Welcome…

How do you write a bestseller? That’s one of the burning

THE WORLD OF WRITING

A grown-up Tracy Beaker, Peaky Blinders going widescreen and Val McDermid being the Famous Five are just some of the surprises Derek Hudson has discovered in 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…

Editorial calendar

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

Parlez-vous foreign?

How do you write dialogue for foreign characters? A little goes a long way, as Jan Snook explains

GLOBAL HORROR MARKET

Acclaimed US independent publisher Dark Regions Press

UK CHILDREN’S MARKET

Knights Of is an independent, commercial children’s

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

New US anthology series Zizzle describes itself as

INTRODUCTIONS

Writing Magazine presents a selection of parenting publishers currently accepting contributions. We strongly recommend that you read back issues, familiarise yourself with their guidelines before submitting and check websites, where given, for submission details.

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Salamander is a US print literary biannual, aiming

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Bards and Sages Publishing, a cross platform micro

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Soho Friday raises the bar for non-fiction

Novel Ideas Finish or forget?

Get to grips with your story scrap stash before 2029, urges Lynne Hackles

GLOBAL POETRY MARKET

A magazine that has been publishing contemporary poetry

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Fugue is a literary biannual published by graduate

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Ricky’s Back Yard is a quirky, punky, Canadian publisher

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET

Aiming to provide ideas and inspiration for those involved

Is it allowable?

Travel writers need to consider the expenses involved in travel, says Patrick Forsyth

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

18th Wall Productions is a US small press which specialises

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Four FourTwo, edited by Hitesh Ratna, is the world’s

What Brexit means

Tim Gallagher, public affairs manager at the Society of Authors, examines the potential implications of leaving the EU

On Writing

Tony Rossiter explores great words from great writers

Ask a Literary Consultant

Writers’ partners can play a vital supportive role, explains Helen Corner Bryant

BEHIND THE TAPE

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

Evaluating websites

Follow the advice from research expert Tarja Moles to make sure you get the best information from your online searches

From the OTHER SIDE OF THE DESK

Literary agent Piers Blofeld concludes his two-parter on the mistakes writers make when submitting to agents and publishers

To be the best seller

You can’t predict which books will be bestsellers, but you can improve your chances by understanding the marketplace, with Margaret James’ help

SELF-HELP HELP

Want to write non-fiction that changes lives? Leading publishing editor Kelly Notaras offers her ten top tips for writing a self-help book

Grant wishes

Could a grant be a lifeline for your next writing project? Simon Whaley explores the opportunities.

The magic formula?

Author James McCreet considers what makes a great book so readable

Fine-tune your feedback

Chris Clement-Green featured in a recent WM article about the benefits of mentoring. Now, she follows up with advice for how feedback should best be received, and given.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER

Don’t worry whether the themes are big or small, just write your story, says Adrian Magson

Under the Microscope

James McCreet puts a reader’s first 300 words under his forensic gaze

KEEPING ITCOSY

Margaret James talks to three authors who explain the enduring appeal of cosy crime

I wish I’d known…

Author of three very successful thrillers, Lynda Stacey’s

Watch sky the

Some of the heavens’ most mysterious manifestations can add heightened ambience to your storytelling, says Helen M Walters

Facing the chop

Rather than bin them, find ways of recycling characters who don’t make the final edit of your children’s story with help from Amy Sparkes

ANDREW TAYLOR

The historical crime writer tells Lynne Hackles about finding the rhythm of his writing process

QUICK FLASH

Try your hand at writing flash fiction with advice from writer and editor Alex Davis

THE WRITER WHO found her ROAR

The bestselling Irish novelist explains dashing expectations, breaking out of the chicklit stereotype and finding her voice, to Tina Jackson

How I got published

The crime writer tells Dolores Gordon Smith how he figured it was time to get serious or forget it

The style & technique of www.writers-online.co.uk Daphne du Maurier

Tony Rossiter examines the work of a writer sometimes described, rather misleadingly, as a romantic novelist

Shelf life: BEN SCHOTT

The Miscellanist and novelist shares his top five reads with Judith Spelman

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

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

KELLY FLORENTIA

The romantic thriller author tells Margaret James how she got her start with a WM creative writing course

WRITERS‘NEWS

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

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL MARKET

On-the-ground reports from outside North America are

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Propertius is a US small press which publishes ‘provocative

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Strange Horizons is a leading US market for speculative

FREE RANGE writing

Start planning your 2019 writing year with these exercises from Jenny Alexander

5 Hurdles of Publishing: how to finish writing

You start writing a book, but by the last chapters, it can feel like you’ll never finish. How will you know when it’s done? The SilverWood team have some advice on how to finish writing. There are no secrets or short-cuts, but here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

WIN! £500 IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

Don’t tell us he said it, just tell us what he said!

while the cherry blossom falls

1st place CREATIVE NON-FICTION COMPETITION £200

Once upon a poem

Alison Chisholm considers the storytelling that made the winners of our narrative poetry competition stand out

Bee the same again?

Be as busy as bees by using similes to enhance your work in this writing group exercise from Julie Phillips

A tangled yarn

Jane Wenham Jones helps a reader who can’t decide whether they should stay with a long-term writing project or embark on a new one

Helpline Diana Cambridge solves your writing problems

Email your queries to Diana (please include hometown

Away from your desk

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

SUBSCRIBER-ONLY COMPETITIONS

WIN! £250 IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

To happinesson a train

Amanda Marples is an academic mentor living in Rotherham

IMPOSTER syndrome

Do you feel a fraud when you tell people you’re a writer? You’re not alone, says Lorraine Mace

Out of the rubble

Alison Chisholm looks at a poem that emerged as a response to a tragic news report

Poetry in practice

Don’t get stuck in a rut with your rhyme scheme, says Doris Corti

Poetry from A to Z

Poet Alison Chisholm guides you through the language of poetry

PENDING CASES

Chris High closes the Crime File with a look at some of the titles to look out for early in 2019

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

FREE when you sign up to our bestselling magazine on