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A WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR

The world of writing

Automatic poetry, an amateur adaptation, a new quest and an old trick... people will try anything in the wonderful world of writing

LETTERS

STAR LETTER

Editorial calendar

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

Novel Ideas

Cloak of confidence

TRAVEL WRITING KNOW-HOW

First, third,  second

Screen credit

Theo Jones, contracts adviser at the SoA, outlines the deal when you work with television producers 

WOKE UP

From a publishing perspective, Piers Blofeld argues that wokeness is a creation of right-wing further educational policies

Who’s in the driving seat?

Helen Corner-Bryant considers the next move for a writer wondering if they should change their agent 

Biographical research

Tarja Moles shows you how to delve deep into the lives of individual human beings

Behind the tape

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

Better writing NOW

Author James McCreet runs through the most common errors made by apprentice writers so they can be solved at a stroke 

A writer’s worksheet

Are you a new writer? You’ll get off to a great start with Adrian Magson‘s guide to getting the writing process right

ALL OUR COMMON SENSES

Learn how to evoke sensory impressions in your fiction with advice from Margaret James

Good, better– best?

Helen M Walters looks at ways of creating characters whose virtue becomes an interesting element in your stories

Spring cleaning PART 2

Amy Sparkes offers five more ways to add the final polish that will make your children’s story shine

A load of old trope: SCIENCE FICTION

Alex Davis looks at using over-familiar elements in your SF

Your writing critiqued

James McCreet applies his forensic criticism to the first 300 words of a reader’s manuscript

THE PROFESSIONALS

In part four of her self-publishing series, indie author DJ Bowman-Smith helps you to find and work with the right experts 

Book-to-screen BONANZA**

Rosalind Moody highlights six major book adaptations coming to the screen this year 

DON’T GET INFECTED

Comparisonitis thrives on vulnerable writers. Simon Whaley learns how two writers judge success on their own terms 

Bloom in Zoom

Jane Wenham Jones offers a new writer reassuring tips on coming across well at her first virtual literary event

Under the covers

Finding my tribe

GROUP BUST-UP BOOK

Lorraine Mace describes  sparked an online barney when she turned up for a  how she inadvertently  book group talk

JUSTICE FOR ALL

Eva Dolan creates popular crime novels with social justice at their heart, as Tina Jackson discovers.  

MY PATH TO PUBLICATION

The nature writer describes how her response to racial abuse led to her first book, I Belong Here

SHELF LIFE

The author, journalist and Classic FM presenter shares the five books that shaped him as a writer

Retro Revival

Invite writing group members to take a trip down memory lane in these exercises from Julie Phillips

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 society affair

‘My working life had always been in “personnel”

Kate Bendelow

Adrian Magson talks to the police officer and new novelist, whose lead character is a Scene of  Crime Officer, just like she is

Emma Eker

The author of a ‘solution-based memoir’ tells Lynne Hackles about finding her way

A Short History of British Trees (according to Hattie Webb)

Jess Crandon lives in London and writes for a living. When she’s not writing about all sorts of technologyrelated stuff, she dabbles in short stories and is attempting to write a novel. This is her second entry to  Writing Magazine – and her second win (which she’s utterly delighted with). When she’s not writing, Jess spends her time going on long walks, befriending local cats and dogs, and hanging out with her horse

The great pretender

Even the most successful writers can suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Cathy White explores what it is and how to overcome it. 

Fatherly feelings

With Father’s Day approaches, explore your relationship with father figures in these creative writing exercises from Jenny Alexander

Two writers, one book

‘It is rare for a novel to be

Trevor tries a new thing

‘I’ve just published Gazda –a new genre for

An epic endeavour

‘I consider Game of Mass Destruction to be

New adventures for Cat

‘The worldwide pandemic gave me the opportunity to

Lots going on for Linda

‘I’m excited to be a semifinalist in a

Horror strikes

‘I had been writing for many years, and

I wish I’d known

‘I wish I’d known how rewarding my impossible

Funny women roll up

Your essential monthly round-up of competitions, paying markets,

Poetry London calling

Win £5,000 for a single poem in the

A hand up for new writers

The DRF Writers’ Award is inviting applications. The

ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET

Vox calling

Rewarding writers of colour

The shortlists have been announced for the fifth

Beavering away

The Beaver Trust has launched a new eco-poetry

FLASHES

The Bath Flash Fiction Award, which runs four

UK FICTION MARKET

Diverse titles wanted for YA readers

A #Merky future for Jyoti

Jyoti Patelhas won the #Merky Books New Writers

BLAZING A TRAIL

Heather Clark has won the £2,500 Slightly Foxed

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Life in Exisle

SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS

The Grindstone Literary Short Story and Novel Prizes

New award for writers inspiring change

The World of Books Impact Award is for

FLASHES

Erewash Writers invite entries for their latest free

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Make YesYes say yes

Mags that go bump in the night

Haunted magazine, edited by Paul Stevenson, is aimed

ONLINE NON-FICTION MARKET

Get a positive reception

Challenging reads

Every year the American Library Association releases a

Hit the city

The City Academy Short Story Competition is inviting

Mutual aid

Including others in your publicity works to everyone’s benefit, says Patrick Forsyth

FLASHES

The Globe Soup 2021 Short Story Competition invites

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

Dread call

The Neverending Story

George RR Martin has signed a new contract

UK THRILLER MARKET

A new adventure in publishing

All forms of writing invited

The eighth annual Christopher Hewitt Award is open

For published writers

If you have published a novel or book

Reinventing the wheel

Alison Chisholm launches WM’s competition for poetry on the theme of wheels

Best of the bunch

Alison Chisholm picks the winners from WM’s Open Poetry Competition 

SAY HELLO, WAVE GOODBYE

Poetry can be a coping strategy in hard times, says Alison Chisholm as she explores a poem written at the beginning of lockdown 

Poetry in practice

Creating a list can spark a new poem when you’re stuck, says Doris Corti 

FLASHES

The Farnham Flash Fiction competition is open to

UK AGENCY OPENING

Aitken opens doors

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Common appeal

Out of this world

New, original, unpublished science fiction stories of 1,500-5,000

INTRODUCTIONS

Writing Magazine presents a selection of current submission calls from history publishers. We strongly recommend that you read back issues, familiarise yourself with their guidelines before submitting and check websites for submission details

GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

A new home for new Holmes

FLASHES

The Wigtown Poetry Prize has £1,500 and £500

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Aqueduct for women in SF

Lucky Thirteen

Thirteen Podcast is an Imaginary Comma production. They

Where spiritual meets supernatural

Silent Motorist Media seek stories for Mysterium Tremendum,

ONLINE SPECFIC MARKET

The Portalist opens

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Marketing matters

FLASHES

Poems, up to 40 lines, on the theme

ONLINE NEWS MARKET

Balancing the news

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Publishing with a boutique feel 

Wildlife and wit

The Friends of Manning’s Pit Saki Short Story

INTERNATIONAL

ZINE SCENE 

FLASHES

First prize is £1,000 in the Live Canon

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET

Share your Dissent

Read all about it

National Crime Reading Week is a new literary

Say it on a greetings card

The 38th biannual Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Competition

Produce the goods

The Fiction Factory First Chapter Competition is inviting

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Arkansas bound

Behind the mask

The HG Wells Short Story Competition 2021 is

Lots to win at Ledbury

Ledbury Festival Poetry Competition 2021 is inviting entries.

FLASHES

Stories of under 3,500 words, set at least

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Hot on the Press