Welcome...

We’re in celebratory mood in the Leeds Warners Group office

Star interview: Hallie Rubenhold

Exploring the hidden lives of women underpins all historian and

How I got published: Matt Spink

Matt Spink runs a creative department at an advertising company

Beat the bestsellers

Tony Rossiter looks at a writer who feels a great

Shelf life: Annabel Kantaria

Which books would you save in an emergency? Journalist and

Subscriber spotlight

Share your writing success stories. If you subscribe to Writing

Circles’ roundup

If your writing group would like to feature here, whether

New author profile: James Hilton

Writing about the adventures of a band of brothers was

Give poetry and prose the Elbow

The Elbow Room Prize is running for a second year,

My Writing day MARTIN EDWARDS

An indefatigable work ethic and willingness to put in the

On writing: Ian Rankin

Work expands so as to fill the time available for

Writing life: Don’t give up

Author and lecturer James McCreet considers some ways of getting

Writing life: Fulfil your five-year plan

Reach your writing goals one step at a time, with

Ten top tips: Write away

Be creatively inspired on your summer holiday, with advice from

Beginners: Give your book a chance!

I quite often meet writers who have finished a book,

GHOUL KIDS

Lorraine Mace discovers an unanticipated way to capture children’s attention

Get writing: Going on an artist’s date

Boost your creativity by going on an inspiring solo adventure

Away from your desk

Get out of your garret for some upcoming activities and

From the other side of the desk

Last month I promised to discuss the idea of there

Grumpy Old Bookman: Written in stone

Opening a new series on how the publishing landscape looks

Publishing behind the scenes: Moving towards the end point...

After the initial flurry, work continues quietly behind the scenes

Technology for writers: Visual design � the basics

Widen your portfolio or improve your self-publishing with design basics

Celebrating Shakespeare: Beyond the Bard

The world’s greatest writer shows us how to handle heroes,

Short story masterclass: Future masters

Putting together this article, I was overwhelmed by the number

Under the microscope

Author and lecturer James McCreet puts a reader’s first 300

Open short story winner

What’s it like, dying?’ I get that question a lot

Talk it over: Lights, camera... action?

A reader wants to add a string to her bow

Novel Ideas

Writing about what you know might include more than you

Fiction focus: Good manners, bad manners

Controversial topics, bad reviews and probing questions can be difficult

I wish I’d known…

Novelists tell us what they wished they’d known right at

Subscriber-only competition winner

If your parents are rubbish enough to give you a

Writing for children: Open your magic box

Create an instant source of visual inspiration with advice from

Train your brain: Pen pushers - Get the right idea

Ideas might come naturally but it’s choosing the right one

Train your brain: Red editing pen

Each month, we give you a few sentences which would

Circles’ roundup: Head hopping

Rethink an established work to get your group’s creativity flowing,

Poetry workshop: Kill or cure?

A poet asks for Alison Chisholm’s advice on redrafting an

Poetry in practice

Stanzas in a poem make a visual shape on the

Poetry primer: Poetry from A to Z

HYMNS have long been part of the Christian tradition, and

Poetry competition: Countdown to Christmas

Write a poem for children that will make the magic

Poetry winners: Making the list

Adjudicator Meg Marsden highlights the winning poems from our Bucket

The business of writing: Foreign export trade

The UK magazine market is vast, but there’s a bigger

Features desk: Assorted features

What’s the best format for your feature? Former features editor

Going to market

Patrick Forsyth explores a novel way of getting professional guidance

It’s a mystery

Solve a mystery or two to create a good travel

Miscellany

The natural order, not enough voices of reason, too many

Letters

We want to hear your news and views on the

Behind the tape

Get the facts right in your crime fiction with advice

Crime file: Fiona Barton

After a career as a journalist, Fiona Barton loves the

Editorial calendar

Strong forward planning will greatly improve your chances with freelance

Writersʼ web watch

Do you, dear WM readers, filter all your thought processes

Computer clinic

Experience a new event to find fresh inspiration, suggests Lynne

Helpline

Email your queries to Diana (please include home-town details) at:

Research tips: Massive open online courses

Explore options for in-depth distance learning with help from research

In memory of a master

The Royal Society of Literature is accepting short story entries

Hull-based hilarity

Christopher Fielden’s annual To Hull and Back competition for funny

A grand prize for poetry

The Winchester Poetry Prize is a major new poetry contest,

UK ASTRONOMY MARKET

BBC Sky at Night, edited by Chris Bramley, is the

Big prize for young poets

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, the UK’s biggest

Paperback writers

Audio Arcadia is inviting entries for its next Paperback Short

Patterson to publish even more books

US bestselling author James Patterson is launching a new imprint

FLASHES

Inkubus Publishing needs short stories for an anthology, Rocket Ride,

GLOBAL SF MARKET

Publishing science fiction, ‘in which some aspect of future science

Equality issues

Novelist Lionel Shriver was part of a panel discussion organised

Responsible Penguin

Penguin Random House UK has launched a Creative Responsibility Manifesto

Make headway at Headland

Headland is a quarterly e-publication featuring short stories and creative

UK COMMERCIAL MARKET

Silvertail Books is an independent publisher of commercial fiction and

It’s a Funny Old World

The garment in question was worn by actor Colin Firth

FLASHES

Anna Bibby has been appointed features editor of Love It!

GLOBAL SF MARKET

Compelling Science Fiction is a new US online science fiction

A sonnet for Shakespeare

To honour the 400-year anniversary of Shakespeare’s death this year,

GLOBAL E-ROTIC MARKET

Totally Bound is a digital-first publisher known as the home

On demand in demand

As a possible sign of things to come, Europe’s first

Artificium prizes for arty fiction

The Artificium Short Stories and Poetry Prizes are open for

FLASHES

Motorcycle News is edited by Andy Calton. He will consider

UK SMALL PRESS MARKET

Artificium is a new British small press which aims to

Poet of the year prize

The Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year Competition, supported for

PIR assessment

Published three times a year, Poetry Ireland Review welcomes submissions

Bloody good reads

Independent Legions is a new Italian publishing company specialising ‘in

GLOBAL CLIFI MARKET

Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk & Eco-Speculation is a new print

Awards for new Scottish writing

Applications are open for Scottish Book Trust’s New Writers’ Awards

And another thing...

‘Just do it. There’s no special magic – just write

FLASHES

Woodturning monthly magazine, from the Guild of Master Craftsmen is

GLOBAL DARK FANTASY MARKET

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2017 is a

It’s a London theme

The South Bank’s Poetry Competition is open for poems on

Eclectic-spec

Betwixt describes itself as ‘a magazine of fantasy, science fiction

Book Talk

INTRODUCTIONS

Writing Magazine presents a selection of travel publications currently accepting

FLASHES

Running Fitness monthly magazine has changed its name to Running

GLOBAL ROMANCE MARKET

Satin Romance is a new imprint of US-based Melange Books,

Help the planet with these mini-comps

Environmentally aware indie publisher Magic Oxygen is running a series

Cheers for music writing

The winner of the Penderyn Music Book Prize has been

UK ART MARKET

The Artist magazine is written by artists, for artists. ‘It’s

Flash forward

Lancashire Authors’ Association is running a flash fiction competition for

Steel yourself for spooky stories

IRON Press is inviting ghost story submissions for a forthcoming

Send your poetry to market

Deliberately eclectic and set up in 1984 to promote what

FLASHES

Pauline Jaffray edits East Lothian Life, a quarterly publication. Illustrated

UK LITERARY MARKET

Nottingham-based indie Stonewood Press mainly publishes poetry and literary short

Vacancies in Neon

UK literary magazine Neon accepts poetry and prose from around

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Wildflower Muse is an attractive webzine ‘for literary and artistic

Telling tales

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine needs unpublished fairy tale-inspired

FLASHES

Ben Sampson follows Lee Hibbert as editor of Professional Engineering,

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Offering a free family-friendly science fiction, fantasy or horror story

Political poetry please

Holland Park Press has launched a new poetry competition, Politics

Big winners this month

The shortlist for the 2016 Walter Scott Prize for Historical

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

The North American Review, published at the University of Northern

Time for writers to go to school

Scottish Book Trust has launched The Live Literature School Residences

FLASHES

Laura Daniel edits Kuoni Explore, which is running a competition

GLOBAL SF MARKET

Launched in 1990, Aurealis is Australia’s oldest and most respected

What’s the cwtch?

Cwtch Press is an US small press ‘specialising in erotic

Good shorts for Doris

Wrekin Writers are inviting entries for the 2016 Doris Gooderson

UK POETRY MARKET

‘We publish full collections of poetry, by new and established

Alive and kicking

A quagga is a sub-species of South African zebra that

Don’t get tied in mental knots

Ebook flash fiction anthology series Untied Shoelaces of the Mind

Make the most of moth

The Moth International Short Story Prize 2016 is open for