Welcome…

Say yes. That’s one of the most striking pieces of

THE WORLD OF WRITING

This month’s wide world of writing includes ghostly goings on, punny names and short story vending machines

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.

Helpline

Your writing problems solved with advice from Diana Cambridge

WRITERS’ WEB WATCH

WM’s resident webcrawler highlights some tools to streamline your social networking

INDESIGN EXPLAINED

Get to grips with Adobe’s design powerhouse InDesign with advice from Greta Powell

Play money

Author earnings aren’t always great, but we don’t have it so bad, says Michael Allen

Away from your desk

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

From the OTHE SIDE R OF THE DESK

Literary agent Piers Blofeld relishes reading for pleasure this summer

Ask a Literary Consultant

Literary consultant Helen Corner-Bryant weighs up using autobiographical elements to bring authenticity to fiction

Get it covered

Despite the old adage, the first thing anyone judges a book on is its cover… and many readers won’t go much further if it doesn’t appeal. Ensure your cover makes the first impression your book deserves with advice from Silver Wood Publishing

GROWING THE ACORN

Author James McCreet considers how to proceed when inspiration first strikes

The 5 secrets of writing a bestseller

Publisher and writing coach Kathy Gale shares the insider insight that has helped her authors write bestsellers

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Creative writing is all about decisions, but which are the right ones for you? Gary Dalkin helps you find your path.

Beat the bestsellers TOP 10 TIPS

On the eighth anniversary of our Beat the Bestsellers series, Tony Rossiter looks back at some of the bestselling authors he’s featured, collected in his new book, and gives his top tips for aspiring writers

UNDER THE microscope

James McCreet explores the opening passage of a reader’s magic realist thriller opening

THE MAGIC NUMBER

Margaret James explores the power of three in fiction

I wish I’d known…

Teresa Driscoll shares the secrets she wishes she’d known at the start of her career

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT

How do you make the leap from plotting short stories to a novel? Different strategies work for different writers, advises Jane Wenham-Jones

Keeping the Faith

An object lesson in sensitive characterisation from Joanne Harris, explored by Helen M Walters

How do they do it?

Improve your chances in our new Picture Book Prize with a look at what makes a successful picture book from author Amy Sparkes

THE BLOODY LANDS

How much should fantasy fiction show? Alex Davis checks his armoury

HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES

The story of a musician looking back over her career prompted an inspiring creative collaboration between bestselling novelist Laura Barnett and Mercury-nominated singer songwriter Kathryn Williams, as Tina Jackson discovers

LAURA’S SOLO

A #1 smash and Richard and Judy Book Club winner, The Versions of Us was no one-hit wonder for Laura Barnett

On Writing

Tony Rossiter explores great words from great writers

How I got published

Swedish crime author Emelie Schepp, who self-published her debut, Marked for Life, is now published around the world and in the UK by MIRA.

Writing – A Job with All Sorts of Opportunities for All Kinds of People

Writing – A Job with All Sorts of Opportunities for

The style & technique of EDNA O’BRIEN

Tony Rossiter looks at a writer whose creative imagination is rooted in her Irish childhood

Shelf life: MICHAEL CONNELLY

The creator of Harry Bosch, crimewriter Michael Connelly, shares his 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

CRIME FILE

Crime bestseller Linwood Barclay discusses his writing process and latest novel Parting Shot with Chris High

NIGEL MAY

The celebrity world provides fact and fiction fodder for Nigel May, he tells Margaret James

JOHN MARRS

It’s a hectic writing day for the magazine journalist and novelist, he tells Lynne Hackles

Lift your chances

Be ready for your sixty-second chance to shine with Adrian Magson’s pitch correction

Novel Ideas

Thoughts on prostitution, from Lynne Hackles

FEES PAID, pain free!

Problems getting paid? Simon Whaley courts the idea of legal action.

BRAND BEWARE

Lorraine Mace seeks help from the experts on building her brand

WIN! £500

IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

Airborne

Originally from Birmingham, Jean Lumby moved to Worcestershire

Family Secrets

Jamie Steven has been a writer since he learned how

GIVE US A CLUE

Exploit your writers’ natural curiosity with an exercise from Julie Phillips

WIN! £250

IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION

TALK TO CAITLIN

Michael Callaghan is a lawyer living and working in

Red Editing Pen

Each month, we give you a few sentences which would

SONNETS FROM THE GREEK

A sonnet referencing ancient myth is explored by Alison Chisholm

Poetry in practice

How do you create rhythm and lyricism in free verse? Doris Corti explains

Poetry from A to Z

Poet Alison Chisholm guides you through the language of poetry

Picture perfect

Find just the right images for your projects with advice from Tarja Moles

Not all me, me, me

Patrick Forsyth recommends putting the focus of your suggestions on others

Another view

Patrick Forsyth links the sayings of others to the emphasis you might give your writing.

Enter the world’s richest short story prize

The 2018 Sunday Times/EFG Short Story Award, the richest

Make a splash with children’s fiction

The Bath Children’s Novel Award is open for entries

A new dawn for female novelists

Aurora Metro’s biennial Virginia Prize for Fiction

New frontiers of sound

District of Wonders has three podcasts which provide

Arty appeal

Fifth Wednesday Journal is a biannual US literary print

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Today’s Golfer is all about helping its readers to

FLASHES

Scribble writing BY GARY DALKIN magazine’s article

GLOBAL SF MARKET

AE bounces back after cyber attack

Making crime pay

Where Roses Never Die by Gunnar Staalesen, translated

Understand the ethics of using others’ experiences

Using people’s real-life stories for such as a book

Impress Salome

Salomé is a British online and print literary magazine

A taste of things to come

Ouen Press is inviting submissions for Taste, its Short

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Slug here

Write interactive with New Media Prize

Now in its eighth year, the New Media Writing Prize

It’s a Funny Old World

• Times associate editor and columnist and life peer

FLASHES

Neil Thomas edits Shropshire Magazine and will consider

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

Head for Arkansas

Reveal yourself for Bare Fiction

Now in its fourth year, the Bare Fiction Prize is in

Beastly submissions for Bradt

Bradt Travel Guides is running a competition to find

Mentoring for Scottish bright not-so-young things

Scottish Book Trust’s Next Chapter Award, which supports

UK FICTION MARKET

Newly afloat fiction

Stories for children come out of their chrysalis

Now in its third year, the Caterpillar Story Prize

Stretch your comedy writing muscles

There are £50 cash prizes and performance and publication

Spread your theatre writing wings

Red Dragonfly Productions has announced the Taking

FLASHES

NinaTucknott edits the quarterly Flora International

GLOBAL SMALL PRESS MARKET

Aftermath: Explorations of Loss & Grief is a new

Blue sky theming

The annual US-based Futurescapes short story competition

Eternal stories of the creative mind

Hammond House is inviting entries on the theme ‘eternal’

Content for the Grist

Grist is the online and print journal run by the graduate

UK CHILDREN’S MARKET

Picture books from a BAME persepective

Poems for Clochoderick

Clochoderick Press is inviting entries for the Clochoderick

Get flash for The Fiction Desk

The Fiction Desk Flash Fiction Competition is inviting

And another thing…

‘The history of literature is well populated with women

FLASHES

The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental

GLOBAL SMALL PRESS MARKET

Leap into action

Eye spy a flash new journal

Eye Flash Journal, a new contemporary poetry magazine

Plot a retreat

Writers & Artists has joined forces with Retreat

Ere, wash the story?

Erewash Writers’ Group is inviting entries for its

Novel recommendations

Leading literary magazine Granta has published its

INTRODUCTIONS

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

Write a story for Daniel

A Story for Daniel is a free-to-enter flash fiction

FLASHES

Richard Borrell is the editor of Lancashire Life, which

GLOBAL SF MARKET

Bridging divides

Austen power

In June the Royal Society of Literature had a very

Watching Big Brother

The latest stage adaptation of George Orwell’s Nineteen

Be prepared for Backlash

Backlash Press is an indie small press publishing experimental

UK BOOK MARKET

Be serious about Scribe

Tales of the city

The London Short Story Prize, run by writer development

Generous benefactor for new translators

The Society of Authors has announced a new prize for

Indies unite

Brighton-based independent publisher Myriad Editions

Hooray for heritage poems

You can win a heritage break in Newark in the Inspired

FLASHES

In the Moment magazine is a new wellbeing, creativity

GLOBAL SPECFIC MARKET

Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue is a new

Shoot for success

Shooter literary magazine is inviting entries for the

Take a shot

Buckshot Magazine is a new, soon to be launched weekly

Fairytale quest

FairyTalez.com claims to be the largest collection

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Speculative fiction zine markets are increasing in

FLASHES

New Forest Living Magazine is a lifestyle publication

UK NON-FICTION MARKET

Get developed with Panoma

Submissions from Scotland

Writers living in Scotland or who are Scots by birth

Malevolent Soap

A new Australian annual print and online magazine,

GLOBAL MEN’S MAGAZINE

Take Bull by the horns

In the footsteps of great writers

A new thirteen-mile trail named The Writers’ Way has

FLASHES

WattsWhat Magazine, a new biannual men’s lifestyle

GLOBAL CHILDREN’S MARKET

Engaging activities wanted

New lines

Geometry Literary Journal is a new international literary

Book Talk

I believe all humour is based on aggression. The practical

UK MAGAZINE MARKET

Watch the birdie

The Wolf’s call

US micro-press WolfSinger publishes an online magazine

Writing workshops from Woman’s Weekly

There is a wider selection of one day writing workshops