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THE WORLD OF WRITING

Stray thoughts from the wild world of writing, tamed by Derek Hudson

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.

Practical Publisher

Greta Powell looks at how you can get the most out of Microsoft’s entry-level publishing package

Do me a favour

Patrick Forsyth finds a good read also offers a good reminder

INTRODUCTIONS

Writing Magazine presents a selection of crafting 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.

Novel Ideas

Where’s the best place to get inspiration, asks Lynne Hackles

INTERNATIONAL ZINE SCENE

Nashville Review is published online thrice yearly

An invisible influence

Out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind when it comes to travel writing, says Patrick Forsyth

WHEN, WHERE AND WHAT YOU CANNOT WRITE

SoA chief executive Nicola Solomons offers a sobering reminder that not all writers are at liberty to express themselves

From the OTHE SIDE R OF THE DESK

Piers Blofeld holds publishers accountable for recent figures that reveal a significant drop in author incomes

ASK A LITERARY CONSULTANT

Should you be happy with a small boutique agency or hold out for a big-hitter? Helen Corner-Bryant considers the pros and cons of both

BEHIND THE TAPE

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

Periodicals

Periodical publications are a good way to keep up to date with your subject areas, says research expert Tarja Moles.

The door of perception

Does the publishing industry need to open the way to a new business model? Forward-thinking publisher Clare Christian thinks so.

RULES FOR SCHOOL VISITS

Make money being a schools visiting author by taking advantage of savvy insider advice from William Gallagher

Womag RIGHTS

A stalwart of the weekly mag fiction market, Woman’s

Sealing the deal

James McCreet describes getting a publishing deal for the novel created as the basis for a series of WM articles

TALK IT OVER: Youth quake

A reader doesn’t need to worry that her young editor will not understand her older characters, reassures Jane Wenham Jones

Helpline

Your writing problems solved with advice from Diana Cambridge

Away from your desk

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

Less is more

In this month’s masterclass, Helen M Walters analyses a story where economical writing creates a powerful impact

Make a difference

Use your skills as a children’s writer to help make the world a better place to grow up in, urges Amy Sparkes

Walk the talk

Tongue-tied and embarrassed? Simon Whaley suggests tips and tricks to have you breezing through a successful author talk

BEST UP BACK

Lorraine Mace learns her lesson when a computer crash threatens a work in progress

QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD

Crime queen Jessie Keane pulls no punches in her gritty gangland novels. Tina Jackson discovers the Romany roots and East End upbringing behind her fiction

How I got published

Rowena Macdonald tells Dolores Gordon Smith how it took her twenty years to achieve her dream of publishing a novel

The style & technique of MARK TWAIN

Tony Rossiter looks at two iconic books of American literature

Shelf life: LYDIA SYSON

The historical novelist shares her top five reads with Judith Spelman

SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT

Share your writing success stories. If you subscribe

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

STEVE CAVANAGH

The author and lawyer talks to Chris High about his fourth Eddie Flynn novel

KERRY FISHER

Kerry Fisher explains how she straddles two worlds in her fiction to Margaret James

WRITERS’ NEWS

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

It’s a Funny Old World

• ‘One summer, when I was a teenager, I spent every

CAROLE MATTHEWS

The chick-lit author tells Lynne Hackles that sticking to an office routine means she can produce two books each year

FREE RANGE writing through the year

Face the darkest and most desperate of subject matter in this month’s creative writing exercises from Jenny Alexander

Storytelling 101

Want to write a story? Take Adrian Magson’s back-to-basics advice

The Letter

Alex Morrison was a journalist for a decade, starting

The Genie

Nilles Sonnemans is a Dutch software engineer who lives

Say what?

Have fun with colloquialisms in this writing group exercise from Julie Phillips

NEVER MIND ME

1st place UNRELIABLE NARRATOR COMPETITION WINNER £100

POEMS TO HIDE FROM

When doors swing open in the night and hangers rattle

FINDING A FORM

Experimenting with a new form pays off in one reader’s poem, explored by Alison Chisholm

Poetry in practice

A poem requires several different thought processes, says Doris Corti

Poetry from A to Z

Poet Alison Chisholm guides you through the language of poetry

Under the Microscope

Author James McCreet puts a reader’s first 300 words

Character forming

Listen to your characters to create people who will really draw readers into the world of your novel, urges Margaret James

I wish I’d known…

‘Isn’t hindsight wonderful? How much of our past would

WHERE THE WEIRD WORLD’S AT

In the first of a two-part series, Alex Davies looks at the current state of fantasy publishing