threepenny Review

The Threepenny Review is a quarterly print and

Write well, write accurately.

Patrick Forsyth suggests extra care to avoid mistakes

SMALL PRESS OPPORTUNITIES

Tramp Press This Irish small press with

NON-FICTION OPPORTUNITIES

The Globe and Mail Founded in 1844,

POETRY COMPETITIONS

The Binsted Prize 2025 The South Downs

SHORT STORYCOMPETITION

BBC National Short Story Award 2025

SHORT STORY COMPETITIONS

The 2025 Rhys Davies Short Story Competition

Notebooks, revisted

Patrick Forsyth is inspired to use his travel notebooks in a different way