Yps-publishing

www.yps-publishing.co.uk

DEAR READER

As writers, we create lives on the page.

That funny FEELING

Writing ‘digestives’ for when things are a bit quiet on the witty, creative, or connecting depar tment from comedy star

Faux memoir: MERGE AND MANIPULATION

Historical fiction written as a memoir can immerse its reader in a character and the events they experience. Author M J Robotham explores creating a faux life on the page in the process of writing her new novel The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux

ORGANISING chaos

Have you completed a first draft and worried that it’s all over the place? Author and editor Gary Dalkin advises you on turning a messy first draft into a publishable book

All the feels: EVOKING EMOTION

Making readers feel is an essential part of the writer’s craft. Novelist Patricia McBride advises you on how to use evocative words for maximum impact

STYLE: Dig out your prose

Author James McCreet looks at the ‘archaeology’ of our individual writing styles and how we can clear the rubble of hackneyed words and phrases

SETTING Part One

Make your settings feel real by focusing on people in place and how a par ticular location makes them feel, says author and tutor Ian Ayris

PAM WILLIAMS

The former fashion-journalist-turned-teacher and now author tells Lynne Hackles about night-owl writing, tube note-taking and the long genesis of her debut, A Trace of Sun

Creative CONTROL

Psychological thriller author C.L. Taylor talks to Tina Jackson about stalking, relatable fears and how she keeps readers turning pages in her propulsive bestselling novels

JENNIE GODFREY

The author describes how a midlife crisis led to her writing one of this year’s most anticipated debuts, The List of Suspicious Things

SHELF LIFE

LESLEY MCDOWELL

CAROL WYER

The bestselling author tells Margaret James about writing in two entirely different genres: rollercoaster police prodecurals and warm, relatable comic fiction

Yeovilprize

www.yeovilprize.co.uk

Debzhobbs-wyatt

www.debzhobbs-wyatt.co.uk

Alternativestories

www.alternativestories.com

Tothelastword

tothelastword.com/wmag

REAL LIFE, great stories

This month, Jenny Alexander offers advice on finding the story for your creative non-fiction

The quick fox

Yangsze Choo talks about the spontaneous unfolding of the beginning of her magical new novel The Fox Wife

AUTUMN LEAVES

Alison Chisholm explores what gives a poem inspired by trees its richness and variety

WHO’S TELLING?

Margaret James advises you on choices of narrative viewpoint you might make in your fiction and creative non-fiction

Five quick questions

• When and where did your journey as

Sensory perceptions

Helen Walters asks you to imagine how you might convey altered senses in your fiction, with an example short story by Kate Chopin

WINNING TALES

Amy Sparkes reveals the winners in the Picture Book category of the WM Children’s Book Prize

THE TOASTER PROBLEM

How much do you need to explain the science in your science-fiction, and the magical elements in your fantasy stories? Alex Davis advises you on keeping worldbuilding organic in sci-fi and fantasy

Novel Ideas A good clear out

Lynne Hackles looks at the art of downsizing

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 GENRE - BUSTING

What an inventive lot the WM writers proved

Subscribers’ news

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

Get the write idea

Explore different states of being in writing in these creative exercises to try right now

OPEN SHORT STORY WINNER TIGHT SITUATION

Carol

The Leather Coat

Sarah Kingsley is a freelance writer living in

AI NARRATION

How is auto-narration helping self-published authors break into the audiobook market? Simon Whaley shares his and another author’s experience

RESEARCH TIPS

Google may be the world’s largest search engine,but are you making the most of it? Maximise your Google research potential with advice from Tarja Moles

Behind the tape

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

TLC

www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk

Musaclio

www.musaclio.com

Michelleemerson

www.michelleemerson.co.uk

writ

https://writ.rs/signupnow

Firsttenpages

www.firsttenpages.co.uk

GET PUBLISHED

You’ve read the advice – now get into print! Find the most up-to-date calls for submissions, writing competitions to enter and publishing opportunities to suit you and your writing in our easy-to-navigate news pages

Understanding structure

Helen Corner-Bryant, founding editor of Cornerstones Literar y Consultancy UK/US, says knowing how your book is structured will aid your writing process

CORNERSTONES

www.cornerstones.co.uk

ANTHOLOGY MARKETS

Bad Hand Books ‘You can do a lot

NOVEL COMPETITIONS

The Cheshire Novel Prize 2024 Win a

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS

Blydyn Square Books Blydyn Square Books is a

SPEC-FIC PUBLISHERS

Baen Books

LITERARY COMPETITIONS

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2024 Enter poetry and

LITMAG OPPORTUNITIES

Shooter Shooter is a UK-based literary magazine that

Hooray for the SWWJ!

Patrick Forsyth embraces what a long-lived writing group can offer its members

SHORT STORY COMPETITIONS

The 2024 MTP Short Story Competition The MTP

NON-FICTION OPPORTUNITIES

BBC Science Focus The BBC’s monthly print

Not your cup of tea?

We don’t always have to write about what we like,

Writing-competitions

www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-competitions

STILL TIME TO ENTER

WRITING-COURSES

WWW.WRITERS-ONLINE.CO.UK/WRITING-COURSES

Standout, breakout

With publishers increasingly believing they put out too many books, Piers Blofeld offers a salutary reminder that the big sellers can be hard to predict

SPRING HAUNTS 2024

https://bit.ly/3TIdySQ