DEAR READER

If you’re a writer, there’s no resting on

Multisensory LANGUAGE

NEW SERIES! ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING TECHNIQUES

STARTING SHORT

What can writing short teach about writing long? Short stories can be ideal training ground for writers working up to a novel, says author Dan Malakin, whose route to writing bestselling thrillers came through writing hundreds of short stories, twice being shortlisted for the Bridport Prize

FANNING A SPARK TO FLAME

Author Norie Clarke explores the way Nora Ephron’s maxim of ‘every thing is copy’ transformed a spark of inspiration into her new novel, and explains how you can develop an initial spark into the foundations of your novel

ROCK IT AND SEE

Write about what you love and you’re living to win, says Mark Rotherham, whose novels reflect his lifelong passion for heavy metal. And pirates.

A SCANDALOUS SUCCESS

With the Bridger ton effect in full force, Regency Romance is seducing a new generation of readers. As her new Regency Romance is published, author Katy Moran offers her top tips for writers roaring to get going with their own historical romp

DIFFERENT HATS, SOUND ADVICE

Adam Gauntlett is a literary agent with Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PDF). As A.E. Gauntlett, he’s attracted widespead praise for his twisty, turny debut thriller The Stranger at the Wedding. Wearing both his hats, he offers his top tips on what makes a book work – and potentially catch an agent’s eye

JO THOMAS

The author whose feelgood novels focus on food tells Lynne Hackles about her everyday recipe for writing

The bad OLD DAYS

Britain’s best-loved saga author Rosie Goodwin talks to Tina Jackson about tough times, working class voices and why her characters deserve their hard-won happy endings

IRENOSEN OKOJIE

The acclaimed author describes how holding out for the right home for experimental fiction led her to independent presses before being signed to a major

SHELF LIFE

TREVOR WOOD

Dream not screen

Switch off your screen and give the ideas a chance, says Lynne Hackles

Celebrating

As the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School reaches its Diamond Anniversary, chairman Gerald Horns by looks back at 75 years of writing, learning and creating community

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 HISTORICAL TALES

The past in a myriad guises was wonderfully

Subscribers’newss

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

Get the write idea

Think about how you’ll convey different effects with this month’s creative writing prompts

COMPETITION LAUNCHES

www.writers-online.co.uk

WINNER

Here’s Fennel, That’s for Forgetting

Sweet shop selection

Alison Chisholm almost – but not quite – suffered from option paralysis as she judged the wonderful entries in WM’s Open Poetry Competition

RUNNER UP

We stop on impulse, park, and climb Through

Scotch Mist

Emma lives in Hampshire. She’s a pilates teacher

REAL LIFE, great stories

This month, Jenny Alexander looks at the power of settings in your writing from real life

Your writing critiqued

James McCreet applies a forensic micro-critique to the beginning of a reader’s humorous manuscript

The building block of character: Part TWO

Getting your characters right will transform your fiction. Author and tutor Ian Ayris uses an example story as he puts the focus on getting inside who a character really is

Criminal INTENT

Harriet F . Townson describes the j oyful p rocess of beginning her first foray into crime fiction

THROUGH NEW EYES

The birth of a new grandchild is the perfect occasion for a poem, says Alison Chisholm

WORD GAMES

When you’re a writer, words matter. Play with them, but use them with care, advises Margaret James

Five quick5 questions

Photo by Sarah Halliday 1. When and where

Everyday life in extraordinary worlds

The way people live in the world you build creates the context for your genre fiction. Alex Davis offers advice on the fine details of worldbuilding

AGE DIFFERENCES

Think about how you’ll portray people at different life stages in your short fiction, with advice from Helen Walters and an example story by a writer now in her 10th decade

AGE ON THE PAGE

Write the older characters in your children’s stories in a way that reflects their individuality, personality and life experience, says Amy Sparkes

PITCHING TO CONFERENCES

Running workshops at writers’ conferences can boost your writing business. Simon Whaley chats to two writers about their experiences

COLD WAR

The Cold War, which continues to influence modern geopolitics, exerts a perennial fascination for writers. Dr Tarja Moles offers advice on how to research it accurately

Behind the tape

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

Kerry-Ann Bentley

Simon Whaley chats to Kerry-Ann Bentley of The Good Literary Agency, about the challenges poets face in securing an agent

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

Fact or fiction?

Many writers wonder to what degree their own life experience should inform their fiction. Cornerstones’ editorial director Monica Chakraverty offers an informed perspective

SHORT FICTION COMPS

www.scottishartstrust.org/flash https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/open-for-entries/ www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-authors/newwriters-awards https://munsterlit.ie/ofaolain-competition/

GENERAL NEWS

Arthur C. Clarke shortlist The shortlist for the

NATURE WRITING COMPETITIONS

Anthology Nature Writing Competition 2024 The international Anthology

The Moth Nature Writing Prize 2024

The competition is for writing that explores the

POETRY AND FICTION COMPS

Scottish Association of Writers Summer Competitions 2024 The

NOVEL COMPETITIONS

The Caledonia Novel Award 2025 The Caledonia Novel

INDIE MAGS AND WEBSITES

The Midway The Midway publishes prose and poetry

SMALL PRESS SUBMISSIONS

Small Harbor Publishing Small Harbor Publishing is a

AM Ink

Since 2010, Massachusetts-based self-described Mom and Pop small

NON-FICTION COMPETITION

Edinburgh True Flash Award 2024 The brand new

LITMAG SUBMISSIONS

The Orange & Bee The Orange & Bee

WRITING FOR CHILDREN OPPORTUNITIES

Nobrow Founded in 2008 by Sam Arthur and

North Star Editions

North Star Editions, Inc., an award-winning company based

NON-FICTION OPPORTUNITIES

BBC tech pieces Senior reporter Thomas Germain is

FICTION OPPORTUNITIES

Serendipity Just launched, Serendipity is a new worldwide

Reading lists

Promoting your business can be hard work. It

POETRY COMPETITIONS

Stephen Spender Prize for Poetry in Translation 2024

Fool for Poetry International Chapbook Competition 2024

Theannual Fool for Poetry contest from Munster Literature

Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2024

The Troubadour International Poetry Prize is inviting entries

The Gloucestershire Poetry Society 2024 Open Poetry Competition

The Gloucestershire Poetry Society 2023 Open Poetry Competition

Armchair traveller

Watch TV with a travel writer’s eye, suggests

Festival fallout

As anti-Baillie Gifford protest results in book festivals losing sponsorship, patronage for the arts has a long history of being an ethical minefield, says Piers Blofeld