Survivors’ stories

I cried when I wrote about the deaths

What’s THE point?

How can you use misunderstandings in communication to create tension in your storylines? Helen Walters looks at the potential to be found in gaps in communication via a short story by Kate Chopin

Monkey see, monkey do

Worried about the impact of AI? Agent Piers Blofeld isn’t convinced you need to be.

Giving an F

WARNING: THIS MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL THAT SOME MAY FIND OFFENSIVE

Stories MAKE things REAL

Being ‘seen’ in a book can be transformative, enabling us to tell our own stories. Novelist Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow explores the impact of finding a fictional character who presented in a neurodiverse way, and looks at the gift of creative writing from the perspective of an autistic writer.

ON MESSAGE

Social media messaging is part of everyday life – so using it gives a very contemporary edge to your epistolary writing. Novelist L.C. North looks at writing mixed media in fiction

Money makes the WORLD-BUILDING

Money may be the root of all evil but it has a crucial part to play as you set up fantasy and science fiction stories. Alex Davis looks at the impact of creating financial systems in your sci-fi and fantasy.

Sagas:Related tales

By Annie Murray thislife pictures / Alamy Stock

Your writing critiqued

James McCreet applies his forensic criticism to the beginning of a reader’s manuscript

Creative reading (PART 2)

Ian Ayris explores the relationship between reading and the writer, and how reading can help you improve your own process

VOICES COMING THROUGH

Tina Jackson talks the reader through the choices she made in creating the first-person voice from beyond the grave that we meet in the opening pages of her new novel, Spirit Burns

Sunning it

With the holiday season on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to think about the ingredients for writing a sunny summer read, with advice from Margaret James

Off the shelf

Have you written a children’s story that feels fated not to succeed? All is not lost, as Amy Sparkes looks at ways to transform shelved writing into something that will appeal to young readers

Pick OF THE plums

Alison Chisholm is impressed by a well-crafted poem that draws on a childhood memory

SUBMISSIONS: LITMAG

Grist Grist is published by graduate students in

Novel Ideas Just saying

One morning, whilst eating breakfast, I had an

The world of writing

Rivals, raccoons... find your focus in Miscellany and our readers’ news and views...

Subscribers’ news

SHARE YOUR SUCCESS To feature in subscribers’ news

A bookseller’s debut

I had the idea for The Moon and

ON COURSE TO BE A WRITER

Have you considered taking a writing course, and wondered how it might benefit you creatively? It may teach you more than you signed up for, says novelist Jacqueline Sutherland, as she describes the unexpected things she learned on writing courses

A delicate touch

Alison Chisholm launches WM’s Haiku Competition by unravelling the short poetic form

Wide open brief

What do you enter in a competition when you can pick your favourite or best poem? Wonderful winners, says the judge of WM’s Open Poetry Competition, Alison Chisholm

The Last Friend on Earth

Monday 4 July 2022 Doreen Saunders Age: 89

Chocolate-box philosophy

Every novel needs a touch of Gump, believes Gillian Harvey

HEROIC EFFORTS

Jennifer Saint has made her name with spellbinding novels retelling ancient Greek myths from a feminist perspective. She tells Tina Jackson about the joy of creating an action heroine in her latest, Atalanta

ABIGAIL BURDESS

Writer and comedy performer Abigail Burdess uses a threeact structure to describe the process that took her from aspirant author to published novelist

SHELF LIFE

Psychological suspense author Charlotte Duckworth outlines the five books that most gripped her imagination

TIM SULLIVAN

The film-maker turned crime writer tells Lynne Hackles about creating his neurodivergent detective

Character portrait

Rivals, raccoons... find your focus in Miscellany and our readers’ news and views...

DECIDING MOMENTS

As an occupational therapist and a vicar’s wife,

Read my lips

Explore verbal communication in these writing group exercises from Julie Phillips

Get the write idea

Think about how you can build on information and observations in these creative writing exercises to try right now

Tuning up

Have you ever been part of a live music event? You can strike all the right notes in these music-themed writing exercises from Jenny Alexander

CONNEC TING with consultants

It’s not only multi-national companies who use consultants. They’re invaluable for self-published and independently published writers too. Simon Whaley chats to an author who uses a series of consultants for her writing business

Family history

Interested in mining your own ancestry in your fiction or non-fiction? Tarja Moles provides you with a genealogical research guide to get you started

Behind the tape

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

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

NON-FICTION MARKETS

Got i-D? You’re coming in By Gary Dalkin

ANTHOLOGY MARKETS

‘Fairy Tale Review’ ‘Fairy Tale Review’ is published

POETRY & NON-FICTION COMPETITIONS

To be in with a chance of becoming

SUBMISSIONS: INDIE MAGS AND WEBSITES

Propagule Propagule is an independentlyrun convergence of the

No response?

Wondering why your submissions to literary agents are consistently overlooked? Monica Chakraverty, editorial director of Cornerstones’ scouting programme, shares some insights

INDUSTRY NEWS

Bookstores buck the trend In encouraging news for

LITERARY COMPETITIONS

The Jenny Brown Associates Debut Writers Over 50

SUBMISSIONS: HUMOUR

\ It’s all laughs Daily literary humour magazine

SUBMISSIONS: FICTION & POETRY

A glowing light UK-based print and digital literary

Take a moment

Keeping in touch with readers can be useful, recommends Patrick Forsyth

SMALL PRESS SUBMISSIONS

Gasher Press Gasher Press is a nonprofit publisher

COMPETITIONS

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition 2023 The

Heroic writing

Patrick Forsyth holds up an example of travel writing offering a blend of strands

John Jarrold

In the first of a new bi-monthly column, Simon Whaley chats to literary agent John Jarrold, who represents science fiction, fantasy, and horror authors