INTRODUCTIONS

Welcome.

In any magazine office, flick your pen and you will

THE WORLD OF WRITING

Providing the ingredients, having a go, sticking at it and tasting the rewards…every step of the recipe for a writer, cooked up by Derek Hudson

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We want to hear your news and views on the writing world, your advice for fellow writers – and don’t forget to tell us what you would like to see featured in a future issue…

Editorial calendar

Strong forward planning will greatly improve your chances with freelance submissions. Here are some themes to consider for the coming months.

Site plans

Follow tech trainer Greta Powell’s advice to set up your author website

Coping with change

Change is a constant in publishing and you need to manage it, says Patrick Forsyth

Novel Ideas Oldies but goodies

It might be the right time for your old work to have a new life, says Lynne Hackles

The wrong turning

Patrick Forsyth is in favour of not knowing where you’re going

PROTECTING WRITERS’ RIGHTS WITH THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS

Permissions: The Society of Authors chief executive Nicola Solomon explains the protocols of borrowing from other writers’ work

On Writing

Tony Rossiter explores great words from great writers

From the OTHE SIDE R OF THE DESK

Literary agent Piers Blofeld wonders what the future holds for high street book chain Waterstones

ASK A LITERARY CONSULTANT

What’s the best way forward for a previously published novel that’s been heavily revised? Cornerstones managing editor Julie Gourinchas advises

Helpline

Your writing problems solved with advice from Diana Cambridge

Fake news

Get savvy about spotting online misinformation with help from Tarja Moles

The future’s indie

Small can be beautiful when it comes to book presses, says Clare Stevens in her guide to independent publishing

Bits & pieces

Freelance Diana Bocco urges you to diversify to make a living as a writer

HOOKED ON WRITING

Writing needs to be something you absolutely have to do, says Adrian Magson

A bitter blow

Being dropped by your publisher is harsh, but it’s not the end of the world, says Jane Wenham Jones

COLL ABORATIVE MARKETING

Two’s company, three’s a crowd… but six can be a good marketing strategy, says Simon Whaley

THE JOY OF BEING turned down

Lorraine Mace describes why a story getting rejected put a massive smile on her face

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN PEN

With an enviable hit rate wherever he sets his sights, Anthony Horowitz can write no wrong. Tina Jackson learns how he keeps up the excitement

JO ZEBEDEE

The sci-fiand fantasy author tells Dolores Gordon-Smith how she landed not one, but two publishers

The style & technique of PENELOPE FITZGERALD

Tony Rossiter examines a novelist who wrote with a delicate touch about the most serious things

Shelf life: CHARLES CUMMING

Sneak a peek at the bookshelf of spy author Charles Cumming, with Judith Spelman

SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT

Share your writing success stories. If you subscribe to Writing Magazine and would like to feature here, email Tina Jackson, tjackson@warnersgroup.co.uk

CIRCLES’ ROUNDUP

If your writing group would like to feature here, whether you need new members, have an event to publicise or to suggest tips for other groups, email Tina Jackson, tjackson@warnersgroup.co.uk

GILLY MACMILLAN

The bestselling author tells Chris High why she brought back DI Jim Clemo in her third novel

ELAINE PROCTOR

The film-maker and author tells Margaret James about

PP WONG

The Life of a Banana author tells Lynne Hackles how she tries to carve out time to immerse herself in her work

FREE RANGE writing through the year

With the International Day of Friendship on the horizon, be inspired by friendship in these creative writing exercises from Jenny Alexander

Red Editing Pen

Each month, we give you a few sentences which would all benefit from some careful use of your red editing pen. As writers, and regular readers of Writing Magazine, you should not find any of these too difficult. But if you would welcome a little help, you can always check out Richard Bell’s suggested solutions below.

WIN! £500

A burgeoning genre, creative non-fiction uses all the

The Bus Stop

Sallie Anderson lives in Gloucestershire. She can be

ENDS AWAY

Write the end of your story first to generate new creative possibilities in this writing group exercise from Julie Phillips

Writing – A Job with All Sorts of Opportunities for All Kinds of People

Writing – A Job with All Sorts of Opportunities for

A fine crop

A vintage yield is topped by a harvest poem in WM’s open competition, says judge Alison Chisholm

Who were you?

Alison Chisholm explores a poem setting out a question that can never be answered

Poetry in practice

Unsure whether to use free verse or blank verse? Doris Corti offers guidelines

Poetry from A to Z

Poet Alison Chisholm guides you through the language of poetry

Away from your desk

Author Jeremy Gavron leads a one-day workshop about

Under the Microscope

James McCreet looks at the beginning of a novel about the relationship between technology and communication

How not to be a BAD WRITER

Margaret James tackles the thorny problem of defining what makes writing bad

II wish I’d known…

‘Since starting my writing career in 2012, I feel I

Keep it real

Helen M Walters looks at using documents to give your fiction the illusion of being factual

Story jigsaw Part 3

In the final part of her series on assembling the essential components of a children’s story, Amy Sparkes looks at writing technique

The art of the anthology

Alex Davis looks at how an editor puts together an anthology, and how this affects writers

WRITER’S NEWS

Your essential monthly round-up of competitions, paying markets, opportunities to get into print and publishing industry news.

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

The Story Seed Vault publishes fiction of any type