Making stuff up

Welcome…

At Writing Magazine one of our core aims is to identify

THE WORLD OF WRITING

Ships of fools, secret scripts and short-form stories sail past Derek Hudson in this month’s look at the world of writing

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…

Helpline

Your writing problems solved with advice from Diana Cambridge

Editorial calendar

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

Away from your desk

Get out of your garret for some upcoming activities and places to visit

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Spectacle is a lavishly produced new US-based print

Blue pencil, green light

The Bluepencilagency First Novel Award 2018 is inviting

Small, but perfectly useful

Patrick Forsyth suggests that thinking small can lead to something larger

FLASHES

Richard Bath edits Scottish Field magazine. He will

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

K Ferrin is a US fantasy author (Across The Darkling

Keep it short

The competition, which is run by the visual literary

Got a story to tell?

Watch This Space Productions has joined up with the

Get flash for Edinburgh

The Scottish Arts Club is inviting entries for its

UK SPORTS MARKET

Ockley Books is a small sports book publisher with

Poets get battered

Battered Moons is inviting entries for its Poetry Competition

And another thing…

Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because

FLASHES

The Literary Review, edited by Nancy Sladek, has a

GLOBAL CHILDREN’S MARKET

Gnome On Pig Productions is a young Canadian indie

A bounty of competitions

The Edinburgh based Scottish Arts Club has three competitions

For and about women

Welcoming freelance writers Sasee is a monthly woman’s

INTRODUCTIONS

Writing Magazine presents a selection of children’s magazines currently accepting contributions. We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with their guidelines before submitting and check websites, where given, for submission details.

Aim high with Shooter

Shooter Literary Magazine is inviting entries for the

FLASHES

Grow Your Own monthly kitchen gardeners’ magazine welcomes

GLOBAL BOOK MARKET

Crooked Lane Books, founded in 2014, aims to publish

Let your writing take wing

Published twice a year by Virginia Commonwealth University

Let’s write for Leicester Writes

The Leicester Writes Short Story Prize 2018 is open

Darke stagings

The Nick Darke Award was conceived in 2006 after the

UK FICTION MARKET

Margō Collective is a new independent publisher dedicated

Get it write

Win representation by Darley Anderson and ebook publication

Novel Ideas Going shipping

Want to be a real writer? Get your work out there. Ship it, says Lynne Hackles

FLASHES

Music Teacher monthly magazine is edited by Christopher

GLOBAL MAGAZINE MARKET

Renaissance is a glossy US print title published bimonthly

UK SPECFIC MARKET

Galli Books is a new Glasgow-based indie, publishing

Specfic shortlists

The Best Fiction nominations by the US National Book

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Mojo is an online literary biannual produced by the

FLASHES

Stripes, an imprint of Little Tiger Press, will be

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Five Points is a literary print journal dedicated to

New writers blast off

Aiming to highlight new writers, the free-to-enter

Get flash for Edinburgh

The Scottish Arts Club is inviting entries for its

Branch out here

Original unpublished poetry, fiction, creative non

Audio comes to Asda?

US retail giant Walmart is to sell e-readers, ebooks

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Forces of Nature (working title), is a new anthology

Nimrod hunting

Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry is

New shapes

Geometry is a new international literary endeavour

FLASHES

Stephen Pollard is the editor of the weekly Jewish

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Pantheon Magazine editor Sarah Read is seeking short

’Holy grail’ stolen

Several rare books were stolen from SN Books in Thetford

Clore your way into Poetry London

Poetry London is inviting entries for its 2018 competition

Book Talk BY JOHN JENSEN

A while back I quoted some aphorisms by Hans von Fraugroppe

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Coin Collecting Magazine is a brand new print and digital

Twelve years of independence

The International Welsh Poetry Competition is inviting

It’s getting flashy over at Storgy

Storgy litmag is inviting entries for the Storgy Flash

Not too short for Short Fiction

Literary journal Short Fiction is inviting entries

That’s the way to do it

One writer’s career offers Michael Allen a clue to the secret ingredient for success

On Writing

Tony Rossiter explores great words from great writers

From the OTHE SIDE R OF THE DESK

Piers Blofeld argues that there needs to be transparency in publishing, as well as cultural sensitivity

Ask a Literary Consultant

Whats the best way to present your submission to a

Writer’s voice

In the first of a new monthly column, The Society of Authors chief executive Nicola Solomon introduces the UK trade union for more than 10,000 writers, illustrators and literary translators

BEHIND THE TAPE

Expert advice to get the details right in your crime fiction, from serving police officer Lisa Cutts

CEMETERIES & FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH

Dig deep into burial sites with Tarja Moles

An affinity with IMAGES

Greta Powell looks at options in image-editing software

Make the dream real

Simple steps and changes of perspective could make your writing dreams more achievable than willpower alone. Personal development trainer Terry Gillen shows you how

BEAT writers’ block

Can’t write? Struggling to find words or inspiration? Follow Sophie Beal’s advice to make writer’s block a thing of the past

Free range writing Free range writing

Take a leap into the creative unknown with these writing exercises from Jenny Alexander

A problem shared

Let the members of your group help solve each others’ writing problems in this exercise from Julie Phillips

Sort out the sonnet

Choose whichever sonnet form you prefer to give it the best chance in WM’s poetry competition, says Alison Chisholm

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 set out below:

Highs & lows

Dorothy Koomson takes her readers on a rollercoaster with her emotional thrillers, as Tina Jackson discovers

SARA ALEXANDER

The Sardinian-British writer tells Dolores Gordon Smith how she achieved debut success first in America, then in the UK

The style & technique of MICHAEL BOND

Tony Rossiter explains how he created the much-loved bear from darkest Peru

CLARE MORRALL

The novelist, Booker-shortlisted for her debut, shares her five favourite reads 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

A. J. FINN

The publisher turned novelist tells Chris High how he mined his own experience of mental illness for his noiresque debut

STUART TURTON

A blend of cosy crime and time-travelling specfic makes for an intriguing debut, says Adrian Magson

VENERO Armanno

The Austrialian author and university lecturer tells Lynne Hackles that his busy schedule means a lot of his writing gets done in the middle of the night

Ack nicely

A thank you goes a long, long way, says Adrian Magson

Time flies

Jane Wenham Jones advises a writer who is worried that she’s frittering away the time she’s given herself to write a novel

London calling

The London Book Fair has opened its door to writers in recent years. Simon Whaley considers the business case for going.

Is that ME?

Lorraine Mace casts a wry eye over people who think she’s based her characters on them… even when she hasn’t

WIN! £500

IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATIO

The Upgrade

I already have a history, I find, when I was, but was

Stitched Up

Her face was exquisite but what enthralled me were

WIN! £250

IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

Cold Water Shock

Mike Chapman is a science teacher living in Suffolk

Under the Microscope

James McCreet examines the opening of a reader’s supernatural thriller

SETTING OFF

Plan the journeys your characters need to undertake in your fiction with advice from Margaret James

In my mind’s eye

Helen M Walters looks at the functions of internal dialogue in Finishing Touch by Claire-Louise Bennett

Talking TEENS

Amy Sparkes talks to leading YA author Anne Cassidy to get insider information about writing for the popular young adult market

The new breed

Alex Davis looks at writing blending crime and the supernatural

The forming of a relationship

A poet who has written a modern-day villanelle impresses Alison Chisholm

Poetry in practice

Always revise your poetry competition entries to give your work the best chance of winning, says Doris Corti

Poetry from A to Z

Poet Alison Chisholm guides you through the language of poetry

Staunch support for thrillers without violence to women

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

Be the best for the Bridport

The international creative writing prize has four categories:

Big prize for BAME women

The SI Leeds Literary Prize for unpublished fiction

Stroud ahead

Stroud Book Festival is inviting entries for its international

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

T3 magazine covers consumer technology – from the big

FLASHES

Lincolnshire Life monthly magazine covers county life

GLOBAL MAGAZINE MARKET

Founded in 1970, Early American Life is a full colour

New writers for New Reader

New Reader Magazine is a US online literary and lifestyle

Short plays wanted

Editorial Dalya’s first International Short Play Writing

UK FICTION MARKET

Mirror Books, which was featured in Writing Magazine

It’s a Funny Old World

Sunday Times investigative reporter Philip Jacobson

FLASHES

Angela Gilchrist edits The People’s Friend magazine

GLOBAL BOOK MARKET

Scribe is a well-established indie publisher with both

Tell two sides

Tell A Tale is a free to enter gothic fiction competition

Fired up

Demonstrating that attempting to ban something is a

Poets can win with Poetry Can

Poetry Can is inviting entries for the Bristol Poetry

Competition Special 2018

How many competitions do you enter each year? How many

Short story competitions 2018

All the competitions previewed on this page are open

SUBSCRIBER–ONLY Short story competitions 2018

The competitions previewed on this page are open only

OPEN TO ALL Poetry competitions 2018

These poetry competitions are open to all writers,

COMPETITION GUIDE 2018

Pick your favourites and start scheduling your entries with over 250 competitions to enter. This could be the year you win big!

Bin Day

Sallie Anderson lives in Gloucestershire. Her experiences

New Subscribers’ Poetry Competition

A variety of themes and styles were submitted for the

Writer on fire

Paul Beatty won publication of his book by The Book Guild in our competition for a book proposal. Here, he highlights the motivational difference a win can make and introduces his book Children of Fire