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p001_wmagNov.indd 1
4.10
11
26/09/2016 10:47
Published by
Warners Group Publications plc,
5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds,
LS1 5JD, UK
Main office: 0113 200 2929
Fax: 0113 200 2928
Subscriptions: 01778 392 482
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Website: www.writers-online.co.uk
Publisher: Janet Davison
Email: jand@warnersgroup.co.uk
Dear Reader
Faced with a blank page, or the prospect of finally giving in to your urges
and putting your work out there for the world to see, many of us struggle
one way or another to get started with writing. But theres nothing to it.
Theres no magic formula. You just start.
Strip away all the psychological obstacles and there really is nothing
stopping you, and one of the best things about being your writer is that
you truly are in charge of your own projects, but a little planning can go a
long way to help you build walls, instead of running headlong into them. If
youre struggling to get started, Patsy Collins encourages you this month
to just get on with it (p12), and Simon Hall offers valuable advice on casting
your net wide to find the writing style and approach that suits you (p14),
A WELCOME FROM
THE EDITOR
(p16) and Simon Whaley explores how, when and why to get an agent (p28).
do bear in mind a much more widespread problem than the fear of getting
TAP HERE
TO WATCH
So dont delay. Get off the starting line and well help you to The End. But
started: you wont want to stop.
Jonathan Telfer
Editor
And thats the only writing-related problem we cant help you with.
DR CLIVE BROOKS
HELEN WALTERS
SIMON HALL
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
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of material submitted to the editor for publication, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage.
Email submissions preferred. All mss must be typewritten and accompanied by a sae for return.
Copyright Warners Group Publications plc. ISSN 0964-9166
Warners Group Publications plc are not able to investigate the products or services provided by the advertisers in Writing Magazine nor to make recommendations about them. Readers
should make sensible enquiries themselves before sending money or incurring substantial costs in sending manuscripts or other material. Take particular care when responding to
advertisers offering to publish manuscripts. While few conventional publishers seek a financial contribution from authors, many such advertisers do seek a payment (sometimes
thousands of pounds) and readers should remember there can be no guarantees such publishing arrangements will prove profitable. There have been cases in which subsidy publishers
have provided unduly optimistic reports on manuscripts to encourage authors to commit themselves to financial contribution. Readers should be aware of this and should not allow their
judgement to be blurred by optimism. Manuscript advisory services do normally charge for their time, but agents normally do not (although some agents do quote a reading fee). While
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www.writers-online.co.uk
p3 Editor's letter.indd 3
NOVEMBER 2016
26/09/2016 16:46
A PUBLISHING DEAL
WRITING LIFE
STAR INTERVIEW
THE 1M
SELF-PUBLISHER
PUBLISHING
10 Grumpy Old Bookman
Our champion of wired writing is delighted to discover something
of a renaissance in the world of printed literary magazines
12 From the other side of the desk
Its time writers took off the rose-tinted spectacles, says literary
agent Piers Blofeld
28 The business of writing: Agent attraction
Attracting an agent can be the start of a long business relationship,
so learn more about the wooing process
WRITERS NEWS
p4 contents.indd 4
NOVEMBER 2016
WIN!
See page 11
88 Your essential
monthly round-up of
competitions, paying
markets, opportunities
to get into print and
publishing industry news
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:37
page 11
CONTENTS
ON THE COVER
St rtionugt
NON-FICTION
FICTION
48 Under the microscope
The first 300 words of a readers
manuscript are subjected to a
forensic micro-critique
50 Fiction focus:
The big picture
Planning an epic? Then you need
to start thinking on a grand scale
ON THE COVER
76 Fantastic realms:
Feel the fear
Understand how fear works
to keep readers on the edge of
their seats
Back soon!
COMPETITION WINNERS
AND EXERCISES
POETRY
42 Poetry winners:
Read the winning entries in our Midsummer Nights Dream
poetry competition
64 Poetry workshop: Skeletons in the cupboard
Explore two poems one classic, one sent by a reader that
illustrate the power of the dramatic monologue
36 Pen pushers:
What you dont say
Try these exercises to discover
that what you leave out of your
writing can be as effective as
what you put in
65 Poetry workout
Pay careful attention to how your punctuation affects your poetry
59 Circles roundup:
Game, set and match
Playing board games can enhance
group members writing skills
40 Competition winner:
Read the winning entry in our
crime story competition
62 Competition winner
Read the winning entry in our
nostalgia writing competition
AUTHOR EXPERIENCES
52 Subscriber spotlight
WM subscribers share their publishing success stories
58 Circles roundup
Writing groups share their interests and activities
67 Time shift
Shifting her setting by just a decade brought subscriber Fiona
Veitch Smiths historical crime novels to life
RESOURCES
6 Miscellany
81 Computer clinic
8 Letters
82 Helpline
Your writing problems solved
22 Editorial calendar
35 Novel ideas
80 Writers web watch
www.writers-online.co.uk
p4 contents.indd 5
Game, set
and match
OCTOBER 2016
26/09/2016 11:37
MISCELLANY
THE WORLD OF
WRITING
Comedy quibbles, the best baddies, romance reimagined, dark days and
denining drive... serious matters weighed up in the wide world of writing
Drive to work
Figures of speech
p6 Miscellany.indd 6
Tartan Noir
spreads its
gloom
Is Scotlands obsession with dark
comedy and dourness turning into an
international phenomenon?
David Manderson, of the University of the West of
Scotland, who has co-authored the book The Glass Half
Full with Scottish director Eleanor Yule seems to think so.
Pamela Paterson of The Scotsman reported that David
Manderson has now started a new study on how the world is
becoming more downbeat.
The creative writing lecturer, said: We see this side of the
Scottish psyche almost every day, from comedies such as Still
Game, Limmy and Rab C Nesbitt and films like Filth and
Trainspotting, to our prolific Tartan Noir output from the likes of
Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride and Christopher Brookmyre
And its not just here. Nordic Noir is more popular than
ever. Hollywoods films and heroes are getting darker and its
increasingly hard for anyone who wants to have a cheery
drama or series commissioned for television.
26/09/2016 09:37
MISCELLANY
Baddies are
good for you
Online bookseller The Book People
surveyed 1,003 UK mums and
dads and found that 33 percent
would steer clear of buying books
containing frightening characters
for their children.
A fifth of parents found the
Wicked Witch of the West from L
Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as the
scariest of their childhood, with the Child Catcher
from Ian Flemings Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang in
second place. (Although it didnt escape comment
in Miscellany Manors that the Child Catcher was
Roald Dahls creation for the film and does not
appear in the book.)
Third was the Big Bad Wolf, in his grandmotherswallowing Little Red Riding Hood incarnation,
fourth the Grand High Witch from Roald Dahls
The Witches and fifth, and fifth Cruella de Vil, from
Dodie Smiths The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
But psychologist Emma Kenny said: Being
frightened by a book helps forge resilience, adding:
The world can be a scary place children will get
into situations where theyre told off by teachers, or
fall out with friends. Knowing how to confront fear
is a good thing.
Children are often
being wrapped up in
cotton wool. Risk and
fear are something we
need in childhood. We
know that people who
take risks, in the long
term, do better than
those who dont.
Reimagining romance
They have been called patriarchal and formulaic, but an
academic is making the case for Mills & Boon romances to
be considered as feminist work, revealed Mark Brown, arts
correspondent in the Guardian.
Val Derbyshire, a doctoral researcher at Sheffield, had
said: It is such a shame that they have been so vilified,
and that people treat them as trash and the black sheep
of the literary family. There really is literary value in them,
which is why I continue to read them.
She added: They are definitely not anti-feminist. These are novels written primarily
by women, for women why would they set out to insult their target audience? It
doesnt make any sense. Instead, they are largely stories of feminist triumph, with the
brooding male hero often forced to acknowledge his sexism and change his ways.
Mills & Boon was created in 1908 by Gerald Mills and
Charles Boon, who made romance its principal concern in
the 1930s, and went on to publish thousands of easy-reading
novels. The company recently announced a fun series of
humour books, celebrating the sisterhood from A to Z
with a knowing wink.
Taking their cue from the hugely popular Ladybirds for
Grown-Ups, the Mills & Boon Modern Girls Guides will
contain vital advice every woman needs to survive the
modern world on topics such as drunk Ebay-ing, office
fridge etiquette and explaining your job to your parents.
They bring together nostalgic black and white archive photographs of 20th
century women with witty 21st century commentary from a
dynamic writing duo under the pen-name Ada Adverse.
Priced at 6.99 each, the Mills & Boon Modern Girls
Guide to Working 9 to 5 and The Mills & Boon Modern
Girls Guide to Happy Hour will be published on 3
November, with two further titles, The Mills & Boon
Modern Girls Guide to Helping Yourself and The Mills &
Boon Modern Girls Guide to Happy Endings published on
29 December and 26 January respectively.
www.writers-online.co.uk
p6 Miscellany.indd 7
NOVEMBER 2016
26/09/2016 09:38
TITLE
STAR LETTER
VOCAL LESSON
My Mother always said I wouldnt be told
anything. She was referring to my inability to
follow instruction. Thankfully Ive reached an
age where I realise I dont actually know it all
and Im willing to listen.
When I came across Ian Ayriss practical
advice (WM, Oct) I followed his step-by-step
instructions to find my inner voice.
Im overwhelmed by the amount of short story
ideas Ive produced as a result. The only problem
I have is the inner voice I uncovered sounds a lot
like my Mothers.
NICOLA BEDFORD
Stalham, Norfolk
TOPSCARE
Its past one oclock in the morning and
Melanie Napthines tale (WM, Oct) had me
scared witless. As a avid reader of horror and the
paranormal, it takes a lot to make the hairs on
the back of my neck stand up, but this one did it.
Although not stated, we know the unspeakable
horror the protagonist is about to discover as
the story ends. Stephen King could
not have done it better.
PAMELA HIBBERT
Crowthorne, Berkshire
8
NOVEMBER 2016
p8 Letters.indd 8
BABY BOOST
Last time I had a baby, I cancelled my subscription
to Writing Magazine, reasoning that I simply would
not have the time or energy for reading let alone
writing. I felt deprived, missed the magazine terribly
and hardly did any writing. Ive just had another
baby and this time Ive kept the subscription.
Before I had children, I was too much of a perfectionist. I mistakenly believed
that there was one proper way to write and that if you couldnt find it you would
never be any good. The brilliant idea in my head would fall flat and sprawl
flaccidly across the paper, frustrating my attempts at translation. I suffered from
a paralysis, a fear of writing it wrong. Now, I feel quite blas when it comes to
writing. I think, I will give it a go, I will experiment. I will write the same idea
three different ways and see which works best, and then I will keep rewriting.
I think of WM as my trusty writing companion. Whenever I am working on
something it is there whispering away in my ear, keep on writing keep on
reading kill your darlings, and so I do. Most importantly, it reminds me that
where there is a will there is a way. Finding time to write will never be easy but
at the same time it will never be impossible either.
JENNIE GARDNER
Upper Swainswick, Somerset
Feelgood festival
Thank you so much for the article about writing conferences and festivals in the
September 2016 issue.
On a whim, after reading the article, I bought a ticket for NAWGFest and had
a fantastic time. As a newbie, and knowing nobody else there, I may have been
a bit overkeen. I collected loads of recommendations for books/videos/resources/
retreats, entered the mini tale competition, volunteered for an exciting collaborative
writing project thats taking place next year, got asked to write two articles for the
NAWG online magazine, joined two writers groups, read out one of my stories
to the assembled masses after the gala dinner and got hypnotised to unlock my
unconscious creativity.
It was fantastic to spend time with other writers, exchanging experiences and
encouragement, and having other people really understand what Im going through
with my writing. The conference was incredibly well organised by the tireless
committee, and all the workshops I attended were both entertaining and informative.
I have come home re-enthused, re-motivated, and with a ton of projects, ideas
and opportunities to explore.
ANNIE PERCIK
Enfield, Middlesex
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 09:44
L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R
INSPIRED BY AUTHORS
What an inspirational edition the October issue of WM
was. As a disabled author myself (I have Aspergers
Syndrome), it was interesting to read articles by others
who are also disabled, especially Robert Laing, who
has Aspergers too. All these authors have made me
determined to carry on with my writing and to try to
write about my own disability again in non-fiction as
well as in fiction. So thank you authors.
JULIE DAY
London SE23
The power of
understanding
Robert Laing couldnt
find articles that spoke
to him
directly on living with Aspergers,
so he decided to write
them and help
others in the process
A
MARK HARDIE
disabilities
are physical,
however.something
Debbie
courses,
my
me, then I imagine or re-imagine
MSmanuscripts.
is the root of all my
stage
At some
Prince Harry
focused
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on during
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on doing
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I sit down to write.
central
result Itohave
the
the scene
writing.
written a
that
years recent
to step out
Invictus
have Games,
but of
correcting things
living
nervous system.
you will
lucky in the submissions
very bodys
humans,
I was The
lot aboutincluding
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submitofyour workimmune
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and
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and spelling,
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like
alsopunctuation
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challenges on a daily basis.
coating surrounding the nerve
forgotten since
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seem to on
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Yet those determined enough will find fibres, which can interrupt
for the detail
sight. And published
my
commercially
in a
ways to overcome them, and thats just
the messages
I have a friend who used
scenes,
TIPS along
the
TOP travelling
variety
of magazines.
MS is
MARKS
as true for writers with disabilities
as it
those nerve fibres between the
DCI in the Essex Major
work as a part
atosignificant
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is for Paralympic sport stars. Having a
brain and the rest of the body.
and he kindly verifies
team,dominate.
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but
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from
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Nolanit was
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and identity, and
days being worse than others.
Kingston
This
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writers ideas,
the book filled a gap
hing journey can be very
cerebral palsy and, despite
only being
The writing-to-publis
means her approach to her writing
available in 2017.
Grow a thick skin.
shed foundshould
in the be
market.
able to move his
head and
eyes,ego.
went
business changes from day to day.
to the
bruising
I wanted to write the book I
on to write poetry and novels. His
Everything takes more effort than it
would have liked to read when I first
childhood memoir, Under the Eye of the used to. It randomly messes with
.uk
my
experienced weird symptoms and had
www.writers-online.co
Clock, won the Whitbread Book
of the
physical abilities and steals my energy,
to cope with other peoples reactions
86 OCTOBER 2016
Year Award in 1987.
so I have to manage my resources
19/08/2016
to my changed status. At that time,
carefully. The sheer unpredictability
there were a lot of misery memoirs
Lifes hurdles
of
the
condition
complicates
even
the
86
by disabled people and medical texts
p86 Author Profile.indd
Meg Kingston,
author of The
simplest task.
about illness, but none of these were
MonSter and the Rainbow: Memoir
One of the most debilitating symptoms
written to be readable, and none
of a Disability (http://writ.rs/
of MS is fatigue, which not only affects
told me what I wanted to know.
megmonster), points out that every
the physical body, but can make thinking
Since publication of The MonSter,
writer has challenges in their life, not
and, therefore, being creative, extremely
I have had grateful feedback from
just those with physical disabilities.
challenging. Despite this, Meg has gone
people with various chronic medical
All writers have hurdles to overcome.
on to develop a flourishing writing
conditions, from medical professionals
A chronic health problem doesnt
business. Shes a successful independent
and people who just wanted to know
need to stop you writing. I have a
author, her short stories have won
more about life at wheelchair height.
MonSter, while other people have
competitions, and shes also contributed
Meg is now in discussions with her
kids, different health issues, elderly
to publications such as the New Scientist
local health board about ways in which
parents, demanding jobs, all of which
and the Radio Times. Ironically, much of
her book can help medical students get
steal your precious writing time. All
this may not have happened if it hadnt
a wider understanding of the condition
writers know how life has a habit of
been for her MS condition, which forced
and the day-to-day impact it has on
ruining their plans. A disability isnt
her to re-evaluate her life.
those diagnosed with it.
ILE
R P R O Fyou
TH
know.
N E W AU
UseOexperiences both
CONQUERING
CHALLENGES
OCTOBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
THE UKS
BESTSELL
10:51
22/08/2016 11:13
ING WRIT
I N G M AG A
ZINE
Writing
Competition
Special
2017
COMP DRIVE
ENTER over
200 competitions
WIN 570,000
in writing prize
s
SEE your
work in print
p001_wmagOct
Comp.indd 1
14:33
CHILDRENS BOOKS
www.writers-online.co.uk
poetry
NOVELS
SHORT STORIES
photographs
family histories
p8 Letters.indd 9
COOKBOOKS
biographies
From design
to distribution
Its clearly not desirable that all competition entries are published in a
costly anthology bought only by the contributors (Talk It Over, WM, Oct).
However, of the 200-plus competitions listed in WMs Competition Special
2017, only a small number are free (and many of these have criteria as to
who can enter see also Wendy Dranfields letter in the same issue). All
the other competitions listed in the Special have fees, ranging from 3
to over 30. A writer could easily spend 40 on only four submissions
and have nothing to show for it. Its easy to see the temptation to spend
the same amount and have the pleasure of seeing ones work published.
Entry fees have become ubiquitous and prohibitive.
LINDA TYLER
Banchory, Kincardineshire
26/09/2016 09:44
Litmags live on
JULY 2015
p10 Grumpy.indd 10
Apparently the
literary magazine,
in one form or
another, is alive
and well.
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 09:45
ITLE
AGENT OPTIN
ION
On writing
From the
OTHE R SIDE
OF THE DESK
Tony Rossiter
explores great
words from
great writers
WILLIAM GOLDING
www.writers-online.co.uk
JULY 2015
11
26/09/2016 09:47
g
n
i
t
r
t
S out
WRITING LIFE
The exceptions
All right, maybe it isnt always
quite that simple. There are people
who cant physically write by hand
or simply prefer another method.
If thats you, perhaps youll type
instead. Maybe youll use technology
12
NOVEMBER 2016
Getting going
So now you really are all set. If
you want to be a writer but havent
actually written anything yet, start
now. I mean RIGHT NOW, not
after youve finished reading this
article, or drunk a cup of tea, but
now. It doesnt need to be a lot and
it doesnt need to be any good, but
unless you actually write youll never
become a writer.
Okay, so now youve got started.
(If you havent, read those last three
Helping yourself
You really will improve just by writing
more. As you transfer thoughts to
the page, youll learn what you enjoy
writing and begin to see where your
strengths are. Often what we think
well want to write isnt the form or
genre we eventually concentrate most
of our efforts on. Many novelists,
for example, began by writing short
stories or with careers as copywriters
or as journalists.
Once you start writing, youll use
up all your most obvious ideas and
be forced to get properly creative.
It seems contradictory, but using
our ideas somehow increases rather
than reduces those we have in stock
for further projects. Holding on to
one until we feel we can really do
it justice simply prevents new ones
forming. Trust me on this. That
brilliant plot youve been carrying
around will not be your only idea,
it probably wont be your best idea,
but it is an excellent place to start.
Get it written.
Its quite likely that once you
begin writing more seriously youll
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 09:49
S TA R T I N G O U T
Further improvements
Useful as writing and reading are,
they can only achieve so much. For
the biggest improvements in our
work well need help in the form
of advice and feedback. Books on
writing can also be very valuable. Be
wary of relying too heavily on old
ones, as some information is liable to
be out of date. I recommend, as you
might expect, the shiny new From
Story Idea To Reader by Patsy Collins
and Rosemary J Kind, which will be
out in time for Christmas. Writing
Magazine is also an excellent source
of information and again its better
to read the most recent copies. A
dictionary is also a good investment.
If you can, take a course or
workshop of some kind. These can
be one-off events for an afternoon
(your local library might offer these
for free or a nominal charge) or a
term of evening classes. You can
sign up for online courses (some are
free), distance learning, as with WMs
Creative Writing Courses, or enrol
yourself at university full time. Just
dont wait to begin writing until your
first homework assignment!
Joining a writing group, either
physically or online, can be hugely
beneficial, if its the right one for you.
Some are great for encouragement
and support, others provide
Next steps
If you intend to successfully offer
work for publication, self-publish
or be placed in competitions then
you will need honest, constructive
criticism which points out the flaws
in your work. A good writing
course will provide some,
but for most writers this
wont be enough. The
most cost-effective
way of obtaining
regular feedback is
to join a critique
group. In theory
this could be a
face-to-face group,
but in practice this
is difficult. Ideally
youll all write in a
similar form and genre.
A group consisting of a
poet, horror novelist, author
of childrens short stories and
someone writing their memoirs
would struggle even if they are all
available at the same time each week.
There are already a number of
established online critique groups
which you could try an internet
search or request on social media will
give you the links. Alternatively set
up your own either as a closed blog
or forum, or by email. Search for
members through social media and
Writing Magazines Talkback forum
(the fantastic group I belong to was
set up this way and has members
in three different countries). You
pay for feedback on your work
by providing it for other group
members. This is far less scary than
it sounds and will help you improve
your own writing.
13
26/09/2016 09:49
St rtionugt
x
i
m
a
n
d
Pick
RESEARCH TIPS
Help yourself at the writers buffet and find the flavour that most suits you, suggests Simon Hall
Short stories
Arguably, the short story is the best place
to start learning the craft of writing.
Just think for a moment what a strictly
limited word count forces you to do.
14
NOVEMBER 2016
Journalism
What is journalism if not a short story of
fact, rather than fiction?
Try writing an article and stray off
the point. Your editor will be straight
down on you, and not politely. Believe
me, I know.
I started my working life as a
journalist and still enjoy it, a quarter
of a century on. It led me into all the
other areas of writing I now delight in,
it brings a range of insights into the
writing world, and I can strongly
recommend giving it a try.
Because producing articles
for papers, magazines or online
is a highly commercial beast, a
story is only commissioned if an
editor thinks people will be interested.
And that means it gives you a great
understanding of what audiences want.
Thats invaluable when thinking about
writing a novel, screenplay, or short story.
Its far more likely to be published if it
has resonance in society, features some
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 09:52
Plays
My play, An Unnecessary Murder
was based on my first novel, The TV
Detective, and was an extraordinary
experience. We raised thousands of
pounds for the hospice movement,
a cause which has been very close
to my heart.
But in terms of the writing art, it
certainly taught me about dialogue.
When what the characters are saying is
the mainstay of a play, you have to weigh
each word with care. What does it tell
you about the person and their situation?
Are they powerful or weak, optimistic or
pessimistic, relaxed or stressed?
The clothes a character wears are also
a great insight into their personality.
Imagine two men of similar age, both in
shirts, but one wearing a tie and one not.
In a single glance, youve conveyed
a significant element of character. And
thats something which can be used in all
other areas of writing.
Body language is also fascinating
in a play. Who stands tall and
dominates a scene, and who shrinks
back into the shadows?
See those interactions in your
imagination and they can help you
bring scenes to life in other areas of
your writing.
Screenplays
Probably the most important lesson I
learnt from writing a screen play was the
characters expressions.
Imagine the close up image on TV.
The tic of a pulse in the neck tells
you far more than mere words about
the pressure someone is under. Seeing
small details like that in your mind,
and conveying them in words, can
help create powerful scenes.
Think about the difference between
a woman who is
impeccably made up
and one whose mascara
has smudged. Whos
cool and in command?
Which are you more
inclined to trust?
Screenplays are also
remarkable in their use of the
art of silence. Sometimes, saying
nothing can say everything.
A man and a woman, having
a romantic dinner in a posh restaurant
on Valentines night and theyre
not talking at all. Hows that
relationship going?
Exploring a silence is a very
worthwhile art to cultivate in many
areas of writing.
Teaching
When youve had some success with your
writing, why not try teaching? I find it
hugely rewarding, passing on what Ive
learnt and seeing others benefit from it.
The pays not bad, you get to travel
and meet some fascinating people, too.
But on a more selfish level, nothing
makes you think harder about the writing
craft, and forces you to really explore it,
than when you teach.
I took hours working out how I create
characters, make settings feel real, and
construct plots, before I dared stand
at the front of a classroom. And that
experience, and depth of understanding,
can make you a much better all round
writer, whatever your field.
The voice
The voice transcends everything in
writing. How often do you hear the
saying Youve got to find your voice? And
how easy does it sound, compared to
how difficult it actually is?
I found my voice in novels. But you
can discover it in any area of writing.
As a practice, try a short story in the
hard-bitten detective Raymond Chandler
style, then one in more of a Miss Marple
www.writers-online.co.uk
voice. Or the
opening of a
novel in a wry,
Jane Austen way,
compared to a
more brutal Ernest
Hemingway manner.
And why not have
a go at some poetry?
First in a Ted Hughes,
jagged way, then a John Betjeman
reflective or humorous style.
Imagine a screenplay or play when
the character voice is dominant. What
would James Bond say when presented
with a bar which only serves cheap
lager? Now compare that with the
reaction of Del Boy from Only
Fools and Horses.
Once youre confident in the art
of voice, whether its yours, as the
author, or the attitude you give to your
characters, you can use it in so many
different ways.
The more areas of writing you try,
the more you become adept at adopting
a range of different voices. And thats a
powerful weapon for a writer.
15
26/09/2016 09:52
g
n
i
t
r
t
S out
Novel
foundations
Start solidly, or your story will collapse later, says author and lecturer James McCreet,
revealing the planning process of his current novel-in-progress
The germ
Ideas take many forms. It could be a
character, a location, a story premise,
a historical period, a theme... or
a combination. Critically, it must
be something that excites you
16
NOVEMBER 2016
The characters
Narrative perspective
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 09:53
S TA R T I N G O U T
Research notes
The broad location of my story
was part of the idea, as was the
selection of characters. However,
Im going to need much more detail
to write chapters about these places
and people. My research entails
Googling a few maps and sketching
out the route of my road-trip,
learning a few things abut each
place. At this stage, I dont need to
do the full research I can quickly
search for smaller details once Ive
begun writing. What I need now
is sufficient detail to influence
character and story: more ideas to
build my germ of an idea.
I started with some assumptions
about my main characters. Now
I need to check a few details in
order to bolster chronologies
and backstories. They need to be
believable, so Ive already made a
few notes that should convince a
reader when my people are first
introduced. Again, I can gather
more later if necessary.
Desirable scenes
This category can be extremely
useful once we get to plotting.
As I collect my lists of characters,
locations, arcs, themes and other
research, I inevitably begin to
visualise scenes. Wouldnt it be
great if A did this to B? What if I
put them both here and made them
do this? If you gather enough such
scenes, they sometimes coalesce into
nice chunks of storyline and you
can even begin to pencil them into
overall structure. For example, I
already have my final, my mid-point
and my opening scenes. These are
important elements that help me to
conceive the rest of the story.
Desirable scenes are also
ones youd really like to
write. Put your characters
on a paradise beach
at sunset. Put them
into a train crash
or a shoot-out.
When you have a
collection of such
scenes, you know
youll always be
motivated to write
because you know
whats coming and
youre excited for the
reader. Moreover, visualising
these scenes in advance helps
you to flesh out larger storylines.
17
26/09/2016 09:53
S TA R I N T E RV I E W
The 1m
self-publisher
Teaching himself the process from scratch, Adam Croft has
grown to be one of the UKs most successful self-publishers.
Tina Jackson finds out how he did it
THE SKILLS
IVE LEARNED:
Mailing list, and knowing what the
long-term gain is. Its not just about
selling a book if I ask you to join the
mailing list you might buy the next four
or five books. Its all about long-term.
On the writing side of things, Ive
got hundreds of books on the craft of
writing, on character development,
constructing a story. I read heavily on
18
NOVEMBER 2016
p18 interview.indd 18
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 12:39
S TA R I N T E RV I E W
NOVEMBER 2016
p18 interview.indd 19
19
26/09/2016 09:56
S TA R I N T E RV I E W
up with ideas my
product is books. I
get ideas from all
over the place. Ill
see a news story,
watch a film, read
a book, come up
with a storyline.
Ive got notebooks
and apps full of
ideas. Often Ill have
one story idea thats
stronger than the others,
but if I dont know, Ill go
back to my bank of ideas. Its
only when you start writing them
down you realise how quickly they come.
Given that Her Last Tomorrow is Adams
breakthrough book, its worth mentioning
that he almost decided not to publish it.
I nearly didnt put Her Last Tomorrow
out, it sat in a drawer for a few months
while I put out two more series books, he
says. But then he discovered how to make
Facebook advertising work for him.
Mark Dawson runs a course called
Facebook Advertising for Authors I
came across that and went on that course.
I started experimenting and doing my
own things with it, and it worked. Big
time. One of the things he learned
was the power of the hook. It was
only really when I discovered Facebook
advertising that I realised the hook was
very important and Her Last Tomorrow
has got a great hook to draw other readers
in. So Facebook advertising gave me the
awareness to put it out there.
These days his Facebook advertising
policy is to speculate to accumulate. I
spend a lot of money on it but I profit
on it every time. I make 50 to 100%
on top. I do a lot of experimentation. I
started off spending about 3 a day and
now I throw money at it 250,000 this
year. There are months when Ive been
spending 1,000 a day. I target users
who like similar books, crime thrillers,
ADVICE
Always think of long term. Read about
the craft, learn more. Writings something
you can never be an expert at. Youre
always learning and you can never learn
too much.
Never give up. I spent five years just
about paying the bills and I could have
given up, gone out and got pretty much
any job I wanted. I had to remember why I
was writing and follow that dream.
20
NOVEMBER 2016
p18 interview.indd 20
26/09/2016 09:56
HOW TO ENTER
!
N
I
W
A BOOK DEAL
PLUS 1,000
Want to see your book in print, and net a
tasty advance too? Were giving one lucky
WM reader the chance to win just that in
this exclusive competition.
The winning author will see their book
published in 2017 by our friends at The Book
Guild, and get 1,000 cash, courtesy of the
David St John Thomas Charitable Trust.
Paste each of the five required texts into a single
document (see right) and enter through our
website: www.writ.rs/winabookdeal
TAP HERE
TO ENTER
Good luck!
p21 Competition.indd 21
26/09/2016 16:47
Editorial calendar
Strong forward planning will greatly improve your chances with freelance submissions.
Here are some themes to consider for the coming months.
10 February
n Miller
RCA awarded Glen
for
the first gold record
of
es
pi
selling a million co
oo
Ch
oo
Chattanooga Ch
75 years ago
9 February
Wartime soap
rationing began in
Britain 75 years ago.
It ended in 1950.
15 February
20 February
Birthdays
9 February
10 February
11 February
, whose
Author and screenwriter Sidney Sheldon
copies, was
ion
18 novels have sold more than 300 mill
born 100 years ago
16 February
20 February
25 February
50
rk Orange,
22 February
Centenaries in 2019
1 January 2019 will be the
26/09/2016 09:59
M Y WBREIG
T IIN
NG
N EDAY
RS
BURNING UP
WITH IDEAS
There are times when a radical clear-out can be just the thing
to generate fresh ideas, suggests Adrian Magson
ue to a temporary paucity of
decent ideas for a future book
and a feeling that walking
through treacle might be
more productive than staring
at a blank screen, I recently
went in search of something to kick, and
happened on an antidote for this lack of
direction: have a good burn-up.
I dont mean the pedal-to-the-metal,
petrol-head kind of thing impossible
where I live anyway unless in possession
of a death wish. I mean having a clear-out
of all the old paper dross and files which
have been piling up for so many years
theyve taken on the ragged appearance of
the Dead Sea scrolls.
Great, I hear you ask. So youre
having problems? Hows that going to
help me with my writing?
Well (to paraphrase several politicians
of late) Ill tell you. First, to explain
further, the dross of which I speak
included drafts of several novels which
have now been published, a pile of short
fiction and features which ditto and
a whole load of both that never saw the
light of day for reasons mostly to do with
being utter bilge.
Now, I know Ive said in the past that
you should never throw anything away
and I still hold firmly to that. However,
there comes a point at which you have
to kick your little paper birds off the end
of the branch because you know theyll
never fly or words to that effect. But in
doing so, you might just discover some
little pearls of inspiration, as I did.
Having long ago accepted that the
Bodleian would probably turn up their
upper lip at the idea of my crumpled
gems for posterity, much less as mulch
for their garden, I decided to take
some BBQ gel, which is basically
napalm in a bottle, and christen our
newly-bought incinerator, which is
basically a dustbin on legs.
TOP TIPS
Seen out of context, paragraphs or sentences can open
up to fresh ideas.
Consider whether a snatch of dialogue can be used to
generate something new.
Dont dismiss a sudden flash of inspiration it could be
the best one youll get.
Just because youve used the words before doesnt
mean they cant be transformed for a whole new story.
www.writers-online.co.uk
p23 Beginners.indd 23
NOVEMBER 2016
23
26/09/2016 10:01
Clive Brooks
WRITING LIFE
UNPLUGG ED
Do you hanker for distraction-free writing but still need text you can edit or submit later?
Clive Brooks guides you through the hardware and software options
Typewriters
Typewriters are evocative, irresistible and affordable. The vintage
typewriters that repair engineers recommend above all others
for their build quality and longevity are those from the German
manufacturer Olympia. The desktop model to look for is the
SM9, and the best portable is the Traveller Deluxe S. Both are
superbly made, built to last and enjoyable to use. My SM9 on
eBay cost a mere 90, and my virtually unused Traveller Deluxe
was an unbelievable 25!
When you first start using a typewriter, or use one again after
many years, you may be surprised at the long travel of the keys and
the sheer physicality of the machine when compared to computer
keyboards or touching the glass of an iPad. However, after ten
minutes of typing, I think youll begin to appreciate the tactile,
organic nature of imprinting your words onto paper, and recognise
how finely balanced and beautifully designed everything is. Theres
a melody in the sound of the type-bars striking the platen, and in
the ting of the bell when you reach a line end. Its immersive and
somehow satisfying. A typewriter encourages a more considered
approach to writing too. You cant go back and fiddle about with
the words, so you tend to think more carefully about which ones to
24
NOVEMBER 2016
Workflow
In years gone by, a
double-spaced typewriter manuscript was edited by hand and then
retyped. Now theres a much easier way to integrate the typewriter into
the modern workflow. What you need is an OCR application. This
is a piece of software that, when presented with a scan or photo of
your printed page, recognises the typed characters and turn them into
editable text that you can open in your word processor. I use the free
DocScanner on my iPad available from the App Store. I use the iPad
camera to photograph the typed page, then let the OCR do its stuff. I
email the resultant text file to myself or save it to Dropbox, then load
it into my word processor for editing. There are free online OCR sites
too. One can be found at www.onlineocr.net
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:04
WRITING LIFE
Word processors
Workflow
Like a real typewriter, there are absolutely no editing facilities. You cant go back
and correct text. Its being marketed as The Worlds First Smart Typewriter.
One of its key features is built-in wifi, which enables text typed onto it to
automatically float away to cloud-based sites such as Dropbox.
Psion
Wouldnt it be great if you could have a proper
word processor in your pocket, ready whenever
inspiration strikes and with a proper keyboard that
you can type on? Well, by revisiting the well-loved
Psion range of personal digital assistants, you can.
The enduring legacy of this innovative British
company is the Psion 5MX. Its like a miniature
Alphasmart, but built into a clever clamshell design
that folds up and pops into your pocket. Unlike
anything else of its size, before or since, it has a real keyboard! It features a
word processor thats every bit as good as the Alphasmarts, together with a
handful of other useful built-in applications. One of these is a customisable
database. I use it to store all my ideas for freelance articles. A good Series
5MX can be bought on eBay for 70. They are tough little devices, and the
only problem you may ever encounter, is a fault developing in the internal
flexible cable that connects the screen part of the clamshell to the keyboard.
However, there are several companies out there who specialise in fixing this.
One is www.psionex.co.uk who can also supply completely refurbished,
as-new machines. The 5MX is the ultimate carry-with-you writing tool.
Theres a somewhat less well-specified Psion called the Series 5 (as opposed
to 5MX). These are marginally cheaper to buy and more common, but the
MX is the one that I recommend you choose. It has more memory, faster
processor and a better casing.
Astrohaus
Astrohaus Freewrite
Workflow
Both machines are designed to
take knocks and do the task they
were designed for perfectly to
write and edit words. They switch
on and off instantly, and you can
work on up to eight different
documents at the same time by
using the dedicated function buttons at the
top of the keyboard to switch quickly between them.
The batteries last for weeks, and they had an innovative
way of transferring text into a desktop word processor for
final finishing off; all you do is connect the device by USB,
open your computer word processor program, position the
cursor where youd like the text to appear and press Send
on the device. Magically, your text begins whizzing, word by
word, into your computer. It is simple and straightforward.
Workflow
The desktop software originally used to sync the Psion with a Windows
desktop PC is too elderly to work with new computers, but thats okay,
because your word processor document can be saved in the 5MX onto a
standard compact flash card, which can then be removed and plugged into
your main computer via a 3 card reader. Your text can then be imported
into your favourite desktop word processor for final editing, printing and
distribution. A tiny application called nConvert which is available free from
www.pscience5.net/LFNeuon.htm, can easily be installed on the Psion,
enabling the built-in word-processor format to be converted and saved to
the card in the completely compatible rich text format (RTF).
In summary
Although we probably dont like to admit it, checking the
phone, interacting with social media and surfing the web
has collectively become something of an addiction for most
of us. Using these venerable devices to create a distractionfree writing environment may become an addiction too, but
an empowering and productive one. To get the best results,
turn off your phone and disconnect your internet router.
Then settle down with one of these distraction-free devices
and let the writing magic happen. It will...
NOVEMBER 2016
25
26/09/2016 10:04
I N S P I R I N G WO R D S
How I got
published
Scottish author Martin
Stewarts debut novel, Riverkeep,
was published by Penguin in April.
Interview by
Dolores Gordon-Smith
Shannon Cullen,
publishing director, Penguin
Random House Childrens
Its incredibly rare for us to commission a book from an
unknown author on just 2,000 words, but Martins writing is
so arresting dark, atmospheric and accomplished that the
entire editorial team was seduced. In those few words, which
now form the first chapter of Riverkeep, you could see the
potential for a wonderful story, and Im pleased to say
that our instincts have been more than confirmed.
Martin is a truly talented writer whose writing
not only delivers, but also promises great
things for the future.
26
AUGUST 2016
p26 HIGP.indd 26
26/09/2016 10:06
WIN
a place at
WORTH
1,500
including accommodation
AND flights from
the UK
We are offering one lucky reader a chance to explore
Icelands rich cultural heritage and expand their literary
horizons at Iceland Writers Retreat, 5-9 April 2017
Enter online at
5 per entry.
The closing date is 2 December and the winner will be notified by 6 January.
You must be over 18 to enter, and available to attend the retreat between 5 and 9 April.
Flights are only available from UK airports.
p27 Iceland.indd 19
www.writers-online.co.uk
DECEMBER 2015
19
26/09/2016 10:08
T H E BU S I N E S S O F W R I T I N G
AGENT
attraction
Attracting an agent can be the start of a long business relationship.
Simon Whaley flirts with two agents to learn more about the wooing process.
NOVEMBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:09
T H E BU S I N E S S O F W R I T I N G
Human beings
Agents are human beings (yes, its
true!), who have their own likes
and dislikes. For an agent to take
us on they have to love our work,
because theyre the ones going into
battle for us, selling our manuscripts
to publishers. Spend some time
identifying agents who enjoy reading
the genre you enjoy writing, and seek
out those with similar interests. This
might seem time consuming, but
consider the business case: its your
writing career. The right agent can
boost your writing business.
When youve identified a shortlist,
look for what they want when it
comes to submissions. Some agencies
have a system all their agents adhere
to, while others allow individual
agents to determine what they wish to
see in an initial submission.
This is another reason for not
carpet-bombing every agent you can
find. Some prefer three chapters and a
synopsis, others want two chapters and
a one-page synopsis, while some want
three chapters with a two-page synopsis
and a paragraph description of the
six main characters. Send something
different to what theyve asked for
and you mark yourself out as a writer
who doesnt do their research properly.
Would you go into business with
someone who couldnt be bothered?
When it comes to submitting,
its not just about the writing, but
your whole business-like approach.
A great submission offers a clear,
simple vision of the book and, of
course, a gripping opening chapter,
says Kate. Also a telephone number
I like to ring writers Im interested
in working with.
Submission sensibilities
Theres a reason why agents are
specific about what they want to see
in a submission. We ask for sample
chapters and a synopsis, Imogen
explains, because the chapters tell
us what the writing is like and the
synopsis tells us what the story is like.
Its very difficult to judge the quality
of a submission if we dont get both
those things. A good submission
provides the correct materials, together
with a query email that has all the
necessary information title, author
name, genre, word count is clearly
worded and doesnt go on for too
long. A great submission provides all
those things together with sample
chapters that hook us immediately
and that make us want to see the
whole book.
Dont email your manuscript to
agencies that only accept postal
submissions. They wont be read.
Agents read submissions at times and
in places convenient to them.
Conference connections
There are other ways to attract an
agent, such as meeting them face to
face. This does not mean camping
outside their offices, but attending
writers conferences and festivals where
agents are also invited. Indeed, some
allow you to pitch your book to agents
in a ten-minute, face-to-face interview.
(Its like speed-dating, but a thousand
times more nerve-wracking.)
There is a cost to attending such
festivals, but remember the businessside of things. Its an investment in
your future. A chance encounter in
the queue at lunch time, or a faceto-face chat at a dedicated meet-theagent session, could be the start of
a long, career-building relationship.
(The cost of the festival event may
also qualify as a tax-deductible
business expense.)
We go to a number of conferences
and writers festivals, says Imogen.
Its important for us to keep up with
whats happening in the publishing
industry, and its nice to meet writers,
editors, and other agents in person.
Although these are the main ways
agents secure their clients, authors
sometimes find themselves agents
through more unusual routes.
Some clients come via personal
recommendation, says Kate. Ive
www.writers-online.co.uk
29
26/09/2016 10:09
Katie
Fforde
escribed by one
critic as modernday Austen and by
another as Joanne
Trollope crossed
with Tom Sharpe,
Katie Fforde has written 23 romantic
novels. Old-fashioned romance of the
best sort funny, comforting, said
another critic.
She has been a committee member,
chairman and president of the
Romantic Novelists Association
(RNA), and is founder of the Katie
Fforde Bursary, which consists of a
years subscription to the RNA and a
place at its conference for a writer who
has yet to secure a publishing contract.
NOVEMBER 2016
Early novels
Living Dangerously, her first and most
autobiographical novel, was published
in 1995. Its about Polly Cameron,
whos messy, 35, celibate, and lives
happily with her cat and her Rayburn
in a small Gloucestershire town. She
juggles her hectic life, trying to do her
best for everyone. She works in a local
caf, is involved in the save our High
Street campaign, and tries to get her
pottery career started. She dodges the
matchmaking efforts of her friends
and her mother. She doesnt want a
relationship or so she thinks. Her
boss at the Whole Nut caf, Bridget,
is also her best friend, and she and
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 12:39
A Summer at Sea
Katie Ffordes most recent novel,
set mainly in the Western Isles of
Scotland, was inspired by her love
of Scotland and the time she and
her husband spent on board a puffer
steam boat in the Crinan Canal. In
A Summer at Sea (2016) Emily, a
midwife with a satisfying career in the
south of England, spends a summer
helping out her pregnant best friend
Rebecca as cook on board her puffer
steam boat just off the Scottish
coast. When Rebecca is about to
give birth and a storm prevents the
ambulance getting through, Emily
has to put her midwifery skills into
practice. Needless to say, theres a
romantic interest, in the shape of
a handsome local doctor, which
gathers force as the story progresses.
Readers who enjoy the feel-good
factor that characterises Katies books
are unlikely to object to the storys
predictable, happy-ever-after, ending.
Read a lot
Persevere
Listen to criticism
NOVEMBER 2016
31
26/09/2016 10:11
Get out of your garret for some upcoming activities and places to visit
Back soon!
Get hiorical
in Harrogate
Freedom of expression
Margaret Atwood will be awarded the PEN Pinter Prize 2016, at a ceremony
at The British Library on 13 October. The prize will be shared with an
International Writer of Courage, who will be announced on the night.
Website: http://writ.rs/PENpinterprize2016
Book in
for Book Week
Book Week Scotland 2016, a week-long
celebration of all things book-related,
takes place between 21 and 27 November across
Scotland. Scottish poets, authors, playwrights
and storytellers will be bringing a packed events
programme to life in schools, libraries,
community venues and workplaces across
the country. Website: http://writ.rs/
bookweekscotland2016
26/09/2016 10:17
Were different...
10,000
Final entries are now invited
for the Fifth Annual Prize
1st
5,000
2nd
2,500
3rd
1,000
www.uk-nwc.com
Matador
15/08/2016 15:44
Serious Self-Publishing
Whether it be writers services companies like The Writers Workshop, Words Worth Reading or Bubblecow, high street and
online retailers like Lovewriting.co.uk, literary agents, even other publishers not to mention the Writers & Artists Yearbook
for the last ten years... time and again Matador is recommended to authors wishing to self-publish a book or ebook for pleasure
or profit.
We produce books for authors to their specifications at a realistic price, as print on demand, or as a short or longer print run
book. As well as a high quality of production, we also insist upon a high quality of content, and place great emphasis on the
marketing and distribution of self-published books to retailers.
We've always liked Matador because they have the best values in their industry. Apart from anything else, they actually try to sell books. It sounds
crazy, but most of their rivals dont. They print em, but dont care about selling em. Matador do. The Writers Workshop
But publishing a book is the easy part... getting it into the shops is harder. We offer a full sales representation and distribution
service through our distributor and dedicated sales representation team.We also offer a full ebook creation and distribution
option to our authors, distributing ebooks worldwide. Ask for a free copy of our guide to self-publishing, or download a copy
from our website. Or call Lauren or Morgan if you want to speak to a human being!
www.troubador.co.uk/matador
Recommended by writers services like The WritersWorkshop,The Writers Advice Centre for Children, Oxford Literary Consultancy, Fiction
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p033_wmagnov16.indd 33
NOVEMBER 2016
33
23/09/2016 14:38
TA L K I T OV E R
Food
for
thought
have recently given up an office job and begun working from home. This has many
advantages, as all freelancers will know, not least that it has given me more time to
try to finish my novel. However, since my paid work also involves writing often to
tight deadlines I find I am spending long hours welded to my computer and seem to
survive on sweet stuff and snack food at my desk rather than having time to eat proper
meals. As a result, I am finding I am tired all the time and also several pounds heavier.
Several women at my writing group admitted cheerfully that theyd put on lots of weight
while writing their books I really do not want this to happen to me! But when I am on
a roll, I just have to keep going and cant stop to start cooking. What do other writers do
about eating healthily while still getting the words down?
EmilyRyan,Liverpool
NOVEMBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:23
TA L K I T OV E R
Ally
Oliver
Roz
Ryan
Jai
Breitnaur
Maria
McCarthy
Eve Menezes
Cunningham
Jane WenhamJones
www.writers-online.co.uk
Novel Ideas
Dont be
like Joan
NOVEMBER 2016
35
26/09/2016 10:23
T R A I N YO U R B R A I N
!? PEN
PUSHERS
ut of the picture
Exercise two: O
ally see the spaces
which you can liter
in
rm
fo
l
ve
this exercise
no
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ap
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strip from a
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to
I want you
azine.
newspaper or mag
ing
which, again, someth
couple of pages on
or
,
ge
pa
a
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Se
1
ce or two
takes place.
ip and write a senten
str
e
th
of
e
m
fra
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2 Look at ea
taking place.
describing what is
e spaces between
has happened in th
at
wh
t
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in
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3 Now,
arguing. In the next
me two people are
fra
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es.
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t happened? Write
a on the floor. Wha
in
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ok
br
is
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scribe this.
short sentence to de
look at them again
es in the frame and
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im
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4 Go back to
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anything in th th
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if
see
to
carefully
.
suggests the omission
work and how
w graphic novelists
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see
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est
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in
Its
e details, which are
them to consider th
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th
frames.
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contained, in single
writing in the exerc
of
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5 Finally, go ba
c novel. Draw
as if it were a graphi
and plot the action
within each or
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details that will
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th
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raph to describe th
write a short parag
!
P
ZA
!
W
PO BOO
M!
26/09/2016 10:24
T R A I N YO U R B R A I N
Her meeting with the fiction editor took place quite by chance at Wendys
party, but it proved to be the worse possible influence on her career
leaving her prospects in the shade.
2
3
The success of her novel, set in the luxuriant world of fashion, depended
how much the hoped-for reviews would influence readers.
A deadly silence fell over the meeting following a presentation from the
rather geriatric fiction editorial team who pedalled the idea of moving the
list upmarket..
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
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GET WRITING
SOMETHING
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
Step back to see things differently and reinvigorate your writing, says Janet Rogers
NOVEMBER 2016
Simple steps
Other filters
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26/09/2016 16:49
Crime story
competition
Wheres
Muriel?
Winner
by Elizabeth Tyrrell
NOVEMBER 2016
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26/09/2016 12:38
C R I M E S TO RY C O M P E T I T I O N W I N N E R
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NOVEMBER 2016
41
26/09/2016 10:29
Dream spinners
Poetr y
n
competitio
and winners
Winners
Competition
launch:
First place
Flawless poems shone. The winner
relates directly to A Midsummer
Nights Dream, in the form of an
enhanced cast list with the fun device
of a writers-blocked Bard seeking aid
from the narrator. Every Little Helps
is by Roger Dunn of Dartmouth,
and takes the form of an Elizabethan
(Shakespearean) sonnet.
The first stanza sets the scene by
showing the arrival of the struggling
playwright, and the offer of the three
key words that appear in the plot for
jiggling into the right order and using
as a title. More fascinating, though,
is the list offered in the second
stanza of names to be considered for
the characters. The cast list works
metrically and rhymes beautifully
which comes as a delightful surprise.
The final couplet closes the cast list
and rounds off the content by having
the now happy Shakespeare knowing
how to continue.
Essentially this is a list poem,
in which a good proportion of the
content over a third consists of
nothing more than possible character
names. Its a tribute to the poets
skill that the list is incorporated into
the piece in such a way as to enthral
the reader with this roll call of
26/09/2016 10:31
Second place
The second prize is awarded to
the writer of a poem that recalls
one of the few names not mentioned
in Every Little Helps. Christine
Ratcliff of Saffron Walden, Essex,
has called her poem The Naming of
Fairies, and introduces us to the sad
plight of Moth.
The first stanza shows the fairys
habitual dream, full of typical
fairyland imagery such as wearing
1st prize
Winner
EVERY LITTLE HELPS,
BY ROGER DUNN
Ah, Will! Come in. Sit down. Still in a spot
Of bother with a title for the play?
Youve dream, night and midsummer in the plot,
Just shuffling them around should save the day.
Re: names of characters eluding you;
May I assist? Youre looking woebegone.
Ive had a go and scribbled down a few,
So tell me what you think of Oberon,
Titania, Francis Flute, Demetrius;
Nick Bottom, Robin Starveling, Helena;
Lysander, Peter Quince, Snug, Theseus;
Hippolyta, Egeus, Hermia;
Puck, Fairy, Philostrate and maybe Will!
Its good to see you smiling. Need a quill?
2nd prize
Winner
THE NAMING OF FAIRIES,
BY CHRISTINE RATCLIFF
I used to dream that I was dressed in white.
Id dance with every passing, glancing breeze
And casting off the iridescent dew
Id lift my face towards the rising sun
And with my gilded fingers, pollen-dipped,
Call butterflies to bask in scented bowers.
Instead, I hover in the creeping dusk,
Drawn to any tantalising gleam.
26/09/2016 10:31
I N T E RV I E W
Shelf life:
DINAH
JEFFERIES
The bestselling novelist shares her ve favourite reads
with Judith Spelman
inah Jefferies was born in Malaysia and lived in many countries around the world
before settling in England. She started writing in Spain when, as she explains,
quite a lot of money was lost in the financial crisis of 2008. She and her husband
had to sell up and move back to England to earn money again. She had been
thinking of trying to write a novel but when the money was lost it motivated her
to start. Knowing nothing about writing, she just plunged in, sticking Post-It notes around the
house saying, you will write a bestseller. And she did. Her second novel, The Tea Planters Wife,
became a Sunday Times number one. Her latest novel is The Silk Merchants Daughter and is
already receiving critical acclaim.
JANE EYRE,
Charlotte Bront
The first book Ive chosen is Jane
Eyre. Its a beautiful love story that
deals with the role of women in a
particularly clever way. I love the
way that while she is incredibly
independent she still needs to find
her place in the world and theres
stern, crabby faced Rochester, a
really flawed character wild,
dangerous and to some extent irresistible. She has to find ways to
get the better of him, which she does, partly by teasing him. And
she irritates him in a kind of enjoyable way.
Then there is the whole issue of mad, bad Bertha Mason in
the attic which I suppose is a symbol of female oppression. I love
also the atmosphere of gloomy old Thornfield Manor and also
the terrifying red room at the start when she was incarcerated as
a child. Its all about finding a place in the world and womens
role. I think what appeals to me particularly, regardless of when
it was written, or what time, is that it does deal with social
injustice, particularly when she was at school. Her principles are
very upright: shes very moral, she wont allow bigamy and she will
let the love of her life go rather than do something thats wrong.
We tend to overlook Rochesters flaws because of the strength of
passion between him and Jane.
44
NOVEMBER 2016
Image
Jenny Stewart
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:32
WRITERS BOOKSHELF
REBECCA
Daphne du Maurier
I read it a couple of times years ago. Rebecca is the dead wife who
haunts the second Mrs de Winter. I love the way that Rebecca is
everywhere in the house and the way that gloomy Mrs Danvers
makes sure it stays that way by manipulating the young nave
narrator who becomes more and more jealous and frightened and
inadequate. Mrs Danvers preys on the second Mrs de Winters
feelings of not being good enough. She manipulates her and
undermines her and almost persuades her to jump to her death. She
is a really terrific female villain, stalking the new Mrs de Winter
throughout the book. She herself is a voice of obsession. She is
absolutely obsessed with Rebecca and she is constantly planting
seeds of doubt. I love the way a character from the past who doesnt
even exist anymore can almost drive a character in the present crazy.
There are so many second wives today and no matter how open-
A BRIEF AFFAIR
Margaret Leroy
I think more than any other novel this book brought home
to me the really awful realities of war. Particularly the raids
by the Luftwaffe. Its the horror of it and the way it can
impact on peoples lives but also the way those lives have to
go on despite everything. More than any book I have ever
read, it really brought it home. I was absolutely there in
those air raids. The story is about a woman who discovers
her own inner strength by becoming an air raid warden
and saving the lives of others. She doesnt start out like
that. Its a heart-rending story. She has a light-hearted affair
with a wealthy man and that is then contrasted against the real love
of someone who is working to save lives. It isnt just the story that is heart-breaking, but it
is the way she writes. Her description is unusual and spellbinding and some people might
find it overwritten but I was spell-bound by the whole book and I read it over two days. It
was a proof copy sent to me by a publisher. I have many sent to me and I cant read every
one but if I read the first page or so and I think I will enjoy reading it, then I do.
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
45
26/09/2016 10:32
Hell
is other writers
Some writers groups are better than others, but most (hopefully)
manage to avoid what Lora Bishop found at her local session
NOVEMBER 2016
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26/09/2016 10:33
WRITING LIFE
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
47
26/09/2016 10:33
Under the
microscope
Author and lecturer James McCreet puts a readers first 300 words
under the scrutiny of his forensic criticism
48
NOVEMBER 2016
p48 microscope.indd 48
What is a Chron-E-Fact?
Evidently were in some kind
of science-fiction/fantasy alternative
world. Importantly, the details are
not spelled out. Were able to guess
from the name and the context what
it is. This is good. Its how a writer
engages a reader.
5
6
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:36
10
20
11
21
12
Interface crystal is
another good use of future
terminology in a way that suggests
its entirely normal.
13
14
22
23
15
24
16
25
26
17
18
Did he remember it or
see it? A minor point, I
realise, but if hes in the grip of an
unreasoning panic then memory
seems too controlled.
19
27
28
Clich.
If you would
like to submit an
extract of your
work in progress,
send it by email, with
synopsis and a brief biog, to:
jtelfer@writersnews.co.uk
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p48 microscope.indd 49
TAP HERE
IN SUMMARY
This is a largely effective start to a fantasy/scifi novel. We have a character, Abelard, and we
understand something of his sardonic take on
life. This is subtly and economically implied in
his appearance, behaviour and reactions. Hes
the kind of guy who leaves himself a note and
doesnt read it on time.
We also have an introduction to a world
that is recognisably similar to our own but
also curiously different. Electricity seems to
be called mana and common household
devices have strange but intelligible names.
Again, this is well portrayed in the sense that
the reader is expected to infer the new reality
from clues given. Many writers are afraid to
give their readers enough space to make such
connections, but it works well here.
The issues are minor. Most importantly,
the writing sometimes gets in the way of the
story when sentence structure doesnt support
the scene and its pace. The reader should be
immersed in whats happening rather than
noticing the grammar. If its an action scene,
it should move quickly. If a character is in
jeopardy or concerned, the prose rhythms
should reflect and emphasise this.
At the same time, description needs to be
commensurate with the narration. An action
scene like this needs to move. Wherever
words and phrases can be trimmed to
accentuate pace, this should be done. We
also need precise language not clich or
generic vocabulary. The reader must perceive
immediately and intuitively whats happening.
Later, we can afford more time to appreciate
the fine detail.
One final observation. Though this is an
effective beginning, I do wonder what has
happened in the initial 300 words. A man has
burned some eggs. Some might say that this
is sufficient, but a pedant (like me) might hope
for a flicker of story within the breakfast scene.
What does Abelard plan to do today? What
lies in his future? Why should we read beyond
the smoky kitchen? Its a tough market out
there and some agents are even less patient
than I am. Who knows how many pages
theyll read before they stop?
NOVEMBER 2016
49
26/09/2016 16:49
FICTION FOCUS
The
G
I
B
e
r
u
t
pic
NOVEMBER 2016
x
x
x
x
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:36
FICTION FOCUS
I wish
Id known
Christina Courtenay
H
burning heart of a volcano, finding
a permanent new home after a long
and perilous journey, or defeating the
most powerful wizard who ever lived,
should certainly be one of your main
ingredients. Your readers will want
to suffer with your characters, to feel
despair, to be downhearted and to be
challenged, because hardly anyone
values anything that comes too easily.
Does an epic need to be a fantasy?
Not necessarily, although both authors
and central characters often enjoy
being transported to a fantasy world
where they can be liberated from
the general irritations of everyday
21st-century life such as mowing
the lawn or putting out the wheelie
bin. But John Galsworthy set his
own classic five-volume epic The
Forsyte Saga in the real world of
commerce, a world in which his
characters have a lot to learn and
just as much to lose. Harry Potters
life among the Muggles is certainly
grounded in reality.
What if your characters are rabbits,
as in Watership Down, a mediumlength novel that is nevertheless the
story of an epic journey and is set
in the animal kingdom? Richard
Adamss rabbits are real rabbits, but
they also display human traits and
characteristics. So we can relate to
them, and your readers will need to be
able to relate to your own characters
Christinas latest
time-slip novel is
The Velvet Cloak
of Moonlight.
www.writers-online.co.uk
SEPTEMBER 2015
51
26/09/2016 10:37
SAU B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
SH A RE
U R STO
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
Mammoth
success
When I was a kid, I was always
writing stories and putting on
shows and wanted nothing
more than to be an author when
I grew up, writes subscriber
Hollie Hughes.
But things didnt work out quite the
way I planned, and I ended up building
a career in youth work and teaching
instead. It wasnt until I was made
redundant from a lecturing job in 2012
(at the age of 37), that I finally took up
writing again as an adult. I approached writing with an open mind and,
to begin with, just enjoyed experimenting with different forms. I was
lucky enough to get shortlisted in a few competitions (even eventually
winning one in 2014, with my audio drama A Leap of Faith), and this
really helped to boost my confidence and keep me writing. It wasnt
enough to be sure I could make a living from it, but it was enough to tell
me I wasnt completely crazy trying. During this time, I took part in every
writer development opportunity that came my way, and was also busily
pursuing my childhood dream of writing picture books.
I decided I would need an agent if I was going to break through
into this very challenging market and was lucky enough to sign
with Jodie Hodges at United Agents. Not only has Jodie been
amazing in terms of helping me to further develop and improve my
work but she also got me my very first publishing contract, within
just a few weeks of signing me.
Its been a long journey to publication since those first few heady
weeks of signing contracts back in 2014 (picture books take a long time
to make when youre not on The Apprentice!) but I am delighted to say
that my first book The Famishing Vanishing Mahoosive Mammoth
(illustrated by Leigh Hodgkinson) was finally published by Bloomsbury
on 14 July. This was followed by Ninja Nan (illustrated by Natalie
Smillie, and published by Scholastic) on 1
September 2016. I then have a further three
books in the pipeline with Bloomsbury
after that, hopefully publishing one a year
between 2017-2019.
So many good things have happened for
me since I embarked on this journey four
years ago, that I almost cant quite believe it
myself sometimes.
Website: www.holliehughes.com
52
NOVEMBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:43
S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
A writing affair
While I never imagined becoming a writer I have
kept notebooks at various times throughout my
life, writes subscriber Carol Thomas. In 2012
I was taking a break from teaching, dug out a
notebook I felt had the potential to be written
into a story and kept going until 86,000 words,
and two years, later the first draft of Crazy Over
You was complete. Several revisions, a copy
edit and many proofreads later I proudly selfpublished my debut novel through Matador.
Crazy Over You is a contemporary romance. It is an honest
portrayal of one womans reaction to her husbands infidelity, while
also being a story of friendship, family and love.
The novel opens almost two months after Abby Turner has
discovered her husband Simon has had an affair. In the wake of
their separation she feels ashamed of the darkness that sometimes
engulfs her and unwilling to confide in those closest to her. Abby
feels hurt, confused and unable to move forward in the way she had
always imagined she would.
This, for me, was an important starting point. I had read other
great novels on the theme of infidelity but often found the impact
of the affair on the central character tended to be sidelined in order
to progress with the story. In writing Crazy Over You I felt I had
something different to offer; the exploration of Abbys feelings is the
driving force of the plot.
I enjoy writing from real experiences and depicting emotions
people can relate to. Consequently, it has been lovely to hear from
readers who have welcomed the honesty
in Crazy Over You. I have also been
pleased to see reviewers have enjoyed
the humour within the text; especially
as balancing the emotions was a piece of
advice I was lucky enough to get from
Mhairi McFarlane (whose books I love).
My second novel is a work in progress
that I intend to self-publish through
Matador, with a release date of the
coming winter.
Website: www.carol-thomas.co.uk
Authentic background
material
Dont retire change your career,
writes subscriber David Hough.
I was determined that the
end of my career as an air traffic
controller would not be the
end of my working life. Instead
of doing a job that paid the
mortgage, I changed to one that
had long been a wishful dream. I
am a dedicated writer. Thirteen
years after (so-called) retirement,
I now have thirty published novels to my credit.
My UK publisher, Cloudberry, has just released two of my
novels in paperback and ebook format. Prestwick is the first
of my Danger in the Sky aviation thrillers. Its set above the
cold waters of the north Atlantic and has already earned some
fantastic reviews. Heathrow is the second in the series. It tells
the story of a terrorist attack on the Heathrow control tower.
These two books are classic examples of an author writing
about what they know. Working as an air traffic controller did
more than pay my mortgage bill, it gave me the knowledge I
needed to write thrillers set against a genuine background.
My American publisher, Whiskey Creek Press, recently
released Bomber Girl. Its a humorous
account of what might have
happened had the south of England
been invaded in 1940. Restricted
to a few airfields in the north and
drastically short of aircrew, the RAF
recruits women to fly
operation missions.
Prestwick, Heathrow
and Bomber Girl are now
available on Amazon.
They can also be found
on my website:
www.thenovelsof
davidhough.com.
www.writers-online.co.uk
NEW!
PLUS
NOVEMBER 2016
53
26/09/2016 10:43
S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
NOVEMBER 2016
Thirties
thriller
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:43
S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
Striking gold
My first novel, Gold Digger,
has been published as an ebook
by Mardibooks, writes subscriber
Susan Benwell.
My initial inspiration for the book
came about when I interviewed a
Welsh gold prospector in Snowdonia
some years ago. The book rattled
around in my computer for ages, but I
just couldnt engage with the characters
while writing it in third person.
So, I started it again, this time writing in first person. I took a
chapter or two along to Jan Moran Neils Creative Ink (Get That
Book Out of You) writing class in Beaconsfield and read it aloud
to the other students.
Their positive reaction encouraged me to rewrite the
book in first person.
Since then, I have joined Haddenham Writers Group,
one of the interest groups at Haddenham U3A. The help and
encouragement of other members has been invaluable, especially
that of David Gregory, who kindly read through and helped to
edit my manuscript.
I have ghost-written two previous, non-fiction, books. A Twitch
in Time was the autobiography of Carry On star Jack Douglas.
Pitkins PA My Life with Sir Norman Wisdom was written on behalf
of Sir Normans ex-personal assistant, Ann Axe.
I can really recommend the services of Mardibooks. I feel
that my writing and confidence has improved so much since
working with Belinda Hunt and her team.
Website: http://suebenwell.com
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE,
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NOVEMBER 2016
55
02/09/2016 09:52
26/09/2016 10:43
S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
An edgy romance
August 2106 saw the publication of my novel
Closer by Morning in both ebook and paperback
by Pride Publishing, an imprint of romance
publishers Totally Bound, writes subscriber
Thom Collins.
Its an honour to have my debut romance
novel picked up by such a sensational publisher.
Closer by Morning is an exciting contemporary
thriller set in the North East of England. Dale
Zachery, an American actor, is starring in a new
crime series being filmed in Durham when he
meets local man Matt, a handsome young lawyer.
As Dale and Matt grow closer they are unaware
56
NOVEMBER 2016
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26/09/2016 10:43
How to Become a
Successful Writer!
Your
Photo
Here
By Marian Ashcroft
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(BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE)
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Writers
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27
Years of
Success
Members of BILD
and ABCC
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23/09/2016 10:59
WRITERS CIRCLES
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
ASA
SPOTLIGHT ON
58
NOVEMBER 2016
p58-59 Circles/Roundup.indd 58
Wensleydale Writers
When Wensleydale Writers agreed to help with the production of
their third book, they could have had little idea of what they had let
themselves in for, writes Daphne Clarke.
The ninety-page anthology, Wensleydale in Words, is a collection of
poetry, prose and one playlet centred round the upper Yorkshire
Dales and all the profits from its sale will go to the Herriot Hospice
Homecare based in Northallerton. When we happily agreed to help with
its production, we could not have foreseen what a steep learning curve
we were about to embark on.
The printer, Peter Burradge of Country Press, presented us with the
100 sets of ninety pages to be aligned, folded, checked and put into
groups of four. Then we were shown how to put the groups together,
check them again, glue them and place into the covers which we had
already folded. Peter then put them into the press and, later, at home,
would trim them all carefully. It was fascinating, if exhausting work, but
well worth doing and we feel the book has truly been self-published.
The launch was on 4 July in Leyburn, at which James
Herriots daughter Rosie Page spoke of her father, Alf Wight, and
his great love of the Dales.
Books can be ordered by post from susenic@aol.com or
01969 640 415 at 5 or 7.50 inc p&p.
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:44
WRITERS CIRCLES
Game, set
and match
A
Playing board games can enhance group members writing skills, suggests Julie Phillips
www.writers-online.co.uk
p58-59 Circles/Roundup.indd 59
NOVEMBER 2016
59
26/09/2016 10:44
Open
College
of the Arts
oca.ac.uk/writing-magazine
Acts of Passion!
www.writ.rs/relaxandwrite
Malaga Nov.indd 1
Cornerstones
Call Helen Corner-Bryant 01308 897374
5 December.
www.cornerstones.co.uk
NOVEMBER
2016
Cornerstones 60
updated.indd
1
p060_wmagnov16.indd 60
22/09/2016 14:55
www.writers-online.co.uk
23/09/2016 11:46
26/09/2016 11:42
!
N
I
W sic
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY COMPETITIONS
250
IN CASH PRIZES
Mu
& PUBLICATION
c
y
m
o
r
o
p
t
e
s
tition
t
s hor
125
TO BE
WON
TAP
HERE
TO ENTER
125
TO BE
WON
Mothers
Little
Extras
Nostalgia
short stor y
competition
by Loretta
Smith
Winner
hy do I
have uncles
without
any aunts?
I asked my grandmother one
December afternoon while I was
making Uncle Bobs Christmas card.
Granny Butcher cleared her throat
and folded her arms and when her
chin jutted forward I knew that
whatever she was about to say
would be a revelation.
So there it was. Not for me the
knowledge that my green eyes
were handed down from Uncle
Jimmy or the myriad of freckles
that covered my arms and face were
inherited from Uncle Arthur. When
I had digested the information and
had been sworn to secrecy by my
grandmother, at only six years old I
couldnt understand what all the fuss
was about. My uncles who kept my
mother company while father was
fighting for King and Country during
the Second World War were as dear
to me as any of my blood relatives
and the days they spent at our house
filled me with joy.
On Monday afternoon when my
mother had finished her shift at
Sadlers Soap Factory, Uncle Bob
would be waiting at the gate, his
brown trilby hat in one hand and a
bunch of flowers in the other. Uncle
Jimmy who had lost two fingers in
62
NOVEMBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:48
S H O R T S TO RY C O M P E T I T I O N W I N N E R S
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
63
26/09/2016 10:48
S keleto ns
in the cu pb oa r d
OCTOBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:50
P O E T RY WO R K S H O P
SKELETONS
by Margaret Gleave
Inspired by Edward Burras 1930 painting The Snack Bar, pictured right
Poetry workout
unctuation is something
often used instinctively
rather than as a
poetic device.
It is, however, something that helps
to control a poem, encompassing
both line units and the music.
It can be omitted and sometimes is
by contemporary poets who may feel
that a poem stands on its own assets
of language and imagery and that
pauses will develop naturally if the
poem is laid out in a given way.
The punctuation in the following
four lines has been selected with care.
Winter has come, stealthily in the night
across cracked paving stones. Frost glints coldly
in early light; the air cuts clean
and all the holly boughs hang heavy under snow.
The long sentence at the start of these
lines needed the comma after the
word come for a breath pause. A full
stop after the word stones divides the
SEPTEMBER 2016
65
26/09/2016 10:50
P O E T RY P R I M E R
Poetry from
to
NOVEMBER 2016
Perfect your
poetry with
a WM Creative
Writing course.
See p74
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:51
TIME
SHIFT
AU T H OM
R YE XWPREIRTIIENNGC DAY
ES
67
26/09/2016 10:52
The masters
point of view
Handle narrative viewpoint in your fiction
by learning from the best, with recommended
reads from Helen M Walters
hen we come
to tell a short
story, one of
the first things
we have to
decide is exactly whose story it is. We
need to know whose point of view we
are telling the story from and how. We
can learn a lot from classic short story
writers about how to make the most
of whichever technique we choose.
In this classic short story masterclass
were going to look at two examples
of the first person technique one in
which it is used to give an intimate
glimpse of the viewpoint character
and one in which it is used to
reveal a lot about the life of another
character. Then we are going to
look at third person, telling the story
from one point of view and also from
multiple points of view.
The stories I have chosen are
Cathedral by Raymond Carver,
Mr Know All by Somerset Maugham,
The Cop and The Anthem by O Henry
and Prelude by Katherine Mansfield.
As always, spoilers follow and you will
benefit most if you read the stories
yourself. Read them online at
http://writ.rs/wmnov16
Choice of point of view makes
a difference to both the feel of a
story and the mechanics of how it is
written. When choosing first person
point of view the main advantage
is that the reader feels very close
to the main character. Telling the
story using I makes the reader feel
that they are experiencing the story
along with the character and is a
good way of letting the reader into the
characters innermost thoughts.
68
MARCH 20122016
NOVEMBER
First-person prejudice
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 10:56
Third-person observation
69
26/09/2016 10:56
s
e
k
a
t
Mis
to
d
i
o
v
a
II: SUBMITTING
NOVEMBER 2016
p70 children.indd 70
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26/09/2016 10:58
THE MIDDLE
THE ENDING
lf: writing
about yourse
information
f
ie
br
de
lu
se
nc
I
blication, lfg previous pu
(e
ls
tia
en
etc); courses
ed
cr
k experience,
or
w
nt
va
le
little
publishing, re
d perhaps a
s attended; an
ce
en
able.
er
or
nf
co
em
or
ake you m
hich might m
w
ng
icycles
hi
un
et
e
m
rid
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snakes to
n
ai
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u
yo
if
never know.
For example,
tion that. You
en
m
e,
tim
e
in your spar
a book launch
in handy for
Might come
e,
n. For exampl
nt informatio
va
le
re
r
he
ot
know if
Include any
ent, let them
oaching an ag
blishers.
pu
y
if youre appr
an
bmitting to
su
tly
en
rr
cu
youre also
ank
Be polite. Th
Write an inappropriate
cover letter
Ah, the cover letter. Always fun.
This is difficult to write but worth
spending time on its your
introduction to a publisher or agent.
And first impressions count.
What do they not want to see?
Basically, a long-winded, unclear,
sloppily-produced, standard cover
letter which is a one-size-fits-all
and doesnt communicate all the
information they need. So what do
you include in an ideal cover letter?
THE BEGINNING
ing.
them for read
p70 children.indd 71
Personal preference
Agents receive thousands of
submissions, so they prioritise stories
they personally enjoy and connect
with. Publishers too may choose
one book over another, due to taste.
Annoyingly, as rejection letters are
standardised (due to time pressures),
all you hear is not right for our lists
instead of any helpful, non-dreamshattering feedback, such as the story
itself was brilliantly-written but we
prefer funny books.
What fits
Sometimes manuscripts are rejected
purely because its not what they are
looking for at the time. Youve submitted
your funny, young fiction ghost story
but unbeknown to you the publishing
house has just commissioned a funny,
young fiction vampire series. The two
would compete, so they cant accept your
story. But all you hear is, Thank you for
your submission, however
Give up
Its sad when talented writers struggle
to find a home for their work or find
the submission process too gruelling.
The world needs good stories and you
can be the one to write them. Yes, there
are many hurdles to producing a book.
Sometimes its enough of a challenge to
finish writing the wretched thing, let
alone face sending it out into the world.
But do keep going. The reward of seeing
your story in print is worth it. Promise.
Next month, we look at mistakes to
avoid once your book is published.
Good luck!
NOVEMBER 2016
71
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What is reportage?
Reportage at its most straightforward
is journalism that gives its reader
an insight into history both in
retrospective, and into history as it is
being made. It has been written by
some of worlds best writers, many but
by no means all working as newspaper
correspondents. It may not have been
written with an eye to being read
years in the future, or contributing
to a reader understanding a historical
moment, but even if its been scribbled
in a notebook on a battlefield, it has
lasting qualities. In 1996 literary
publisher Faber brought out The Faber
Book of Reportage, edited by Professor
John Carey, that includes eyewitness
accounts of the sinking of the Titanic
and WW2 concentration camps. The
Granta Book of Reportage features work
by some of the worlds most famous
writers, including John le Carr,
Germaine Greer, Martha Gellhorn
and Marilynne Robinson. George
Orwells reportage includes Down and
72
NOVEMBER 2016
p72 Features.indd 72
Dig yourself in
Reportage immerses the reader in its
subject and allows them to see, and
crucially, understand, the story and its
themes. Last months colour-writing
skills will come in useful, as will as
our previous excursions into news
reporting and feature construction, as
we now take a look at how you might
go about crafting your own long-form
piece of reportage.
First, find your subject, and make
sure its something that you really
want to write about because youre
not just going to spend a lot of time
on it, youre going to get up close
and personal. Reportage subjects
are typically weighty, taking in wars
and momentous social events and
movements. Were not suggesting you
head out to a warzone but consider
carefully whether what you want to
write about has the substance to sustain
an in-depth piece of work. There may
be the perfect story on your doorstep,
in your local area or even within your
own family, but you need to be able to:
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:01
F E AT U R E S D E S K
www.writers-online.co.uk
p72 Features.indd 73
NOVEMBER 2016
73
26/09/2016 11:01
CRIME
CRIME
FILE
I would love to
see or sense
something that I
cant explain.
Its been a year since Weight of Blood was published. The novel
has been widely acclaimed for its tight prose and deftly drawn
characters. Its been a busy year. I was really thrilled with the
reception Weight of Blood got. Ive also learned a few things since
publication. For one thing, I thought the process of writing the
new book could speed up if I outlined it first, but I found I
dont enjoy writing from an outline. After becoming frustrated, I
switched back to the process I had used for my first book, which
was to figure out the characters motives and desires and then let
the characters guide the story. Thats what works for me. Would
Laura do anything else differently? I feel like my missteps led me
to where I am now, so theres not that much really. I do wish that
I had become involved in the mystery/thriller community before
my first book came out though. There are some great organisations
and conferences that offer mentoring, networking, and support for
debut authors, and I missed out on all of that.
Whats next? I am under contract for two more books with my
US publisher, and Im currently at work on the first of those. The
protagonist is still reeling from her brothers unexpected death when
shes sent to investigate a deadly accident that has torn apart a rural
community. She soon realises that nothing is as it seems.
Short stories
Poetry
Writing for children
Scriptwriting
E-mail: hilary@hilaryjohnson.com
Website: www.hilaryjohnson.com
74
plus
FREE
BOOK!
NOVEMBER 2016
12/05/2015
15:35
CWC Listing.indd
1
17/06/2016 09:44
26/09/2016 11:02
A UNIQUE DIGITAL
MARKETING TOOL
THAT BRINGS YOUR
BOOK TO LIFE
SHARE YOUR BOOK CONTENT WITH:
REVIEWERS
BLOGGERS
RETAILERS
CONSUMERS
ALL AT THE PRESS OF A BUTTON
+
www.writers-online.co.uk
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23/09/2016 10:58
Feel
the
r
a
fe
Understand how fear works to keep your readers on the edge of their seats, says Alex Davis
UNIVERSAL HORROR
NOVEMBER 2016
p76 Fantasy.indd 76
NOTHING IS SCARIER
THAN CHILDHOOD
UNDER THREAT
BUT WHAT THREAT?
www.writers-online.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:03
FA N TA S T I C R E A L M S
FIGHT OR FLIGHT
BREAKING THE
REALITY BARRIER
One of the final things that can make
a horror story truly, truly effective is if
your reader can believe it is real, or at
least concede the possibility that it could
happen. This is not an easy thing to do,
and of course there are many people out
there who dislike horror on the grounds
that its simply not believable and
therefore they dont feel any fear reaction.
But that thrill of terror, of unease, is
central to the horror experience its the
same reason we step onto a rollercoaster,
or play a horror computer game. Its a
safe way to enjoy an amalgam of the
adrenaline rush a real-life scary situation
could bring. But you cant totally depend
on the suspension of disbelief to carry
this how can you as a writer make the
situation feel more plausible?
For me, there are two key aspects to
this. First off, the deployment of your
lead character as an everyman that is,
not somebody who lives close to horror
or fear that finds themselves drawn
CONCLUSION
www.writers-online.co.uk
p76 Fantasy.indd 77
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Write
ADVENTURE
>T
ake a look at
some of the latest
video games with
their impressive
graphics, complex gameplay and epic
scope, and you could be forgiven
for thinking that simple text-based
adventure games are a forgotten relic
of the digital primordial soup. But
in fact they are alive and well, and
currently experiencing something of a
resurgence thanks to their packaging
as phone apps that can be easily
indulged during the daily commute.
In this article were going to take
a broad overview of how you can
create and share your own textbased adventure game, with no
programming knowledge required.
If youd like to remind
yourself, or you were
unfortunate enough to miss text-based
adventures the first time round, you can
a modern clone of Zork and other classic
online at www.web-adventures.org and you
find the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy
here http://writ.rs/hitchgame
50
78
NOVEMBER 2016
p78 Tech.indd 78
play
games
can
game
A resurgent genre
Type text based game into Google
Play or the Apple app store and youll
see there is a veritable cornucopia of
such games, with scenarios ranging
from zombie survival and bleak sci-fi
futures, to fantasy worlds inhabited by
wizards and goblins, and noir-inspired
detective plots. There are a few larger
publishers outputting significant
numbers of games, such as Choice of
Games and Delight games, but the
relative ease with which they can be
created means that there are also plenty
created by indie authors.
Some of these games look a little
more jazzed up than their prehistoric
counterparts, but the basic premise is
the same the player interacts with
and influences the text-based story by
making choices and issuing commands.
Some games use the traditional method
of typed commands, while others
favour a more streamlined multiplechoice prompt system to move the
game forward.
> You see a strange tool
http://textadventures.co.uk/quest
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:05
T E C H N O LO G Y F O R W R I T E R S
www.adrift.co
http://inform7.com
https://twinery.org
Consistency
When people are reading any kind
of fiction they like to be surprised,
but they also like to know generally
what to expect from the story. While
creating your interactive story, take
care to ensure that your style of writing
remains consistent and doesnt vary
wildly when they make this choice or
that. Consistency will keep people in
your world and eager to play on, random
changes will jar them out of it.
Believable characters
Lifeline, a text-based
game available on
Android and iOS
Effective pacing
Just as with any other work of fiction,
your text adventure needs to be expertly
paced and plotted to ensure that it keeps
people reading, and playing, right until
the very end. The exact pacing and
rhythm that you implement will depend
www.writers-online.co.uk
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NOVEMBER 2016
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NOVEMBER 2016
p80 Webbo.indd 80
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26/09/2016 11:06
COMPUTER CLINIC
PAGE PERFECT
TOP TIP
Its correct that you can copy and paste text directly across
into Microsoft Publisher but you could also take, for want
of a better word, a less messy approach. Microsoft Office is
built to share documents, presentations and spreadsheets in each
application and Publisher is no different to the rest of the suite.
You can actually open the Word file directly in Publisher from the
File tab. Once you start the process it will tell you it is converting
the file then eventually will open up. It comes in quite clean with
the text threading naturally from frame to frame and pages will
also be inserted automatically. You can then apply any styling and
formatting to the text as and when required.
GET CONNECTED!
If you have a technical query for Greta, please email info@
curveandlearn.com or contact her via www.curveandlearn.com
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
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HELPLINE
Helpline
Email your queries to Diana (please include home-town details) at: diana@dianacambridge.co.uk or send them to: Helpline,
Writing Magazine, Warners Group Publications plc, 5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD. She will answer as many letters as
she can on the page, but regrets that she cannot enter into individual correspondence. Publication of answers may take several months. Helpline
cannot personally answer queries such as where to offer work, or comment on manuscripts, which you are asked not to send.
The best thing is to put your project to one side for a certain period
of time say one month. Often by letting go of a project, ideas will
spring to mind. While youre not concentrating on your novel, your
subconscious will still work for you and ideas will emerge. Why not tell
your mentor that you are taking a short break from the project for a
while? But do give her a date when you will resume the work. When you
do look at it again, have a think about flipping the structure making
the end the middle, or changing the start and finish of the story. These
strategies can often help.
How long is it worth waiting for a response from a daily newspaper? I sent
a comment piece regarding the British reaction to death of celebrities and
politicians: I believe this has become much less restrained than in former decades.
In fact its become mawkish and even cheap, with mourners using Facebook and
Twitter for their condolences. No reply, or acknowledgement. But I think this is
something that will come up again, so can I offer it again?
DEREK HALLAM, Bradford On Avon, Wiltshire
Yes. I think its a good point-of view-topic. What you may have done is
sounded too angry and used language that was too harsh. In an opinion
piece, be restrained and factual, quoting real examples of these mawkish reactions.
Its quite possible to be forceful without being angry. Use your words carefully
and dont use too many adjectives. Let your examples do most of the talking.
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26/09/2016 11:11
GGOOI N
I NGGTO
TOMMAARRKKE ET T
Im writing a screenplay about a musician who is still alive, but very elderly.
Do I need his permission? I would rather not seek it. Its not that I am writing
anything negative Im not but he has a reputation for not being very cooperative. I
also want to fictionalise some events.
ELLIE GORDON SMITH, Paris, France
You dont necessarily need his permission: but it would be an asset. If he appears
as a character in your script, thats easier. But if he is the main character, then
its more difficult. You can use anything about him that is in the public domain, and
you can use posters of, for example, newspaper features and headlines about him.
But making him your main character and inventing some material makes you
vulnerable. You are liable for legal action should he choose to take it. Take care in
the fictional material. It should not reflect badly on him. Some writers with strong
material (not negative material, just powerful) may go ahead, reckon the possible legal
costs into their profit should the play be a success. Depending on the financial status of
the musician now, they may also gamble on him not wanting the cost of a legal action.
Most plays about musicians still alive tend to be in the tribute category, yet even that
plaudit may upset their subjects. They may expect some financial reward for providing
the content of the play. They may not; they may be thrilled to be written about. Its a
minefield. Much depends how much you believe in your own material, and how far
you are willing to go to get it out there. Consider making him a character in the play,
and flipping the structure around to enable that.
I suggest you read Patricia Highsmiths Ripley novels, in which she has to briefly reprise
Ripleys background and progress from the original story, The Talented Mr Ripley. She
does this in every Ripley novel.
What you need to do is give readers a good foothold in the new novel, but mesh in the
back story carefully and with economy. You wont bore readers in fact they may well have
forgotten all the details anyway, and welcome the words. Your editor will certainly tell you if
any material needs to be deleted. I would not worry too much about this but rather move on
with your new work.
Im still baffled that ebooks can make a profit for the publisher how is it done?
Because I am thinking of self-publishing my book as an ebook, but I dont think
you can charge very much, can you?
LIAM BLOOMFIELD, Stow on the Wold, Cotswolds
There is divided opinion about ebooks. Clearly they do work for some
publishers, since theyre so popular and here to stay. But its the marketing which
is important: they need to sell in good numbers. On the plus side, if you are selfpublishing all fees paid go straight to you, and theres instant revenue. On the debit
side, you may sell so few that its hardly worthwhile yet you can add more books to
your list and have them all available.
www.writers-online.co.uk
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Follow
the law
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84
JUNE 2016
p084_wmagnov16.indd 84
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23/09/2016 14:37
RESEARCH TIPS
Take
note
Make your research easier with note-taking software, advises research expert Tarja Moles
OneNote
Scrivener
Scrivener is word-processing and projectmanagement software for authors and its strength
lies in helping you plan, outline, compose,
Evernote
edit, structure and generally manage long and
Evernote is a note-taking, organising
complex documents. If youre using
and archiving app and you can
Scrivener for your writing, it makes
choose whether to use the
sense to use it for note-taking as
free basic service or upgrade
If you think OneNote,
Evernote and Scrivener might
well so you can have all your
to a paid one. Generally
not be suitable for you, there
writing and research notes in
speaking, the basic features
are lots of other options to
one place.
are sufficient for most
choose from. You can find
In addition to text, Scrivener
research projects.
a list of notable note-taking
allows you to file away images,
Evernote is organised
software on http://writ.rs/
pdf files, videos, sound files
into notebooks which
notetakingsoftware
and webpages. When its time
contain notes (you can
to start writing and this is whats
think of them as pages in a
really wonderful about Scrivener you
notebook). You can write, create
dont need to switch between different screens
tables and to-do lists, insert web clips,
to access your research notes, but you can split
photos and voice memos, and attach files
the screen and have your notes visible in one
onto the notes.
pane while youre getting on with your writing
The snap and insert button allows you to
in another. Also, its drag-and-drop virtual index
take photos on your smartphone/tablet and
cards that you can move around on the corkboard
automatically store them on Evernote.
screen can be enormously useful in keeping your
This is handy when you want to take photos
research notes (and your writing) organised.
of library or archival material as you dont
Scrivener is not free, but considering what it
have to download the images onto your
can offer, the $40 price tag is very reasonable.
computer afterwards.
You can try it for free for thirty days to see
To help you find information within your
if it might suit you. You can download it on
notebooks, Evernote allows you to tag your
www.literatureandlatte.com. Once you have
notes. You can also use the search box to find
the software installed, its a good idea to take
what youre after. If youd like to share your
Scriveners interactive tutorial as this is a quick
research findings with other people, this can
and easy way to learn how to use it.
be easily done. You can even chat with people
We are all different and have different kinds
with whom youre collaborating.
of research projects. Depending on what your
As for keeping organised, take advantage of the
research needs are and what kind of software
to-do list function: create a tick-box list and tick
you prefer to use, explore one or more of the
off the tasks as you complete them. You can also
tools mentioned here. You might just find a
set yourself reminders that send you email alerts.
new, more efficient way to take notes.
The basic service allows you to use Evernote
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N E W AU T H O R P R O F I L E
ROBERT BRYNDZA
WM subscriber Robert Bryndza tells Margaret James
whats behind the success of his million-selling thrillers
LISTEN
86
NOVEMBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 16:52
N E W AU T H O R P R O F I L E
NOW OPEN
The Bath Childrens
Novel Award
for emerging novelists
Professional Self-Publishing
Self-publishing services
Editing and proofreading
Book cover design
Paperbacks and ebooks
Wholesale distribution
Book marketing
Worldwide Amazon listing
One-to-one support
Author websites and
social media
https://bathnovelaward.co.uk
www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk
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WRITERS NEWS
Write an entry,
plant a tree!
The Magic Oxygen Literary Prize
is inviting entries for MOLP3.
MOLP3 invites entries of short
stories and poems. The theme is
open. All entries must be original and unpublished.
There are prizes in each category of: first,
1,000; second, 300; third, 100, and two highly
commended, 50. The winning and shortlisted entries
(ten per category) will be included in the Magic
Oxygen Literary Prize Anthology.
Concerns for sustainability and the environment
are at the heart of Magic Oxygen Publishing, and
Magic Oxygen will plant a tree for each entry in Bore,
Kenya. Writers entering MOLP3 will be emailed the
GPS coordinates of their tree once the competition
has closed. The entry fees will also help to find the
construction of another classroom at Kundeni Primary
School in the same community.
Short story entries for MOLP3 may be up to 4,000
words, and poems may be up to fifty lines. Type entries
in 12 or 14pt Times New Roman or Arial. Poems
and short stories should have the title in bold on the
top line with the line count (poems) or word count
(stories) beside it. The writers name must not appear
on the manuscript. Postal entries should be typed on
numbered, single sides of A4. Include a separate sheet
with contact details and payment reference, and a
covering letter with contact details and entry title.
There is a fee of 5 per entry, payable by PayPal.
The closing date to enter is 31 December.
Details: MOLP, Magic Oxygen, The Flat,
53 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3QF;
website: www.magicoxygen.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
p88 News.indd 88
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:16
WRITERS NEWS
UK LITERARY MARKET
Write home
BY TINA JACKSON
Get independently
booked
Entries are now being
accepted for the 2017
International Rubery
Book Award.
The Rubery Book Award,
which is worth 1,500 to
the winner, is given for the
best books by indie writers,
self-published authors and
independent presses.
The winning book is guaranteed to be read
by literary agency MBA and category winners
each get 150.
Both print titles and ebooks are eligible,
and there is no restriction on publication date.
Neither are there any restrictions on genre. Enter
fiction in all genres, young adult, childrens,
biographies, non-fiction, cookery, self-help,
poetry and photography.
Send one print copy of each book being
entered, with a downloaded entry form and
receipt of payment or a cheque. If the entry is
an ebook, send it by email in Word, pdf or mobi
formats. Include the cover in the file. Send the
blurb and the PayPal receipt as separate files.
Copy and paste the entry form into the body of
the submission email.
Multiple entries are accepted from publishers
and authors. There is an entry fee of 35, and
there are also various currency options for
payment. Pay by PayPal, credit or debit card or
cheques made out to Rubery Book Award.
The closing date is 31 March 2017.
Details: The Rubery Book Award,
PO Box 15821, Birmingham B31 9EA;
email: submissions@ruberybookaward.com;
website: www.ruberybookaward.com
Aeons of time
Albedo One magazine, Irelands leading spec-fic journal, is
accepting entries for the eleventh Aeon Award for short
speculative fiction stories up until the end of November.
The annual competition launches in January each year
and closes on 30 November. The Grand Prize is 2,000
and publication in Albedo One, and there are second and
third prizes of 300 and 200.
Entries may be in any genre of speculative fiction, ie fantasy, sci-fi, horror or
anything in-between or unclassifiable. Stories may be any length up to 10,000
words, and must be original and unpublished.
To enter, paste the story into the body of an email and include your contact
details. Put Aeon Award Submission in the subject line. There is an entry fee
of 7.50 per story, which is payable by PayPal, and entrants should include the
PayPal transaction reference number in their submission email. All entries must be
submitted by email. Writers may enter as many stories as they wish.
The closing date is 30 November.
Details: email: fraslaw@yahoo.co.uk; website: www.albedo1.com
Animal spirit
Wild Words is inviting entries for its Winter Solstice Writing
Competition, which asks writers to send up to 1,000 words
inspired by the DH Lawrence quotation from The White
Peacock: Be a good animal. True to your animal instinct.
Founded by Bridget Holding, Wild Words holds online
writing courses, retreats and workshops to help writers
reconnect with their instinctual selves through nature-based
writing and storytelling. The winner will receive a free
subscription to a Wild Words online course of their choice. The winning
entry and shortlisted entries may be published on the Wild Words website.
Writers entering the competition may interpret the theme in any way they want.
The prompt line may be present in the work, or simply used as a jumping-off
point. Entries may be poetry, fiction or non-fiction, in any genre, but should be in
the spirit of the Wild Words philosophy.
Entries should be double spaced on numbered pages and typed in 12pt font.
The writers name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a cover letter with
contact details, stating whether the entry is fiction or non-fiction.
Send entries by email. There is a fee of 7 per entry, payable through the online system.
The closing date is 21 December.
Details: email: hello@wildwords.org; website: www.wildwords.org
www.writers-online.co.uk
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WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
Canadian literary
speculative
fiction magazine
Lackingtons opens
to submissions
on 5 October
for a themed
issue devoted
to music. Full
details at https://
lackingtons.com/
submissions/
Richard Bath edits
Scottish Field,
and will consider
illustrated features.
Contact him with
ideas in the first
instance. Payment
is negotiable.
Details: Scottish
Field Magazine,
496 Ferry Road,
Edinburgh EH5 2DL;
website: www.
scottishfield.co.uk
Rosie Nixon has
become editorin-chief of Hello
weekly magazine.
Website: www.
hellomagazine.com
A Berrylands
Companion is
an independent
monthly
community
lifestyle magazine
delivered free
to homes in
Berrylands,
Surbiton and
Tolworth in Surrey.
Details: email:
karen@berrylands
companion.
com; website:
www.berrylands
companion.com
Hearst Magazines
UK has taken over
the publication
account for Jamie
Olivers awardwinning lifestyle
magazine Jamie.
Hearst is also
responsible for
Asda supermarkets
magazine
Good Living.
Fun is still an
important part of
writing. I want to
bring pleasure with
everything I write.
Jonathan Franzen
90
NOVEMBER 2016
p90 News/FOW.indd 90
GLOBAL PARENTING
MAGAZINE
Fun for all the family
BY JENNY ROCHE
A literary payer
A weekly US literary magazine
aiming to showcase emerging writers
Page and Spine accepts fiction,
poetry, non-fiction, essays, reviews
and due to careful management and
donations is able to pay its writers.
Short stories should be under
3,000 words, 1,000 words for flash,
and for poetry, send no more than
three poems totalling three pages.
Other sections open to
submissions are: Writers Table,
for writing-related essays, book
Bookemon go!
Challenging deities
A Murder of
Storytellers is a US
small press which
publishes anthologies
and novels, although
currently closed for
novel submissions.
Needing stories up
to 10,000 words, The
Book of Blasphemous Words is
a weird fiction, horror, and speculative
fiction anthology about humanitys
relationship with its gods.
Make sure to include a synopsis of the
piece in your cover letter. The deadline is
31 October, and response time is
reasonable. Payment is $15 plus a
contributors copy for the usual rights.
Website: www.amurderofstorytellers.com
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:19
WRITERS NEWS
UK HEALTH MARKET
Challenge yourself
to write about fitness
BY TINA JACKSON
AG . C O M
MEN + WOMEN
CYCLO
CROSS
BIKES
TREKKING
POLES
MICRO CAMPING
SCOTLANDS HAWAII
FROM MOROCCO
TO MONACO
KILIAN JORNET
ISSUE 59
P L U S FAT F U EL L I N G, R EC O
V ERY R EC I P E S , E X M O O R
11/08/2016 15:10
www.writers-online.co.uk
p90 News/FOW.indd 91
Its a Funny
Old World
91
26/09/2016 11:19
WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
Pulpcore is a
German magazine
which will pay
20 for first
German electronic
rights to publish
German language
translations,
original or reprints,
of speculative
fiction. The editors
are looking for
science fiction,
horror, crime,
mystery, noir,
and weird fiction.
Stories should be
2,000-5,000 words.
Submissions
should be sent
to pulpcore@
rawtext.net as a
doc attachment.
Website: www.
pulpcore.de/submit/
DIVE magazine
is a digital scuba
magazine edited
by Marion Kutter.
Send her ideas for
illustrated articles
showing divers in
action. Payment is
negotiable.
Details: email:
marion@dive.co.uk;
website: www.
divemagazine.co.uk
Motor Cycle
Monthly is free
online and in
dealers, clubs and
bike cafs or you
can get twelve print
issues delivered for
9.99. The editor
is Tony Carter.
Details: email:
editor@motorcycle
monthly.co.uk;
website:
www.motorcycle
monthly.co.uk
New Forest Society
is a monthly
specialist lifestyle
title for the New
Forest area.
Ian Murphy is the
editor in chief.
Website: www.
dailyecho.co.uk
I enjoy deadlines
they give some
shape to my writing
year. If there were
no deadlines, I
might get lazy.
Ian Rankin
92
NOVEMBER 2016
p92 News.indd 92
Interactive intelligence
The New Media Writing Prize 2016 is open for entries.
Now in its seventh year, Bournemouth Universitys
international prize for the most innovative new media
writing now has four categories: the main prize, the
student prize, the Dot Award and new this year, the
Gorkana Journalism Awards.
The main prize and the student prize are
for storytelling written for delivery and reading/
viewing on a Mac, PC, the internet or a handheld device such as a tablet or smartphone. Entries
may be any form of interactive storytelling, ie
novel, poem, documentary or transmedia work
using words, images, film or animation. The
main prize is 1,000 and the student prize is
three months paid internship at Unicorn Training
in Bournemouth. Submit work for the main
prize by 30 November, and for the student prize
by 16 December, by email to entries2016@
newmediawritingprize.co.uk
The Dot Award is for a literary project created
via the web, blogs, social media etc that could
be completed
by the end of
2016. The prize
is 500 to get
a new project
started. Submit by 30 November to
chris@ifbook.co.uk
The Gorkana Journalism Awards are for stories
based on factual material and using innovative
media. Entries must feature new media technologies
and platforms. There are two categories, UK and
international, each with a 500 prize. Submit by 30
November to gorkana@newmediawritingprize.co.uk
All entries should contain an active URL where
work can be accessed, or clear instructions on how to
view the piece. Entrants should include full contact
details and a short autobiography (50-100 words) in
the body of the submission email.
Include the word MAIN, STUDENT, DOT
or JOURNALISM in the subject line of the
submission email.
Entry is free.
Website: newmediawritingprize.co.uk/
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:21
WRITERS NEWS
UK PARENTING MAGAZINE
www.writers-online.co.uk
p92 News.indd 93
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WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
Autocar general
interest motoring
weekly has been
relaunched with
a new look and a
new editor, Matt
Burt. Contact him
with ideas for
illustrated features.
Details: email:
autocar@
haymarket.com;
website: www.
autocar.co.uk
The TESS weekly
Scottish education
newspaper is edited
by Neil Munro.
Ideas for relevant
articles and news
items are accepted.
Website: www.
tesdigital.com
The Visitor, a free
local independent
monthly journal,
covers lifestyle
topics in Somerset.
Articles and letters
are welcomed.
Details:
email: info@
thevisitormagazine.
co.uk; website:
www.thevisitor
magazine.co.uk
The Housman
Society, devoted
to appreciating
the life and works
of AE Housman,
publishes an
annual journal
and a bi-annual
newsletter.
Membership is
15 per annum.
Details: email:
info@housmansociety.co.uk;
website:
www.housmansociety.co.uk
The Non-League
Paper covers
the non-league
soccer scene every
Sunday. David
Emery is the
editor in chief.
Details: email:
david.emery@
greenways
publishing.co.uk
Write what should
not be forgotten.
Isabel Allende
94
NOVEMBER 2016
by Marlon James.
Small Scottish
indie Saraband has
published both of Graeme
Macrae Burnets books, with
His Bloody Project first appearing
in October last year.
The winner of the 50,000 prize
will be announced on 25 October.
Website:
http://themanbookerprize.com
Going underground
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:23
WRITERS NEWS
And
another
thing...
UK HISTORY MARKET
Think local, write history
BY TINA JACKSON
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
95
26/09/2016 11:23
WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
David Singleton
is the editor of
Total Politics.
He will consider
suggestions for
relevant articles
up to 2,200
words. Payment is
negotiable.
Details:
david.singleton@
dods.co.uk;
website: www.
totalpolitics.com
The Jurassic Coast
Magazine series
of annual lifestyle
visitor magazines
includes Otter
Magazine, Lyme
Magazine, Chesil
Magazine and Exe
Visitor. The editor is
Lucie Simic.
Details: email:
lucie@jurassiccoast
magazine.co.uk;
website: www.
jurassiccoast
magazine.co.uk
The Writers
Study, founded
in 2005, is a fun
group in Dorset
where advice on
markets, agents
and publishers
is shared. It
costs 20 for six
sessions. Contact
Judie Jones at
lanternjmj@
hotmail.com.
The Miles Franklin
Literary Award,
Australias most
prestigious
literature prize,
has been awarded
to AS Patric for
his debut novel,
Black Rock White
City. The award is
given each year to
a novel which is of
the highest literary
merit and presents
Australian life in
any of its phases.
You get ideas from
daydreaming. You
get ideas from being
bored. You get ideas
all the time. The only
difference between
writers and other
people is we notice
when were doing it.
Neil Gaiman
96
NOVEMBER 2016
p96 News/Introductions.indd 96
GLOBAL FICTION
MARKET
Stirring stories
BY GARY DALKIN
Win a residency
in Wales
Stiwdio Maelor artists community in North
Wales has announced a poetry prize, the 2016
Stiwdio Maelor Poetry Competition. The winner
will be given the opportunity to complete a twoweek residency, with gift vouchers from local
businesses, in 2017 or 2018. The competition
will be judged by Australian poet Earl Livings,
who is completing his second residency at
Maelor this year.
Enter original, unpublished poems up to
fifty lines. Type poems in 12pt font in 1.5
spacing. The poets name must not appear on
the manuscript. Include a completed application
form, which can be requested from Stiwdio
Maelor by email. Send poems as a single
Word doc or pdf.
There is an entry form of 10 per poem,
payable by cheques made out to Stiwdio Maelor
or by PayPal. Poets may enter as many poems as
they like. All entries must be submitted by email.
The closing date is 25 November.
Details: email: stiwdiomaeor@gmail.com;
website: https://stiwdiomaelor.wordpress.com/
UK SMALL
PRESS MARKET
Appeal to Artificium
PDR LINDSAY-SALMON
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:24
WRITERS NEWS
INTRODUCTIONS
Country Walking,
edited by Guy
Proctor and
published by Bauer
Media, is the UKs
bestselling walking
magazine, and covers
walking experiences
throughout the
length and breadth of
Britain. The highly
visual magazine is
aimed at walkers of every level, and includes
routes, reviews, walking advice and features
and interviews with walkers and outdoor
enthusiast. Everything in the magazine
is useful and inspiring, and written in a
friendly, enthusiastic way that encourages
the reader. There are limited opportunities
for freelance writers, and prospective
contributors should contact features editor
Jenny Walters with ideas. Payment varies.
Details: email: jenny.walters@
bauermedia.co.uk; website:
www.livefortheoutdoors.com
Lakeland Walker
magazine, edited by
John Manning, is
devoted to walking
in and around
the Lake District.
Published six times
a year, each issue
contains walking
routes suitable for
varying levels of
ability as well as
features and profiles of interest to the
walking community, gear reviews and news
stories. Feature lengths are usually either
800 or 1,500 words. John is happy to hear
from freelancers with relevant knowledge
and ideas, and also from photographers.
Submissions should consist of a wordsand-pictures package. Walking route pieces
must be formatted in house style. New
contributors should contact John by email
with completed articles in the first instance.
Payment varies. Walking route pieces pay
50 for a one-page (under five mile) walk,
and 100 for a DPS (over five miles).
Details: email: johnm@dalesman.co.uk;
website: www.lakeland-walker.com
The Great
Outdoors, edited
by Emily Rodway,
is primarily a hillwalking magazine,
with the emphasis
on mountain
walks and a
particular focus
on Snowdonia,
the Lake District
and the Scottish
Highlands.
Features are between 1,500 and 2,000
words and are largely first-person accounts
of adventurous trips, and the magazine
also includes at least ten walking routes,
which are one-page, 500-word narrative
features in themselves. Emily uses
freelances and asks for word-and pictures
packages. In the first instance, email
ideas with an angle, samples of previous
work and sample images. Payment for
walking routes is 120 and is negotiable
for other contributions.
Details: email: emily.rodway@kelsey.
co.uk; website: www.tgomagazine.co.uk
Trail magazine,
edited by Simon
Ingram, is an
inspirational
walking guide for
adventurous walkers.
Published thirteen
times a year, its a
sister publication
to Country Walking,
with the focus very
much on exploring
hill and mountain territory in the UK. The
award-winning magazine is dedicated to
giving its readers the best hillwalking and
mountain routes and providing the best
advice on tackling them. Features include
routes, expert advice, inspirational stories
and interviews with leading mountaineers,
reader stories and gear reviews. Trails
content is aimed both at beginners and
experts, and Simon is happy to hear from
knowledgeable freelances with relevant
ideas. Payment varies.
Details: email: simon.ingram@lfto.com;
website: www.livefortheoutdoors.com
www.writers-online.co.uk
p96 News/Introductions.indd 97
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26/09/2016 14:24
WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
Fieldsports editor
Marcus Janssen
will consider article
pitches from writers
with relevant
knowledge and
ideas. Payment is
negotiable.
Details: email:
m.janssen@
bgpmedia.
co.uk; website:
www.fieldsports
magazine.com
Publishers Weekly
has reported
that the top five
publishers in the
world remained
the same in 2015
as 2014. Topping
the list was the
UK-based Pearson,
with revenue of
$6.635bn. Next were
ThomasReuters
($5.77bn), RELX
Group ($5.20bn),
Wolters Kluwer
($4.59bn) and
one readers have
actually heard of,
Penguin Random
House, with a
mere $4.05bn.
Marilynne Robinson
has been honoured
with the Richard
C Holbrooke
Distinguished
Achievement
Award. The author,
celebrated for the
Gilead Trilogy,
was given the
award for her
work in advancing
peace, social
justice and global
understanding.
The Ngaio Marsh
Award for Best
Crime Novel has
been won by Paul
Cleave for Trust No
One. The judging
panel described
the thriller as
a stunningly
audacious example
of the genre that
functions as a
literary hall of
mirrors.
COMPETITION
Poets on fire
Entries are invited for the Fire River Poets
Open Poetry Competition 2016.
There is a first prize of 200, a second
prize of 100 and a third prize of 75.
Send entries in any style and on any
subject. All entries must be original
and unpublished. Each poet may enter
up to six poems.
Poems may be up to forty lines. Send each
poem on a separate sheet. The poets name
must not appear on the manuscript. Enter
by post or by email. Postal entrants should
include a cover sheet with titles of poems
and the poets name and full contact details.
Email entrants should list their poem titles
and all contact details in the body of the
submission email, and attach each poem as a
separate doc, docx or pdf file.
The entry fee is 4 for one poem, 7
for two, 10 for three and 3 for each
additional poem. Pay by cheques made out
to Fire River Poets or by PayPal. Email
entrants should put their PayPal transaction
reference number in the subject line.
The closing date is 31 October.
Details: Fire River Poets
Poetry Competition 2016,
2 Deane View, Bishops Hull Road,
Taunton TA1 5EG;
email: entry@fireriverpoets.org.uk;
website: www.fireriverpoets.org.uk
98
NOVEMBER 2016
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26/09/2016 11:25
WRITERS NEWS
A flash start
UK ACADEMIC MARKET
Design for city life
BY TINA JACKSON
www.writers-online.co.uk
p98 News.indd 99
Rialtos first
pamphlet prize
For the first time, The Rialto
poetry magazine is holding an open
pamphlet competition.
The winner of the first prize will
have their pamphlet published in
The Rialtos award-winning series, thirty copies of
their pamphlet, a launch reading and up to 200 in
travel expenses. Ten shortlisted poets will each get
a paragraph of feedback from judge Hannah Lowe,
and the winner and three others will have a poem
published in The Rialto.
To enter, send between 18 and 24 pages of poems.
All poems must be original, and may have been
previously published in magazines and anthologies but
not as a pamphlet or collection.
Type poems in single spacing on single sides of A4
in 12pt font, with a maximum of forty lines per page.
Type each poem on a new page. The pamphlet should
have a title, which must appear on each page. Include
a front page with the title and a list of contents. Send
two copies of the front page if submitting by post, one
including your name and full contact details. Submit
by post or through the online submission system.
There is an entry fee of 22 (16 for subscribers
to The Rialto), payable by PayPal or cheques made
out to The Rialto.
The closing date is 30 November.
Details: The Rialto (Pamphlet Competition),
PO Box 309, Aylsham, NR11 6LN;
website: www.therialto.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
99
26/09/2016 12:37
WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
Squash Player
is a bimonthly
magazine edited by
Ian McKenzie. He
will discuss ideas
for feature articles.
Payment is 75 for
1,000 words.Details:
email: info@
squashplayer.co.uk;
website: www.
squashplayer.co.uk
The Society of
Women Writers &
Journalists holds its
Annual Christmas
Tea Party on 6
December at the
National Liberal
Club, London
SW1, from 1.45pm.
Festivities include
a raffle, bring-andbuy, book table
and inspirational
speaker Ginny
Vere Nicholl of the
Feel Good Books
imprint.Tickets are
19.50 (18.50 for
members).
For details, email:
editor@swwj.co.uk
A the 16th Library of
Congress National
Book Festival in
September Stephen
King was honoured
in recognition of
his lifelong work
promoting literacy.
Fiona Wright won
the A$30,000 Kibble
award for Australian
women writers,
for Small Acts of
Disappearance, a
collection of essays
about anorexia.
Olivia Morris
joined Orion as
commissioning
editor for wellbeing
and lifestyle
imprint Orion
Spring, and Orion
Non-fiction, from
Pan Macmillan,
where she was
an editor for the
Bluebird imprint.
The best creative
writing teachers,
like the best editors,
excel at teaching,
not necessarily
at writing.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr
100
NOVEMBER 2016
Everybody loves
Tchaikovskys spiders
BY GARY DALKIN
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:26
WRITERS NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
ZINE SCENE
Duende is the online literary
journal of the BFA in Writing
programme at Goddard College,
USA. The main zine is published
twice a year but the editorial
team publish original content at the beginning
of every month and online. Work in Duende
must have authenticity and soulfulness,
earthiness and expressiveness, a chill up the
spine. Supply poetry slightly off-kilter and
fiction to make us feel more human and less
alone. Experimental work is welcomed.
Currently it needs writing on the theme
of exodus, poetry, prose, hybrid work, and
visual art from the hearts and minds of those
who are displaced.
Poetry, under 75 lines, is welcome in all
forms, hybrid prose/poetry up to 2,500
words, and prose, up to 7,500 words.
Character-driven stories where things happen
and people change are favoured.
Submit online with a doc, docx or pdf file.
Response time is up to four months.
Website: www.duendeliterary.org
Fiction on the Web is a UK
zine devoted to short stories.
Editor Charlie Fish calls the
zine a labour of love and he
personally selects and edits
every story. Launched in 1996, Fiction on
the Web has some claim to being one of the
oldest short stories website on the internet.
Short stories, anything from flash fiction to
a novella, are welcomed, particularly funny,
fantastic, futuristic, criminal or real-life
stories. Submit a doc by email:
charlie@fictionontheweb.co.uk
Website: www.fictionontheweb.co.uk
Waxwing is an unusual
US zine promoting the
tremendous cultural
diversity of contemporary American
literature, alongside international voices
in translation. It needs work from writers
from all cultural identities. They wish to
publish in each issue singular voices
and to hear these voices together, in all
their harmony and dissonance.
It publishes poetry, fiction, essays,
interviews, reviews, art, and music plus
translated literature but is currently only
accepting poetry, fiction, non-fiction,
and translations.
The submission period is 1 August to 1
May. Submit 1-5 poems, one story or or
three short-short stories, online.
Response time is within four months.
There is no payment.
Website: http://waxwingmag.org
The Vignette Review is all
about short fiction which
is a vignette, that is: A
brief evocative description,
account, or episode. Editor
Abigail Sheaffer wants vignettes which
wed short fiction with fine art for a
sensuous reading experience.
Submissions, 300-900 words, must be
prose, not poetry and not one-sentence-style
flash fiction. Attach a doc or docx with a
brief third-person bio in the cover letter.
Website: www.thevignettereview.org
Drafthorse is a biannual online publication
of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry,
visual narrative, and other media art.
GLOBAL SF MARKET
Science fiction matters
BY JENNY ROCHE
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
101
26/09/2016 11:26
WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
The Spark magazine
was founded in
1993 as an ethical
quarterly. Ideas for
articles relating to
positive change
with a link to the
West Country are
welcomed. Payment
is 11p per word.
Details: email:
editor@thespark.
co.uk; website: www.
thespark.co.uk
Amy Liptrots story
of reconnecting with
her native Orkney
Islands after time in
London, The Outrun,
was the winner
of the Wainwright
Golden Beer prize,
worth 5,000, for the
best UK nature and
travel writing, named
after respected
country writer Alfred
Wainwright.
Scottish Book Trust
has created a new
award to be given
annually to one
author or illustrator
and one learning
professional who
have had an inspiring
impact on young
readers in Scotland.
The winners will be
announced at an
evening reception in
June 2017.
UK childrens
book specialists
Egmont Publishing
announced senior
appointments to
its books team:
Sarah Bates is now
commercial director,
books division in
the UK; Ali Dougal
is fiction publishing
director, leading the
team of five editors.
Mandy Sutter won
the New Welsh
Writing Awards
2016 University of
Wales Prize for Travel
Writing for her story
Bush Meat: As My
Mother Told Me, set
in 1960s Nigeria.
As a writer, you
should not judge, you
should understand.
Ernest Hemingway
102
NOVEMBER 2016
Library records
Since 2005 the Department of Culture,
Media and Sport has recorded public
library usage. It recently reported that
between 2005 and now public library
usage fell by 30%. In 2005/6, the first
year records were kept, 48.2% of the
adult population used a public library
at least once. In the period April 2015 March 2016, the figure was just 33.4%.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest falls
were among those who could most
afford to buy books, with the decline
in the demographic described as urban
prosperity by from 57% to 37%.
Showing that the poorest value libraries
the most, the decline of library use among
those described as hard pressed fell
just 7%, to 33.5%. Currently 72 public
libraries, as well as five mobile libraries,
are facing closure.
body of
your email
are preferred,
but rtf or doc
are accepted,
not docx.
Submit up to three stories,
five poems, and five works of
art/illustration simultaneously.
Payment is 2 per word for first
and non-exclusive reprint rights.
Guidelines:
http://newzenithmagazine.com/
submission-guidelines/
Brilliant
Flash Fiction
Brilliant Flash
Fiction is an Irish
zine devoted to flash
fiction which the
editor feels is all
about having fun.
Editor Dawn Lowe
is looking for writing
I havent read before,
stories, not slice of life plotless fiction.
Submit stories under 1,000 words, pasted
into the body and attached as a doc, by
email: brilliantflashfiction@gmail.com.
Most genres are accepted. Response time is
within three months.
Website: https://brilliantflashfiction
mag.wordpress.com
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:27
TR
L W RI
E
T
V
IN
WRITERS NEWS
BY TINA JACKSON
NOVEMBER 2016
103
26/09/2016 11:27
WRITERS NEWS
FLASHES
Lara Dunn has
succeeded Carolyn
Boyd as editor of
France monthly
magazine. Ideas for
illustrated features
may be considered.
Payment is
negotiable.
Details: email:
editorial@
francemag.com;
website: www.
completefrance.com
Ghanaian-born
Dodua Otoo
won Germanys
Ingeborg Bachman
prize worth 21,000
for her short story
Herr Grttrup
Sits Down, about
a scientist who
worked first on the
Nazis V2 rocket,
then on the Soviet
rocket programme
Bath Festivals
appointed Alex
Clark as artistic
director of words
and literature,
The Bookseller
reported. Alex is an
editor and literary
journalist who also
hosts the Vintage
Podcast, a monthly
books podcast with
author interviews
and book news.
Birmingham Press
Club, founded over
150 years ago, has
appointed its first
female chairman
Llewela Bailey, who
hosts BBC Radio
WMs Sunday
Breakfast show and
lectures part-time
at Staffordshire
Universitys
journalism
department.
Norwich-born
author Philip
Pullman (His Dark
Materials trilogy),
who attended
secondary school
in Ysgol Ardudwy,
Harlech, is the
inaugural Patron of
Literature Wales.
All literature
is gossip.
Truman Capote
104
NOVEMBER 2016
subject line,
including a 300word synopsis and a note about which published books
or authors currently in the market place are similar
to the novel submitted. Then attach the first three
chapters or 100 pages as a doc file.
Response time is within one month. Payment is
discussed at contract time, but authors will receive
50% of net profits.
Details:
email: submissions@wildwoodpublishing.net;
website: http://wildwoodpublishing.net
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:30
WRITERS NEWS
UK MAGAZINE MARKET
Snappers delight
BY TINA JACKSON
www.writers-online.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2016
105
26/09/2016 11:30
CLASSIFIED
Services
The WriTers
AssisTAnT
Manuscript Critique
and Editing Service
Self-publishing?
Submitting to agents?
Editing, Proofreading,
Typing & Kindle
Self-publishing Services
www.thewritersassistant.co.uk
T: Michelle 07887 685 922
E: thewritersassistant@sky.com
The One-Stop Shop for Writers
Email: alisonewilliams@sky.com
Tel: 07891 065 012
hilary@hilaryjohnson.com
gary.dalkin@live.co.uk
Book Design
www.tothelastword.com/wm
Alison Williams.indd 1
Freelance
michelle emerson.indd
1
21/03/2016 09:14
LOOK NO FURTHER!
Have your book or short story typed,
proof-read and formatted ready to publish
ajt.editing@gmail.com
www.ajtediting.com
Email: roscov100@yahoo.co.uk
www.affordable-editing.com
chance,
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Authors invited to submit manuscripts
all categories
JEAN HENDERSON
Tel: 01342 311174
www.dabhands.uk.com
Hendersonj11@sky.com
09:58:11
lornamariamurphy@hotmail.com
lornamariamurphy@hotmail.com
16:26
Wanted
olwenparker@gmail.com
03/06/2015 16:31
Olwen Parker 3x1.indd 1
www.ahstockwell.co.uk
Park publications.indd 1
31/08/2016 11:37
17/10/12 09:30:05
WEB DIRECTORY
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Writing Magazine online:
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C O M P E T I T I O N D E TA I L S
Enter online at www.writers-online.co.uk or by post, with the ref code in the address, to:
Sally Bridgewater (Ref Code xxxxx), Writing Magazine, Warners Group Publications,
31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD. Remember to add a front sheet with full contact details (see Rule 3)
How to enter
Poetry Competition
......................................................... .............................
.................................................. .....................................
1 Eligibility
All entries must be the original and unpublished work of the
entrant, and not currently submitted for publication nor for any other
competition or award. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry
form, printed here (photocopies are acceptable), unless stated.
Open Competitions are open to any writer, who can submit as many
entries as they choose. Entry fees are 5, 3 for subscribers.
Subscriber-only Competitions are open only to subscribers of
Writing Magazine. Entry is free but you can only submit one entry
per competition.
New Subscribers Competitions are open only to those whose
subscriptions start during 2016. No entry form or fee is required.
TITLE..................................................................................
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FORENAME .......................................................................
FORENAME .......................................................................
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ADDRESS...........................................................................
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2 Entry Fees
Cheques or postal orders should be payable to Warners Group
Publications or you can pay by credit card (see form). No entry fee is
required for New Subscribers competitions.
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o Im happy to receive special offers via email from Warners Group Publications plc
EMAIL................................................................................
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Competition Rules
3 Manuscripts
Short stories: Entries must be typed in double spacing on single
sides of A4 paper with a front page stating your name, address, phone
number and email address, your story title and word count. Entries will
be returned if accompanied by sae. Electronic entries should be a single
doc, docx, txt, rtf or pdf file with the contact details, etc, on p1, and your
story commencing on the second page.
Poetry manuscripts: Entries must be typed in single spacing with
double spacing between stanzas on single sides of A4. Entrants name,
address, telephone number and email address must be typed on a
separate A4 sheet. Entries to poetry competitions cannot be returned.
Electronic entries should be a single doc, docx, txt, rtf or pdf file with
the contact details, etc, on p1, and your poem on the second page.
All manuscripts: Receipt of entries will be acknowledged if
accompanied by a suitably worded stamped and addressed postcard.
Entrants retain copyright in their manuscripts. You are advised not to
send the only copy of your manuscript. Enclose an sae if you want your
manuscript to be returned.
4 Competition Judging
Competition judges will be appointed by Writing Magazine and the
judges decision will be final with no correspondence being entered into.
5. Notification
Winners will be notified within two months of closing date after which
date unplaced entries may be submitted elsewhere. Winning entries
may not be submitted elsewhere for twelve months after that date
without permission of Writing Magazine who retain the right to publish
winning entries in any form during those twelve months
5
3 for subscribers
Free entry (subscriber only competition)
5
3 for subscribers
Free entry (subscriber only competition)
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NOVEMBER
JULY 2016
2015
107
26/09/2016 11:31
M Y W R I T I N G DAY
VICTORIA
Writing
My
day
FOX
LISTEN
108
NOVEMBER 2016
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26/09/2016 16:54
ON
SALE
3 NOV!
PLUS
The Two of Us author
Andy Jones shares
his writing day
Amazon
self-publishing in
print and ebook,
step by step
STAR
INTERVIEW
STEF PENNEY
tells us about the
allure of exploration,
writing a good sex
scene and following up
her international bestseller
The Tenderness of Wolves
THE BOOKS
OF THE YEAR
Break
into writing
for video
games
Fighting writers
curses
Writers block?
Theres no such thing!
7 steps to overcome
your invisible obstacles
How to guard against
plagiarism and protect
yourself from accusations
26/09/2016 11:34
N OT E S F R O M T H E M A R G I N
ance
Romcan
be
MURDER
Researching online romance puts
Lorraine Mace, as ever, in
murderous mood
NOVEMBER 2016
www.writers-online.co.uk
26/09/2016 11:34