Welcome…

Last month in this letter, I highlighted how following

THE WORLD OF WRITING

This month’s wide world of writing is a wild ride of liquid lunches, hairy moments and curious facts about literary lives

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We want to hear your news and views on the writing

Away from your desk

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

Editorial calendar

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

Red Editing Pen

Each month, we give you a few sentences which would

Helpline

Your writing problems solved with advice from Diana Cambridge

WRITERS’ WEB WATCH

WM’s resident web crawler dives into the dusty archives to hear great authors direct from the horses’ mouths

Pressing WORDS

Take control of your web presence as Greta Powell talks through the basics of Wordpress and Adobe web design software

A war of words

Writers can be sharp indeed when they get the knives out for each other, notes Michael Allen

From the OTHE SIDE R OF THE DESK

Agent Piers Blofeld weighs up the pros and cons of the headline-grabbing big deal

MODERN romance

Novelist Fiona Harper finds that romance is far from dead

Ask a Literary Consultant

Literary consultant Helen Corner-Bryant attempts to pin down one of the most common writers’ questions

Under the microscope

Author and lecturer James McCreet puts a reader’s first 300 words through a forensic micro-critique

WHAT DO YOU DO?

Do your characters have the jobs that suit them, or do their roles reflect their personality? Margaret James gives some professional consideration

I wish I’d known…

Novelists tell us what they wished they’d known right at the start of their careers.

Break out OF YOUR SHELL

How do you get into the heads of your created characters? And make sure they are distinct? Jane Wenham-Jones offers some tips

Do You See What I See?

Helen M Walters takes a closer look at an exceptional use of setting

HISTORY but not as you know it…

Rewrite history, literally, with guidance from Alex Davis

Dear Writer,

Here’s the no-nonsense advice you need to read, with all best intentions from National Book Award-winning novelist Colum McCann

FREE reigns!

You don’t need expensive licences for proprietary software from Microsoft or Adobe. Phil Thane highlights the best free software for all a writer’s needs

Nota bene

Don’t let your notes in transit go awry. Like Adrian Magson, you’ll generate a fair few of them

Ride the waves

Simon Whaley sets sail to tackle the pirates on the choppy seas of copyright infringement

Novel Ideas

Go back to basics with advice from Lynne Hackles

FULL CIRCLE

Critique is difficult to give and receive, as Lorraine Mace is painfully aware

NOIR BACKYARD

Crime novelist AA Dhand explores the seamy side of his hometown, with Tina Jackson

On writing

Tony Rossiter explores great words from great writers

How I got published

Child safety campaigner Herta Feely shares the publication story of her debut, Saving Phoebe Murrow

The style & technique of WILBUR SMITH

Tony Rossiter looks at a writer famed for his action-packed stories and love of Africa

Meet our book deal winner

The winner of a competition jointly organised and judged by The Book Guild and Writing Magazine earned himself a publishing contract, courtesy of The Book Guild and £1,000 advance, thanks to the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust.

Shelf life: KATIE FFORDE

Katie Fforde 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

NM BROWN

A journey into the Scottish countryside inspired NM Brown’s crime debut, he tells Adrian Magson

GEORGIA HUNTER

Fitting writing in around family life is all a question of prioritising for Georgia Hunter, she tells Lynne Hackles

DON’T MISS THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF Writing MAGAZINE

Star interview with author Laura Barnett, whose 2015

WIN! £500

IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

A (Lunch) time for Heroes

Ideally this story would have taken place somewhere

IT’S A CLASSIC

Exploring the classics is a great way for your group to discover timeless tips and techniques, says Julie Phillips

WIN! £250 IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

Get right into the head of only one person for this

THE BIRTHDAY

Ali Luke, Garforth, West Yorkshire, is the author of

Haiku praise

Judge Alison Chisholm highlights the winning entries from our haiku competition

A FRIEND REVISITED

A subscriber poet pays tribute to an old friend in a poem highlighted by Alison Chisholm

Poetry in practice

Advice on revising your poetry from Doris Corti

Poetry from A to Z

Poet Alison Chisholm guides you through the language of poetry

Stories in song

Build your ballad with advice from adjudicator Alison Chisholm

Get it pictured

In association with author Amy Sparkes and literary agent Julia Churchill, we launch a new prize for picture books… and Amy explains how it’s done

CRIME FILE

A psychology background informs Emma Kavanagh’s crime fiction, she tells Chris High

Strand test

Stay on top of your project with management tool suggestions from Tarja Moles

Stimulating ideas

Discovering a magazine prompted thoughts about a particular kind of research for Patrick Forsyth

Heard about the new crime prize?

Your essential monthly round-up of competitions, paying

Arts call for Anthony Burgess prize

The Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism

Poetry that flies by night

The Moth Poetry Prize 2017 invites entries and has

A prestigious poetry prize

The National Poetry Competition is inviting entries

Write in an imaginative space

Talliston House & Gardens is inviting applications

A tip top opportunity

Top That Publishing is an award-winning book publisher

FLASHES

The free Local Eye magazine is delivered to homes and

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET

Longreads worth the eff ort

Nice one for non-fiction

The Portobello Prize is a new prize to showcase exciting

Be great for Manchester

The Manchester Writing Competition, comprising the

UK FICTION MARKET

Take a risk

Budding talent, be there

The Budleigh Salterton Literary Creative Writing Competition

It’s a Funny Old World

• Letters to the editor, highlighted by The Week magazine:

FLASHES

Airgun Shooter magazine has been given a serious revamp

UK FICTION MARKET

Head for the coast with Bluemoose

A rich furrow for poets

The Plough Prize is an international poetry competition

Winter is coming, eventually

Devotees of George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire

GLOBAL WEB MARKET

Ars Technica is a leading technology website with both

Time for Troubadour

The Troubadour International Poetry Prize run by Coffee

A resurgence for ecopoets

The Resurgence Poetry Prize, which is being run in

Lucky galley beggars

Galley Beggar Press is inviting entries for its 2017/2018

FLASHES

Motor Boat and Yachting monthly magazine is edited

SPECFIC ANTHOLOGY MARKET

Editors Alessandro Manzetti and Jodi Renée Lester are

Big winners this month

Francis Spufford’s Golden Hill won the tenth annual

Not to be forgotten

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize is inviting

Salopian splendours

The Salopian Poetry Society’s Open Poetry Competition

UK WEB MARKET

An Alphr market

Hope for poets

Poems about hope are invited for the Free Verse: The

And another thing…

‘TS Eliot said to me, “There’s only one way a poet

FLASHES

The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) International

GLOBAL MAGAZINE MARKET

Get on board at PassageMaker

A poetry buzz

The Buzzwords Open Poetry Competition 2017, run by

Don’t miss this novel comp

Mslexia is inviting entries for its Women’s Novel Competition

INTRODUCTIONS

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

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Oneiric Press is a US cooperative ‘publishing new voices

FLASHES

Future Music music production magazine is edited by

GLOBAL ANTHOLOGY MARKET

US small press Schreyer Ink Publishing launched its

Settle for poetry

North Yorkshire poetry organisation Settle Sessions

Essay your best for London

The London Magazine, which is the oldest literary and

Poems and stories for Bedford

The 2017 Bedford International Writing Competition

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Inklings Publishing is an author-centric small press

Earth calling for young talent

Writers under thirty are invited to enter the Planet

Not the end

Although unthemed work is welcome, Neon literary magazine

Selene rising

Selene Quarterly magazine is a new title to be launched

FLASHES

New Forester free magazine welcomes submissions of

GLOBAL NON-FIC AND CHILDREN’S MARKET

Now expanding on its nonfiction titles into young adult

It’s all about Artificium

Artificium is inviting entries for its short fiction

Keep it short

The Short Story 2017 creative writing competition is

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

This month’s zines all pay writers and really care

FLASHES

Fantastic Books Publishing is running two writing competitions

GLOBAL REPRINT MARKET

Doubleback Books is a boon to authors whose books are

Breaking through

For the first time, the shortlist for the Society of

UK TRAVEL MARKET

Publishing each year some 320 guidebooks and fully

Make waves by speaking out

Falmouth Poetry Group is inviting entries for Making

You won’t believe what happened

Patrick Forsyth explores the possibilities of a good rant

FLASHES

Moira O’Neill edits Moneywise magazine and welcomes

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Third Flatiron Publishing is a small press devoted

A mug’s game

The Willesden Herald Short Story Competition is open

Book Talk

In the old days there was always a huge slushpile dominating

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Waterways World has been the UK’s bestselling canals

Jane, again

‘Love and Friendship’ is SaveAs Writers’ International

Shorts for Seán

Entries are being accepted for the Seán Ó Faoláin International