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 E D I TO R ’ S L E T T E R

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 IN THIS ISSUE
28

16 26
WRITERS’ NEWS
76 Your essential monthly roundup ASK THE EXPERTS
of competitions, paying markets,
opportunities to get into print and 10 Writers’ voice: Clarifying copyright
publishing industry news Be clear about what copyright is and how assigning it could affect you
with advice from the Society of Authors

11 On writing: Ian McMillan

INTERVIEWS AND PROFILES
11 From the other side of the desk
16 Star interview: Band on the page Literary agent Piers Blofeld knows where all the ‘invisible’ working
Taylor Jenkins Reid mimics music journalism to tell a rock’n’roll story class writers are – at the top of the bestseller lists
in her hot new novel Daisy Jones and the Six
21 Ask a literary consultant
20 How I got published: Nicki Thornton Answering common queries from writers attending London Book Fair
The debut author’s novel won the Times/Chicken House Children’s
Fiction Competition in 2016 59 Talk it over: Clean & polish
Jane Wenham Jones encourages a writer with five books under her belt
26 Beat the bestsellers to overcome her fear of the editing process
The style and technique of Julian Barnes
65 Behind the tape
36: Shelf life: Vanessa Savage Expert advice to get the details right in your crime fiction
The debut thriller writer shares her top five reads
71 Research tips: Research without Google
45 Writers’ circles: Circles’ roundup How to research online without worrying about privacy issues
Writing groups share their interests and activities

46 Subscriber spotlight CREATIVE WRITING

WM subscribers share their publishing success stories
24 Creative writing: Moving on
74 Author profile: Luke Turner Sometimes you put your heart and soul into a manuscript and it just doesn’t
The author talks about exploring forests and sexuality in his acclaimed memoir work out. Here are the best ways of dealing with a writing breakdown

96 My writing day: Jacqueline Winspear 30 Beginners: Upstage, downpage

The bestselling mystery author talks about living in California while Keep control of the balance of your story with advice on not letting
her mind is in wartime London secondary characters take over

4 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 CONTENTS

30 29
38 Under the microscope 64 Away from your desk
James McCreet puts the beginning of a reader’s novel under his Get out of your garret for some upcoming activities and places to visit
forensic gaze
98 Notes from the margin: The disgruntled diva
42 Fiction focus: The end is nigh Lorraine Mace is getting hacked off with someone else getting the
Get past the hump and finish your novel with sound advice from credit for her words
Margaret James

60 Masterclass: A pig of a problem POETRY

Advice on how to make your story move along by putting
obstacles in your characters’ way
62 Writing for children: I’m hooked!
How to hone your idea to create irresistible children’s fiction
54 Poetry winners: Odes to autumn
Read the winners of WM’s Autumn Poetry Competition
56 Poetry workshop: A poetic transformation
Exploring the genesis of a poem that sparked a series of novels

WORKING WRITERS 57 Poetry in practice

Get young children started on poetry
12 Freelancing: Definite article
Want to get into magazine writing? We list the top ten things you 58 Poetry from A to Z
need to know Alison Chisholm reaches the final letter in her alphabet of poetry

66 Freelancing: Go your own way

Insider advice on going freelance in the world of literature COMPETITIONS AND EXERCISES

68 The business of writing: Writing tandem 28 Free range writing: Write well
If two heads are better than one, Simon Whaley finds out if two Explore the therapeutic properties of writing in these exercises
writers are better than one
31 & 51 WIN! Cash prizes and publication in our latest
creative writing competitions
WRITING LIFE
32 & 52 Short story winners
14 Inspiration: Knitting ideas Read the winning entries in our latest short story competitions
Stuck for content ideas? Fear not – the solution is at your
fingertips 44 Writers’ circles: Building blocks
Fine-tune the words and sentences you use in this writing group exercise
22 Writing life: Screen print
How often are writers accurately portrayed on screen? We pick
some that are close to reality REGULARS
6 Miscellany
29 Writing life: Time to make time 8 Letters
You say you haven’t got enough time to write? We look at ways of 40 Helpline
freeing up writing time Your writing problems solved
72 Editorial calendar
34 Writing life: The A to Z of a writing shed 81 Going to market
For many of us, a writing shed is a pipe dream. One writer made 87 Novel ideas
hers a reality, and offers practical advice 91 Travel writing know-how

www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 5

 MISCELLANY

THE WORLD OF
WRITING
Ingenious demises, character motivations and endings in sight are all part of this
month’s world of writing, as Derek Hudson discovers

Get words on paper

Boiled
monk on ‘Remember’, says US short
story writer Bob Thurber,

Midsomer quoted in Goodreads,

‘Keystrokes are hammer taps.

menu
Get words on paper. Don’t
worry about connections,
character or plot. Work for an
hour. Promise yourself an hour.
Do nothing else but move your
Actor Neil Dudgeon of ITV’s twenty-year-old series Midsomer Murders, fingers. Make coarse shapes.
was asked whether there are enough residents left for the next two Follow any emotion that pops
decades when interviewed in the Q&A feature of the Yorkshire Post’s Style up but never impose emotion,
supplement. never fake it, and don’t make
He pointed out that Midsomer was a county and not a village. ‘In up your mind or your heart
twenty years there’s been about 350 murders so that’s about 17 murders ahead of time.
a year over a large area. I mean that’s nothing. More people are dying in ‘Understand you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s why
farming accidents than being murdered in Midsomer.’ you’re here. Rough it out. Anything goes. You can decide later
He was asked: What kind of deaths could be expected? what any piece of text looks like, what it might mean. Don’t stop.
‘Well, part of the joy of the show is the many brilliant ways the writers Don’t question. Don’t quit. Don’t stop to read what you wrote.
come up with killing people in Midsomer. There’s a boiled monk and Move your fingers. Your mind will have no other option but to
a wedding where the bride, played by Kelly Brook, disappears at some keep up. Remember that writer’s block is merely the cold marble
point during the wedding… She dies in a rather interesting way.’ waiting for the chisel to heat up.’

6 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


Writing through the ages
The extraordinary story behind
writing, ‘one of humankind’s greatest
achievements’, is being celebrated
through more than 100 objects,
spanning 5,000 years, on show at the
British Library, in Writing: Making
Your Mark, from 26 April.
The display includes ancient Egyptian
hieroglyphs carved in stone, early printed
text such as William Caxton’s edition
of The Canterbury Tales, ‘to the art of
note-taking by some of history’s greatest
minds, and onwards to the digital
The
Scottish author William Boyd (A
Good Man in Africa etc) once told the
Guardian that would-be writers might
know how to start a story, but neglected
the importance of endings.
‘My default response to all “great”
ideas in the writing business is to do
with the ending. A good ending can
redeem a mediocre idea. A bad ending
can sink a really good idea. As soon
as you know how your narrative ends
– in whatever medium, then a huge
percentage of the problematic issues that
arise in the writing will be solved.
‘If you have a clear sense of how your
story will end then you can, as it were,
communication tools we use today’.
Then, there’s James Joyce’s annotated
copy of Ulysses, and a 60,000-strong
petition against Bengali partition, gold-
rich Japanese calligraphy and Alexander
Fleming’s pioneering notebook.
A Museum spokesperson said there
was also a section on writing’s future
in an increasingly digital world. ‘Will
we abandon pens and keyboards for
voice and video messaging, or continue
to carry the traditions of ancient times
with us?’
in sight
rewind to the beginning and plot any
number of various routes that will allow
you to arrive at that desired ending –
with its attendant catharsis, of course.
If you start writing (however striking
your original idea) with no sense of how
your story will end, then life becomes
progressively harder. Flailing around.
Writer’s block. Draft after draft. This is
how novels get abandoned; film scripts
bottom-drawered. The thing to do is to
stop and envisage your final pages, your
final scene. Take your time. What note
do you want to strike? What surprise do
you want to spring? What denouement
will justify this journey.’
www.writers-online.co.uk
MISCELLANY
MOTIVATION
– a vital part of story telling
The BBC Writersroom, based in London,
Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast, works with
writers, discovering, developing and championing
new and experienced talent across the UK.
Their website carries a constant stream of advice,
and a recent article by Robert Taylor, writer and
script reader, concerned motivation.
Robert said it was an old cliché to imagine
a pretentious luvvie actor wailing, ‘What’s my
motivation?!’ But it was a very pertinent question.
‘Motivation is a vital element and a powerful tool
in story telling, and your characters truly benefit
from having clear, pressing goals and desires in order
to give the plot purpose and momentum. Reading
scripts for the BBC Writersroom, a common concern
is that there is no real sense of purpose, that the story
is ambling along rather than heading somewhere with
determination. As a writer it can be tempting to think
“I’ve got some characters, a location, and something
resembling a story if you squint, let’s go!” But if none
of your characters want and pursue anything you’ll
end up with a lot of chatting and not much story.
‘Understanding the different forms of motivation
and having them as a constant consideration while
planning and implementing a script is a great way to
make sure your story has a clear direction and point.’
There much more on this subject, and related
material to be found at: www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom.
AND FINALLY:
Advice from William
Faulkner, Nobel Prize
Laureate (1897-1962):
‘Read, read, read
everything – trash,
classics, good and bad, and
see how they do it. Just like
a carpenter who works as an
apprentice and studies the master.
Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write.
If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s
not, throw it out the window.’
MAY 2019 7
TITLE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We want to hear your news and views on the writing world, your advice for fellow writers
– and don’t forget to tell us what you would like to see featured in a future issue...

Write to: Letters to the editor, Writing Magazine, Warners letters, a maximum of 250 words, are exclusive to Writing
Group Publications plc, 5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds Magazine. Letters may be edited.)
LS1 5JD; email: letters@writersnews.co.uk. (Include your When referring to previous articles/letters, please state
name and address when emailing letters. Ensure all month of publication and page number.

STAR LETTER
A voyage of discovery
A breed apart I have read that it is a good idea to add a personal touch to
The Miscellany article Every writer an agent application such as ‘I have chosen you because I
needs a cat… (WM, April) made me particularly like such-and-such book you represent’.
smile: ‘…once alone with the cat in I have recently embarked on the journey through my
the room where you work… the cat researched (so far) agent list. On the downside, I have received
will invariably get up on your desk and two rejections (though kindly worded, which was nice) and a
settle under the desk lamp…’ Not in no-reply. However, there is a very good upside: As I pick out and
my house, they don’t! I have Siamese. read a book from each agent’s client list, I am discovering books
Once alone with these attention and authors that I might otherwise not have encountered or
seeking missiles, expect chaos, might have overlooked.
interference and concentration- It may take me longer per agent to apply, but new favourites
shattering activities. make it worth the delay. I keep those ones, to re-read if I ever get
I work with four felines and as soon as the laptop appears, the chance, and give others to my local library.
it is of great interest and to be inspected, sniffed, rubbed against Still, I do hope I find a willing agent before I have to buy
and of course walked on. I don’t know about monkeys producing myself another set of book-shelves!
Shakespeare, but my lot regularly come up with immortal lines like HANNAH FAOILEAN
nnnnnnnnnnnnjsxhcdivckjvfklvcocvokfr. Edinburgh
If the PC is holding my attention, hooking a picture off the
wall, or swiping things off the mantelpiece restores the balance, I had a chuckle at
transferring the human’s focus back to the feline. Jonathan Telfer’s invitation to visit the
And there’s the flying leap, a speciality at which the youngest WM Stand at the London Book Fair (WM, April).
excels . She is able to fly past my face at high speed, just at eye level, His instruction was ‘Come along and find us in the
like a Typhoon jet on manoeuvres. Writers’ Block, next to Author HQ.’ This is usually
Of course it’s not all exuberance. Sometimes they do settle... on somewhere that I rely on WM helping me avoid!
the back of the chair where they restyle my hair with their Velcro HARRY SEAR
tongues. Not only does my head smell of cat food, I invariably
forget and answer the front door with hair looking like a Wookie in
a wind tunnel.
Despite this though, there is one part of the article I truly agree Coming out of her shell
with: ‘The effect of a cat on your concentration is remarkable’.
MADELEINE PURSLOW I really enjoy reading your magazine. Each month I visit my local
Sutton Coldfield newsagent hoping that they still have a copy in-stock for me. I like
reading them from the comfort of my bed with a tea in one hand and
my notebook in the other. In the April issue, ‘Learn to Love Networking’
(pg.10) from the Society of Authors. I found myself feeling sympathetic
towards those writers reading that article. It’s a challenging process putting
The star letter each month earns a copy yourself out there as a writer or just as a person. It is a daunting process
of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2019, meeting new people at a networking event. Especially, if you’re a shy
courtesy of Bloomsbury, person like myself who would rather prefer the safety of their own house.
However, this article has enabled me to give myself a boost of confidence,
www.writersandartists.co.uk which I will be needing soon when I attend a YA course in London.
LAURA JEFFREYS
St Albans, Hertfordshire

8 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


People power
A couple of years ago, I completed an MA in Creative Writing with a distinction. I
skipped out of the University feeling free to take on the big wide world of writing.
Having had some success with getting my work published in anthologies, and the start
of a novel under my belt, I couldn’t imagine anything getting in my way.
I was wrong. The daily grind of being a full time English teacher soon began to
eat away at the time I had once spent writing. Before I knew it, my ambition and
confidence had dissipated into nothing. I lost touch with most of the group, seeing only
their growing successes on my Facebook page. Embarrassment and a growing sense of
failure pushed me further away from that lifestyle and further into myself.
Luckily, a writer’s day at the university has resurrected my passion for writing. After
fighting through my fears about seeing the class again, I tentatively booked onto some of
the workshops and arrived on the day clutching my empty notebook.
By the end of the day, it felt like I had never been away and my belief in both myself
and the writing process had been reborn. Writing can be a lonely pursuit and this proved
to me the power of people was a critical part of creative writing.
LUCY BRIGHTON
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Loving a late start
I want to assure Louise Mayne (WM, April 2019, Talk it Over) that far from not having time on
her side at the age of 60+, she couldn’t choose a better time to begin a writing career. In my mid-
60s, I retired from a full-time job and began writing in earnest. I now have two published novels
to my name and, at the age of 70, am hard at work on a third.
There are several advantages to this later start. Apart from being able to focus exclusively on
my writing, I don’t have to worry about making a living from it; on top of my pension, the extra
income is just a bonus. Physically, I may have slowed down a bit, but my mind is as active as ever
and I now have a creative focus for my retirement with years of experience to draw on.
So please don’t worry about starting later in life. Think of it as something to look forward to.
MIKE SLACK
Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
ea m o n
Dr
Even though I haven’t had great success as
a writer yet, I still have ambitions to be famous.
In April’s Writing Magazine I spotted an article about the
relationship between day dreaming and creativity, immediately linking
my own pen-pushing activities to my imagination. It doesn’t run wild, it flies
off to the brightest galaxies in my head. My page isn’t a blank barrier, it’s a mirror
that reflects the kind of writer I am. As a poet, the joy of gazing into a more exotic
world beyond the rain-polished window. Adrian Magson’s article has encouraged
me to leave behind the ruffled rejection letters and travel to that dreamland of
wide-eyed poets and sharp-fingered scriptwriters once more.
P TURBERVILLE, Ashover, Derbyshire
www.writers-online.co.uk
L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R
I
am
a writer
Your star letter by M Derriman (WM, April) gave me a
lift, as I too struggle as a writer with dyslexia. I have two
self-published books and traditionally published short
stories. People with dyslexia suffer. I mean suffer – mainly
the indignity of being told just how many errors they made
by their children, grandchildren or spouse. Or, receiving a
reply email from someone who’d said that the one I’d sent
them didn’t make sense.
Sometimes it’s typos usually missing letters. I miss the
r from her, the s from this, and no matter how hard or
how long I stare at definitely and defiantly, they both look
identical. I do everything to mitigate my problem. I check
and recheck it on the screen, it looks perfect. I print it off
and read it only to discover missing words that I’ve sworn
I could see a moment ago. Anything important, I send to a
friend, first having read it out loud and confident that this
time it will be perfect. It’s returned with added words and
that annoying squiggly red line.
But today I felt heartened as I read on WM p83, the
wonderful Hilary Mantel quote, ‘Nobody seemed to
understand hat.’ It made me smile.
SUE MACKENDER
Horsell, Surrey
I
am
a writer
‘I am a writer.’ This is how M Derriman’s Star Letter from
your April issue started, moving my little writer heart in
ways I wasn’t expecting.
I’ve always wanted to believe that I am a writer too,
although I rarely have the courage to say it, even to myself.
My little three-year-old self knew it, though; she started to
mimic those quick, elegant hand movements she saw adults
do long before she could form her first letters.
My ten-year-old self knew it as well. She decided to write
her first novel, desperate to be Jo March from Little Women,
without caring whether the plot was well structured, or her
words conveyed the right mood, or if anyone would want
to read it. It never occurred to her that it might not be good
enough, that she should stop because there was no point in
finishing something that poor.
I don’t have any good excuse for having let those little
girls down other than fear; fear of not being good enough,
of being too late to be. Of discovering that, for years, I
managed to convince myself that I was good at something
I am not.
I wish I could say that the fear is gone, that I will finish
my unfinished works and will enter competitions regardless
my doubts. However, today I said aloud that I am a writer.
And I meant it.
MARIBEL VICHO MERCADO
London
MAY 2019 9

Find out what the SoA could do for
you at www.societyofauthors.org and
get 15 months for the price of 12 with
the code WRITINGMAG
W
atch over your
copyright! Copyright
allows you to monetise
and control your creative
work. It is the right to
exploit and to prevent others from exploiting
creative work throughout the world in any
medium for the author’s life plus 70 years.
How do I get copyright?
Work must be recorded in permanent form to
attract copyright protection. However, once
recorded, copyright arises automatically: there
is no need to register your copyright or even
mark it with the © symbol (although that is a
good idea to warn others you own the rights).
The first owner of copyright is the author
(unless created in the course of employment
when it is the employer). The author must be
human; a case in 1927 established that if a
ghost dictates work to a medium the medium
owns the copyright, not the spirit! Copyright
does not exist in ideas but in the form in
which ideas are expressed: suggesting a plot
does not make you an author; a ghost writer
will own the copyright, not the person who
told their story.
Think carefully before assigning your
copyright instead of just giving a licence,
limited in time, scope and territory for the
use of your work. Here’s why:
Payment
An assignment of copyright is not contingent
on the agreed fee being paid. If the assignee
fails to pay, your only remedy will be to sue
for the money but you will not be able to
regain your copyright. If you grant a licence
then failure to pay will normally be a breach
for which you would be entitled to terminate
the licence and have your rights revert.
Exploitation
When anyone wants to use your work you
should only let them have the rights they
have the intention and capacity to exploit
10 MAY 2019
Clarifying
© opyright
Be clear about what copyright is and how assigning
it could affect you with advice from the Society
of Authors’ Nicola Solomon
– now and in the future. Although some
large publishers have international rights
selling departments well able to exploit your
work, others do not. In any case you may
be able to obtain more money by holding
on to some rights and selling them yourself.
Consider only granting rights in certain
territories (say UK) or keeping certain rights
(such as translation or audio). Always try to
grant rights for a limited time – no longer
than the licensee needs to properly exploit
them. If someone presses you to grant rights
which you are uncertain they can exploit
properly, then consider granting a licence
of those rights on condition that they will
revert to you automatically if they have not
been exploited within a certain time (say 12
months). Even if, when you sell the work, you
feel that you will never wish to use it again
you may feel unhappy if it is never exploited
at all. Or your heirs may wish to use it.
Enforcement
If you assign copyright, you have no right to
sue for any infringement. If the assignee feels
unthreatened by an infringement, or that it
would be too expensive to sue, you may have
to stand by and watch your work being freely
copied with no remedy and no claim for
payment.
Alterations
If you assign copyright the new owner can
make additions, corrections or changes without
infringing copyright. If you give a licence,
alterations would be an infringement of
copyright. Although you may retain the moral
right to object to derogatory treatment, there
are plenty of changes that a copyright owner
is entitled to make without reference to you;
for example, changes of the names of all the
characters. In law, you would only have redress
if the changes were prejudicial to your honour
or reputation; the fact that they offended
your aesthetic sensibility would not be strong
enough grounds on which to complain.
www.writers-online.co.uk
Selling on
If you assign copyright the publisher can
make a further assignment to anyone else
even if by doing so it is breaking a term in
the original assignment. Although you will
be entitled to sue for damages for breach
of contract, the sub-assignment will still
be valid unless the purchaser had actual
notice of the prohibition on assignment.
An assignment therefore puts at risk your
control over the ownership of your work,
which could be sold to someone of whom
you strongly disapproved or who you felt
would not exploit the work fully. Licences
on the contrary are generally personal and
non-assignable
Insolvency
If you assign your copyright and the new
owner goes out of business your only
remedy is as a debtor for any unpaid
royalties. The liquidator would be entitled
to sell your copyright without any
obligation on the purchaser to pay you.
If you had granted a licence, it would
automatically terminate on the liquidation
of the publisher, and the liquidator would
not be entitled to reprint or sub license
the work (even on paying your share of
the royalties) unless you consent. A licence
can also prevent your work from becoming
ownerless or ‘orphan’.
Do remember to consult the SoA before
parting with copyright. You will see that
it usually makes sense to hold onto your
copyright and to grant a licence instead.
It should not prevent the publisher from
properly exploiting your work, but means
that if things do go wrong (however
unlikely that seems at the outset) you can
ensure that you have some protection.
Copyright, is rather like your soul. It may
be tempting, like Faust, to sell it in return
for some illusory short-term gain – but
when the going gets tough you may realise
its true value.

On Writing
Tony Rossiter explores great words
from great writers
“”
Having a word limit like 550
really does sharpen the mind up;
B
there are certain things I want to
say in a small space and when I
rewrite this column the rewriting is
always cutting and cutting whilst
keeping the shape and the rhythm
of the piece intact… keeping an
eye on your word count is vital.
© Adrian Mealing
IAN McMILLAN
T
he ‘bard of Barnsley’, Ian McMillan, was writing
about his weekly column in the Yorkshire Post
Magazine. Writing to a specified word count is
a very good discipline. Perhaps it’s more a journalistic
than a creative writing skill, but almost all writing
competitions, fiction or non-fiction, set a stipulated
maximum word count. It’s sensible to stick strictly to the
limit specified. Even a couple of words above that limit
can give the judge(s) an easy reason to reject an entry.
At the writing group I belong to, every month we
all write a piece of prose or poetry on the same theme.
Then at our monthly meeting we hand round copies
of the piece we have written, read it out and receive
feedback. This works pretty well, and I’m always
astonished to see the many different ways in which
people can interpret and write about the same theme.
We have an upper limit – 500 words of prose or
40 lines of poetry. For those who write poetry, the
maximum 40 lines is not a problem. But when it comes
to prose, one or two of our members do not find it easy
to keep to the stipulated maximum.
If you have difficulty reducing the word count of
a piece of writing, it’s worth bearing in mind one of
George Orwell’s famous writing rules: If it is possible to
cut a word out, always cut it out. If you reread what you
have written, I’ll guarantee that you’ll find at least one
or two words that you don’t really need. Look especially
carefully at adjectives and adverbs. Sometimes, of course,
they add essential detail or colour, but sometimes they
provide unnecessary elaboration that just gets in the way
of clear expression. That’s when you need to reach for
the delete key. You may be surprised to see how many
words you can cut out without changing the sense of
what you have written. And, nine times out of ten, what
you’re left with is a better, stronger piece.
www.writers-online.co.uk
AGENT OPTIN
I T LIO
E
N
From the
OTHE R SIDE
OF THE DESK
Literary agent Piers Blofeld
knows where all the ‘invisible’
working class writers are – at the
top of the bestseller lists
efore everyone became utterly focussed on the London Book
Fair, which as I write is just about to happen and which I will
report on next time, the big conversation in publishing has
been about class.
There have been a number of people commenting on the lack of
working class authors but the most high profile was author Kit de
Waal’s Radio 4 programme, Where are all the working class writers?
It started with her talking about walking into her local Waterstones
and asking herself that question.
At which point I confess I groaned a little – because it’s a bit like
walking into Waitrose and wondering where all the working class
people are. As Ian Rankin rather acidly observed on Twitter ‘we’ve
been hiding at the top of the bestseller lists for years’.
Because, Ian Rankin, Martina Cole, Val McDermid or going back
a bit Josephine Cox and Catherine Cookson – and these are just the
ones that sprang instantly to mind – are massively successful and loved.
To suggest that these authors are somehow invisible is a strangely
disrespectful thing to do. As well of course as being just plain wrong.
It’s a subject I feel strongly about because I represent a very
successful author of sagas – novels of working-class life grounded
strongly in her own experience. Saga is of all the genres the least
fashionable, the one that publishers take most for granted and the
least pride in.
But these above all are the books on the supermarket shelves
which most explicitly are by and for and about the working class –
in particular working class women. It is one of the most successful
genres in fiction and yet that fact is never celebrated and I find it
extraordinary that there have been hardly any voices raised in defence,
let alone praise, of it. It is working class through and through and is
read by millions, but it is not sufficiently literary to be noticed.
That invisibility is amplified when one remembers that sagas are
written and read (mostly) by women over the age of fifty – ie, at the
age when women say they become invisible.
An almost more concerning thing from my point of view is not
just that no-one in publishing uttered so much as a peep in defence
not only of astonishingly profitable sagas (which account for fifty
percent of the profits of one of London’s major commercial fiction
lists) or even more ostensibly literary figures like McDermid and
Rankin who have also earned their publishers millions of pounds
and surely also deserved standing up for, but that this is an instant
where publishing might justifiably feel proud of its record – or at
the very least feel it was being unjustly accused. Certainly it is a
point of view which rather maligns an older generation of publishers
who launched and helped build these astonishingly successful
writing careers.
But then that is a curious feature of the whole diversity and
inclusivity debate which is so central to the current conversation in
publishing. Every possible intersection of gender and racial identity
is invited to the party, but older people? Not so much.
MAY 2019 11
FREELANCING
T
here are thousands
of print and digital
magazines, and they
all have one thing
in common – they
need writers. And the
fact that these publications continue to
put out new issues, quarterly, monthly,
and some weekly, means they need a
continuous stream of quality content.
This is good news! With the popularity
of magazines, more content is going to
be needed from those who understand
the industry. Editors look for writers
who know how to write an effective
query, who take the time to research their
publication, who can expand on a good
idea, who are capable of writing a great
piece, and who respect word count and
deadlines. Magazines are also a great way
to build your platform and gain more
writing experience, all while getting paid.
By following the ten tips in this article,
you will be ahead of the game and more
prepared to delve into the world of
magazine writing.
1 Know the process
The process of writing for magazines is
a little different to what you may think.
Rather than write the article first, you
start with your idea, do some initial
research to give you a base knowledge
of the topic, write a query letter (a brief
sales pitch), and pitch to the appropriate
magazine. Once you get the commission
and agree the fee, then you complete
the article. The one exception to this is
personal essays where you write a cover
letter and send the completed essay.
2 Learn the craft
As with any writing, you need to take
the time to learn about magazine
writing. Take classes, go to writing
12 MAY 2019
Definite
article
Kerrie Flanagan lists the top ten things
you need to know to make a success of
events and read books on the topic.
One book I recommend, but I am
completely biased (since it is my book)
is the Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine
Article Writing. Also, read magazines –
lots of them. This will give you a better
understanding of the types of articles
and writing that goes into them.
3 Get ideas
Finding a good idea is the cornerstone
for any article. Lucky for you, ideas are
everywhere, once you start looking at the
world through the eyes of a magazine
writer. The first place to look is at your
own life and experiences.
• Think about your hobbies
• Organisations and causes you
involved with
• Places you have travelled
• Your current or past occupations
• Sports or instruments you play or
have played
• Skills you have (dancing, cooking,
woodworking…)
• Challenges you continually struggle
with (time management, diet,
organisation…)
You can also look in newspapers,
television, magazines, and the internet.
Once you find an idea, think about a
unique angle or slant. Opposites are a
fun approach. Take the idea and create
a slant that is the opposite of the norm.
For instance, how to lose weight without
dieting. You can also break down big
ideas into smaller chunks. An article on
Ireland would be a huge undertaking, but
one highlighting Waterford, the oldest
city in Ireland and home to Waterford
Crystal, would be more manageable.
4 Find markets
Once you have your idea, search for
publications that would be a good fit
www.writers-online.co.uk
Want to get into magazine writing?
article writing
for it. A list of international magazines
and submission information can be
found on websites like Funds for Writers
(https://fundsforwriters.com), Media
Bistro (www.mediabistro.com), and
New Pages. For print resources, market
information can be found in the Writers’
News pages of this magazine and in
Writers Market (www.writersmarket.
com). Study the guidelines so you
understand exactly what the publication
wants. Pay attention to the focus of the
magazine, topics covered, lead time,
rights and payment.
5 Study magazines
Editors want to work with writers who
understand their magazine and their
readers. It is important to take the time
to study the publications you intend
to query. Pay attention to the style and
tone of the articles. Are they written
in first person or third? Is the tone
conversational or more academic? How
often are experts quoted? Then make sure
you understand the readership. Many
magazine websites will feature a media kit
(which is usually under a menu item for
advertisers). This will explain the reader
demographics and other important info
about the publication.
6 Make a plan
It’s good to create a plan with the ideas
you came up with. There are a couple of
ways to approach this. One is to take an
idea and slant it for different magazines.
Usually this a broad topic like parenting
toddlers, or Cairngorms National Park
or beer. Then take the topic and break it
down into a variety of ideas for different
types of magazines such as women’s,
travel, lifestyle, parenting and create your
queries from there. Although the overall
topic may be the same, each idea will

be different enough that you can send
your pitches out around the same time.
Another tactic is to find a magazine you
want to write for and study it. Then
create different ideas specifically geared
toward that publication. For instance,
if you want to have an article in Ideal
Home, read past issues to see the types
of stories they cover and what has been
written about recently. Then make a list
of potential ideas you can write for them.
7 Write an effective
query letter
A query letter is a one-page (max)
sales pitch to the editor of a magazine.
It explains to the editor the direction
you plan to take with the article,
it showcases your writing style and
explains why you are the perfect person
to write it. The basic components of a
query are as follows:
• Salutation. Direct your query to a
specific editor when possible.
• Good hook. Editors are busy people.
They don’t spend their days only reading
queries, so when they do, you want to
catch their attention right away with an
intriguing hook to make them want to
read more.
• Contents. Following the hook, go
into more detail about the topic and the
main points you plan to cover, in two to
five sentences. This shows the editor you
have a solid understanding and direction
for the piece.
• Specifics. Share the estimated
word count, a specific department in
the magazine where the piece fits (if
applicable), experts you plan to interview
and any other pertinent information.
• Purpose. Include what the reader
will get from the article. Will they
be educated, inspired, informed or
entertained? This can be woven in
with the specifics. For example, I am
proposing a 1,200 word article that will
inform your readers about the world-class
vineyards in Tuscany so they can embark
on their own wine adventure.
• Qualifications. This is the place
to highlight why you are the perfect
person to write this piece. If you have
any published articles or other relevant
writing credits, mention those here. If
you don’t, that’s okay, share any related
experiences that show you have a strong
understanding of the topic.
• Call to action. Wrap up with a
sentence that encourages the editor to
reach out to you. For example: I look
forward to talking with you more about
this idea.
• Closing. End with your name and be
sure to include your contact information.
8 Write the article
After all your hard work, the editor
replies and says he wants to buy the
article from you. There should be a
contract to sign with all the details about
word count, deadline and payment
included. Once that is signed it is time to
go to work and write the article. Keep in
mind everything you learned when you
studied the magazine regarding style and
tone. If you are unsure how to get started,
you might find it helpful to create an
outline first. Look at the information you
currently have and what you included in
your query. Pick out the key points and
use those as your main headings. Then
create subheadings under those to fill in
the details. Take note of places where you
need to do more research and/or need to
schedule an interview with someone.
Keep in mind the elements of
strong writing:
• Create a good flow with your sentences
and the order of the information.
• Be clear and succinct with your writing.
• Vary the sentence structure.
• Use strong verbs.
• Be specific.
• Check your facts.
When you have your rough draft
finished, go back to make any edits. Stay
within your assigned word count. Editors
have limited space for each article, so it’s
important you respect that and stick to it.
File your copy by the deadline
given. This will give you a better
chance of getting future commissions
with this publication.
9 Stay organised
Once you begin submitting queries
and getting commissioned, having an
organisation system in place to track
everything is important. The kind of
system you create should be based on
what works for you. It can be as simple
as writing it all down in a notebook or
creating something on your computer.
I use an Excel spreadsheet to track
my submissions, a whiteboard where
I write down my assignments and
deadlines and a notebook to hold
invoices I send out.
With submissions, the information you
want to track is:
• Article title
www.writers-online.co.uk
FREELANCING
• Type (Is it a query or the full article)
• Publication
• Name of editor you sent it to
• Email or physical address
• Date sent out
• Response – was it a yes, no or a note
from the editor
• Follow up (if you don’t hear from the
editor within a few weeks, send a quick
follow up and track the date you send it)
• Deadline of article if you get a yes
• Payment amount if you get a yes
• As you complete assignments and your
articles get published, ask the editor if you
can get pdfs of the finished piece for your
files. Create a folder on your computer to
save these so you have them to highlight
on your website. You can also use them as
writing samples to send to future editors
you query.
10 Set future goals
Having a plan can help you be more
productive and goal setting is a great
way to achieve this. Goals give us a
direction and allow us to be more
focused. Think about what you want
to accomplish. Be realistic and take
into account how much time you
have to devote to magazine writing,
other obligations in your life and your
experience level. If you are just starting
out, a goal of writing and publishing
twenty articles over the next six months
would be difficult to accomplish.
You want to create goals that you can
realistically attain.
Write down one or two detailed big
goals like, ‘I will get six commissions that
pay at least £75 over the next six months.’
Break these big goals into smaller
monthly goals. For instance, ‘I will send
out eight queries each month.’ Then
write down the specific action steps you
are going to take each week that will help
you accomplish your goals. One week it
might be, ‘I will spend two hours creating
a list of ideas and two hours researching
potential markets.’ The next week
could be, ‘I will spend three hours
writing four queries.’
Writing for magazines allows
you to explore new topics,
meet new people and expand
your writing skills. When you
understand the process, take the
time to study the magazines and
learn to write effective queries,
you will achieve success and see your
name in print.
MAY 2019 13
I N S P I R AT I O N
ideas
Stuck for content ideas? Fear not, with advice from author
Rachel Brimble, the solution is at your fingertips
I
n today’s manic and busy world
of social media obsession,
there is an innate hunger
for immediate information,
answers and entertainment. As
writers, how do we ensure we have an
endless stream of content ideas? Not
just for social media platforms, but for
blogs, magazine articles and features.
This was something I’d always
struggled with… until recently. Then
I discovered a sure-fire way that
guarantees I never run out of engaging,
useful subjects to share across all media
avenues… and it is so simple.
Each of us has subjects we talk
about all the time.
In fact, we might talk about them
so openly and easily that we don’t
even realise we possess a specialist
subject. Maybe you work with
animals, jewellery, mechanics, beauty
products, farming… these are your
‘business’ areas of expertise. But what
about your personal life? Hobbies?
Interests? Passions? Maybe you’re a
stay at home parent, an avid painter,
a cyclist, a dog owner…
Stepping back and taking a moment
to list everything that touches your
life throughout the week, month and
year, will provide you with subjects of
14 MAY 2019
interest and, more importantly, vitally
useful advice and wisdom that readers
would love to know.
Once you’ve identified a few
subjects that tend to pop up in
everyday conversation almost without
you having to think about it, you’ve
found your springboard. The basic
foundation topics which you can break
down and write about for various
websites, magazines and social media.
Editors aren’t looking for an article
that covers a subject in such a broad
way it is little use (keyword!) to
anyone. They want specific content
that will excite, appeal and encourage.
They want readers to come back. To
further their knowledge and learn.
You need only two or three
specialist subjects and you’ll have
endless writing ideas at your
fingertips.
My process is simple – as I’m
a romance novelist, let’s take
romance writing.
First, I need to identify
my big topics:
• Romance writing industry
• Historical periods
• Writing process
• Planning/time management
www.writers-online.co.uk
All of these are content ideas in
themselves, but what if we break them
down into smaller topics?
• Romance writing industry:
associations/conferences/romance
tropes/bestsellers/book-to-film
adaptations
• Writing process: finding ideas/heroes
and heroines/settings/characterisation/
plotting/marketing
Already we have many topics that
could be used as a blog post, a social
media post, an article, video, podcast
or part of a monthly newsletter.
But what if we break these smaller
topics down again?
• Finding ideas: historical places of
interest/occupations/news stories/
documentaries/your life
• Romance tropes: hidden pregnancy/
reunion stories/enemies to lovers/
marriage of convenience
All of these subjects (even at their
smallest) can be used for content over
many, many platforms. For each one,
a great starting point is to write the
post thinking about the how/why/
who/what/where – this will provide
plenty of fodder your reader can
consider as well as entertaining and
educating them at the same time.
The reason you are writing a post

or article is because you want to give
value to your reader. As you write,
provide information that has the
potential to improve or enhance their
lives. Show it is a need to help that
led you to write about this specific
subject. You want to show how you
learned/achieved these things that
bolstered your life and that the reader
can learn them, too.
This concept applies as much to
fiction genres as it does to non-fiction.
In fact, it almost always applies to
pastimes, passions and dreams, too.
For example, my next passion to
writing is knitting – so let’s consider
how I could use this process of
content creation to approach knitting
magazines, blogs etc.
Big topics
• Different types of stitches
• Easy/intermediate/expert patterns
• Seasonal
• Charity knitting
Smaller topics
• Stitches: how to knit/purl/cable stitch
• Charity knitting: discuss the
hospitals/animal charities/children’s
charities constantly appealing for
blankets/toys/cardigans/jumpers
Smallest topics
• Easy/intermediate/expert: how to
know when you’re ready for the next
level/where training videos etc can be
found/what helped me
• Seasonal: the most popular
knitting projects during the
summer/autumn/winter/spring or
a fun picture diary of me knitting
through the year and where!
• Or how about a book commission
on an historical figure or place? A
huge project that would require
structure and be useful to someone
who might be using the book as a
reference source. You could start your
helpful article with section headings
for their book and what to include.
Suggest the reader could go on to
break those sections into chapters and
then paragraphs.
The key? Be specific. Provide useful
tips/knowledge. Encourage the reader
that the challenge or subject they wish
to be involved with, conquer or master
is achievable and you’re here to help.
Make your work easy to
find and follow
In the highly competitive world of
Google searches and social media
followers, it’s important to do all you
can to ensure your piece stands out.
For an article, you need to show an
editor your information is something
a reader needs and wants to know.
That the knowledge you wish to
share helped you in a specific way
and it will others, too.
For social media, your newsletter
or blog, considering Google searches
as you write is imperative – think
carefully about your title and content.
Use keywords that will lead your
ideal reader to you if they were to do
a random search.
Let me take an example of a
different kind of industry to illustrate
what I mean – book writing and
knitting are product based, but
what if your knowledge, passion and
expertise lies in the service sector?
Maybe you have experience in
accountancy, were a solicitor or an
estate agent. Let’s use an example of
someone who is a business coach and
runs an online consultancy business.
This is an area that floods social
media accounts, especially Instagram.
Why? Because people love the
idea of financial freedom and
entrepreneurship where they are free
to make their own decisions as and
when they like.
What would be a few key words
that could make this kind of service
stand out? First, let’s imagine what
someone looking to set up their own
business might type into Google.
• How do I start a
SERVICE-BASED business?
• How do I MARKET my
consultancy business?
• Which is the MOST EFFECTIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM for
my business?
• Where can I find a course on
TIME MANAGEMENT?
These search examples will lead
you to immediately recognising the
key words that need to be prevalent
within your post… they should
always inspire more content ideas
that can broken down and broken
down again.
It’s important to include content
that is specific and useful – you have
written this piece to help the reader,
www.writers-online.co.uk
C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G
not yourself. You want them to hear
your enthusiasm, love how it bettered
your enjoyment of life or gave you
another step forward in your chosen
career. You’re being open, showing
integrity and generosity in sharing
your experiences and inspiring others.
Another way to encourage
followers on your social media
accounts and articles is to show a
little of you. Who are you behind
the words? What makes you happy?
What excites you? Letting a reader
get to know you as a person builds
interest, engagement and, hopefully,
a reader who will actively seek out
your work.
Find the courage to allow a peek
into your life and how your success
and knowledge reflects in your
day-to-day life. Maybe add some
personal photos every now and
then, or a short live Facebook or
Instagram video. These scenarios
can be ultra-intimidating to a writer
used to spending hours alone with
their laptop but, in today’s world,
they are vital to promoting you and
your work.
I am saying this from my own
experience – vulnerability does not
sit well with me and I’m pretty sure
it doesn’t for most people. Share only
as much as you are comfortable with
and you know will help and add
value for your reader. People often
remember real-life footage more than
they do someone just telling them
about a subject.
It makes absolute sense for your
ideal reader to feel every ounce of
your excitement, right?
Writing in an upbeat,
straightforward and entertaining
way on a specific aspect of a
broad subject is a fail-safe way
to ensure you have topics of
interest and usefulness that
readers will find enjoyable
and of all-important value.
This is what, as writers,
we are aiming to deliver
with everything we write,
whether that be novels,
articles, non-fiction
reference books, blog posts
or social media.
So, go forth and help your
readers, you never need run out
of content ideas ever again…
happy writing!
MAY 2019 15

Taylor Jenkins-Reid mimics music journalism to tell an unconventional and wholly convincing
rock’n’roll story in her new novel.Tina Jackson learns how she pieced it together
Y
ou may not have yet
heard of Daisy Jones
and The Six, but with
a publishers’ lead title,
celebrity endorsements
and an Amazon Prime TV series in
the pipeline, chances are that by the
end of the year you’ll want to track
down Daisy’s music and play it, even
though the fabulous 1970s songbird
has never existed.
Daisy’s creator, Taylor Jenkins
Reid will be more familiar to US
readers than UK ones; Daisy Jones
and The Six is the first of her six
novels to be published in the UK. It’s
16 MAY 2019
Band on
the page
a showstopping introduction to her
though: a wholly immersive fiction,
told as oral history, through first-person
interviews with everyone who was
there, about the tangled relationships
behind the Stevie Nicks-like figure of
Daisy and the rise to fame of a band of
country rock superstars.
‘It’s a book I never thought I would
write,’ says Taylor down the phone from
the West Coast. ‘I didn’t even know if
I had permission to write it! I’m not a
rock person, not really, but I’ve always
loved Fleetwood Mac, though I’m more
a Beyoncé, Cardi B type of person.’
Taylor may not be a 70s rock
www.writers-online.co.uk
person, but she clearly understands
its personalities, weaving together the
tangled strands of a story of the star-
crossed song-writing partnership of
Daisy and lead singer Billy – a man
with his own demons whose earth-
mother wife Camila is his creative
muse until flawed, charismatic Daisy
begins to exert her influence.
‘I’ve always been drawn to singers
who write about each other,’ says
Taylor. ‘Stevie Nicks and Lindsey
Buckingham were writing songs,
and writing them about each other.
I’ve always been fascinated by that.
So that was the beginning of it.

And I was into this band called The
Civil Wars,
ars, and they had this certain
chemistry, writing these really
eally intimate
lyrics – just passionate stuff.. I thought
they had to be together,, but they weren’t
– they weree with other people. And then
out of the blue they just broke up.. And
I was interested in how this had come
about. So I’ve always been intrigued.’
Taylor’s breakthrough novel, 2017’s
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – a
behind-the-scenes look at the secret life
of a reclusive 1960s screen siren – was
her first book to tackle celebrity culture,
and she thought she had done with it.
But then the idea for Daisy Jones
ones came
along. ‘Evelyn Hugo was so much about
the difference between
een what the public
sees and what the truth is,’ says T Taylor.
‘And I’dd written one book about a famous
person. And I got halfway through my
pitch and my agent says, you hav have to
write this book. And there it was. The
100mph.’
train left the station at 100mph.
It certainly
tainly did – Reese Witherspoon’s
Witherspoon
Hello Sunshine
unshine production company
bought the book before it found a
publisher,, and it was sold to Amazon
Studios as a co-production.
oduction. ‘The TV deal
was one of the most interesting times
in my career,’ says Taylor.. ‘I finished the
book and sent it to my agent in New
York – I have a team here in LA too –
and she took to it immediately, which is
incredibly fortunate. Most of the time
what you get is, I really like this, and
this, but here’s something you need to
change. She and the rest of my team
gr adaptation.
felt this could be a great
I’d written this book out of contract
so I had the incredible experience of
selling it to Reese Witherspoon beforebefor
it was sold to a publisher. The TV is
being written by Scott Neustadter and
Michael H Weber. It all came together
really organically and what they
bought is what the book is.’
Daisy Jones and The Six’s standout
quality is that, written as interwoven
first-person interviews with the people
who were there, it feels like a genuine
evocation
ocation of a larger-than-life rock
r a rock novel that was fun to read,
and roll story.
stor . ‘I thought a lot about
it before I started
started writing,’ says Taylor.
‘We love rock
ock stories, as a culture
cultur we’re
fascinated, and a lot of the reason
r best recent novel about rock’n’roll
rock documentaries are are so successful
is wee want to hear about it directly.
dir
Through their own words words – you feel
as if you’re spending time. So So in order
TAP for it to feel real, and propulsive,
propulsive, it
HERE had to mimic those styles.’
styles.
To purchase The narrativee style will be familiar
to readers
eaders of celebrity interviews;
inter less
so to readers
eaders of popular fiction. ‘I can
see that this is a really
eally complex way to
tell a story,’ says Taylor.
aylor. ‘There aren’t
many novels els written as an oral history.
We’re used to seeing rock stars telling
LISTEN crazy stories and this one just happens
TAP to be fiction. People get really into it,
HERE saying it feels like Fleetwood
F Mac, it
To hear
an extract feels like Almost Famous. It’s what you
from like, but different.’
Daisy Jones She’s excited about Daisy Jones
and the Six
being published in the UK. ‘It’s my
“We love rock stories, as a culture
we’re fascinated, and a lot of the
reason rock documentaries are
so successful is we want to hear
about it directly. Through their
own words – you feel as if you’re
spending time. So in order for it to
feel real, and propulsive, it had to
mimic those styles.”
www.writers-online.co.uk
S TA R I N T E RV I E W
first book to sell in the UK and my
sixth book overall so you hope you’re
getting better and better. I’ve written
a book a year for six years and I’m
getting better. Daisy Jones is my most
ambitious book.’
It’s
It’ hard to think of a rock-themed
novel prior to Daisy Jones that has
worked – what did Taylor do that
was different? ‘I thought of why
most rock novels
no don’t work and did
a lot of research on them. I did feel
that if someone was going to write
r
what right did I have
hav to do it? I felt a
little out of my depth. And I will say,
say
by and large what is considered
consider the
r is
Jennifer Egan’s A V Visit from the Goon
Squad.
Squad And it’s a non-traditional
narrative – so I thought, maybe a
third person narrative
narrativ doesn’t work.
Telling it as oral history
histor allowed me
to capture some of the energy.’
energy
Another issue she faced in writing
a rock novel
nov was believability. ‘I had
that problem about things not being
too outrageous too.
too I was reading
about Keith
K Richards and Stevie
Nicks and Mick Jagger and there
are things that are so outlandish
and absurd you can only believe it
because you know it’s true. Stevie
Nicks is supposed to have done so
much cocaine there was a hole in her
nose – that’s so crazy that if I put it
in a book it would seem a little far-
fetched. So you are limited. It has to
MAY 2019 17
feel OTT and larger than life but it
can’t feel untrue.’
Messed up and gifted, Daisy has
been crafted by Taylor so that readers
understand her as a woman before
they get to grips with the larger-than-
life existence of 1970s rock fame. ‘It
was really important to me that Daisy
be a flawed and vulnerable, out of this
world person,’ insists Taylor. ‘I hadn’t
written someone like that before – all
my lead characters had been women
who really tried, and Evelyn was so
very strong. But I wanted to write
someone who was broken, and you
wanted her to fix herself.’
Taylor’s first four books were
contemporary women’s fiction.
‘They were very different from
Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones – they’re
contemporary women about facing
a dilemma in their love lives.’ The
lead characters were recognisable,
everyday women. ‘They were all
people trying to do their best; they’d
never do anything that wrong. I was
attempting likeability. In my own life
I strive to be likeable – that’s what
women do. I’m proud of those books.
I love those books.’
Writing Evelyn Hugo was a massive
change of direction
ection –and a gamble
that paid off.. ‘I started writing
women that are really complicated.
“I really like jumping from one
storyline to another – I can use the
intercutting of narrative to help
with pacing. Later, I can go through
it and move things. If Daisy is
talking for two pages I can intercut
with something else.”
18 MAY 2019
A lot of people don’t like Evelyn,
or don’t like her but loved reading
about her, or think that she’s their
new hero. And Daisy Jones is a lot
of things – even as a writer, I’m
like, Daisy, don’t do that! And talk
about a privileged woman! She’s
beautiful, she’s got money. It’s really
satisfying, as a writer, to tackle these
complicated women, and make them
as flawed and tender as they are.
The core of them is good. I decided
I wanted to write more complicated
women – I thought, I want to write
this, I don’t care what it looks like,
this is what it was. Writing Evelyn
Hugo I was in the zone, more myself
TAP than it’s ever been. It was so exciting.
HERE
And after I didn’t have any more
To purchase
reason to talk about the difference
between what things look like and
what things feel like.’ Until Daisy.
Writing about women and celebrity
has provided Taylor with a way of
talking about fame culture and its effect
on women – and not just famous ones.
LISTEN ‘I’m really interested in fame,’ she says.
TAP ‘In the way our culture builds people
HERE up and breaks them down, and what
To hear we ask of famous woman, to be so
an extract
from perfect we want to be them, but not
The Seven never be them.
so perfect we could nev
Husbands of We ask so much of them and I find it
Evelyn Hugo
absolutely fascinating. I’d just written
www.writers-online.co.uk
an actress, and now a musician – but it’s
feeding into a person’s psyche and writing
about famous woman is allowing me to
write about real woman. There’s little
difference between being famous in the
‘60s and ‘70s and being on Twitter or
Instagram today – we’re all presenting
a narrative and putting it out there. I
think that all the women in the story
are dealing with things we’re still dealing
with today. The truth behind the façade
is relevant to the reader. We’re all façade.’
How does she make her very famous
women and their outrageous lifestyles
accessible to readers? ‘The sweet spot
is to say, let’s talk about this really
everyday feeling in this incredible
setting, which is intoxicating. Just like
a lot of women, Daisy doesn’t like
herself yet. There are things about her
we can all relate to as women. Daisy
has more social power and allure. But
she’s still a woman.’ Continuing with
what is obviously a winning streak,
Taylor’s next book is another California
story, set in the shadow of celebrity,
about dealing with the limelight.
At the core of all Taylor’s novels, Daisy
included, are questions about women’s
identity in the world she has created for
them. ‘Any story I’m going to write is
about what it’s like to be a woman in
this world – that’s what I’m drawn to,’
she says. ‘I’m setting this story in ‘70s

rock, so how much do I make this a story
about women? So I started looking at the
female artists who made a name then–
and I focused my attention on what it
was like to be a woman in that period.
Daisy and Camila and Simone and Karen
[the four women characters in Daisy
Jones] are all very different ways of being
a woman at that time.’
Although Daisy Jones isn’t a
conventional romance, love is a central
theme in each book Taylor writes.
‘I’ve always been drawn to love stories,
from the day I was born,’ she says. ‘I’ve
always been drawn to love. But love
can be portrayed as a very saccharine,
easy thing, and it’s not. Love is a very
complex thing that I love writing
about as it pertains to real life. Love
stories that are messy, that don’t have
easy answers. This is the first book I’ve
written that isn’t a full romance.’
Taylor did not always know that she
wanted to be a writer. ‘I worked as a
casting assistant in LA and I sort of
had this feeling that I liked the job, but
it wasn’t it,’ she remembers. ‘As a fun
thing, I started writing anecdotal stories
about my life, trying to make it funny,
and I’d send it to my friends. I was
getting really good feedback, and people
said, you should be a writer. I think I
needed someone to tell me that I could.’
What she was writing was based in
real life, not fiction. ‘I thought, I should
write fiction – I’m going to run out of
things that happen to me. So I write a
short story, and it ended up being 50,000
words, and I sent it to a friend who
sent it to a friend, and I got an agent.
That story didn’t sell, but I knew what I
wanted to do. I wrote another one.’
To do so, she gave herself a tight
window. ‘I asked my husband if I
could take two months off work and
he could pay the bills, and he said
yes. I wrote what was my debut novel
in those two months. Two drafts.
I got up, wrote, and got this thing
done in thirty days. I didn’t want to
take advantage of this person paying
my bills. I was at the library every
day, noon to 7.30. And one day I fell
short of my wordcount, and stayed til
I’d finished it. If I could go back, I’d
say, take more time.’
Her way of working begins by
imagining a scenario. ‘I start with a
time and place, and an atmosphere
I want to be in. For Daisy that was
singers and the Sunset Strip. And
I think what my premise is and a
general arc for the story. And that’s it.
I do my research – books, podcasts,
watch a lot of TV, and understand
the stories that have been told in this
space. And then I start writing. I aim
to do a first draft in about six weeks.
I just keep going and hope that the
story comes to me and the characters
start to make sense over time.’
She doesn’t expect the first draft
to be anything other than that – a
first draft. ‘In general my first draft
is not good,’ she admits. ‘I have no
idea what is going to happen to a
character and that creates a mental
exhaustion of imagining it. The
second draft is where it takes shape –
me going through and going, now I
know what my book’s about. When I
was writing it, I was finding out what
www.writers-online.co.uk
S TA R I N T E RV I E W
happened, and by the end, in theory
I had. A lot of the work of the second
draft is making the beginning work.’
She found using multiple voices
in Daisy Jones simplified her process
rather than complicating it. ‘I really
like jumping from one storyline to
another – I can use the intercutting
of narrative to help with pacing.
Later, I can go through it and move
things. If Daisy is talking for two
pages I can intercut with something
else. Once you get to the end of a
book you can see. But it was choppy
when I was writing it. Creating so
many characters and having them
speak directly was fun.’
Taylor’s advice to writers is to
follow their heart in terms of subject
matter, and write the book they
want to read. ‘I’d say, don’t make
the mistake of waiting for someone
to give you permission. If you want
to do it, do it. Plenty of great books
start out as bad first drafts. You can
always edit a bad book. Just go and
do it and don’t wait for someone
else to tell you what to do. I started
writing for an imaginary version of
myself, and I still do that. If there’s
a book that you need, you write it
yourself. The setting for Daisy and
Evelyn, a 60s movie star and a 70s
rock goddess, that’s exciting. But
the character studies are for women
like me who need to see themselves
reflected in a book. To say, it’s okay
to love anyone you want, to choose
yourself sometimes. When I see
myself reflected in a book, it makes
me feel better.’
MAY 2019 19
How I got
I N S P I R I N G WO R D S

published
NICKI THORNTON
The debut author tells Dolores Gordon Smith how her
novel, The Last Chance Hotel, won the Times/Chicken House
Children’s Fiction Competition in 2016.

‘I think the thing that most appealed to your book to different countries, getting it
me about entering the Times/Chicken House reviewed and finding you a readership.
Children’s Fiction Competition was that I knew ‘To get your story published all you really

‘I
t’s pretty unusual these days for
publishers to accept unsolicited
manuscripts rather than expecting all
authors to come via an agent.
‘Getting an agent is a very daunting task –
for a start, there are so many and each one has
different tastes and requirements. Where do
you even begin?
‘I just looked at that and thought, well, this
is definitely never going to happen.
‘I just liked writing, really. That seemed to be
the fun part. There was always a story lurking
somewhere at the back of my mind.
‘I had one story that I wished would go
away as I knew it was going to be difficult
to write – but story ideas do have a habit of
drifting to the front of your brain every time
you are washing up or driving the cat to the
vet. Mine involved a Roald Dahl-type of
downtrodden hero, Seth, who was going to be
saved by magic. But first he was going to be
accused of murder.
someone would read my story. I knew writing a
fantasy murder-mystery for children was going to
be a challenge. But the competition was a chance
just to finally have a stab at writing it all down
and getting it out of my head.
‘Chicken House opens its doors to submissions
once a year via the competition and to enter,
you just send them the whole manuscript, plus a
synopsis and covering letter.
‘The prize is that every year, they choose a
winner and the winning book is published.
I never expected that my own journey to
publication would come via winning a Golden
Ticket, but that’s exactly what it felt like when I
won the prize in 2016.
‘It’s been a most amazing journey. I was
assigned a wonderful (and patient) editor
who managed to make sense of my story and
tease out of it something that was worthy of
being published.
‘And not just that, you have a whole team
behind you, designing a brilliant jacket, selling
need is a publisher willing to take a chance
and I think it’s no surprise that Chicken
House has this amazing reputation for
understanding debut authors.
‘This year has seen three titles published that
have found their way on to Chicken House’s list
through the competition as they look beyond the
winner for books they want to publish.
‘It’s a refreshingly different way of recruiting
new authors, and the fact that the competition
has now entered its tenth year marks out Chicken
House as not just a publisher that understands
unpublished authors, but who dares to do things
just a little differently.
‘If you’ve got a story that wants to be written,
write it down. And then send it in.
‘I would really urge anyone to enter. The first
prize is a publishing deal with Chicken House
with a £10,000 advance. But the best part of the
prize is working with one of the best publishing
teams anywhere. There is no doubt in my mind,
magic truly does happen.’

Kesia Lupo, editor, Chicken House

‘Every reader for our annual Times/Chicken House
Children’s Fiction Competition reads well over
100 entries – and the standard is higher each year.
Sometimes it’s tough to choose which ones to take
forward to the longlist… But at other times, it’s
really easy! Even from the first scene, I knew Nicki
Thornton’s story was special.  ‘The world of the novel is caught in that sweet spot between reality
‘Seth is the kitchen boy at the remote Last
Chance Hotel, where he’s oppressed by the horrible Dahl-esque Bunn family.
I was instantly struck by Nicki’s warm and engaging tone as she described
Seth’s life in the kitchen – his hopes and dreams (to become a chef!) and the
mysterious conference of magicians descending upon his workplace. It was a
great start: I settled down with a cup of tea and prepared to be entertained.
‘Nicki has a wonderful eye for character and dialogue, summing up a
character in a single description or line of speech, and as the story continued,
I only grew more convinced that this was a classic in the making. The Last
Chance Hotel is a locked-room murder mystery like no other with a truly
wonderful cast of suspects. Seth has to investigate the murder in order to
clear his own name, which gives the story a fantastic forward momentum.
In doing so, he stumbles upon a world of very real and sometimes very dark
magic… and his best friend is a talking cat called Nightshade. What more
could a middle-grade reader want?
and fantasy – rather like Harry Potter, but in its own, original way.
Even though the plot needed further development and thinking-
through (we editors have to have something to do!) the original quality
of this world and the “Agatha Christie meets Harry Potter” plot was
very compelling. We’re not looking for polish but rather potential,
originality and creativity, and that’s why we’d like to encourage anyone
with a children’s story to tell to enter this year’s competition. Nicki’s
novel has proved a genuine hit with retailers and readers alike – maybe
yours could too!’

20 MAY 2019
? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ?? ?
? ? ?
? ? ? ?? ? ?
Ask a Literary Consultant
? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?
?? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
After the London Book Fair, Helen Corner Bryant responds to queries
about what agents are looking for right now
R
ather than answer one question this month, I’d like to
address a summary of queries from authors about agents
that we gathered over the course of this year’s London
Book Fair.
We had a productive time at LBF, largely spent meeting
agents and authors. To all those who came by our stall, it was lovely to
see you in person and have a chat! We shared a stall in Writer’s Block
with our Professional Writing Academy partners (who run our online
Edit Your Novel and Find an Agent course), and our stall happened to
be next to Writing Magazine! I also gave a talk in Author HQ about
how to edit your novel, followed by a Q&A, as part of LBF’s Insights
Programme. We live-tweeted the event, so answers to specific questions
from the Q&A can be found @CornerstonesLit on the #EditYourNovel.
Whilst at the fair, one burning question kept cropping up: what and
who are agents looking for? During our agent meetings, we noted which
manuscripts appealed to agents most, and also what kind of author
agents are looking to work with, picking up lots of snippets and insights
along the way.
What agents look for
Leaving the Brexit-shaped elephant in the room to one side, we saw
strong demand for the following genres in non-fiction: narrative non-
fiction; true crime; feminist non-fiction, transformational memoirs;
children’s non-fiction. For fiction, agents were particularly eager to
see original stories both from and for under-represented communities
written in an authentic voice (this was the heatseeker at the fair). They
also expressed interest in: crime; upmarket women’s and ‘uplit’; and
funny middle-grade stories (perennially popular and hard to come by).
Side note: do let us know if you’re writing in these genres – agents keep
us informed of what they’re looking for and when something comes in
that fits the bill we race to connect the dots. Most exciting of all for us
at Cornerstones, we were pleased to hear that debut novels continue to
whip up a storm in the publishing world.
In essence, agents want: a unique, authentic voice; a well-written novel
that brings a fresh insight to the market; a pacy, page-turning, tension-
filled, emotionally gripping story. Most of all, characters that they fall in
love with and root for; your protagonist doesn’t have to be likeable but
The UK’s leading
# 1 TR A N SATL A N TI C L I TE R A RY C O N SU LTA N C Y
literary consultancy
“ Cornerstones paired me with a fantastic editor who helped me to turn
my raw draft into a submittable one. Helen then passed me through
to my hands-on agent. We did further revisions and one year on,
I have a dream two-book deal with Headline!
Emily Gunnis, The Girl in the Letter, Headline
Call Helen Corner-Bryant +44 (0) 1308 897374 • www.cornerstones.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk
there has to be a deep reader connection. Ideally, agents are after a story
that can be pitched in a couple of seconds, and one that gets publishers
running to promote it at their acquisitions meeting.
Who agents look for
What agents won’t necessarily let on is who their ideal author might be.
While every agent is different – and some will care more about certain
qualities than others – all of them will want a professional, workable
relationship. Think of it as a business marriage, where trust is key. An
agent needs to know that you can deliver and that you’ll be presentable
to publishers. Any whiff of ‘loose cannon’ behaviour tends to put their
offers-for-representation brakes on. We heard several authors say that
they had emailed agents in advance for meetings and, having not heard
back, had found a way in to the agents’ floor. This displays tenacity on
one level but ultimately it’s a big no-no. For the vast majority of agents,
LBF is an opportunity to schedule in advance meetings with publishers
to sell-in their existing clients. It’s not a time to meet prospective
authors. It’s also worth noting that if you’re querying agents around
LBF, one of two things may happen to your submission: it may become
buried in the slush pile and require a gentle nudge post-LBF, or it may
be snapped up as a wild card entry – though uncommon, some agents
are known to do this.
Regarding industry etiquette, we had one meeting with an agent
who told us they had been discussing a prospective author with another
agent. Both of them realised that the author had been pitting them
against each other, creating a false fervour, and a feeling of mistrust had
crept in. We always urge authors to be as transparent as possible when
submitting to agents, ie if you get a manuscript call in from one agent,
it’s imperative to let the others know in case it changes anything for
them. But stick to the facts! Be wary of your rights too: if you receive an
offer for representation, don’t feel pressured to accept immediately – the
author/agent fit has to feel right and it’s good to be able to weigh your
options. In that situation, you should thank the agent and ask if you can
have a week or so to let the other agents know.
In summary, agents are looking for a personable, business relationship
with you and a fantastic book to pitch to publishers. Then, they’re
looking for book two, three, four and fifty-plus.
Developmental editing
and mentoring
Copyediting and proofreading
” Scouts for literary agents
MAY 2019 21
 SCREEN How often are writers accurately portrayed on screen?
From first-draft bestsellers to journalists who never file

PRINT copy, not that often, but Michael Renouf picks some
that are closer to reality.

Genius (2016) Julie and Julia

Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) (2009)
had been turned down Many films are based
by nearly every editor in on a true story but how
town, but then he meet many are based on two
Max Perkins (Colin Firth) and a blog? Julie and
who has an eye for talented Julia falls into that
scribblers – he also publishes very narrow category,
Hemingway and Fitzgerald telling the parallel
– who could see what all the others missed: stories of American cook Julia Child and
Wolfe was a genius, though inclined to be too wordy, on the page and off. blogger Julie Powell.
Law puts in a fine performance as the over-exuberant author and the two men Bubbly Child (Meryl Streep) moves to Paris
form a firm friendship which becomes strained when Max has to edit Of Time and in 1949 with her husband, and embraces the
the River. Wolfe finds it very hard to accept any changes to his book and feels every lifestyle and cuisine, so much so that she enrols
paragraph, sentence and even word is necessary, but at over 5,000 pages long Max in cooking school and ends up being involved
cannot publish it in the form presented to him and the two men have to cut great in the writing of a cookbook.
swathes of his storytelling. The film cuts back and forth to Julie Powell
This true tale shows not only the writer’s perspective but also highlights the skills of (Amy Adams) who – over fifty years later
one of the unseen giants of New York publishing, and what editors endure to bring one – decides to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s
person’s script to the public. book in 365 days, while writing a blog about
the momentous challenge she has set herself,
maintain her relationship with her husband
and hold down a full-time job.

Finding Forrester
(2000)
Directed by Gus Van Sant,
Finding Forrester is the story
of reclusive writer William
Forrester (Sean Connery)
and his chance meeting
with sixteen-year-old Jamal Wallace (Rob
Brown) that shapes both of their futures.
Jamal has two talents, one for basketball and
the other for writing but hides his academic
abilities from friends, until his test scores
prompt a prestigious school to offer him a
scholarship. Meanwhile, he is mentored by
the grumpily charismatic Scot, who has only
had one book published, the Pulitzer Prize
winning Avalon Landing. The film speculates
on what the author was really trying to tell us
and why he only had one book published but
most constructively throughout, Jamal, and
the audience, are treated to choice lessons on
how to write from Forrester, said to be based
on JD Salinger.
A warm, moving and inspiring movie.
Philomena (2013)
Philomena is a moving and disturbing film,
exposing the forced adoption scandal of children being sold by the Roman Catholic
Church in Ireland to wealthy American’s in the 1950s, based on Martin Sixsmith’s 2009
book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee. Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) falls pregnant out
of wedlock and like thousands of other young girls of the era, who for all intents and
purposes are kept as slave labour by the church, is allowed to see her young son for only
an hour a day. One day he is taken from the monastery to his new life in America and
poor Philomena does not even get the chance to say goodbye.
She bottles up the secret for decades until she tells her daughter, who manages to
involve author and ex-BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan).
Sixsmith is initially reluctant to cover a human interest story but relents after losing
his job. With his journalistic contacts and Philomena’s fortitude, the search for young
Anthony starts in earnest. She is driven by a mother’s love. He just needs a story, the
sadder the better, but over time Martin comes to understand Philomena’s need is
greater than his.
Director Stephen Frears does an excellent job as so the two leads in a film that
not only was nominated for four Oscars but shed light on this disgraceful episode of
history. Some reporters are rightly criticised for the way they approach their work, but
this film shows exactly why we need journalists who will knock at the door nobody
wants to answer.

22 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 WRITING LIFE

Dead Poet’s Society (1989) Spotlight (2015)

Robin Williams showcased serious acting chops
and received his second Oscar nomination for
his portrayal of inspirational English teacher John
Keating and his innovative teaching methods.
Keating – the teacher we all wished we had had
– is a fan of the great poets and manages to convey
this to the students in his charge. He encourages them to make their lives extraordinary by
living by the Latin phrase ‘Carpe diem’ – seize the day. The boys form the Dead Poets Society,
where they read poetry and express themselves on their journey to becoming young men.
The boys in his class take his words to heart and we get to see how they deeply influence This powerful movie walked away with the 2016
each pupil, but in 1959 at an elite boarding school not all the staff or parents appreciate Oscar for best film award having been nominated
or understand individuality. Modern audiences do, however, and there is little doubt that for six in all.
Keating’s creative ways and message of self-expression have reached beyond his fictional world, Tom McCarthy directs this true story about the
inspiring many a real-world romantic soul to pick up a pen. Spotlight team, the secretive investigative arm of the
Boston Globe newspaper who look into child abuse
Misery (1990) within the Roman Catholic Church at the behest
Stephen King masterminds a nightmare that still haunts even of their new editor Marty Baron. The newspaper
modestly successful writers in this thirty-year-old thriller. itself won a prestige award for this story – the 2003
Paul Sheldon (James Caan), author of the Misery series of Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
books, crashes his car in a blizzard, on his way to New York Baron and his team of investigators meet
to hand in his latest manuscript. Nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy resistance and roadblocks not only from the
Bates), a devoted fan, is delighted to rescue him and happily church, but many other institutions and
devours the manuscript while he recuperates, until she discovers individuals throughout Boston. They ultimately
Sheldon has killed off the series’ central character and, to say the least, takes the exposed the horrifying abuse of children by priests
news badly. the world over, and the heinous way the church
One to avoid if you’re even remotely nervous about meeting your readers. then tried to cover it up. We see how the team go
Even more so if anyone claims to be your #1 fan. from suspecting one priest to thirteen to nearly
a hundred and the internal battles of when to
publish the story and how this story affects the
journalists tasked with producing the expose.
One of the great strengths of the film is that
it does not portray the reporters as investigative
superheroes but instead shows the reality of the
research, from blowing the cobwebs off of dusty old
files to cross-referencing evidence to interviewing
victims. It’s a dramatic risk but McCarthy
understood the raw power of the story did not need
any hyperbole and just needed to be told.
This is an immensely important,
unsettling, yet worthwhile film – much like
A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012) working on this story I would imagine.
This comedy horror stars Simon Pegg as Jack, a down-
on-his-luck children’s author turned crime novelist.
Pegg’s casting is spot on – which is just as well as he is The Book Thief (2013)
often on the screen alone – as the writer who has become 1938 Germany is on the brink of war with
a homebound, paranoid wreck, whose research into serial the Allies and the illiterate Liesel and her
killers has affected all areas of his life, especially his mental brother are being sent to live with foster parents but her younger sibling dies
well-being, in a clever comedy that plays both sides of on the journey. The family she goes to live with is Hans Hubermann, a simple
horror tropes: like Mr Bean reimagined by Edgar Allan Poe. but kind-hearted soul, and his sharp-tongued and dissatisfied wife Rosa. Liesel’s
Jack’s agent encourages him to write more children’s new papa teaches her to read and when the Nazis orchestrate a book burning in
books but he is not so keen since his latest work the town square she rescues a book from the bonfire and her reading goes from
Decades of Death has consumed him so when she strength to strength.
arranges a short notice meeting with an American TV Soon a second refugee shows up at the Hubermann’s. Max is Jewish and on
agent, he’s in a race against time, himself and dirty the run, but Hans offers him shelter and by doing so repays a debt that he
socks to get to the appointment that could just change owes Max’s father. Max and Liesel each have their own reasons to hate Hitler
everything for our hero: an enjoyable tale for any and they bond over this and when the young Jew becomes ill Liesel ‘borrows’
wordsmiths who have struggled to overcome demons books to read to him from the burgermeister’s extensive library – the same
and keep up with deadlines. So pretty much all of us. burgermeister who oversaw the burning of the townsfolks’ books.
And any lesson from this film? Don’t let your work take A beautiful, sad yet uplifting film which demonstrates the power of the
over your life. written word in the darkest of circumstance.

www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 23

 Moving on
Sometimes you put your heart and soul into a manuscript and it just doesn’t work out.
Take counselling from Sophie Beal about the best ways of dealing with a writing breakdown
S
ome manuscripts don’t
work, no matter how
much time and energy
you invest. Shelving a big
project like a novel can be
painful, remarkably like leaving a bad
relationship. The good news for those
who feel like they’ve been here before
with an ex-partner: that experience could
well help you now.
Denial
You’ve put everything into this novel:
you care about even the villains; you’ve
reworked the prose of those first few
chapters over and over; read every
pertinent piece of advice and attended
workshops; crafted your synopsis to fit on
exactly one page, but the rejections are
piling up. Friends and family say you’re
wasting your time.
You tell them Audrey Niffenegger’s
The Time Traveller’s Wife was rejected
thirty times before an agent picked
it up. That was successful enough to
spawn a Hollywood film. We love
each other, you say. It’s just a matter
of working through our problems.
Possibly. Possibly not. If a
novelist has sent chapters to a
dozen agents and no one’s asked
for the full manuscript, there’s
probably something wrong with the
submission.
24 MAY 2019
Listening to other
people’s opinions
It’s time to get professional feedback, or
at least critique from other writers. When
you receive it, be honest with yourself.
How much do you agree with the
criticisms? Are they easy or difficult to put
right? How much are you prepared to go
through to make this novel work?
Separate your feelings about your
manuscript from yourself as a writer. In
This is not a book about Charles Darwin,
Emma Darwin writes about her failure to
publish a third novel based on her famous
ancestors. Emma is an award-winning
author, a creative writing PhD and a
sought-after teacher and book doctor. No
one was questioning her ability to write,
or the stories she had to tell – Charles
Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood and Ralph
Vaughn Williams hang on her family
tree. A big-name agent had suggested the
idea and gave her notes throughout the
process. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t work.
Grammar, individual sentences, and
point-of-view can be changed, saggy
middles can be tightened, word count
cut or expanded, and clichés scrapped for
something more original. However, some
problems are almost impossible to fix.
Can you find out how to mend
yours? Is there an author who has
succeeded where so far you’ve failed?
Or done something similar? Can you
www.writers-online.co.uk
work out what they did? Is it a matter
of learning more about craft – reading
a book or attending a course?
Perhaps you know where you’ve
gone wrong and how you can put it
right. But do you have the energy,
time and resources?
Maybe, now is the time to make
a break.
Taking a break from each other
If you can’t bear to say goodbye
properly yet, perhaps you should take
a break from each other – agree you
can see other stories, experiment with
other genres and have a little fun – a
change from all this angst.
During this time, read as much as
possible. Other people’s characters don’t
Lethal and near-lethal
problems with a novel
• It doesn’t fit the market. You were original when
you first thought of teenage vampires, but now the
market’s flooded.
• The stakes aren’t high enough. Perhaps you
couldn’t bear to subject your characters to the kind
of disaster the plot needed.
• The plot doesn’t go anywhere.
• Everything is too complicated. (There are multiple
viewpoints, a cast the size of Les Miserables and a
fantasy setting. )

need you to understand their backstory,
choreograph their moves or work out
accurate descriptions. Immersing yourself
in their fictional world, when you have
your own to sort out, may sound like
procrastination, but it’s one of the best
things you can do for your writing,
wherever you are with a manuscript.
Gobble down a good plot or close-read
excellent prose. Perhaps solutions will
present themselves for your own novel.
Force yourself to get out and see
people as well as other projects. You
need to experience life to write about it.
Successful authors will tell you how many
ideas they get away from their desk.
Time apart may be exactly what you
need to put your problems in perspective.
Perhaps you’ll see what your novel needs
to make it work. But perhaps you’ll
decide it’s time to move on.
The final decision
The decision will look like different
things for different writers. There may be
crying (wailing), rom-com watching, and
snapping at those around you. Having
judged Hemingway and Fitzgerald
for their dissolute lifestyles, you may
suddenly feel an urge to drink yourself
into a coma. (Don’t!)
You may not expect family and friends
to understand your devastation, but it’s
easy to dismiss it yourself. After all, it was
your own decision to ditch your WIP. ‘It’s
only a novel,’ you tell yourself. ‘It’s my
own fault. I should have been loading the
washing machine/ putting more hours at
work.’ ‘I shouldn’t have wasted so much
time before I asked for critique.’
Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to
grieve. You’ve invested months, maybe
years on this project. And remember,
this experience does not mean you can’t
write. The best authors sometimes have
to shelve work.
Look out for signs of poor mental
health and consult your doctor if
necessary.
This is where writing mates come
into their own (if they haven’t
before). Promise them you’ll be there
in their next low and let everything
out. Even better, find somebody as
fed up with writing/the publication
process as you. Whinge to each other
this week and urge each other on to
new things next.
But be careful using the internet
in this state: nothing you say, even
in the heat of the moment, ever
completely disappears. Agents and
publishers have online access too.
The old worn dressing gown
Some people are naturally attracted
to the new and shiny. They’ve already
moved on, perhaps before their old
novel was ready.
Some of us are just loyal and find it
difficult. The old one is familiar. You’re
used to its little faults. It rarely surprises
you, but in an uncertain world that
can be a good thing. Like that old
worn dressing gown, you can’t imagine
replacing it.
When you’re trying to move on,
remember you have the power in this
relationship. Your old manuscript is
stuck on your hard drive or stuffed in
your bottom drawer. You can go in
search of another story, but it’s unlikely
to find another writer. If you change
your mind and decide to return to it, it
will still be there, waiting.
Eventually, after a few single dates –
that graphic novel about superheroes
fighting to save the high street,
steampunk crime flash fiction and a
long-form essay about dishwashers –
you’ll come across an idea you could
spend some time with.
The new novel might look good
on paper (especially to friends fed
up of hearing about the old one) but
you don’t know its quirks yet. It has
different interests that you’ll have to
research. Worse, it assumes you can
do anything and when it realises it’s
wrong, doesn’t know how to navigate
your weaknesses.
But your bruised heart starts to feel
flattered. You don’t deserve its trust – it
clearly doesn’t know how you messed
up with the last one. So you keep up
the façade, flirt as much as you dare
and ask it to tell you more about itself.
You begin to have fun, if only
because there’s less to lose. You see
its strengths – perhaps a clear story,
with proper conflict this time, or a
particularly unique voice. Of course, it’s
on its best behaviour at the moment,
trying to impress you, but you have a
good feeling about the two of you.
Committing yourself (to paper)
First drafts are supposed to be messy,
but you can’t help comparing it with
the manuscript you worked on for
years. I used to be able to write sentences
and think of original descriptions. What’s
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C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G
happened? you ask.
Now is the time to embrace the
ideals of National Novel Writing
Month – ‘quantity over quality’.
Every year in November, thousands
sign up to their challenge to write
50,000 words in a month. Those who
keep it going for more than a week,
often find their ‘inner editor’ switches
off, freeing their creativity. But you can
achieve the same thing any time of year
by setting your own high word count
and deadline. (National Novel Writing
Month have year-round goal trackers on
their website Nanowrimo.org.) Draft
so quickly you don’t have time to cringe
over those clichés and run-on sentences,
care about your badly developed
characters or worry how you’ll sell it.
It’s the equivalent of plunging into a
new relationship to stop you thinking
about the last.
Taking the lessons from one
novel to the next
We learn from failure, probably more
than we do from success. You may not
realise how much until long afterwards.
Karen Thompson Walker persevered
for several years on a novel. ‘It kept
coming off as more funny than dark,
more ridiculous than bleak—and I
wanted it bleak,’ she told themillions.
com. ‘It was liberating to give up on
that story so that I could focus on
others, and it helped me realise that
throwing out a piece of writing can
sometimes count as progress. It feels
like backtracking, but it can ultimately
be the way forward.’ She went on to
write the New York Times bestseller Age
of Miracles.
One winter, Margaret Atwood
and her husband rented a cottage
in Norfolk. ‘We’d gone there to
write and watch birds,’ she told the
Guardian. But her novel’s plot ‘involved
various time layers and improbable
interweavings of badly realised
characters… in a part of Mesoamerica I
knew little about.’
Giving up, she read her way
through the stack of historical novels
in the cottage. ‘Perhaps it was those
six months of futile striving tangled
novelistic timelines, rotten Tudors,
and chilblains that caused me to break
through some invisible wall, because
right after that I grasped the nettle I
had been avoiding, and began to write
The Handmaid’s Tale.’
MAY 2019 25
 t e c h n i q u e o f
The style &
JULIAN
BARNES
Tony Rossiter examines a writer
who believes that fiction can be more
truthful than journalism
H
e’s written thirteen
novels, several
collections of short
stories and essays,
lots of journalism
plus, in his early days, four crime
novels under the pseudonym Dan
Kavanagh. Three of his earlier
novels (Flaubert’s Parrot, England,
England and Arthur and George) were
shortlisted for the Booker before he
won the Man Booker Prize in 2011
for The Sense of an Ending. The head
judge said it was ‘exquisitely written,
subtly plotted and reveals new depths
with each readin … We thought it
was a book that spoke to humankind
in the 21st century.’ I’ll have to focus
on just a handful of his books.
How he began
Born in Leicester, he moved with
his family to Northwood, Middlesex
in 1956. As a child he was a
diligent reader, his imagination
stirred by comics and the books he
found in the public library: Enid
Blyton, William, Biggles and lots of
‘imperial nostalgia and war glory’.
He became a passionate reader in
his teens. With parents who were
both teachers, there were plenty of
books in the house, but he thought
of writing as something that other
people did. Educated at the City
of London School, he then studied
Modern Languages at Magdalen
College, Oxford. He worked for
three years as a lexicographer for the
Oxford English Dictionary before
becoming a reviewer and literary
editor for the New Statesman and
26 MAY 2019
the New Review; he later became
a television critic for the New
Statesman and then for The Observer.
The Oxford English Dictionary is
among his favourite reading – along
with Shakespeare, the Michelin
Guide to France, Flaubert’s letters
and Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book.
Around 1974 he entered a ghost
story competition organised by
The Times. The winners had to
agree to offer their first work of
fiction to the publishers Jonathan
Cape, and five years later he sent
in his novel. Cape insisted on a
lot of changes, but in 1980 they
published the book, Metroland.
It’s a semi-autobiographical tale
about growing up in the suburbs of
London (based on Barnes’s early years
in Northwood) and life as a post-
graduate student in Paris. The novel
was praised by critics and won the
1981 Somerset Maugham Award.
Flaubert and France
Barnes’s third novel, Flaubert’s Parrot
(1984), established
his reputation. A
love of France and
French literature,
especially the novels
of Flaubert, has
informed his work,
and he is one of the
best-loved English
writers in France,
where he has won
several literary
prizes and, in
2017, the Légion
d’honneur. ‘In
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photo credit Pascal Saez/Writer Pictures
TAP
HERE
To purchase
Britain I’m sometimes regarded as The Sense
of an Ending
a suspiciously Europeanised writer,
who has this rather dubious French
influence,’ he has said. Curiously
enough, most French readers regard
him as a very English writer.
Flaubert’s Parrot has the three-
LISTEN
part structure Barnes likes and often TAP
uses. The first part is optimistic, HERE
chronicling successes; the second, To hear
an extract
negative – citing losses and failures; from
and the third consisting of quotations The Sense
of an Ending
from Flaubert’s journal. Geoffrey
Braithwaite, a retired Flaubert-
obsessed English doctor, visits France
and the locations associated with
Flaubert. He visits two museums
claiming to display the stuffed parrot
which sat for a time on Flaubert’s
writing desk. He spends a lot of time
trying to identify the authentic parrot,
but ultimately learns that it could be
any one of fifty that had been in the
collection of the municipal museum.
There is no traditional plot arc to the
book; it’s a mixture of biographical
research, literary criticism and
philosophical thoughts about
the relationship between TAP
writers and their works. HERE
To purchase
Braithwaite’s reflections on Flaubert’s
the writer’s life and works Parrot
mirror his attempt to find
Flaubert’s parrot. Just as
there is no true parrot, so
there is no ‘true’ Flaubert.
Barnes’s love of France can
also be seen in Cross Channel LISTEN
(1996), ten short stories TAP
that touch on sex, literature, HERE
To hear
wars, wine, religion, love an extract
and even Eurostar. They from
Flaubert’s
Parrot

reflect the strengths and limitations,
the culture and character, of Brits
living in different parts of France. He
describes the emotions, attitudes and
endeavours that seem to link Britain
to France. Barnes shows how to paint
a vivid picture with just a few well-
chosen words: The English autumn
succumbed to the first spiky prod of
winter; fallen leaves were sugar-coated
by early frost. Here’s another nice
example: Ribbed vineyards ran away
from them like green corduroy.
A History of the World in 10½
Chapters
If the title of this book, published in
1989, makes you think it’s a breezy
pop-history of the world, you’ll be
disappointed. Nor is it really the novel
it pretends to be. It’s a collection of
loosely connected prose pieces, some
fiction and others rather like essays.
There are some recurring motifs –
ships, usually presaging a disaster
of some kind, and the woodworm
that feature in the first chapter, The
Stowaway, which is a retelling of the
biblical story of Noah’s Ark. It’s a
thoughtful, erudite, often funny book
that deals with big subjects such as
survival and love, and provides plenty
of intellectual fodder. A subversion of
history is perhaps the best description.
England, England
England, England (1998) is a satire in
which the Isle of Wight is converted
into a gigantic theme park featuring
the best-known tourist attractions of
England, from Buckingham Palace to
Stonehenge, from Manchester United
to the White Cliffs of Dover. The
book’s short first part deals with the
childhood of the protagonist, Martha,
and her father’s abandonment of his
family. In the main part of the book
Martha is employed by the rich,
unprincipled entrepreneur Sir Jack
Pitman and helps to establish the
hugely successful theme park, which
attracts hordes of wealthy American
and Japanese tourists and brings
great prosperity to the Isle of Wight,
which becomes an independent
state within the European Union.
‘Old England’, meanwhile, suffers
severe decline and gradually sinks
into oblivion. In the book’s short
third part, set a few decades later,
Anglia, as England is now known, has
regressed into a de-populated, agrarian
and pre-industrial state without any
international influence. The characters
are, to my mind at least, difficult
to like or relate to, but there are
some nice touches of farce; and at a
time when we are all unsure about
the implications of Brexit and the
country’s future, the farcical, dystopian
plot has uncanny resonance.
On writing
‘I never start by making up a bunch
of characters and then wonder what
might happen to them. I think of a
situation, an impossible dilemma,
a moral or emotional quandary,
and then wonder to whom it might
happen and when and where.’ That’s
how Barnes goes about creating
a novel. He does not believe that
fictional characters need to be likeable.
‘It never crosses my mind whether
certain readers will like or dislike
certain characters,’ he has said. ‘They
are who they are and they do what the
story demands. That’s all I care about.’
Speaking about The Noise of Time
(2016), a novel about Shostakovich’s
struggles to compose music when
Stalin was in charge in the Soviet
Union, Barnes said, ‘in a novel which
is sort of historical and biographical, as
well as fictional… you evoke the spirit
best through the style, through the
use of phrases, the oddities of phrases,
which read at times a little bit like a
translation. The noise was loud enough
to knock out windowpanes is a sort of
translation from the Russian, leaving it
awkward. We’d say blow out windows,
something like that, but “knock out
windowpanes.” That for me gives the
reader a sense of time and place and
difference. I guess I’m also not terribly
interested in “he walked down such
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B E AT T H E B E S T S E L L E R S
and such street, and turned left, and
there opposite him he saw the famous
old confectionary shop or whatever.” I
don’t do that way of creating the time
and place and atmosphere. I think it’s
much better done through the prose.’
Asked in an interview for Paris
Review in 2000 to explain what
literature meant for him, Barnes
said: ‘There are many answers to that
question. The shortest is that it’s the
best way of telling the truth; it’s a
process of producing grand, beautiful,
well-ordered lies that tell more truth
than any assemblage of facts. Beyond
that, literature is many things, such
as delight in, and play with, language;
also, a curiously intimate way of
communicating with people whom
you will never meet.’
He went on to say that fiction
could be more truthful than
journalism: ‘When you are writing
journalism your task is to simplify the
world and render it comprehensible
in one reading; whereas when you
are writing fiction your task is to
reflect the fullest complications of
the world, to say things that are
not as straightforward as might
be understood from reading my
journalism and to produce something
that you hope will reveal further
layers of truth on a second reading.
‘I think a great book – leaving
aside other qualities such as narrative
power, characterisation, style, and
so on – is a book that describes the
world in a way that has not been
done before; and that is recognised by
those who read it as telling new truths
– about society or the way in which
emotional lives are led, or both – such
truths having not been previously
available, certainly not from official
records or government documents, or
from journalism or television.’
MAY 2019 27
 FREE
RANGE
writing Write well
Explore the therapeutic properties of writing in these exercises from Jenny Alexander
M
ental Health Awareness
week is coming up in
May. From children in
school to princes of the
realm, people are far
more willing to talk about their own
struggles nowadays, so we are more
aware than we used to be of the huge
problem we have across society with
mental health issues such as stress,
loneliness and depression.
At the same time, we’re beginning
to see robust research findings that
confirm the incredible benefits of any
kind of creative practice. As little as
twenty minutes of writing a day, on
any subject, has been shown not just
to improve people’s mental wellbeing
but even their physical health as well.
Writing is a ‘flow’ activity – it
absorbs all your attention and makes
you lose track of time. So this month,
as you free-range across the different
genres, notice how writing lifts you
away from the cares of the day.
You know the rule: stick to the timings!
Memoir
A diary can feel like a dear and trusted
friend, and many people turn to diary-
writing at times of particular stress and
difficulty. Anne Frank actually gave
her diary a name and started each day,
‘Dear Kitty…’
Write a diary entry beginning
‘Dear Diary.’ Tell your diary – real or
imagined – about your day today or
yesterday, or any recent experience you
have had, or anything that is currently
making you feel happy or unhappy.
Take twenty minutes. Finish by
signing off and saying thank you to
your diary for being there.
Note: Writing helps relieve
loneliness, because it provides a sense of
connection, even when the only person
you are connecting with is yourself.
28 MAY 2019
Fiction
Stories always start with a problem
and arrive at a solution. If your
protagonist is perfectly happy and
nothing bad happens, there is no
challenge and no story.
So, in this story, someone has
a problem. Who? What is their
problem? For example, he or she
might be worried about their health;
they might have fallen out with
a family member; they might be
feeling lonely…
How might they try to solve the
problem? Jot down some ideas. She
plucks up the courage to go to the
doctor; he picks up the phone; she
offers to walk her elderly neighbour’s
dog… Choose one of the things they
might try, and take twenty minutes to
write the scene.
Whether they succeed or fail, either
way, they will have moved things on.
In a story, as in life, effort and action
always brings, at the very least, the
benefit of experience.
Note: If you give one of your own
problems to your protagonist, writing
their story can be a great way of
exploring your options.
Non-fiction
Why might creative writing bring
relief from social, psychological
and emotional problems? Jot down
some ideas. For example, it means
taking time out for yourself, it’s a
chance to explore your thoughts and
emotions, it’s a skill you can enjoy
developing…
In what ways do you feel writing
boosts your own health and
wellbeing? Can you think of specific
examples? More notes.
Finally, surprise yourself by doing
a bit of research into the benefits
of writing for both emotional and
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physical wellbeing. Did you know
that writing has been shown to
speed recovery after an operation,
for example? There’s loads of
information available online. Make
more notes!
Write an article for fifteen minutes,
based on any or all of your notes.
Note: If you are interested in writing
for therapy or self-development, check
out the international organisation,
Lapidus: Words For Wellbeing.
Poetry
Write a list of emotions – joy,
enthusiasm, jealousy, anger… When
you’ve got ten, choose one, and
underline it.
With this emotion in mind, think
of an animal. Go with the first idea
that pops into your head.
Now, forget about the emotion –
put it completely out of your mind
and write some notes about the
animal, how it looks, sounds, smells
and moves. If it isn’t an animal you
know a lot about, get in the zone
with a spot of research. Find some
images – notice the body language,
imagine how it would feel to be
inside that body.
Write a poem about the animal.
Start by focusing on simply describing
it and then, if you want to, round
it off with some kind of personal
response at the end. What do you
think or feel about the animal?
You can choose to keep it free or
choose a regular pattern of rhythm
and rhyme, depending upon which
way feels right for your subject. Take
twenty minutes.
Note: Try this when you feel sad,
bored or anxious. Finding an image
for how you feel is a way of creating
distance and looking at it from
outside.
 Time to make time
What are you going to give up to write? Helen Yendall looks at solutions
for people who say they don’t have enough time to write
L
ack of time: the writer’s
constant complaint. If only
we all had ‘more time’ we
could do those things we’ve
promised ourselves: write
that novel, start that blog, self-
publish the memoir the world’s been
waiting for.
It’s easy to think that successful
writers must somehow have it
easier than the rest of us: that they
have grants or trust funds, so don’t
need to work, or that they’re not
burdened with household chores or
childcare issues. But, at the start of
their careers at least, most published
writers do have to juggle ‘real life’
with their writing.
Clare Fisher’s first novel All The
Good Things (published in 2017)
was written while she worked full-
time (mostly during her commute
‘on the sweaty little train from Leeds
to Halifax’). Rachel Joyce wrote her
bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of
Harold Fry, firstly as a play, between
visits to her dying father. The first
draft of Joanna Cannon’s The Trouble
With Goats and Sheep was written
in snatched breaks from her job as a
psychiatrist, sitting in her car.
There really is no trick or secret: we
all have 24 hours a day and 168 hours
a week. Time doesn’t magically appear
from nowhere. If you want to write,
you’ll almost certainly have to sacrifice
something else in order to do it.
A good first step is to identify how
you spend your 168 hours. Keep
a record of your whole week – or
better still, two weeks – by logging
how you spend each half hour. This
isn’t as laborious as it might sound:
sleep – and possibly, work and
29 MAY 2019
commuting – will take up a big part
of each 24 hours. Other categories
might be: watching TV, caring for
others, household chores, eating,
reading, washing/dressing, exercising,
socialising, browsing the web.
Tot up the totals at the end of each
week. The results might surprise you.
Many of us claim not to watch
much TV but the average Briton
watches an astonishing 24 hours a
week and you may find you watch
more than you thought. Could
you cut down? In these days of
on-demand TV, such as Netflix and
BBC iPlayer, it’s easier than ever to
spend hours in front of the goggle
box. It’s been proved that binge-
watching has a detrimental effect on
sleep patterns, so, as well as the time
you’re wasting on TV, you might be
too tired the next day to concentrate
on your writing.
How much time do you spend on
household chores?
Early in her career, when JK
Rowling was asked how she juggled
childcare with writing, she quipped,
‘I didn’t do housework for four
years!’ Kath McGurl, in her time
management book for writers, Give
Up Ironing suggests you do exactly
that: neglect or delegate chores.
You may find that vacuuming
relaxes you, or that, whilst
ironing, you get ideas for
writing, in which case, fine.
But if you religiously wash
your car every Sunday
morning, simply out of
habit, ask yourself, would the
world end if you spent that
hour or so writing instead?
And how long do you spend
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www.writers-online.co.uk
sleeping? Could you sacrifice time in
bed by getting up earlier or retiring
later? It wouldn’t suit everyone, but
Anthony Trollope used to get up
at 5.30am and write for two hours
before going to his job at the post
office. Ernest Hemingway wrote as
soon after first light as possible, when
‘There is no-one to disturb you and it
is cool or cold and you come to your
work and warm as you write.’
When you log your hours, you
may identify other ‘time wasters’ in
your week. That book club you no
longer enjoy, Friday nights in the
pub that you often regret and what
about all that time spent playing
computer games or surfing the web?
But it relaxes me! I hear you cry.
Yes, me too. But reading a book
is one of the most relaxing things
you can do and perhaps we should
do that instead? And there’s an
added benefit of staying off the
internet: if you ever find it hard
to concentrate, it may be because
you’re suffering from ‘information
overload’. Exposure to blue light
from phones, laptops and even
e-readers, just before bed, has also
been proven to be detrimental to a
good night’s sleep.
We all have busy lives and this isn’t
a rally to resign from your job, stop
walking the dog or neglect your
elderly mother (some things in
life are non-negotiable, after all)
but if you often say ‘I don’t have
time to write’ or dream of that
‘one day’, when you will, perhaps
it’s worth looking closely at how
you spend your precious time and
decide what you’re prepared to give
up, in order to write.
JANUARY 2019 29
BEGINNERS
I
t’s not unknown for me to
reach a point in a story when
I experience a familiar chill of
self-doubt drifting around my
neck like a winter’s mist. It
might be about a particular passage,
a chapter or even an important
scene. Have I made the characters
real enough? Do they have credibility
enough to jump off the page or are
they paper-thin and unconvincing? Is
there sufficient depth to the storyline?
Is such-and-such a scene necessary and
does it carry weight?
Occasionally, there might be
concern about the overall balance of
the story. Is there too much emphasis
on one particular character at the
expense of another? (This question is
more important if writing a series with
a key ‘player’. Readers who follow the
series because of the ‘headliner’ will
expect them to take the lion’s share,
not be side-lined.)
Other questions might be, have I
dwelt too much on one scene, simply
because it was easy to write? Is there
too much of a gap between appearances
of one or more of the leading
characters, good or bad? If so, how do I
correct this?
The good news is, there is a remedy.
All you have to do is take a step back.
Every story should have a natural
flow, geared to keep the reader
engrossed. As the author, this is within
your control. For the characters, you
will probably have established who
they are and where they fit by the time
you begin writing. He or she is the
central figure, good or bad (but never
indifferent), and others bounce off or
interact with that person in whatever
way you choose. And this is the fun
part of writing: you get to decide
how important each figure is in your
created landscape.
It’s what we do as writers. We build
30 MAY 2019
Upstage ,
downpage
Keep control of the balance
of your story by taking Adrian
Magson’s advice on not letting
secondary characters take over
worlds different to the ones inhabited
by the reader, with characters they will
never have encountered. (And with
some of the books I’ve written and read
over the years, hopefully never will!)
You might have heard authors
admitting how certain characters
suddenly take over, until they find
them dominating the page. It happens
quite a lot, so don’t call for the people
in the white coats just yet; it’s creativity
working as it should, but dragging the
writer along rather than the other way
round. It’s merely the brain rushing
ahead with ideas and scenes, because
that’s the licence you’ve given it. And
if you’re enjoying the ride, it will be far
easier than if you’re having to push the
story along with your nose and finding
it an uphill struggle.
But what if, in scanning over
what you’ve created thus far, you
find a particular character appears
to be taking over against your best
intentions? You may have decided
initially that character A is the main
person, the front-runner, the story
lead; yet suddenly character B is
hogging the limelight.
Equally, you may find on reviewing
what you’ve done that a particular
portion of the overall story seems to
have occupied a larger wedge of the
book than you had planned. This could
be because a combination of scenes,
dialogue, interactions or descriptive
narrative have centred on one part of
the story to the detriment of the others. is fun to write, don’t
I think of a story consisting of three
parts. A bit like the old scenario of
‘girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girls wins
boy back’ (Permutations, of course,
variable according to choice). Whether
a rom-com, a thriller, a historical or
any other, we could call it the ‘meeting’
or introduction phase, the ‘chase’
or subsequent action phase, and the
‘denouement’ or resolution phase.
www.writers-online.co.uk
In looking over the story, you
might find that the ‘introduction’
phase is far heavier and wordy than
the others, to the extent that you’ll
hear a voice (which, at this stage
should be inside your own head),
saying, ‘For Heaven’s sake, enough
chit-chat, cut to the chase!’
And here I’ll urge, among all the
other voices you might hear, this is one
worth listening to. Not the ones about
owl people taking over the world, or
the one telling you to eat more cake or
run around naked in the snow – they’re
just distractions. This voice could be
the difference between success or failure
But how do you begin to spot these
imbalances? After all, it’s a book of
potentially 90,000 words, give or take
a bigger or smaller number, and that’s a
lot of re-reading.
A quick way to check the balance
(coupled with re-reading) is to use
the Navigation Pane or Document
Map (Control + F on your keyboard).
This shows the various sections of
your document, with click-on access,
including a word-search facility.
When you use Headings, as in
chapter numbers or names, this pane
displays them. But it can also show
Top tips other additions, such as people, places
and scenes.
I use chapter numbers with
• Decide early on (temporary) headings of usually two or
who is to dominate three words or initials to remind me of
the content; of who appears where and
your story. It might
when. Thus, I might click on 12 (the
change, but that’s
chapter number) and see ‘John meets
your decision, too. C’, or 20 – ‘Amanda travels to Paris’
• Just because a minor or 33 – ‘Surprise visit from Michelle.’
character or scene This is a far easier way of keeping track
of characters and events than trying
let them overstay to remember them, and of spotting
their welcome to the inconsistencies. If there seems to be
detriment of others. a preponderance of chapters with a
• If a particular section particular character or setting, this is
seems to dominate where I can dive in and see why and,
if necessary, correct it. Also, if I find
the storyline, look
a chapter out of place, as sometimes
at where you can
happens, I can simply click on it in the
reasonably cut it Navigation Pane and ‘drag’ it into its
back. correct position
W I N ! £ 5 0 0 U B L I CAT I O N
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IN CASH

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Bring all your storytelling skills
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creative non-fiction. Maybe a
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needs to be dry or technical.
The winner will receive £200 and
SEE P95
publication in Writing Magazine, FOR ENTRY
with £50 and publication online DETAILS, FULL
for the runner-up. The length RULES AND
should be 1,500-1,700 words. ENTRY FORMS
The closing date is 15 June.

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With its closing date of 15 May, there’s still time to enter last
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1st
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T
om can be very sweet
sometimes. He makes
me laugh. He knows
what to say when I’m
feeling sad. We have two
bright, chatty little girls. This is exactly
how life was supposed to turn out. 
I think they will all have to go.
I see my counsellor on Wednesdays.
I came to Heather because of the
creeping discomfort I feel about life
at home. I’ve told her all about me
and Tom and the girls. She says that
it would be good for me to find
something that is just for me, for
fun, something other than work. I’m
not sure how I feel about leaving the
house by myself, but I do start to
think about what I might do. I look
at the local adult education centre and
ponder learning a language, I fantasise
about a new life in France or Japan.
Last Wednesday, Heather asked me if
I felt I was practising enough self-care.
I’m never sure what that means. I don’t
wear make-up or use an anti-ageing
moisturiser or do yoga, but I shower
enough. I don’t hurt myself anymore.  my lap and kisses me before I manage
‘Self-care isn’t the same thing as
the absence of self harm,’ she tells
me. ‘What about diet, are you eating
enough, do you eat healthy food?’
‘Yes,’ I say, but I’m looking at my
32 MAY 2019
Tom
by Nina Hollier
Apart from writing, Nina Hollier likes crochet,
spreadsheets, coffee and giraffes. She started
going to a writing class for the opportunity to
write something more imaginative than work
emails. This is her first time placing in a writing
competition, though she did once win a candle in
a raffle. She works for BT and lives in Hampshire.
hands and they’re bony. I seem to ‘That sounds like a great idea.’
have lost weight without noticing. ‘You wouldn’t mind?’
‘Sometimes Tom cooks, sometimes I do.’ ‘Of course not, you don’t mind
‘Emma, you need to do all the when I go out with my friends, do
cooking, okay? I want you to take charge, you? I think it would be good for you
you deserve to take care of yourself.’ to do something that’s just for you.’
I have to do everything it seems. I At the weekend, we wander into
work all day, Tom doesn’t. Not that town and around the park. On the
taking care of the children is easy, of way home, we pass the village hall and
course it’s not, but I don’t see why I Tom stops to read the notice board.
have to do all of the cooking. I don’t ‘Look at this, Ems!’
always like Heather. Sometimes I I look at where he’s pointing. ‘Stitch
think I might stop going to see her. and bitch?’ I laugh and shake my head
At home that evening, I make pasta but read the rest. ‘Whether you’re a
with pesto and broccoli. The girls knitter or a knotter, a beginner or an
like broccoli, we tell them the florets expert, come and join our friendly
are little trees. Grace declares it her group. All welcome.’
favourite dinner ever. Lily climbs into Tom wraps his arms around me.
‘ALL welcome,’ he says.
to wipe her face. I laugh and cuddle ‘‘All’ could even include me,’ I say
her and wipe pesto from my cheek. quietly. My eyes fill with tears, but I
When the girls are in bed I tell Tom can’t quite explain why. 
that I’m thinking about taking an evening On Wednesday, I show Heather
class, and ask him what he thinks. a photo of the notice on my phone.
www.writers-online.co.uk

‘This looks great,’ she says. ‘How do
you feel about it?’
‘Nervous,’ I tell her. ‘My stomach is
churning. I don’t know if I can walk
in to a room, by myself, where I won’t
know anybody.’
‘I know you can.’  tell me during the day what he and
Her confidence bolsters me a bit,
and that was the moment I decided
that I would go. ‘What if they don’t
like me?’
‘What if they do?’
Sometimes I wish Heather would
answer my questions without asking
one of her own.
The next night, I kiss my sleeping
children and stand watching them
from the doorway. Tom comes up
behind me and puts his hands on my
shoulders. ‘We’ll be fine,’ he tells me.
‘Go. It’ll be good.’
‘What if no one likes me?’
‘They will,’ he says. ‘We love you.’
Outside the village hall, I’m staring
at the door and trying to convince
myself to go inside. A whirlwind of
a woman comes around the corner.
‘Hiya! Are you here for the stitching
group? What’s your name?’ She has a
nose ring and is wearing dungarees.
I wish I had thought to change after
work, I’m wearing a suit and feel like
I’m getting this wrong already.
‘Yes, hello, I’m Emma.’
‘I’m Shy.’
‘Me too, I’m feeling really
nervous actually.’
She bursts out laughing. ‘No, no,
I’m Shine, it’s my name.’
I put my hands on my face, feeling
horrified. ‘I am so sorry, I misheard, I
didn’t mean—’
‘Don’t worry, it’s fine! No one’s
ever met a Shine before. Come
on, come and sit with me, I was
nervous the first time too. It’s a
lovely group, really.’
Shine is right, it is a lovely group.
After a few weeks I realise that I really
look forward to Thursday evenings.
I’m growing to like the people here
and I learn little bits about their lives
as well as their craft projects. Shine
Runner-up in the Twist Story Competition was Helen Shine, Dublin, whose story is published on www.writers-online.
co.uk Also shortlisted were: Christine Bryant, Crawley, West Sussex; Jenni Clarke, Le Vaudioux, France; Stephen
Fitzsimmons, Castle Donington, Derbyshire; Alan Grant, Plymouth, Devon; Jean Grey, Morecambe, Lancashire;
Tracy Mackenzie, Torrance, Glasgow.
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
has a brother called Phoenix. Julia has
a brand new granddaughter. Emily
was a child actor but now she’s an
actuary. Sometimes I share things
about myself too.
Tom is being distant. He used to
the girls were getting up to, but he’s
stopped doing that. He goes out with
his friends a lot more than he used to.
Never on a Thursday though; he stays
at home on Thursdays so I can go to
my stitching group. He knows how
important it is to me.
One Tuesday we argue, a stupid
argument about washing up. I wish
he would do it now that I do all the
cooking. I’ve put some weight back on
and it’s good, my skin isn’t so dry, my
ribs only show when I breathe right
in. Washing up is piling in the kitchen
and I’m standing staring at it, feeling
overwhelmed. He isn’t here. Again.   to be saying that.
‘You look sad, Mummy.’ I wheel
around. I thought Grace was in the
living room playing with her sister,
but she’s here, watching me.  butterflies, not great flapping dragons.’
‘I’m fine, darling.’ I smile, trying to
look reassuring.
‘I don’t think you are fine. I think
you look sad.’ Her little face is
determined. ‘You’re sad because you
want to invite your new friends over
for dinner, like they invited you. You
can’t, though, because there’s washing
up all over the kitchen.’
She vanishes before I can respond
and I wonder how someone so small
can explain how I feel so much better
than I can. I wash two sinks worth of
dishes before I go to bed, plunging
my bare hands into water so hot I can
scarcely stand it. I crack a glass and
have to throw it away.
I tell Heather all about the
argument, what Grace said, and the
broken glass.
‘So, the cracks are starting to show
in all senses?’
‘Yes,’ I sigh, ‘but at least the kitchen
is clean. I cleaned it all myself.’
‘You deserve to live in a nice
environment. That’s self-care too.’
www.writers-online.co.uk
The next week, I start crying
before Heather can even ask how I
am. ‘Julia asked me if I’m married
and I said “no”.’  
‘How did that feel?’
‘Horrible. Strange.’ I wipe my eyes.
‘When I got home they’d all gone. I
feel really alone.’
‘You’re not alone. I’m here for you.’
Sometimes Heather says exactly
what I need to hear.
As the months pass I start to feel
more confident, more secure in my
new friendships. I have a few of the
stitching group over to dinner. I
start going to a badminton club on
Mondays. I get a new job and walk in
on my first day feeling excited rather
than terrified. I’m happier than I’ve
been in a long time. 
In May, I tell Heather ‘I’m going on
a date at the weekend.’ It feels strange
‘Oh? How do you feel about it?’
‘Excited, mostly.’ I pause to think.
‘I am nervous, but it’s more like
Heather laughs, and I do too. ‘Who
is the date with?’
‘Phoenix, Shine’s brother. I met him
the other week when a group of us
went to that pub quiz. He asked Shine
for my number.’ I look at the floor
for a moment, embarrassed by how
schoolgirlish I sound. ‘Shine promised
me that his name is the weirdest thing
about him, and I thought he was really
nice, so we’re going out on Saturday.’
‘That’s really good to hear.’
‘Thank you.’ I mean it. I know my
life would still be the same as it was if
it weren’t for Heather, and I like this
new life a lot more. 
The session comes to an end and
I get up to leave. As I reach the
door, I pause and turn back towards
Heather. I just need to make sure
of one thing before I go. ‘Phoenix
is real, you know. He’s not another
Tom, he’s not imaginary.’
Heather smiles, widely. ‘I know.’
I leave her office with a spring in
my step.
MAY 2019 33
 The A to Z
of a writing shed
D D
o you dream of having your
own space, simply yours, to
write in, to ponder, to stare
into space? It had always been
my dream to have a cabin at
the bottom of the garden – now affectionately
called the Writing Shed. It took me eight
months from first viewing sheds in person to
having one installed. The one big thing I wish
I’d done years ago was to find out what it took
– I was so convinced it was impossible that I
didn’t dare. In fact, there are several things I
wish I’d known before I started, so I give you:
The A to Z of a Writing Shed.
A is for a plan. Make one. Even if your
cabin is a pipe dream, writing down what
you want will help you to get there. Consider
size, position and function. (Just for writing?
Or yoga and writing? Will it also store garden
tools?) A is also for ask. Turn up at your local
garden centre and have a long chat.
B is for break it down. Take your plan and
turn it into small actionable steps. Visit a
local retailer; measure the garden; ask to chat
with a friend with a garden office. These are all
free steps you could take this weekend, so B is
BEST STRATEGY FOR FINDING A SUPPLIER:
• Find three or four garden centres in your area and check if they do garden buildings.
• Phone and ask if they deliver. Ask if they have particular access requirements.
• Visit several at weekends and compare.
• Find similar cabins online (at Dunster House for example)
– the buildings are often comparable but given different names
• Smart search terms to use:
- ‘Garden buildings’ or ‘log cabins’ + your area
- ‘Home office’ or ‘garden office’. This tended to generate more expensive results.
- ‘Garden buildings’ plus ‘installation service’ or ‘delivery’ will allow you to compare delivery and
installation services, to get an idea of what to expect before you visit a local centre.
34 MAY 2019
also for begin. My third B is ‘bamboozled’,
because you’re likely to get bamboozled by sales
talk. ‘This wood is special because it’s from
Estonia, or it’s dipped, or it’s treated with whizzo-
whatsit’ – all examples of the sales patter we
experienced, different at each showroom. I found
it insightful to take the claims from one to the
next. Salesperson one said the wood definitely
needed to be dipped, at an extra cost, so I asked
salesperson two whether I should pay for dipping.
C is for clear the area. The space where
the cabin will go needs to be flat and
cleared of all but dirt. You’d be surprised how
long this takes to organise, but it has to be
done before your cabin can be installed. We
used a combination of a gardener, friends and
neighbours, plus Freecycle and the council’s
bulky waste collection service.
C is also for cost. Shop
around. Get quotations from
more than one supplier. As a
rough guide, I found I needed
to double the ticket price to
get an estimate of what a
particular cabin would cost –
and that’s without electricity
and furnishings.
www.writers-online.co.ukwww.writers-online.co.uk
For many of us, a writing
shed is a pipe dream.
Louise Tondeur
made hers a reality, and
offers practical advice for
would-be shed scribes
is for delivery. Consider how the shed
will be delivered and assembled. This
should be one of the first questions you ask as
it affects which supplier you choose. D is also
for double glazing – you need it – and for
doppelgänger: you’ll see sheds that look the
same at different suppliers, with different names
at different prices, so shop around.
E is for electricity. Make friends with an
electrician with a good Checkatrade
reputation. Invite them round to do a small job
for you to try them out and ask for a quotation.
Ours ran a cable along our fence and put in a
circuit breaker, plus sockets and lights, which
cost approximately £750.
F is for furnishings. We saved
money by using a 1950s
hostess trolley for a desk and
IKEA bookshelves, but I invested
in a back-friendly chair. Allow for
research time, delivery and self-
assembly – remember, you can’t
move in without it! F is also for
floor. It gets muddy very quickly,
floor
ie when they install it. We wish
we’d painted it before we moved the
furniture in. Allow money for rugs.
G is for your local garden centre. It’s
probably the best place to start your
research. G is also for ‘go and visit’. Don’t
rely on what you see online.
H is for hidden costs. Consider every aspect
of the cabin, inside and out. It all has a
monetary cost and a time cost. You’ll be offered
extras at the show room, many of which are
unnecessary – see the water butt below!
I is for insulation. This will be an additional
cost, but get as much as possible, in the floor
and roof. They’ll offer it with things that are

nice to have (like a skylight and a water butt)
but insulation is essential if you want to work in
your cabin year-round. I is also for internet
and IT equipment. We got plugins to boost
our internet signal fairly cheaply, but they
the signal is still weak. Although the cost of a
second router was prohibitively high, we may
buy one if we change service provider.
J is for journeys. Be prepared to travel to see
cabins on location at different centres but
check they deliver in your area first. As we had
our son in tow, we tried to make them fun by
combining with a trip out or Sunday lunch. Be
prepared to visit more than one show site, more
than once.
K is for kids and animals. Keep them
out of the way when the cabin is being
installed, although it’s fun for kids to help you
pick out photos to decorate the walls. Our cats
have wandered inside my shed, but they don’t
like it!
L is for lights. Your electrician will probably
want you to pick some up in advance so
s/he can install them. Don’t forget the energy-
efficient light bulbs. Ours also installed a security
light, which you need if you’re going to work
out there in the winter when it gets dark early.
M is for mess. There was a lot. Clearly
not all work people are created equal.
The gardener who cleared the ground for us
put planks and floor covering down, so did the
electrician. The builders didn’t. It took a long
time to get the mud out of the carpet.
N is for nosey neighbours. Ours are lovely,
but it’s possible you’ll feel like you’re in a
goldfish bowl if you’re overlooked and the light
is on. Get blinds or curtains.
O is for oil heater. After an unscientific
survey (asking our friends) I found
that an oil heater with a thermostat was the
best heating option.
P is for paint. You can buy it at the
same time as your cabin, often at a
discount. (Find out if you also have to apply
waterproofing.) We thought we would paint
Wr i t i n g l i fe
the shed ourselves but ended up paying a
local handyman to finish it off. P is also for
presents. Write a birthday list. You might need
X is for ex-display models. You can get a
much-reduced price if you can take an
end-of-the-line cabin down at the show site and
things like picture frames, a large umbrella, rebuild it in your garden. If you’re a builder or
stationery or pot plants. friends with one, take note. X is also in foxes.
We had fox cubs under the shed in the first
Q is for questions. Write them down
before you go on a showroom visit. Ask
follow-up questions too. If it’s a good company,
summer. I have met a rather large fox on my
way back to the house more than once.
they won’t mind you phoning at
all stages of the process. Y is for yippee - it’s done.
Throw a shed warming party.
Take time to celebrate. (See also P is
R is for roof. It’s worth
investing in a good one.
for presents!)
S is for sound proofing.
(are you planning to
Z is for zaniness. Add
something that will make it
fun to work there, to make it feel
record an audio book?),
seasonal darkness (imagine
your cabin in all weathers),
like your space. I have a beach hut
cushion and a Hogwarts box for
storing my pens.
shelving (getting your books
in makes it feel homely) and taking small
steps towards your goal. It also stands for WHAT TO BUDGET FOR:
‘site visit’ – some sales people come to (in the order we paid for it)
your home to measure up and to check the
access. This could add a couple of weeks.
• Clearance of large objects: in our case, an old
T is for timeline. Base it on how long the
company will take to install your cabin.
We waited three months for ours, so it was built
lean-to and its contents, including a bike.
• Ground preparation: the site needs to be clear
and flat.
in November – as it’s supposed to be done in • New storage for garden tools if you’re replacing
dry weather, this wasn’t ideal. an old shed.
• The base, either wooden or concrete. Most
U is for unexpected problems. For
example, I had no idea that most
companies wouldn’t bring the shed pieces
suppliers will add this at an extra price.
• The building itself, plus:
through a house, a problem for us because we Double-glazing, if it’s not included.
live in a terrace. U is also for upcycling. You Preservative, if it’s not included.
don’t have to buy furniture if you get creative
with items found on Freecycle.
Insulation of floor and roof.
Delivery and assembly.
Internal furnishing and decoration, including rugs.
V is for visualise. Picture yourself working
in the cabin, so you know what size will
Painting the outside.
Internal and external lights.
work best for you. At our first show room the
cabins were furnished – the only place we saw
them like this – which helped tremendously.
Heating.
Electricity and internet connection.
Access – a path or step or decking, for example.
 W is for wood. Every salesperson tried (Essential if you don’t want wade through mud to
get to your cabin.)
to tell us that their wood was the best,
that it was sustainable and would last a long
time. Ask about colour, whether it’s dipped and
Landscaping or gardening outside the building.
(Not essential – we have yet to do this.).
whether it is pressure treated.
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 35
Shelf life:

VANESSA
SAVAGE
The debut thriller writer
LISTEN TAP HERE
To hear an extract
TAP HERE
To purchase The
Woman in the Dark
from The Woman in the Dark
shares her top five reads with
Judith Spelman

V
anessa Savage’s debut novel is a psychological
thriller that grips the reader from the start. She
has twice been awarded a writer’s bursary by
Literature Wales, most recently for her book
The Woman in the Dark. Sphere won an auction for this
debut novel in a six-figure deal for two books. You get an
idea about this book when you learn it was first called The
Murder House.
In 2016 she won the Myriad Editions First Crimes
Competition and was highly commended for her
entries in the Yeovil International Fiction Prize, the
Harry Bowling Prize and the Caledonian Fiction Prize.
Vanessa lives by the sea in South Wales and is also a
graphic designer and illustrator.
SAVE THE CAT!
Blake Snyder
My agent recommended this book
when I was working on The Woman
in the Dark. Originally written for
screenwriters, it’s a great book for
helping with structure and the Beat
Sheet is invaluable – particularly if,
like me, you’re not a total planner
when it comes to writing. It helped
so much in taking my woolly first
draft and turning it into a tight
read with building tension.

LITTLE WOMEN THE SHINING

Louisa May Alcott Stephen King
Stephen King was an early
This was my favourite childhood book favourite writer: pre-Amazon,
and I still re-read it now. Little Women is with my nearest library ten miles
a novel by American author Louisa away and little money to buy new
May Alcott. which was originally books, I’d sneak books off my dad’s
published in two volumes in 1868 and bookshelf when I was probably
1869. It follows the lives of the four far too young to be reading them.
March sisters –Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy It’s not only the scary bits I love
– and is loosely based on the author – I think King is a genius with
and her three sisters. Who doesn’t long tension and characters and The
to be Jo, scribbling away in the garret, Shining would work brilliantly as
getting into scrapes with Laurie? I still a psychological thriller even if you
cry when Beth gets ill and love reading took the Torrance family out of the
about the lives of these Little Women. Overlook Hotel.

36 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


ON WRITING:
A MEMOIR OF
THE CRAFT
Stephen King
Part memoir, part advice, this is
my favourite book on the craft of
writing – and a wonderful insight
into the life of one of my favourite
authors. He gives plenty of advice
including the importance, in his
mind, of finishing your first draft
in three months. He likes to write
ten pages a day. Over a three-
month span, that can be 180,000
words. ‘The first draft of a book
— even a long one — should take
no more than three months, the
length of a season,’ he says.
‘T
he Walker family and their situation were in my
head for a while before I started writing The Woman
in the Dark. I’d write the odd scene here and there
in my notebook, come up with snippets of dialogue
that I’d mutter to the dog as we walked on the beach. But it
wasn’t until I moved my characters into the Murder House
that the book came alive – more than just a setting, the house
became a character as much as the living, breathing ones and
a catalyst for everything that happens in the story. And like
many characters, what this beautiful seafront Victorian house
presents to the outside world is vastly different to the reality
once you step inside.
‘I have to know how the book starts and how it ends. The
in-between can be vague when I begin writing. I can’t plan
too much because I need to write my way into the characters’
minds and until I start writing them, I don’t know what they’re
going to do. I do end up with an awful lot of words and scenes
that don’t get used, but I don’t believe any of them are wasted
if they help me get to know the characters and their story.
‘The book is mostly told in the first person from Sarah’s point
of view, so I’m writing as Sarah but in the planning stages, I
try to get into the heads of all the characters. I often, before
beginning the first draft, experiment with a few scenes from
different characters’ viewpoints and this helps me get to know the
characters and ensures I’m writing from the perfect viewpoint.
‘In very early drafts, I also had chapters written from Joe
and Mia’s viewpoints, but the book was getting too big and
meandering. I had to make the difficult decision to cut those
chapters and rewrite the action from Sarah’s viewpoint. I never
mind cutting chapters. They still exist and who knows? Maybe
I can publish them one day as extras for readers on my website!
‘I am a fairly disciplined writer. When I started writing, my
children were very young and I was working, writing in any
spare moment I had, so I’ve learned to take advantage of any
www.writers-online.co.uk
WRITER’S BOOKSHELF
THE
HANDMAID’S
TALE
Margaret
Atwood
This is the second of
my favourite books to
re-read. I bought this
in 1989, still have my
original copy and re-read
it at least once a year.
First published in 1985,
The Handmaid’s Tale is
a frightening dystopian
view of an America
where women no longer
have power over their
own lives or bodies.
writing time I get and don’t procrastinate too much! These
days, I mostly write while the children are at school and the
house is quiet, so between nine in the morning and three in
the afternoon is dedicated writing time – I save emails and
admin and social media until later.
‘Those who want to write a book should not see it as some
huge thing you have to have lots of free time for. It’s something
that can be built up slowly, a hundred words at a time. Buy a
notebook, write a few sentences or a scene whenever you get
five minutes. It’s amazing how those few words add up and you
may find when you do retire or the children do leave home,
you already have enough words mounted up for a first draft.
‘Don’t let rejection get you down – every writer, however
successful, experiences it. Don’t let it stop you doing what you
love. It’s difficult not to take it personally, but an agent or
editor has to love your book as much as you do in order to do
their best with it. Being rejected doesn’t mean there’s anything
wrong with your writing or your book – just that you haven’t
yet found the right champion.
‘Another thing I’ve learned; there’s an awful lot of waiting
involved when writing a novel. You have to wait and let the book
rest between drafts (that’s another thing Stephen King advises),
wait for responses from agents and editors, and wait for edits
to come back when you do sign with an agent or publisher. I
filled my waiting time writing short fiction, entering short story
and flash fiction competitions, sending stories to magazines.
Not only is writing short fiction an excellent way to refine your
editing skills (reducing a thousand words to five hundred really
helps you learn what is essential to a story and what can be cut)
but any long or shortlisting is a major confidence boost. One of
my first successes was winning a Writing Magazine short story
competition. Remember, agents and editors actively seek out
winners and shortlisted writers in novel competitions and any
success is wonderful for a writer’s CV.’
MAY 2017
APRIL 2019 37
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Under the Microscope

James McCreet puts the beginning of a reader’s novel under his forensic gaze

Penelope Maclachlan lives in London with her

She was the star of the funeral, Frances
husband and cat. Last year she was longlisted
Tristana.1 Black accentuated her slenderness.2 for the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize with
The vicar spoke of Andrew’s courage when he Lanugo. Her novel, The Star of the Funeral,
was pilot of a de Havilland Mosquito during tells the story of Frances Tristana, who moves
world war two,3 ended forty years previously.4 back in with her elderly parents following the
After the service5 the five mourners trooped6 death of her much older husband.
back to the house. Andrew’s family must have
thought him lucky, with a younger partner by
his side when he lay dying.7
Tyrone, her father,8 reminded her that it was a
long drive back to London, and night would soon
1 It’s a great first sentence. The
notion of being the ‘star of a
funeral’ is striking and suggests an
‘...which had ended...’ Whatever the
intention, it confuses and disrupts.

fall.9 They took leave of their fellow mourners

and boarded10 the Vauxhall Viva which11 Andrew
bought12 second-hand for five hundred pounds.13
Tyrone no longer drove, and Frances took
the wheel. 14
“That was a lovely tribute from the vicar,”
said Frances.15
“Very nice.”16
Tyrone had failed by a hairsbreadth to gain
admission to the RAF because he had hitherto
unsuspected myopia.17 He joined the Royal West
Kent Regiment and rose to the rank of captain.18
The sky was black and sleet glistened in
the headlights by the time Frances parked at
Shepherds Bush. 19
“Buzz us in,” he called up to Molly, his wife.
Nothing happened. He muttered, and let them
in with his key.20 When he opened the door to
his flat, it was in darkness.21 Muttering again, he
snapped on the light to reveal Molly on her hands
and knees with a dustpan and brush.22 Frances
wriggled out of her coat,23 tossed it on one of the
twin beds, and began to talk animatedly:24
“It was great to meet Andrew’s family. They’ve
invited me to Yorkshire and I’d love to go but
it’s a long way and I’ve got my work cut out,
selling the house in Braintree and buying a flat
nearer my job.”25
Molly rose in silence and stalked26 to the
kitchenette, dustpan and brush in hand.27
interesting character. However, I
wonder how the sentence would sound
as, ‘Frances Tristana was the star of the
funeral.’ This puts more emphasis on
the character.
2 An elegantly short sentence
that establishes an interesting
prose rhythm and underlines how
Frances is the star. There’s music in
the combination of ‘accentuate’ and
‘slenderness’.
3 The longer third sentence
continues the engaging narrative
pattern, though I think we need
capitals for World War II.
4 This is a clumsy end to the
sentence. Evidently, it’s been
added by the author to let the reader
know that the story is set in the mid-
eighties, but its obviousness clangs. Is
it absolutely necessary to state in the
first paragraph what year it is? Or can
the reader be allowed to notice later
clues (the Vauxhall Viva?) and make
some assumptions? The verb form
– ’ended’ – is also odd. Is it passive?
Who or what ended the war? Or did it
come to a conclusion on its own:
5 This is a subordinate clause
of time. I’d put a comma after
‘service.’
6 ‘Trooped?’ They moved in
military formation at a uniform
pace? That would have looked odd.
Avoid hackneyed verbs unless they
truly express what is happening.
Another bugbear is when someone
‘jumps’ out of, or into, a car. Unless
they are briefly airborne, they’re not
jumping anywhere.
7 A curious non sequitur. How
would a younger partner have
benefited Andrew as he lay on his
deathbed? And surely the ‘luck’
of having a younger partner was
somewhat outweighed by dying.
Moreover, this sentiment comes out
of nowhere. Who is telling us about
Andrew’s family? Is it the author? Is
it a character perspective? Where is
the focus in this paragraph? It started
off so well with the stylish Frances
Tristana, then switched to the vicar,
then to Andrew, then to unspecified
mourners and finally to the family.
Where should the reader’s attention be?
Whose perspective are we following?

38 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

8 The focus changes again and the

pronoun ‘her’ is briefly confusing
because we’ve had a number of other subjects
since the opening. We have to remind
ourselves that, yes, it must be Frances.
14 Again, it’s not clear why we’re
being told this. It looks like a bit
of authorial hedging: ‘If I say Frances is
19 A lovely piece of description. The
glistening sleet evokes both visual
and aural senses. However, I’d suggest that
driving, the reader might wonder why present continuous tense is better: ‘...was
Tyrone isn’t driving so I’d better say that glistening in the headlights...’
he no longer drives.’ The reader cares only

9 I can’t see any reason for the comma

after ‘London.’
about what seems to be relevant.
20 Why the comma before ‘and?’

10 ‘Took leave’ is an oddly archaic

phrase, though not offensively so.
I take more exception to ‘boarding’ the
Vauxhall Viva, which is neither an aircraft,
an ocean-going vessel nor a vehicle of any
great size. It’s another generic verb chosen
15 It seems strange that she’s saying
this only now, some time after
they left the funeral. Nor does it seem 21 Beginning with the subordinate
clause diffuses the tension or
especially interesting. expectation and puts the emphasis on the
door rather than the room. Try, ‘The flat
16 Tyrone’s response is equally
banal. It’s true that real-life small
was dark when...’

apparently unconsciously and without

purpose.
talk is like this and perhaps the mood is
sombre, but it doesn’t make good prose.
The reader is always looking for clues and
22 This is surreal and inadvertently
amusing. Why on earth is Molly
sweeping on her knees in the dark? It’s

11 There’s some debate on the matter,

but a defining relative clause such as
this – without commas and essential to the
pointers – especially on the first page.
Relevance must be clear. If the aim is to
suggest a mood or a subtext, expand the
never explained and lingers in the memory
as an absurd image.

meaning – prefers ‘that’ to ‘which’. dialogue.

23 Like it. ‘Wriggling’ works well
here.

12 The other verbs in the sentence are

past-simple tense, so we should use
‘had bought’ (unless we’re using American
English).
17 ‘Hitherto unsuspected’ is a bit
of a mouthful. And again, why
are we being told this? It looks like 24 Is that an Oxford comma after
‘beds?’ Or another stray?
character backstory that the author has

13 More importantly, what is the

relevance of this information? In
prepared and feels obliged to drop into
the narrative, whether or not it has any
purpose.
25 This is good. Frances’ rambling
monologue is well expressed.

this context, it looks irrelevant. Is it another

period detail so we can work out the date
from the second-hand price of a Viva? 18 The reader stops and wonders: ‘Is
this important? Why?’
26 Wait... Molly has been on
the floor this whole time?
Unspeaking? With her dustpan and brush?
And nobody has even acknowledged her
existence? Surreal indeed. And why did she
stalk? My dictionary offers definitions of
In summary ‘stalk’ thus: ‘To stride stiffly or haughtily;
to go after game, keeping under cover; to
follow a person, esp an enemy...’ Or did
This piece started so well with the star of the funeral. It was a striking image of a Molly just walk?
glamorous younger woman: magnetic, show-stealing and apparently charismatic.
Then she immediately disappears in a flurry of seemingly disconnected images and
facts. Other characters are introduced. The focus is diffuse. Information is relayed
without context or relevance. By the end of the 300 words, it’s not clear what the
27 This last detail is comic in
its incongruity and seeming
irrelevance.
purpose of the piece is or where it’s going. All we know is that Tyrone and Frances
have returned home from Andrew’s funeral to find the bizarre spectre of Molly
silently sweeping in the dark.
I have no problem with surreal perspectives that draw the reader into their curious CLICK HERE
ambiguities and promise resolution later, but this looks badly structured. The joins To read James McCreet’s
are showing in the traces of backstory and in details that presumably make sense to
suggested rewrite
the author but not to the reader. It’s a half-cooked thing. What was the purpose of
this first page? What was the intended effect on the reader? What was the hook? I see of this extract
little evidence of these essentials.
There are certainly some good bits of writing here, but it needs more discipline.
Lazy verbs degrade the prose. It needs to be much tighter and trimmed of waffle or
superfluity. There’s a story here somewhere but the reader shouldn’t have to search so • If you would like to submit an extract
hard for it. The author’s job is to put the reader right there in the action and make of your work in progress, send it by
us feel the significance of every word and line. My lasting impression is the glistening email, with synopsis and a brief biog,
hail and Molly’s dustpan. to: jtelfer@writersnews.co.uk

www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 39

 Helpline
TITLE
Diana Cambridge solves
your writing problems

Email your queries to Diana (please include hometown 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.

Q What happens when a new-born is abandoned in the

street, or a park? I know the police search and appeal
for the mother to come forward, but if she never does, who
Q I often see the expression ‘she was sat’ – surely this is wrong.
LEO COX
Cheltenham
looks after the child? Does the person who found the baby
have a special relationship and, if he or she wanted to adopt,
would they be favoured for this? How long do police and social
A You are right. The correct grammar is ‘she was sitting’ or ‘she sat’.
But the more colloquial ‘she was sat’ is creeping into common usage
whether some of us like it or not.
services wait before they decided the child can be adopted? I’m
asking this because I think the “21st century abandoned baby”
may be a good theme for a novel or short story. Despite the
dozens of ways today in which a vulnerable mother-to-be can
Q There is a problem at our small writing group, held in one of
the member’s homes, when certain members continue to write
in handwriting. As we are making up an anthology of our work,
be helped, it seems some still resort to the Victorian method their stories will have to be typed. Even reading them aloud, their
of simply leaving the baby on a doorstep, park bench or other writing is sometimes not easy to follow. We have gently mentioned
public places. this to them, but they have laughed it off as though it’s not
DOREEN VOSPER important. These members are not very elderly – in their seventies –
Hillingdon and could use a laptop as I’m sure they have used typewriters in the

A The police do all they possibly can to locate the mother,

maybe making a direct TV appeal, and by showing pictures
of the baby safely in hospital. Often they have very little to go
on. Sometimes abandoned babies are found with notes pinned to
their clothes, or pieces of jewellery, but this is the exception. When
no relative has come forward – and the baby is well enough to be
moved – he or she will go into foster care. After some time has
elapsed, the baby can then usually be freed for adoption. Nurses
may give the new-born a name, and this can be changed by the
adoptive parents. Often the person who found – and saved – the
baby does feel they have a ‘special relationship’ with the baby.
They may apply to foster or adopt. This decision is in the hands
of social services. There is a school of thought suggesting that the
mother might come forward if police do not show pictures of the
baby doing well – to leave the mother in doubt might make her
approach the police for news. All of these aspects could, yes, make
a plot for a good story.
Q I read in Finland of an experiment with ‘free money’ paid to a
past. How do we tackle this?
RUPERT GARLAND
Bude, Cornwall
A This is a problem with several writing groups I’ve heard of. If your
group is held in a village, it’s probably a strong source of friendship
as well as a writing group. Can you combine both these qualities? I would
get your most authoritative member to say that handwritten work is
unable to be accepted, so that the group’s writing is in line with all writing
competitions – but also suggest ways round this. Are there youngsters or
family members who would type out the pieces before your meetings? I do
think that handwritten work is unacceptable. Yet you don’t want to upset
members. But it wouldn’t be reams of work – I’m sure the problem could
be got round. Are there other groups who have dealt with this dilemma?
group of people for two years – regardless of whether they got
work or not. One was a journalist who had a very good newspaper
job. At the end of the experiment, he had not achieved a job despite
writing eighty applications.

Q I sent off an idea to a magazine – no reply. I followed this

up a couple of months later, and this time the editor said
she wasn’t giving a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ at this stage but would like to hang
on to it – which was optimistic, I thought. Since then – about
six months ago, nothing. Should I now ring or write to them
reminding them? It’s getting frustrating, not knowing.
DANI O’BRIEN
Sidmouth
In what jobs are journalism skills portable? Where are the openings?
SERGE ROYFFE
Brighton
A There are openings in specialised journals – finance, health,
science, for example – journals not read by the consumer, but by
the specialist.
There are some openings in giving courses – for example to WEA
(Workers Education Association) groups – teaching writing to prisoners,
homeless, perhaps refugees. Much depends what is going on in your area.

A My answer is, no. I think the editor will still be in the same
position – not sure where or when she can use it, but thinking
it good enough to hang on to. Editors do dislike being ‘pestered’.
I agree it’s frustrating but keep sending out other work. If you rely
on just one piece of work out for submission, you really will become
cross and anxious as each day goes by without a result.
Put that energy into writing more pieces and sending out more
submissions.
You need to slant your resume to whatever opening you are applying for,
not have one all-purpose CV. Local newspapers sometimes have the odd,
mostly junior, vacancy: nationals hardly ever.
If you have good admin and budgeting skills, you might pick up a job
as a practice administrator in a GP surgery, or an administrator in an arts
environment. It’s certainly not easy. Be open to a new type of job rather
than try and mirror the one you had. Get on job sites – not just those for
journalists but general sites.

40 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

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CLOSING Cup of tea and a chat!

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with highly esteemed guest judges from the literary world 
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www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 41

FICTION FOCUS
The e n d is n i gh
Get past the hump and finish your novel by following Margaret’s James’s sound advice
I
t’s easy to start a story.
Okay, it’s not that easy.
But the fact that plenty
of people start writing
novels, only to abandon
them after the first few chapters,
suggests it can be much more of a
challenge to finish one.
When we start reading a new
novel, I guess it’s somewhat akin to
meeting up for a first date, but it’s
usually with a whole crowd of new
people, rather than just the one. We’ve
been attracted by what we’ve already
seen and heard about the book. We
might have read a few pages in a
bookshop or online. We go on this
literary date in a spirit of optimism,
hoping we’ll enjoy ourselves: that the
date will be a big success.
At the end of the date, we’ll want
to feel it’s been a positive experience
all round. Or that we haven’t been
wasting our time, anyway. We’ll
want to feel satisfied, and I feel the
key word to remember when an
42 MAY 2019
author is thinking about finishing
story is satisfaction.
How does a novelist offer
readers this all-important
satisfaction?
Unless the author is writing some
kind of experimental fiction, it’s
usually by answering the most
pressing question (or questions) asked
at the start of the novel, or even in
its title. Do Fogg and Passepartout
manage to go round the world in
www.writers-online.co.uk
eighty days? Do Jim Hawkins and
Long John Silver actually find any
treasure on the island?
What should your own
pressing question (or
questions) be?
Perhaps the writers of genre fiction
have an easier ride here because
they know a crime novel must
reveal the identity of the criminal
and that a romantic novel must
tell readers if the lovers find their
happy-ever-after, or fail to find it.
But novelists don’t always need
to give definitive, once-and-for-
all answers to these important
questions. The overarching question
in the first five novels in the Harry
Potter series is: will Voldemort kill
Harry? The answer of course, is
always: no, not this time.
When you’re writing a novel in
any genre it’s sometimes possible to
pave the way for a sequel or even
sequels. You might or might not
 FICTION FOCUS

decide to write it or them. Perhaps

Robert Louis Stevenson deliberately
left the way open for a sequel or
even several sequels to Treasure
Island. As far as we know, he never
got round to writing any, but
maybe knowing that he might do
this one day helped him to power
on to the end of the classic we all
know and love?
Trilogies often tell the stories of
three generations of one family,
asking and answering separate
questions. The first novel in a series
could ask: does X marry Y? The
answer could be yes, and then the
second novel could ask: did they
have any children and did these
children get on with their parents?
Still on the subject of sequels, you
might also like to consider taking
a minor character from one novel
and telling this person’s story in a
new title.
various kinds of challenges. You’ll
still invite these readers to ask
I wish
questions and you’ll still need to
answer them.
Does a parent reveal the secret
I’d known…
of his birth to an adopted son? Do
two sisters ever manage to deal with with Clare Chase
the resentments, rivalries, betrayals
or jealousies that have been
festering throughout their lives?
It’s important to create characters
your readers will love because it’s
as difficult to be enthusiastic about
spending time in the company
of people who don’t engage us in
fiction as it is in life. It’s often
tempting to prefer the society of
those who are a bit wicked but also
fascinating to that of people who
are kind, generous but also rather
dull. So don’t forget to give your
good guys some interesting quirks
of character and even a few flaws as
well as all those positive traits.

The big challenge for many
novelists is to deliver an ending
that’s not only surprising but
likely. Real life is often stranger
than fiction, so it’s almost never a
defence of an unsatisfactory ending
for a novelist to say: but this really
happened, even though it was
unlikely. Most fiction demands
that whatever happens is likely
to happen, but preferably in an
unexpected way.
What if your novel is character-
driven and doesn’t actually feature
much in the way of a story?
You’ll need to offer your readers
satisfaction by putting your
characters in interesting situations
and showing how they respond to
As you are writing your first
draft, are you slipping enough
information into the narrative and
giving your readers a chance to
guess the ending of the story? You’ll
hope readers will guess wrong, of
course, but it’s kind of cheating to
give them no clues at all.
Wall charts, different coloured
Post-It notes stuck in sequence on
a noticeboard, old-fashioned index
cards – all these can be motivational
and help us to get to the end of
even a predominantly character-
driven story. Did these people
get what they wanted and if not,
why not? Did they end up in the
physical and emotional places they
needed and/or deserved to be?
Your readers will want to know.
‘W
hat do I wish I’d always
known? It’s a great
question, and hard to
pick just one thing, but I
wish I’d understood more
about the commercial side of publishing.
‘When I began to write seriously I did lots of
research, but it was all about the creative process.
I didn’t understand how to give my work the best
possible chance by pitching it in the right way. Also,
if an author is writing commercial fiction, I didn’t
realise how important it is for a book to sit neatly
in a genre that’s popular now, or in one seen as
up-and-coming.
‘The first book I submitted to a commercial
publisher was romantic suspense. Did I ever see
new novels like that in Waterstones? No. But, when
I was growing up, I’d enjoyed reading the work of
authors like Mary Stewart, and that was the sort of
story I wanted to write.
‘I approached an agent and she told me she loved

NOW Try this
What’s the big question in the story of your own life? There must be
one. Questions people sometimes ask themselves include: Why did
my marriage fail? Why have my children cut me out of their lives?
Why did my parents seem to dislike me?
Or, if those three big questions are much too personal, what about:
whose was that gold ring I found in my late mother’s jewellery box,
inscribed with the initials of nobody in my family? Where have I seen
the man who has just moved into the house opposite before? When I
decided not to take that new job, was it a mistake?
Real life doesn’t always offer us satisfying or indeed any answers,
but fiction always should. So a question in your own life story could
be a great starting point for a novel and might even suggest some
answers, too.
my work. It was right up her street. When I read
that first sentence of her email, I was so excited.
But she went on to explain that publishers weren’t
currently buying romantic suspense. It was a no –
on commercial grounds. I was terribly disappointed.
I failed to realise that I could have subtly tweaked
the plot, then presented it as a psychological thriller.
‘My published books still contain the elements
I love: mystery, suspense and relationships. If
you can adjust your work so that it fits, whilst
remaining true to your goals, then you might
be in business. But also – and this is important
– what’s commercially viable varies according
to the type of publisher you or your agent
approach. It’s worth doing your research before
deciding what action to take.’

www.writers-online.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk AUGUST
MAY 2017
2018
2019 43
WRITERS’ CIRCLES
NG
LD IK S
UI
B O C
Fine-tune the words and sentences you use in this writing group exercise from Julie Phillips
I
n the beginning there is a first word,
followed by another and another.
It’s like going for a walk. You put
one foot in front of the other so
that many steps lead you to your
destination. Writers often forget that even
the most prolific and successful of writers
today had to take that first tentative
step and write that first word on a blank
screen or on a blank piece of paper.
Sometimes it can seem daunting to face
that blank screen and get disheartened
when the words are refusing to flow as
fast and efficiently as we would like.
Even when we do start writing and
have got into some kind of flow with
basic sentences, we then have to think
about how we can make those sentences
better. We have to move on from the
first draft if we want to make it into
publication. This workshop pulls apart
each sentence into its specific parts and
identifies that the way we construct
our sentence conveys meaning, clarity
and intent. Every short story, novel,
poem or article, just as any building or
bridge, needs to have strong foundations.
This workshop looks at ways we can
strengthen our words, sentences and
paragraphs to improve our writing.
To begin with, ask your group to write
down a short simple sentence – one with
a subject, verb and object. For example,
Teddy threw the ball. It’s a sentence but it
doesn’t really engage the reader. Next ask
the group to read out their sentences.
After that, ask the group to add an
adjective or two to the sentence. For
example – Teddy threw the big, red ball.
Here we have more detail included, which
44 MAY 2019
BL
makes the picture we are painting in the
eye of the reader that more specific. The
reader has gone from not knowing what
kind of ball it was to knowing exactly.
Ask the group to read theirs out. Were
all the sentences improved by the simple
addition of an adjective?
Where does your group stand on the
use of adverbs? Some published writing
seems peppered with them, yet other
authors use them sparingly. Have the
group expand on what they have already
written and write a more complex
sentence now, with both adjectives
and adverbs included. Ask the group
to read them out whilst the audience
makes notes on whether they think the
new sentence has improved or not. For
example, the sentence might now read
Teddy threw his big, red ball angrily at the
new bay window.
In this more detailed sentence, we
now know not only the colour and size
of the ball but the state of mind Teddy
is in when he threw it and the intended
destination of the ball. We have an
emotion in there which helps the reader
to connect with Teddy and resonate
with him. We’ve all been angry and
know what it feels like. It also makes
the reader begin to ask questions
which means they will want to read
on. Who is Teddy and why is he
angry?
Of course, it is possible to have
too many adjectives and adverbs in
a sentence. The way some children
are taught literacy in primary schools
today makes them go overboard on
the adverbs and adjectives, just to build
www.writers-online.co.uk
up their vocabulary. This is then evened
out as they progress through school into
secondary education and beyond where
their writing is encouraged to be less
adverb and adjective-heavy.
In the spirit of primary education,
pick a couple of verbs, walk and throw
for example, and ask the group to come
up with as many alternative verbs as
they can. For example, for the verb
walk they might suggest stalk, stomp,
dawdle, stride, scamper, skip or trudge.
Each alternative verb will convey a
slightly different method or way of
walking or throwing. When someone
stomps towards you, you might be a
little more perturbed as they obviously
mean business and may be a little cross.
Words can be both the writers’ best
friend and enemy at times. The examples
used are only simple, but hopefully the
workshop will encourage your group to
really think about the words that make
up their sentences and the tools they have
at their disposal to help them improve.
If we have more complex sentences
interspersed between shorter, simple
sentences, the rhythm of our writing
becomes more fluid, more interesting
and easier to read for the reader. We
learn the specifics of our characters and
our settings, not just skim the surface,
making us invest our emotions and
make time to read on.
Build up a word wall of alternative
adjectives and verbs that the group can
add to and access on the group website
if you have one. They will never be
stuck for a good word to enhance their
sentences again.

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…
Ampthill
Writers’ Group
Formed in 2011, Ampthill Writers’ Group meets monthly at
The Albion, an old pub in this central Bedfordshire town,
writes Rachel Lewis.
While more structured writing groups exist, AWG was set
up principally as an opportunity for writers to talk about the
process of writing and to encourage one another. We welcome
any author, regardless of genre or level: writers who are just
starting out are particularly welcome. The size of the group
changes as people move in and out of the area, but at any given
time we average 25 members.
For some, the group has provided much needed support
in tough times. Thriller writer Peter Laws says that the group
helped him to feel connected to the writing community during
the difficult months of securing his first book deal. It worked!
Now, just a few years on, Allison & Busby have recently
published Peter’s fourth book.
In the early years the group hosted themed reading nights.
In 2014, this spun off into the creation of the Ampthill
Literary Festival. The writers’ group and the festival have a
symbiotic relationship, with many of the group helping to
establish the festival and put it on a firm footing. Today,
Ampthill Literary Festival is chaired by Katie Packman,
another member of the writers’ group. She will be leading the
fifth event on Saturday 27 April at Parkside Hall in Ampthill,
with guests including Ruth Hogan and Toby Litt.
With several prolific authors in the group, AWG members
have between them published over
seventy books, and the total continues
to grow. It’s a great joy to witness the
journey from rough idea to publication,
and to celebrate when a member’s book
hits the shelves. Recent releases include
A Certain Degree of Magnificence: People
in the Bedfordshire Landscape, Brian
Kerr (Eventispress); Severed, Peter Laws
(Allison & Busby), and Fat Chance,
AB Morgan (Bloodhound Books).  short stories, The Fox’s Lament, published by The Sundial Press
If you are in the area and would like
to join the Ampthill Writers’ Group,
please contact us via the website at
ampthillwriters.wordpress.com.
www.writers-online.co.uk
WRITERS’ CIRCLES
Pennybank Writers and
Mere Literary Festival
Adrienne Howell founded and
leads PennyBank Writers – the
Mere & District Writers Group.
A small, friendly, mixed group of
published and unpublished writers,
it meets on the last Wednesday
of the month in Mere to discuss
various aspects of writing, complete
exercises, and offer helpful criticism
and comment on each other’s work.
Members of the group take it in turn to set a homework task for
the following month’s meeting. Hopefully, some of this work will
appear in the group’s second anthology, now at the planning stage.
PennyBankers give themed readings – using their own and other
published work – which have proved popular with local clubs and
during the Mere Literary Festival. They are also organising the
festival’s 2019 poetry competition.
Adrienne Howell has, though, stepped down as organiser
of the Mere Literary Festival after 22 years at the helm. She
founded the festival in 1997 to raise funds for a new local charity
– The Mere & District Link Scheme. It majors on providing
volunteer transport for medical needs to eleven rural parishes
where the main hospital is at Salisbury, over 25 miles distant.
Funds generated annually by the popular week-long festival
have ensured the success of the MDLS which is widely used and
appreciated by the community.
In the 2018 MLF programme Adrienne wrote:
‘After 22 years I am stepping down as organiser of the Mere
Literary Festival. It is time for a younger and more energetic
generation to take the festival forward.
It has been a privilege to work with so many dedicated and
generous people, and to see both the Link Scheme and its festival
thrive. I thank all those – past and present – who have helped
and supported Mere Literary Festival and wish it many more
years of success.’
And, fortunately, a volunteer did come forward. Gail Garbutt
is the new organiser of the Mere festival and can be contacted on
gfgarbutt@gmail.com
PennyBank Writers will administer the annual writing competition
on behalf of the festival. Contact: rosskathompson@aol.com
Adrienne’s final event as organiser was the 2018 Award
Ceremony when she also launched her debut anthology of
of Sherborne. There was a celebratory cake, speeches and the
presentation of inspired glassware to match her book’s cover.
‘Adrienne was awarded the BEM in the Queen’s New Year
Honours List for ‘services to the community of Mere.’
MAY 2019 45
SAU B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
SH A RE
SUBSCRIBER
SPOTLIGHT
O Y Share your writing success stories. If you subscribe to Writing Magazine and
Y
R
U R STO would like to feature here, email Tina Jackson, tjackson@warnersgroup.co.uk
A fantastic imagination
‘Since being a little girl, I have always had a passion for
books,’ writes subscriber Hayley Davenport Smith.
‘I wrote Labyrinth Junction after being inspired by
my own five children and the children I have taught
as a primary school teacher. Every child has their own
individual strengths and weaknesses, but they all have
one thing in common... a love of fiction books! My
favourite part of the teaching day was to read a couple
of chapters from an exciting story. Every child would
sit in silence, as they were transported into a fantasy
land, a far-away place, their imaginations working
in overdrive. I wanted to create a story that would
mesmerise children and carry them away into another
exciting, fantasy world.
‘I wrote the book seven years ago, and it was only
a chance encounter with an author on a train last
summer that gave me the confidence to have the book
published. It is also a very personal book for me as my
twelve year old daughter, Erin, illustrated the book and
designed the cover picture.
‘Labyrinth Junction is an exciting fantasy story about
the sheer bravery and determination of a young boy
who is prepared to risk his life if it means finding his
way home.
‘It will appeal to 8-12 year olds with a taste for
adventure and excitement.
‘Labyrinth Junction is the first book in a planned series.’
Website: www.labyrinthjunction.co.uk
46 MAY 2019
A dose of writing
‘On retiring as a GP, I subscribed to Writing
Magazine and have avidly followed its info-packed
pages of advice and encouragement,’ writes
subscriber Anne Pettigrew.
‘Like, “write about what you know” – medicine!
Research showed few novels on women doctors
apart from pathologists, pioneers and Mills &
Boon. Millions watch medical dramas; there must
be a market. And, “take some courses”. Despite
being the granny at superb University of Glasgow
Creative Writing courses, I was undeterred,
though realised how rapidly language changes;
no one under forty understood my No Sinecure
title (though one lass thought it apt: my sixties
medics did sin as they cured!). The millennials
seemed enthusiastic about my stories: how did we
unmarrieds live without the pill in the sixties? Or
accept leaving a job if pregnant? Class exercises,
feedback and great WM articles on character, dialogue and plot helped me
give birth to a six-year baby, now called Not The Life Imagined after a poll
at the zany and hilarious Greenock Writers Group – another great piece
of WM advice: join a writers’ group.
‘Next came the trawl through the Writers & Artists’ Yearbook for an
agent or publisher. And an inbox full of rejections, if any reply at all.
There was one exciting flicker of interest from a Twitter pitch day
(XpoNorth), but sadly the publisher folded. Deciding to concentrate
on publishers north of the border, it being a mainly Scottish story, I
regrouped and was encouraged: all replied. Taking their advice, 6,000
words and three characters were chopped (ouch!) Several agents wrote
handwritten notes saying they liked the novel but couldn’t think who
would publish it: infuriating. Then I was runner-up in the Scottish
Association of Writers’ Constable Silver Stag Award. Judge Simon Brett
praised its “fresh voice and moral authority” saying it was “well-written
and lively”. Ringwood Publishing, an enthusiastic Glasgow non-profit
company, have now published it in ebook and paperback format
and within a month it has received five-star reviews on Amazon and
Ringwood. I am delighted.
‘But be warned, if you are a 68-year-old crumbly like me whose only
school contact with computers was with an entire room of whirring
punch-cards in 1967, writing the book is the easy part. I managed to
stumblingly join Twitter an hour before posting my book pitch, but can
I master Instagram and get blogs on my website? Think I need another
course… or a WM article please?’
Website: www.annepettigrew.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk

Getting creative
‘I have been writing
since I was a teenager,’
writes subscriber
Catherine Balavage.
‘I remember the
first time I got a poem
published. I have always
loved reading and writing.
For other people to say
I was good and that I was
worthy of publication meant
so much. The first poem I
ever wrote was praised by my
English teacher. It changed my
life to know I had a talent.
‘I have been a restaurant
critic and a theatre reviewer.
I also started my own online
magazine nine years ago. Frost Magazine is still
going today. I feel very proud of that. I have been a
freelance writer and I have written four non-fiction
books on subjects as various as acting, childbirth,
blogging and wedding planning.
‘However I wanted to be more creative. I started
writing poems, songs and novels. I got all of the
poems together and have published What Do You
Think?, a collection of poems. It was very well
received and one person on Amazon even compared
it to Wilfred Owen, one of my favourite poets.
‘Another bonus was that I got inspired as I
went through them and have written more.
I have also written short stories and I have
written two novels that I am currently editing.
Thankfully, Writing Magazine has lots of
leads and I will be sending my fiction off to
competitions and publishers. Fingers crossed!’
WE’LL HELP YOU SELL YOUR BOOK!
Don’t miss your exclusive chance
to feature on our website,
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S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
Thrilling success
‘Two years ago I gave up all thought of being able to make a
living from writing, pushed it aside and concentrated on my
part time job as a 999 call handler, and my family,’ writes
subscriber Daisy White.
‘I decided, after ten years of hard slog I wasn’t meant to
be a writer.
‘Now, at the beginning of 2019, I’m just completing
my accounts for my first year as a self-employed writer.
I’m making a living from my writing at last, and I
couldn’t be happier. In addition to the Ruby Baker
Seaside Mysteries, a trilogy set in in 1960s Brighton,
in 2018 I signed a two-book deal with HQ Digital, an
imprint of HarperCollins.
‘I had a total of five offers for Remember Me, my debut
psychological thriller, and deciding whether to sign with
an agent, or go directly with a publisher was very hard.
‘Remember Me, written under the name DE White,
and, published by HQ Digital, came out in February as
an ebook, audiobook, and paperback. Remember Me is a
psychological thriller set in Wales, and has been described
by reviewers as “addictive” and “chilling”.
‘Having delivered the second book in my two-book deal, I am now working on
another psychological thriller, currently unsigned.
‘I have discovered how hard it is to write full time, with first drafts colliding with
edits of manuscripts at a different stage, and marketing, accounts, social media and
speaking events to be added to the calendar. But I’m very disciplined – in fact with
two children I have to be – and I wouldn’t change my career for anything.’
Website: www.daisywhiteauthor.co.uk
WM subscriber Jan Moran Neil has a short story,
Miranda and her Madam, included in The Wrong
Patient And Other Stories from Africa anthology
edited by Daniel Mushtwa and published by
Aalvent Books.
Showcase your book to over 14,000 readers each month in
the Writers Online Subscribers’ Showcase. We’ll give your
book its own page, with blurb, cover and a direct link to your
website or an online store. And if you’re a WM subscriber, the
service is completely FREE.
See http://writ.rs/sellyourbook for more details
PLUS
When you’re sending in submissions to appear on those pages, feel free to
send us any additional content you have available. Whether it’s an interview
video, book trailer, podcast, audio extract or anything else,
we’ll give you as much exposure as we can through our digital edition and
website. As ever, send your details to tjackson@warnersgroup.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 47
S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
A Strange
murder mystery
‘I’m excited to be publishing my third
novel, but my first in a cosy crime
mystery series, titled Murder on the
Rocks,’ writes subscriber Jack Strange.
‘The main character is a gay private
investigator, named Jordan Jenner. The
story is based in Cardiff, and is the
first in a planned series. Jordan has to
solve the murder of a writer, but as he
investigates, he begins to discover that
his mother’s death was also related.
‘I wrote Jordan Jenner with the
desire to create a gay male lead in the crime genre. Whilst
more books are being published with LGBT leads, they
still seem to be few and far between, particularly in
mainstream publishing, and so I wanted to help develop a
gay male lead. I was also keen to base it in Cardiff, because
there seems to be a lack in Welsh fiction, though of course
there are Welsh novels out there.
‘Murder on the Rocks got the most attention I had ever
had from publishers. Seven publishers requested the full
manuscript, and it was shortlisted for Penguin Random
House’s Write Now Live scheme in 2018. Many publishers
told me they liked the originality of the story, and the
setting, but in the end publishers were still reluctant to
pick it up. It is now publishing on 1 March 2019 with
Panther Publishing, an independent publisher based in
Wales. I’m glad to be working with Panther, as they’re
brand new, so I feel like part of the team as well as their
first author. They hope to publish great crime, thriller,
mystery and horror fiction this year and onwards, so it’s an
exciting time.
‘In the past, I have self-published two zombie novels:
Winter Smith: London’s Burning and Winter Smith: The
Secrets of France, about socialite Winter Smith escaping
the zombie apocalypse. As she escapes, she learns that the
government are behind the virus. I plan to write a third,
but not before working on the second in the Jordan
Jenner Mysteries series.
‘I write under the pen name JS Strange.’
The evolution of Fishman
‘One of the biggest flaws in my first novel
was forcing it to be 50,000 words,’ writes
subscriber Chloe Gilholy.
‘It had many things cut and added in
just to add the word count. With Fishman
I wanted to write 50,000 for it but only
managed to write half that amount. There
came a point after editing where I felt there
was nothing more to add to the story.
‘Fishman is mainly inspired by a video
game published by Harvester Games called
The Cat Lady. Its dark themes and talks
of mental health left a huge impact on
48 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk
Playing with time
‘Weeks after I was born in the
Orwellian summer of 1984 my
mum started a full-time degree
in English and History,’ writes
subscriber Matthew Keeley.
‘Her love of literature trickled
down to me. Reading authors
like Roald Dahl, CS Lewis,
RL Stine, Lois Duncan, and
John Christopher, I grew up
mesmerised by stories that made
the unbelievable real. I started
writing my own comic books using my dad’s then-futuristic Apple Mac
and even hijacked a primary school class to direct a play I’d invented. But
after being assured that writing wasn’t a “serious” career, I decided to study
the only thing that made sense at university – English Literature. After
graduating, I followed my parents into teaching.
‘Five years ago, I decided I should make my own stories again. My
childhood fascination with the eerie and magical seemed to have stuck with
me and one concept I kept returning to was ghosts, and the notion that
people always assume they are remnants of the dead, from the past. Instead,
I wondered – what if they’re from the future; glimpses of visitors who have
come back to observe and study us.
‘This is the premise of Turning the Hourglass, which I spent several years
– between teaching full-time – planning, writing, editing, and redrafting...
and redrafting… and redrafting. During that time I also had some short
stories published in anthologies and magazines – most of them discovered
in the Writers’ News section of Writing Magazine. A highlight of that time
was attending the launch of a Mother’s Milk Books collection where I
was able to meet other writers and perform a reading of my work at the
Nottingham Writers’ Studio.
‘Shortly after, I received an email from Black Rose Writing, who’d I
submitted my novel to months before and forgotten about, asking if
Turning the Hourglass had been published yet. I don’t think I’ve ever replied
to an email so quickly in my life. After an agonising wait of a few days,
Black Rose offered me my publishing contract.
‘Turning the Hourglass will be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and
Black Rose Writing.’
Website: www.matthewkeeley.co.uk
me and at the time of writing I was also
watching Catfish which gave me the idea
of the main plot.
‘Fishman has also been published on
Vocal and on Wattpad. It’s currently being
produced as an audiobook on ACX. I
want the book and story to be available in
as many places and formats as possible. If
people enjoyed reading the story online, they
could purchase a physical copy. Amazon’s
Kindle tool for Microsoft Word also helped
me with the formatting for the paperback,
which was a huge plus.’

Steps on the way
‘My YA fantasy novel is like a baby I’ve
hidden in a drawer for ten years, wrapped
in swaddling cloth and loved,’ writes
subscriber Mary Ellen Chatwin.
‘She hasn’t been able to get out and
breathe fully, so I decided to take steps
towards getting published in another
direction, via the short story, to motivate me. On a trip to
Liverpool last year I picked up Writing Magazine and began
my addiction for creating short stories. I entered theme-based
competitions as challenges for several months and recently
opened my email to the astonishing news that one of my first
competition shorts, sent in October 2018, won first place in the
food-themed competition!
‘The Kitchen Door is the story of me, me and me…Strangely,
all sides and several persons in this multi-faceted story portray
roles I’ve played during my time in the former Soviet country of
Georgia – the foreigner, so awkward at table with new customs,
wanting to get it right; the woman in the kitchen helping to
make enough food for the delegation that just arrived; and as sad
spectator of death-by-knife when a tragedy meant the family pig
had to be “sacrificed” for the funeral meal. These strong emotions
carried the story, more than my observations only, and gave me
a hint on how to pick up my “baby” again and breathe emotion
into her – and to continue writing short stories. Passion for what
people feel has continued to power my favourite characters – even
those whom I’m not really fond of!’
The Sharpe end
‘The Accused, my latest novel, has just been published
by Sharpe Books,’ writes subscriber Giles Ekins.
‘The Accused is a murder mystery, told from more
than one viewpoint.
‘Additionally, Sharpe Books have re-issued my
two previously published books. Sinistrari, set in
London in 1888, has been re-titled as To Hell and
Back. Murder by Illusion was previously published as
The Satanic Disillusionment of Charlie Chilton.’
‘For all my books, including those I am currently
writing, I carry out significant research into
aspects of location, period and technical matters.
For instance, in Murder by Illusion I studied stage
illusions (but do not claim to know all the
magicians arts) and for The Accused I researched
rape trauma syndrome (RTS).
‘However, I consider it important not to let
the research get in the way of the story. It should
provide background detail and not drive the
narrative., but I am sure that other authors might
have a different opinion, and I would respect that.
‘The Accused, To Hell and Back and Murder
by Illusion are now available from Sharpe Books
– sharpebooks.com – or Amazon as a ebook. A
paperback version of all three titles will follow shortly.
‘My thanks to all at Sharpe Books, especially
Richard Foreman for his advice and those
brilliant covers.’
www.writers-online.co.uk
S U B S C R I B E R S P OT L I G H T
A deluge of words
‘I’m celebrating my
first million words
including rhyming
poems, short stories
and novels,’ writes
subscriber Julia Patten.
‘I’ve completed nineteen novels, five
poetry books and one book of fifty short
stories since 2012.
‘When I joined a Kendal writing group, I was challenged to produce a
novel. I rose to the occasion and have continued writing ever since.’
‘As well as crafting the words, I turn my manuscripts into paperbacks.
‘While I am searching for a literary agent and publisher, I create
book covers to match my book contents and transform my words into
paperback format. This helps with the editing and feedback process and is
a great motivator to keep me going.’
‘My poems are always accessible, sometimes quirky and usually tell a story
or carry a message. Topics include nature, romance, family, politics, tragedy
and more. My short stories are varied, unexpected, sometimes creepy with a
twist at the end. My novels concentrate on chaotic relationships, turbulent
circumstances and difficult lives in a modern world.
‘I am a regular on the local spoken word scene, entertaining audiences
with poems and stories, but would be happy to recite my work at other
establishments, groups or gatherings where an interlude of spoken word
would be appreciated.’
Website: http://novelsforyou.wixsite.com
Romance pays
off for Elaina
‘I joined the Romantic Novelists’
Association (RNA) in 2015,’
writes subscriber Elaina James.
‘The first time I attended an
RNA meeting I was stunned;
there were people just like me!
People who get up ridiculously
early in the morning to write
before going to work. Who
surrender lunch breaks, relaxing
evenings in front of the television
and even sleep, in order to grab a few more precious moments
working on their novels. My colleagues at work thought I was
crazy, but here I was completely normal.
‘The camaraderie, support and encouragement from other
writers never ceases to amaze me. Whether published or
unpublished, writers are always keen to help each other progress
on their writing journey. This has been particularly true for me
this week as I received The Katie Fforde Bursary 2019.
‘It’s a huge honour and privilege to receive this award, and
know that I am in such great company amongst the fabulous
writers who have won previously. Katie seeks to support and
encourage unpublished writers each year with her award, and
I am so thrilled to be selected as a recipient.
‘The sheer number of messages I have received to
congratulate me and wish me luck has been astounding and I
am incredibly grateful.’
MAY 2019 49
 Glamorous, Globe-trotting Career
Started By Studying At Home
Travel writer, photographer and
editor, Cindy-Lou Dale, learnt her
craft from The Writers Bureau’s
Home Study Creative Writing
course. Fifteen years later she now
specialises in writing for the high-
end travel, luxury motoring and
affluent lifestyles market. Here is
her story:
Within 18 months of enrolling on her
course Cindy-Lou had been published in
more than 80 magazines, newspapers and
e-zines around the world, but she hadn’t
quite achieved her goal. In 2006 Cindy-
Lou wrote, “Since childhood I’ve had a
secret dream of writing an article for
National Geographic. Okay, okay, I know
that is really huge but let’s be honest
here, look what I’ve accomplished
already. The Writers Bureau laid the
foundation, my tutor nurtured and guided
me and I now have several impressive
writing clips to my name and perhaps the
confidence to pull it off.”
to strength, “Both my travel writing, and
car reviews, have been published in
numerous high-end journals around the
world, as well as in-flight magazines,
luxury lifestyle publications, wealth
management and trade journals…
whatever takes my fancy really.”
So, apart from getting the right training
and working really hard, what else has
contributed to Cindy-Lou’s success?
“The key is to publish in a diverse mix of
magazines,” she says. “For example, I’m a
travel writer, but this doesn’t mean you’ll
only see my articles in travel magazines.
In fact, you’ll seldom see them there as
they don’t pay nearly as well as genre
specific magazines like a dental magazine.
Remember, dentists too go on holiday –
and drive luxury cars!”
It’s now 2019 so we asked Cindy-Lou
what she thought was important for
would-be writers to learn.
myself I’m often appalled at the shoddy
pitches I receive from supposedly
professionally trained journalists. I found
training with The Writers Bureau to be
crucial.”
Cindy-Lou has written a
self-help book for those
who want to break into
travel writing. Secrets of
a Professional Travel
Writer, available to buy
on Amazon, gets down
to the fundamentals of
how to compile a pitch
and construct an article.
For those wanting to explore creative
writing as a full or part-time career option
then The Writers Bureau Comprehensive
Writing Course is a good place to start. It
covers all types of writing from articles to
short stories, novels to scripts so people
can discover what they’re good at and
where their passions lie. Plus, you receive
constructive feedback from your personal
tutor – a professional writer. Information
is free and you can enrol on a 15-day trial
to make sure the course is for you. Visit
their website or call them today. You
never know where it will take you –
around the world maybe!
www.writersbureau.com
0800 856 2008. Please quote EE419

It took another four years of hard work
but in 2010 Cindy achieved that
childhood dream and had her work
published in National Geographic.
From this exciting acceptance she carried
on and her career has gone from strength
“World economics has made freelancing
all the more difficult, especially in getting
past the first hurdle, which is grabbing the
editor’s attention. Therefore, formulating
a good pitch is crucial, essential even.
Being a luxury lifestyle magazine editor

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SUBSCRIBER-ONLY COMPETITIONS

W I N ! £ 2 7 5 U B L I CAT I O N
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COMPETITION
Without what? That’s for you to decide.
Maybe it’s an emotional or spiritual loss,
maybe it’s a literal deprivation, maybe
it’s a deficit in your character. Whatever
you choose, you’ll need to convey
a strong sense of something being
missing, and coping, or not, without it.
Your entry should be 1,500-1,700 words.
The closing date is 15 June.

The winner will receive £100

and publication in Writing Magazine,
with £25 and publication on
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STILL TIME TO ENTER

SEE P95
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for poems inspired by ENTRY FORMS
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See p95 for entry details.
1st place
MID-STORY
SENTENCE

T he Girl with
COMPETITION
£100

al the Boks by Andrew French

yesha knew the exact moment
Andrew French was born in an urban jungle but now lives in sight
of the ocean as long as he remembers to clean his contact lenses.
He’s currently working on two manuscripts and some short stories.
Made the shortlist for Strands Publishers Water anthology and
shortlisted for Eyelands 7th International Short Story Contest. He
has been a runner-up twice in WM’s competitions. When not writing
or reading he’s riding a bike, running around the UK attending gigs
or tweeting like a bird at @andrewfrench100.

A
her problems began; it was the
day her father died. One week
later the first unpaid bills arrived.
Five days later, one day after the
funeral, they were evicted. Fifteen days
since she became half an orphan – that’s
what the kids at school called her – she sat
in a bus heading north.
‘At least we will have our own place
in the village.’ Her mother seemed
excited by the prospect but Ayesha
hated the idea. She never understood
why they were moved so far away. The
reality was even worse: a cramped house
swimming in damp, with an aroma
of fish which couldn’t be removed no
matter how many times it was cleaned.
‘This will be our new community.’
That was what her mother wanted,
what she hoped for. So Ayesha explored
the environment with zero enthusiasm.
The first thing she saw was the long,
grey winding finger of the jetty and the
men battling against the elements and
the creatures beneath the waves.
Ayesha was fascinated by the
fishermen. There was always a small
group, maybe seven or eight, but one
remained apart from the rest, lurking at
the end of the jetty in his own isolation.
That first day she ran past them all
in a playful mood, singing some tune
heard on the radio, not realising the
song was about a woman who dies
from a broken heart and enjoying the
melody for its catchiness. The men of
the village ignored her or scowled at
the noise she made.
‘You’ll scare the fish away.’ They
shouted at her through wind ravaged
faces and yellowed skin; but not the
isolated man. He was always quiet,
eyes sunk into the rough beard
covering most of his face; facial hair so
overgrown it could have housed some
of the seagulls seeking refuge from the
changing climate.
As Ayesha pirouetted on her heels to
turn back home, she noticed the large
bag near his legs where a pile of dusty-
looking books were squashed together.
She was hooked then. Reading was the
greatest love of her life, every book she
remembered containing a memory of
her father.
Within a week they would be on
first-name terms and Ayesha would
read the first book he gave her, a faded
copy of Moby Dick. Some people may
have thought it too difficult for a
twelve-year-old to read but he didn’t.
‘Call me, Joe,’ he said to her as he
handed over the book. She didn’t get
the reference at first but every time she
met someone with the same name in
the ensuing years it always put a smile
on her face.
‘You’re clever enough to do anything
you want, Ayesha,’ her mother had
said on her thirteenth birthday. She
ran back to her bedroom and opened
the gift from her mother – some kid’s
book she had already grown out of.
Ayesha put it to one side and reached
down amongst the dust and the bits
of sand always invading the house,
peered into the darkness under the
bed and stretched her hand into the
pile she called Joe’s Treasure, coming
away with his latest present: To Kill A
Mockingbird.
It was the only book of his she still
owned, all the others lost to hotel
rooms, guest houses, libraries, cafes,
restaurants and anywhere else she
would leave them over the years in the
hope somebody would discover the
same enlightenment and pleasure from
them she had.
‘Where do you come from?’ It was
the first thing he said to Ayesha. She
was shy and ran from him and back to

52 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


that cramped, cold house her mother
had inflicted upon them. The next time
she saw him she answered his question.
‘Kent,’ she said with all the
confidence she could muster. His laugh
was raucous and infectious and she
imagined him as Father Christmas on
vacation, but still handing out presents.
His beard appeared to be even larger
the closer she got to it but no amount
of facial camouflage could hide the
enormous smile across his face.
He held the rod out to her. ‘Would
you like to fish?’
‘How did you know?’ Anticipation
rippled through Ayesha. She wanted
to, wanted to see the fish in the water,
but also hating the thought of killing
something.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I always
throw them back. It’s one reason
this lot don’t like me.’ It didn’t seem
possible to Ayesha but his grin grew
even wider, to the point she imagined
it would slide off his face and join the
descending sun on the horizon.
It scared her to hold on to the fishing
rod, her eyes drifting towards the bag
holding Joe’s fishing paraphernalia
and sandwiches, before settling on the
tower of books threatening to tumble
over and sink into the sea.
‘That’s another reason they don’t like
me; I read while they don’t bother.’
Ayesha grabbed the fishing rod.
‘Didn’t your parents tell you not
to talk to strangers?’ He sounded like
one teacher from her old school, but
without the indifference in his voice.
‘My father did, but he’s dead now.’
Joe said nothing. He helped her
steady the line as they stared out to sea
in silence, discovering a bond in the
emptiness which could never be found
with words.
It only took two minutes until they
held the fishing rod together, lifting it up
as the fish struggled on the line, bringing
it closer so Ayesha saw the scales on the
creature glistening in the faded light,
smelt the aroma of the sea and breathed
in that unknown life existing beneath the
waves. Joe freed the fish from its bondage
Runner-up in the mid-story sentence competition was Terry Baldock, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, whose story is published
on www.writers-online.co.uk. Also shortlisted were: Dominic Bell, Hull; Sam Burt, London E7; Ros Collins, Felixstowe,
Suffolk; Esme Ford, Ruardean, Gloucestershire; John Holyoak, Chadwell St Mary, Essex; Jennifer Moore, Ivybridge,
Devon; Shirley Muir, Dirleton, East Lothian; Lucy Nankivell, Ferndown, Dorset; Annie Percik, Enfield, Middlesex;
Brooke Winters, Chatham, Kent.
M I D - S TO RY S E N T E N C E C O M P E T I T I O N
and gave it to Ayesha.
‘Release it back into the sea, child;
give it the gift of life others want to
deny it.’
Ayesha stood, struggling to hold
on to the fish, amazed and scared by
its alien feel against her skin, before
throwing it back into the dark blue
waters. She felt exhilarated by life; by
her life.
Joe handed her a tired looking
dirty cloth.
‘Here, dry your hands with this; and
then get yourself home before people
come looking for you.’
She took the cloth and did as he
said, still able to smell the sea and
the fish against her trembling fingers,
before turning to run home.
‘What’s your name, child?’ he said to
her departing back.
‘Ayesha,’ she said with joy in her heart.
‘I’ll be here tomorrow, Ayesha.’
She sprinted past the grumpy, grey
fishermen who were like statues to
her. She tiptoed into the house like
a mouse, not wanting to wake her
mother who would have had a hard
day at work, sneaking into the tiny
bedroom which now was like a castle
to her. Ayesha put her headphones on
to listen to some Bob Marley, and, for
the first time in an age, didn’t hate her
father for dying.
The next day was her second meeting
with the old man and his beard.
‘Ayesha is an unusual name,’ Joe said.
‘Do you know what it means?’ She
shook her head.
‘Did your parents tell you anything
about your heritage, your culture?’
Already, he felt like a teacher who she
wanted to learn from, a school she
never wanted to miss.
‘They never liked to talk
about where they came from, the
struggle to get here.’ It was only
when she was an adult that Ayesha
realised her parents weren’t hiding
anything from her; they wanted to wait
until she was older before explaining
the family history. Then her father
died, and it wasn’t long after that her
www.writers-online.co.uk
mother’s illness made any recollections
of her past near impossible.
‘Your name is Arabic and means
“She who lives”. Make sure you do.
Don’t let the bastards grind you down.’
He chuckled, like one of those plastic
laughing policemen she had seen in a
faded seaside funfair.
Her last meeting with him, she
found the courage to tell him off for
his incessant chain smoking.
‘You’ll understand one day,’ he said,
before blowing smoke into her face
when she least expected it. She peered
through the haze, looking for the latest
present he had for her. Its bulk stuck out
of the bag where he kept his food and
his bait. On more than one occasion she
had taken a book home to find worms
wriggling between the pages. Ayesha
rushed to grab it before saying hello.
‘Cheeky girl!’ he said as she seized
the book. The tome was heavy and old
but she was intrigued by the title:
She: A History of Adventure.
‘What’s it about, Joe?’
‘Read it and find out.’
She was too young to realise it at
first but, as she got older and she
reread it numerous times, its Victorian
themes of imperialism, race and female
authority made her view the book as
more than the thrilling adventure she
initially perceived it to be.
She wondered for years why Joe
had given her that book, what was it
he wanted her to learn from between
its pages. Then she read a modern
feminist interpretation of She as the
‘crusading new woman’ and Ayesha
knew what Joe wanted to tell her.
‘She, who must be obeyed,’ was
EXPERT the last thing Ayesha remembered
analysis him saying to her. Joe died the
following week, still clinging to the
Read the judge’s fishing rod when they found him.
analysis at: Ten years after leaving home,
http://writ.rs/ Ayesha opened a combined coffee
wmmay19 shop and book emporium. She
called it A Book of Joe.
Every weekend she went fishing.
And she always threw the catch back
into the water.
MAY 2019 53
 Odes to autumn
1ST PLACE
Rites of Passage
by Corinne Lawrence
1 September: useless to emulate a hedgehog in its nest
of leaves, the first day of the Autumn term –
the ‘New School Year ‘, is a long handled rake
that drags me from my bed.
Summer dresses give way to winter wool. I don
brand new uniform, the blazon of moving up a class.
Striped cuffs are firm at the wrist, gymslip hem
modestly below the knee – for the moment.
Relishing the crisp packet crunch of scuffling
through leaf litter in shoes that reek of ‘Kiwi’,
I ‘creep unwillingly to school’.
Pungent with brown paper virtue, new
exercise books boast on my desk. I fill
their opening pages in neat handwriting
barely recognisable as my own.
Hibernation is out of the question
in this ‘try harder’ term. New Year resolutions
promise to hand homework in on time,
put more effort into subjects I hate,
bring something for October’s nature table.
Where summer has turned out its pockets,
I scour the earth for treasures, display my hoard
with blackberry-inked fingers: weather-forecasting
pine cones, non-competition conkers, and, this year,
obeying strict instructions not to touch,
an enormous toadstool, dangerously red.
My favourite, though, is the collage of mottled leaves –
rusted, blistered, parchment faded – an offering
I value far above the Harvest Festival shoebox
I’ve packed with tins of beans.
Squirrelling little acorns of learning deep
in the long grasses of memory, I pray I’ll remember
where to find them when famine strikes
during exams in late November.
Always a fearsome hush of a week, the only sound
is the swish and sigh of turning pages, as Winter kicks
Autumn into touch.
54 MAY 2019
Alison Chisholm is entranced by the winners of
WM’s Autumn Poetry Competition
T
he seasons of the year
lend themselves to
descriptive poetry.
Who could view their
countryside when
month turns to month without
finding something remarkable as
time passes? These sights are loved by
poets; and when they are augmented
by personal recollections, original
observations, powerful images and
fascinating reflections, poetry spills
from the pen.
One of the treasures of seasonal
poetry is Keats’ ode that begins Season
of mists and mellow fruitfulness… and
these elements inspired many of the
Writing Magazine poets who rose to
the challenge to write an autumn
poem. It came as no surprise that
the subject proved popular, with a
high number of entries and some
top quality writing being submitted,
demanding ruthless pruning of a very
long ‘shortlist’.
It’s difficult to avoid some of the
most familiar autumn images. Few
poems resisted the temptation to
describe falling leaves, or drifting
smoke, autumn as a metaphor for
the later part of life, or skeins of
geese. This was not a problem as
long as the writers found something
fresh to say, or an exciting way of
delivering the information. There is
little satisfaction in re-hashing tired
messages, but a great deal in giving a
new spin to them.
Every competition has a deadline,
of course, and poets appreciate
the importance of observing it. It’s
frustrating, then, to note how a
poem could have been given a better
www.writers-online.co.uk
chance of success if its writer had
been able to extend the revision
process by another week or two. A
few of the poems seemed to contain
all the right material, but not in the
right order. Some needed tweaks
to the punctuation and grammar.
Two poems started beautifully in
set forms, and then something went
wrong with the metre or rhyme
scheme. A few lovely pieces had over-
written introductions or conclusions.
The best advice is to start working
on an entry as soon as a competition
is launched, with the pre-writing and
first draft accomplished as early as
possible. Then the essential period of
resting and revision can be achieved.
The winning poem parallels
aspects of the natural world with that
familiar phenomenon, the start of
the new school year. Rites of Passage
by Corinne Lawrence of Bramhall,
Cheshire, begins with the metaphor
that the first day back at school is a
long handled rake / that drags me from
my bed, a picture that ties in with the
reference to a hibernating hedgehog.
As we move to a description of
the new winter uniform, the sound
image of scuffling through leaf litter is
compared to a crisp packet crunch – an
ideal reference for most children. Both
scent imagery and a sense of period
are encapsulated in shoes that reek of
‘Kiwi’ before a quotation from As You
Like It signposts the lessons to come.
At the heart of the poem, we are
reminded that Hibernation is out
of the question and that the school’s
world is embarking on a new year,
with all that involves. This little
reminder brings us back to the

autumn with its mention of October’s
nature table. The treasures exhibited
reveal elements of autumn, with
blackberries, pine cones, conkers,
fungi, leaves and harvest festival.
This is an excellent example of how
to place such features in the reader’s
mind with more subtlety than a
simple list could offer.
The introduction of the squirrel
– another autumn symbol – in the
form of a verb is particularly pleasing,
and the animal’s habit of hiding
treats is introduced with reference to
the coming school exams.
This penultimate stanza uses a
good device to reinforce its message.
The poem is written in free verse,
with delicate application of slant
rhymes to mould the wording into
the feel of a poem, as in the line
endings question / resolutions, hate /
table, hoard / red and leaves / beans.
Now we find a strong full rhyme
in remember / November, and these
words both suggest a general swotting
technique of using rhyme to recall
facts, and quote the specific example
known to every schoolchild by
referencing Remember, remember the
fifth of November.
The end of the poem provides
another surprise. A clichéd expression
closes the piece – as after the swish
and sigh of the examinations, we are
told that Winter kicks / Autumn into
touch. But this is no lazy application
of a cliché. The dictionary definition
of the phrase is that the outcome is
inevitable, and it would be futile to
try to change it. But the word kick
returns us to the earlier mention of
kicking leaves about, and so links
back to a strong image.
Rich, memorable imagery is a key
feature of this poem, and also an
important element of Toffee-apple
Lips, the second prizewinner by
Susan Brownless of Cramlington,
Northumberland. This pantoum
uses the form’s pattern of every
line being repeated, rhymed, and
the iambic tetrameter option with
Shortlisted in the Autumn Poetry Competition were:
Brenda Bannister, Frome, Somerset; Liz Beber, Ashton, Northamptonshire; Elizabeth Bencze, Norwich, Norfolk;
Lynne Hallett, Malvern. Worcestershire; Frances Harris, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex; Gill Hawkins, Wimborne, Dorset;
Pamela Trudie Hodge, Plymouth, Devon; Monica Norgate, Oakham, Rutland; Val Ormrod, Alvington, Gloucestershire;
Jacqueline Pemberton, Chorley, Lancashire; Lorna Read; Hillingdon, Middlesex; Antony Reid, Heswall, Wirral
P O E T RY W I N N E R S
its four feet, each consisting of an
unrhymed followed by a rhymed 2ND PLACE
syllable, in all the lines. Toffee-apple Lips
The autumn images are interwoven by Susan Brownless
with ideas of time passing and the
family moving through the changes
of maturity. The voice of the poem is I rake the leaves that fall with time
resonant while the language is direct Recalling how things used to be,
and clear. There is a delicious economy As hedgerows fill with next year’s wine
of expression. The toffee-apple lips We’ll drink when you return to me.
imply sweetness and childhood while
introducing images of sight, taste Recalling how things used to be
and texture. The hedgerows fill with Where toffee-apple lips once smiled,
next year’s wine not only suggests an We’ll drink when you return to me
abundance of berries but shows the No more that young and burnished child.
purpose to which they will be put.
One challenge inherent in forms Where toffee-apple lips once smiled,
that include repetition is to move the Now, summer’s golden sweepings crisp.
poem on between repeats, retaining No more, that young and burnished child,
the forward motion through the As bonfires burn to twirling wisps.
content and thought processes of the
poem. Achieving this without altering Now, summer’s golden sweepings crisp.
the wording is a major coup for the While settling sun through evergreens,
poet. It can be very helpful, though, As bonfires burn to twirling wisps,
to vary the punctuation, so that the Casts shadows long and draws false dreams.
grammar of the lines shifts without
changing the wording. While settling sun through evergreens,
Susan Brownless has used this With jewel-like hues on velvet days,
technique effectively, and could, Casts shadows long and draws false dreams
perhaps, take it even further, for And autumn brings a change of ways.
example by removing the comma
after Now in the tenth line, but With jewel-like hues on velvet days,
leaving it in the thirteenth to create a As hedgerows fill with next year’s wine,
pause at its recurrence, or by adding a And autumn brings a change of ways,
comma after settling in line fourteen, I rake the leaves that fall with time.
to use the word as a verb rather than
an adjective. These are tiny issues.
The poem works – but it’s always
worth considering how such tweaks
can affect the reading of a piece.
One test of a poem’s quality of
content and form is to note how
well it is remembered an hour, an
afternoon, a day after first reading
it. The most exciting work is
remembered for a lifetime. When
the poem’s theme is familiar, it’s
the ‘value added’ that makes it
memorable. These winning poems
give what it requires, and prove the
worth of finding a route into the
theme that’s original and exhilarating,
and then following it with style.
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 55
P O E T RY WO R K S H O P
A poetic
tra ns f orm at i o n
Alison Chisholm explores a poem that sparked the creation of a series of novels
W
hen is a poem not a
poem? For Jennifer
Wilson, of Whitley
Bay, North Tyneside,
the answer is…
when it’s a novel. A few years ago,
she wrote a ghost poem intending
to enter it for a Writing Magazine
competition. The idea that fuelled
it was the what if? scenario so
valuable to writers. What if the
ghosts of Richard III and Anne
Boleyn were to meet?
From that idea, it was a short
leap to producing this poem.
They linger in shadows, avoiding the light;
the unmerry monarchs, walking at night.
Richard and Anne, stand united in fate,
destroyed by Tudors, Henrys Seven and Eight.
So now, at the Tower, and wandering still,
they search for the souls that did them so ill.
The murderous uncle? The seductress queen?
Wondering, hoping, for what might have been.
The poet comments that: ‘I had
been trying to find a “way in”
to write about Richard III for
years, but never managed to
find a believable approach… I
can’t even remember whether I
actually entered it or not, but I
recognised that it was truly awful’.
That’s too harsh an assessment
– something we’ll return to – but
clearly the poem had failed to please
its author. She had even forgotten the
original title.
With the combination of historical
fact and speculation, the Tower of
London had become the ideal location
for the spectral characters’ meeting.
It also proved to be the ideal location
for inspiring the leap that changed
poem into story. Jennifer Wilson
56 MAY 2019
visited in February 2013 during a
blizzard and returned six months later
in a heatwave. It was the August visit
that prompted the lightbulb moment.
There was mileage in the account, but
far more as a story than a poem.
The conversion into another genre
began with a series of notes, and a
consideration of the other ghosts
who just might have been around.
The final spur was the approach
of National Novel Writing Month
(NaNoWriMo) in November, when
Jennifer Wilson managed to produce
a first draft of 50,000 words during
the month. She admits it was a quiet
month at work, so the laptop could
take a fair pounding.
After this burst of creativity, the
book was put aside during 2014, apart
from a few tweaks. But then fate took
a hand, and in the public ballot the
author won a place at Compline, part
of the reburial services of Richard III.
She describes how this ‘kickstarted
things again, in March 2015. Sitting
in Leicester Cathedral, I knew I had
to get something done with it. By
April, I had reworked sections and
submitted it, and the novel was
accepted by Crooked Cat Books in
June 2015’.
The untitled poem became the
published novel Kindred Spirits:
Tower of London in October 2015. If
this wasn’t exciting enough, Kindred
Spirits: Royal Mile followed in June
2017, and Kindred Spirits: Westminster
Abbey in June 2018. Kindred Spirits:
York was released a little ahead of
schedule in November 2018.
The speed with which these
four books have been written and
published is terrific; but what of
the poem that put everything into
motion? Its writer was dismissive of
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this, even though it triggered such an
exciting chain of acceptances.
The poem was written in just about
the most difficult form to handle,
the rhyming couplet. As the form is
frequently used for comic material, the
reader comes to the poem expecting
humorous subject matter. While
the premise of the ghosts’ meeting
certainly has the potential for a witty
treatment, this poem is written in a
more serious vein. It might be better,
then, to change the form to one that
lends itself to a more serious reading.
Free verse might be ideal, or
perhaps, if Jennifer Wilson is happier
working in rhyme and metre, the
sonnet would be a good pattern to
try, with its scope for a turn within
the poem, where it shifts the angle
slightly or takes a different approach.
It could be an Italian sonnet, where
the turn comes just after the half
way point and so suggests a balance
between the two sections, or an
English (Elizabethan) sonnet with its
twelve lines before the turn, creating
a punchline in the final couplet.
As the ghost theme suggests the
haunting quality of repetition, it
might be interesting to try the idea as
a villanelle, where the first and third
lines of the poem repeat themselves at
the end of alternate stanzas and then
appear together to close the poem,
or a rondeau, where the opening
word or phrase recurs as a refrain.
Or maybe it would be challenging
to move to the minimalist end of
the scale and write a triolet, with
just eight lines, the first of which is
repeated twice, the second once.
This suggestion implies a lot of
work; but it is valuable work. The
practice of changing a poem from one
form to another, whether done with a

view to publication or simply as an exercise,
is a brilliant workout for poetry technique.
Rhyming couplets are notoriously
unforgiving of hiccups in the rhyme or
metre, so it might be useful to consider
a small adjustment to the fourth line of
the poem, where the wording sits a little
uncomfortably in the rhythm of the piece.
Something like destroyed by the Henrys,
both Seven and Eight would fit better
rhythmically, the specific characters are still
cited, and the Tudors seems redundant.
Although the poem has been divided –
appropriately – into phrases and sentences,
the mid-line commas seem a little over-used.
It might be helpful to drop the one in the
opening line, but maybe substitute a comma
for the semicolon at the end of the line.
The third line doesn’t need the comma after
Anne, nor the final line after hoping.
As the poem provided the springboard
from which the first of those four novels
resulted, it may seem nitpicking to question
these points at this stage. But perhaps
there is more to come. Any of the material
researched and compiled for the novels
could be recycled to fuel a collection of
poems with a ghostly or historical theme
(or both). By developing and refining the
collection, the poet could end up with a
fascinating set of work.
It would be a courtesy to approach the
indie publishers of the novels to see how
they would react to a poetry collection of
this type, and whether or not they might
also publish the poetry; and of course such
a collection would not detract from the
published books, but rather would add a
new dimension for the reader. Whether
produced commercially or self-published,
it would be an amazing project in which to
be involved.
One piece of advice given to writers is
that nothing should ever be thrown away.
By holding on to her poem, even though it
wasn’t destined to be a competition winner,
Jennifer Wilson provided herself with the
resource from which, ultimately,
four books have resulted…
and that may not be the
end of the story. Watch
this space.
If you would like
your poem to be
considered for
Poetry Workshop,
send it by email
to: jtelfer@
writersnews.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk
P O E T RY WO R K S H O P
Poetry
in practice
Get young children started on poetry with
Doris Corti’s advice
Have you ever tried to occupy children, maybe on school holidays, or on
a rainy day? What about getting them to write poems?
First of all get them to read some poems to you. If they are very young
maybe you could read to them. Children want poems that relate to their
worlds like family, pets, school, games, food, friends. They like a good
story, strong rhymes and repetition.
Capture their interest with some humorous lines. For instance, in
his book Poem in the Making the poet Ted Hughes speaks about an
imaginary brother, Bert, and begins his poem in a conversational way.
Pets are the Hobby of my brother Bert.
He tried to go to school with a Mouse in his shirt.
Those lines will intrigue
children of various ages.
If you are with children of
different ages try using the box
idea. This is when you put a
box on display – perhaps an empty
shoe box? Give them the first line
‘In this box I put’. The younger
children can call out what they might
put in the box and the older ones can write down
their idea. Tell all the children they can put pretend things in the box;
in other words they can imagine different objects. They might built up
their thoughts with you or the older ones writing the words down on a
large piece of paper. There might be a practical idea given for the first
line followed by a ‘pretend’ object or imaginative one. The lines begin to
build as in:
In this box I put my pen
and a rainbow and a star
then my sock and shoe
and some chocolate all for YOU!
You could encourage children able to write to continue with more
lines and all work together on the end of the poem.
If there is a pet in the house, say what it is as the opening of a poem:
‘My cat is ---
I have put dashes where they can put a colour. Either write the colour
or call it out for you to write.
Continue with them working to describe the cat. They can be
imaginative and talk about a cat as though it is a tiger, or a dog as if it is
a lion. Help them make words rhyme: my cat hunts at night/sometimes it
has a fight/it comes home in daylight.
Exercises
• Write a funny rhyming poem for children about the weather.
• Imagine writing a poem with a child (any age) about going shopping.
DECEMBER
MAY 2018
2019 57
P O E T RY P R I M E R
Perfect your
Poetry from
poetry with
a WM Creative
Writing course.
See http://writ.rs/
cwcourses
Poet Alison Chisholm reaches the conclusion of her alphabet of poetry
Traditional WELSH POETRY relies on
cynghanedd (meaning harmony), the
interweaving of alliteration or full or
slant rhymes. There are 24 separate forms
divided into three types – the awdl (12),
cywydd (4), and englyn (8). The long
tradition of poetry gives scope for much
study, but we’ll look at just one example
in each style.
In the ode or awdl style, the rhupunt
is written in stanzas of three, four
or five lines of four syllables each.
The poem is metrical, with opening
lines rhyming in each stanza, and the
last lines of all the stanzas rhyming
together. The four line stanza pattern,
then, would rhyme: a a a b c c c b d
d d b for any number of stanzas.
Beneath the trees
a subtle breeze
and humming bees
make summer sounds.
The morning haze
is lifting, day’s
in sunlight’s gaze,
and peace abounds.
Remember this
when life’s amiss –
for summer’s kiss
revives – astounds.
The cywydd deuair hirion is the most
popular form of this category, and is
written in seven syllable lines forming any
number of rhyming couplets. One line
should be stressed on the final syllable,
the other unstressed.
He heard a wailing, screaming,
knew he’d not escaped the thing.
The cold air fizzed, electric:
blood froze in veins, he felt sick.
The englyn cyrch has four lines of
seven syllables, rhyming a a b b/a, with
the b rhyme placed in the middle of
58 MAY 2019
A Z
the final line. The first line ends on a
stressed syllable, the second usually on an
unstressed. Any number of these can be
used as stanzas.
Drinking deep, he drained
the cup.
Foot steadied in the stirrup,
he urged his galloping steed
to find new speed, liven up.
EXERCISE:
Experiment with these Welsh forms,
and if they fascinate you, extend your
knowledge by exploring the other 21
A WORKSHOP group is a gathering
of poets sharing their work. This may
involve writing on the spot to complete
exercises set by someone in the group,
a detailed study of poems written by
members of the group, reading published
poems, a series of poetry games, or a
combination of these.
The best workshops provide a creative
environment where poetry can flourish,
and offer constructive criticism through
in-depth discussion, to help each poet
revise and refine work in order to
produce top quality writing.
WRENCHED RHYME, often used for
comic effect, strains the pronunciation
of the language in order to create the
required sound. A delicious example is in
Hilaire Belloc’s cautionary tale of Matilda,
Who Told Lies and was Burned to Death.
One couplet reads:
It happened that a few
Weeks later
Her Aunt was off to the Theatre
and wrenched pronunciation is used to
give thee-AY-ter rather than the natural
pronunciation thEER-ter.
The X-FACTOR of a poem is that
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to
element that lifts it above the ordinary,
placing it on a higher plane than most of
our poems. It may arise from the brilliant
initial idea, a staggeringly original look at
a subject, stunning crafting, or leaps of
the imagination. A poem demonstrating
this is to be nurtured and treasured. Poets
will usually preserve its unpublished
status until it has had the opportunity to
prove itself in a competition, rather than
racing to see it in print.
YEAR poems use the progression of the
months or seasons to discover the year.
They may focus on a special interest,
such as a school year, gardener’s year or
astrological year. They may be written in
any style and form, and be of any length.
Sometimes they rename the times to suit
the subject, so an astrological year poem
could be written as Pisces, Aries, Taurus
rather than March, April, May.
EXERCISE
Write a year poem appropriate to your
job or special interest.
Writing YOUNG ADULT poetry
involves putting yourself into the mindset
of target readers, producing poems
that will speak to them about their
concerns, joys, hang-ups and anxieties. It’s
important to keep in touch with the way
people in this age range talk, write, game
and blog for your writing to be authentic.
ZEUGMA occurs when a single word
is applied to two separate parts of a
sentence, but has a different significance
in each case. Often one is a literal
meaning, the other a figure of speech,
as in the road was paved with stones and
good intentions. There may be additional
applications, such as she changed her dress,
her mind, and the way the world would
look at poetry in the future.

Clean & polish
I have written five books. They are probably not
very good, but I would like to try to put them
‘out there’ one day. However, I hate editing. In
eight years I have only managed to edit a chapter
on one book, and that was with a friend’s help!
It’s not that I’m lazy – I paint for a living
and work hard on my art. But I only love
writing the first draft and find this editing
stuff bewildering. Have you got any tips or
recommendations for sites or books which
will make me put a rocket up my bottom and
finally edit at least one of my manuscripts?
KATHIE LOUISE WEST
Ipswich
O
h my goodness, Kathie. I
wonder if I am the only one
squeaking in astonishment.
Five books! And not one of
them edited. Do you think we could
swap places?
I am the complete opposite of you.
I feel totally daunted at the thought of
beginning a new book, however many
I write. I am currently facing the blank
screen that will become tome number
ten and I have not only tidied my own
airing cupboard shelf several times
rather than get started, but have even
resorted to voluntarily re-marshalling
the clothes of my adult son – and that
is not a task for the fainthearted, I can
assure you.
In contrast, I love editing. It is a
wonderful feeling to reach the point
when the story is ‘safe’ and the book
‘finished’ and one can relax and start
the tweaking process. For me, the first
draft feels like trudging uphill. Editing
is like skipping down it again. It is what
my friend, the experienced novelist Judy
Astley, refers to as, ‘the fun bit’.
Having said that, I do tend to rewrite
as I go, in that I am always rewording,
cutting, pasting and fiddling with If you
the prose, as each chapter unfolds. have a question
So by the time I get to the
you would like Jane to
editing proper, the manuscript
is fairly as I want it already. I consider, email jane@
see the next stage as the getting- janewenham-jones.
ready-for-publication. When you com
check it holds together, tighten,
Jane Wenham-Jones
encourages a writer with
five books under her belt to
overcome her fear of the
editing process
hone and polish and really think about
the best possible choice of words,
and the cadence and rhythm of the
language. When you go back over what
you have written in fine detail and make
it the very best you possibly can.
However, we writers are nothing, if
not varied in our methods, and I have
no way of knowing what sort of first
draft you produce and how much work
your editing will entail. So it is difficult
to know how to help you embrace
this process, as I do. All I can do is to
suggest that you view your manuscripts
as you do your wonderful paintings.
I am so pleased that you have agreed I
can include your website address – www.
klm-artist.co.uk – here, as I’m sure other
readers will enjoy it as much as I did.
I think your pictures are terrific – you
must get a rush of pride and pleasure
every time you look at them. Can you
try viewing your first-draft manuscripts
in the way you would a work of art?
You wouldn’t put one of them up,
online, unfinished, would you? Can you
pinpoint what it is that drives you to
complete a painting to perfection but
makes you shy away from doing the
same for your writing?
I wonder if it is a matter of
confidence – you know you can paint,
but perhaps you fear that the finished
manuscript will not be ‘good enough’?
I would urge you to try to do your very
best by ‘at least one’ as you put it –
because I think it would give you huge
joy and satisfaction if you could.
You asked about books to help you,
and I would certainly recommend Edit
is a Four Letter Word (Compass Books)
by Glynis Scrivens – and not just
because I am quoted in it! Glynis
has included advice from a range of
published writers who provide tips
and guidance on the various stages of
the editing process. Maybe if you read
how others do it, it will inspire you to
www.writers-online.co.uk
TA LTA
K ILTK OV
I T EOV
R ER
have another go.
The fact that you have finished five
whole manuscripts is an advantage as one
does need to put some distance between
oneself and the ‘finished’ work in order
for the flaws to leap out, so you might
find it easier than you think to see what is
wrong when you revisit these books.
Why don’t you pick the one you
feel most pleased with and initially
work through it with a simple check-
list of the obvious stuff. Look out, for
example, for repeated words and dull
superfluous detail (too many coffee
breaks or shopping trips that don’t
actually move the plot forward) or any
overuse of adjectives and adverbs and
weakeners like ‘rather’ and ‘quite’. Make
sure names and ages are consistent
throughout and that if it is winter, your
heroine grabs a coat. Check for places
where you’ve stated the bleedin’ obvious,
ie ‘he yelled loudly’, or ‘she sprinted
rapidly’, and keep an eye open for the
sort of spelling errors and grammatical
glitches that the spell check won’t pick
up – eg, the misuse of ‘it’s’ instead of
‘its’, ‘there’ instead of ‘their’ and so on.
Pay attention to attributions – who is
speaking, when – as well as paragraphing
and sentences that go on for half a page.
Ensure your timeline works.
Ask yourself whether each chapter has
a gripping beginning and a tantalising
end. Whether your reader has a real
reason to keep turning the page. It is all
about making every word count. Less is
more. Get your deleting finger ready.
Alternatively, give me a call and I’ll try
to edit it for you. Could you knock me
out a first draft in the meantime?
Seriously, I hope you will have a go
soon. It is astonishing what a huge
difference even a light edit can make and
how writing can shine when you begin
to polish. I am convinced it will give
you satisfaction once you get under way.
And I wish you the best of luck.
MAY 2019 59

P R O B L E M
Make your story move along by putting obstacles in your characters’ way, with advice from Helen M Walters
I
n this month’s story the
characters start out with a
problem, and in trying to
solve that problem they end
up with a whole lot more
problems. The Boar-Pig by Saki is a
little gem of a story and we’re going
to find out why. As always, you will
benefit most if you read the story for
yourself: https://writ.rs/boarpig
In the first paragraph, we meet our
first two characters – Mrs Philidore
Stossen and her daughter. They are
contemplating how to get access to
Mrs Cuvering’s illustrious garden
party. There’s just one problem. They
haven’t been invited.
So, what to do? Well, Mrs Stossen
has a plan. They’ll access the garden
via a grass paddock and fruit garden
at the back rather than presenting
themselves at the front of the house in
the normal way.
Unknown to them, they are about
to encounter their first problem. What
they don’t know, but thirteen-year-old
Matilda Cuvering, who is observing
60 MAY 2019
A pig of a
them from the branches of a medlar
tree, does, is that the door to the fruit
garden is actually locked.
Notice that Matilda has a problem
as well. She and her cousin Claude are
having a competition to see who can
collect the most money for charity.
As Matilda has been banned from the
garden party for bad behaviour, Claude
will have free rein and will almost
certainly win. Matilda therefore decides
to use the Stossens’ problem to her own
advantage. Having observed that they
cannot get into the garden in the way
they had intended, and will have to
come back through the paddock, she
releases the family’s boar pig into the
paddock to head them off.
The Stossens still have their original
problem. They still need to get into
the garden party. But in trying to
solve that problem they have created
a new problem for themselves. They
are now being held hostage by a
thirteen-year-old girl and a pig. Note
how the attempts of Mrs Stossen and
her daughter on the one hand, and
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Matilda on the other, to solve their
respective problems power the plot.
On first spotting Matilda, the
Stossens think she may be the
answer to their problem. Surely she
can help to get the pig out of their
way? But Matilda has no intention
of being helpful.
Firstly, she insists on speaking to
them in French. Notice how Saki
has included a few sentences of
French dialogue in the story. Using
dialogue in a foreign language in
your stories can be a good way of
adding interest and authenticity,
but has the drawback of possibly
alienating readers who cannot speak
the language. I’m inclined to think
that you can probably get away with
a small amount as long as the reader
can get a reasonable idea of what the
dialogue means from the context,
even if they know little or none of
the language in question. I haven’t
done any French since secondary
school, but I still felt reasonably sure
of what was going on in this passage.

Of course, these days readers can
check easily online if they are unsure
of something like this. Nevertheless,
I would avoid long and complicated
passages in another language as it is
potentially wearing for the reader.
Having tormented her captives by
speaking to them in French, Matilda
moves on to the next part of her
strategy. When Mrs Stossen suggests
that they might be able to get Matilda
a nice present in exchange for being
rescued from the pig, Matilda seizes
on the opportunity to solve her
own problem, declaring it the most
practical suggestion yet.
Matilda then proceeds to blackmail
her captives out of the maximum
amount of money possible, thus
solving her problem of not being able
to match Claude’s fundraising abilities.
The Stossens immediate problem of
being held captive by a pig is solved.
Sadly their original problem of gaining
access to the garden party is not.
This story illustrates neatly how
giving your characters problems can
drive your plot forward. Notice how
the problem a character needs to
solve can change throughout the story
and indeed they may end up being
immensely relieved to have solved a
problem that they couldn’t even have
foreseen at the beginning of the story.
Problem solving
Giving your characters a problem to
solve can be a great way of making
sure your story has momentum. The
bigger the problem, the higher the
stakes. The problem drives the story
because it gives the character an aim
and something to achieve.
It is up to you how difficult you
make it for your character to solve
their problem. Are you going to
let other characters help them? Or,
like Matilda, are they more likely to
hinder? And are you going to throw
even more obstacles in their way so
that each time they think they’ve
cracked it, something else happens to
make it harder? The longer your story
is, the more likely it is to need to have
further obstacles and problems for
your character to tackle.
The type of problem you give your
character will depend on the genre you
are writing. If your story is a romance,
your main character’s problem might
be to work out how they can possibly
manage to make the object of their
affections notice them. If it is a crime
story, they might need to solve the
problem of who had both motive READ THE
and opportunity to kill the
murder victim. If it is a science
STORY AT:
fiction story your character’s https://writ.rs/
problem might be finding a way boarpig
to reach a sparkly new planet before
the earth gets blown up.
Then, depending on who your
character is, they will have different
approaches to solving a problem.
These approaches can be grouped as
contemplation, consultation and action.
Let’s look at contemplation first.
The answer to the character’s problem
may be in their own mind and all
that they have to do is bring it out.
How are they going to do that? Well,
if they are a managerial-type character
such as a business magnate or a space
entrepreneur, they might try some
blue-sky thinking. This could be
quite good fun to write. Let your
character’s thoughts roam across all
the possibilities and come up with
some genuinely original problem
solving strategies.
Or maybe they are more of a
superstitious thinker. Maybe they
believe what their horoscope told them
this morning, and they’re prepared to
let that guide them. Or perhaps they’ll
be influenced by what they dreamt
about last night, or what a fortune
teller told them five years ago.
If your character can’t solve their
problem using the resources of their
own mind, the next stage they might
try is consulting others.
A character in a romance story
who is suffering from unrequited love
might consult their best friend on the
subject of how to attract their heart’s
desire. Or they might talk to an older
and wiser family member. After all a
problem shared is a problem halved,
and talking it over might be an
important step towards solving it.
Your character in a crime story
will have a very different set of
people to consult in order to solve
their problem. The people they’re
going to want to talk to are witnesses
to the crime, suspects, and other
professionals such as pathologists and
ballistics experts. They are looking
for the missing piece of knowledge
that someone else can give them,
which will help them complete their
www.writers-online.co.uk
MASTERCLASS
problem-solving process.
Ultimately, having thought about
and discussed the problem, your
character will be poised to take
some action.
Your lovelorn romance character
might decide to have a makeover,
or make sure she bumps into her
beloved at the supermarket where
they always do their shopping. Your
detective at some point is going to need
to go and look at the crime scene, or
chase the criminal as they attempt to
make their getaway. Your space traveller
is going to have to fire up the spaceship
and set off on their journey.
All these things are going to
contribute to your character solving
their problem. The balance of
approaches will be different depending
on whether it is an intellectual
problem or a practical problem.
But, like Mrs Stossen and her
daughter, as they try to solve their
initial problem other problems will
be put in their way. Your detective’s
suspects and even witnesses may
be lying to them and sending them
off on a wild goose chase. Someone
might let the air out of their tyres
as they are about to give chase.
Their main suspect may do or say
something that proves they are
unarguably innocent. Your main
character may feel like they’re right
back at square one.
And so on and so on until finally
they come to a resolution of their
story. This will often also be the
resolution of their problem, but
not always. Some stories have
inconclusive endings.
If you like to plan your stories
ahead, making a list of the problems
your character needs to solve, and the
steps that need to be taken to address
those problems, can be a good way of
working out a structure for your story.
Look at your character’s starting
point. Then look at what you want
their end point to be. Plot out the
steps needed to get them from one to
the other, bearing in mind that longer
and more complex stories will require
more steps.
Whether you plan your story ahead
or not, give your character a problem
to solve – the more fiendish the better
– and you’ll carry your reader along
with you as they try to solve it as
well.
MAY 2019 61

f your dream is to become a
I traditionally published children’s
author, your story concept needs
to hook an agent or publisher. So,
how do you transform a ‘good’
story into an outstanding one, and
hook that reader?
High-concept
Having a high-concept idea helps:
a strong, original idea which can be
explained concisely in a sentence, like:
It’s about:
…a time-travelling mouse in a
museum.
…a Viking boy who rides dragons.
…twin girls who create inventions.
Factors in these sentences jump out.
Time-travelling mouse – museum. Viking
boy – dragons. Twin girls – inventions.
They create snappy, memorable phrases
which are easy to discuss. High-concept
stories frequently offer series potential
because the central idea is strong enough
to carry multiple stories. And publishers
and agents rather like this.
Now try this:
List the stories you’ve written or plan
to write. Can you create a snappy, high-
concept sentence for each one?
Building ideas
Sometimes ideas don’t quite reach their
full potential. Take our time-travelling
mouse. Your thought process as the idea
develops may read like the list below. At
which point do you feel, ‘ooh, sounds
interesting?’
Idea stage 1: It’s about a mouse who
has adventures.
Title: Marvin the Mouse Explores
the House.
Idea stage 2: It’s about a museum-
dwelling mouse who has adventures.
Title: Marvin the Museum Mouse
Idea stage 3: It’s about a time-
travelling mouse who lives in a
museum and has adventures.
Title: Marvin Mouse and the Ninth
62 MAY 2019
o k e d !
I’m ho In the second half of her two-parter on creating irresistible
children’s fiction, Amy Sparkes looks at honing the idea
Emperor of Doom.
By idea stage 3, we can see how the
idea has extended. The concept has
become bigger, better, stronger.
We now have a mouse who lives in
a museum full of mysterious, ancient
artefacts. Locked doors. Secret mouse
passages throughout. Perhaps he
discovers a hidden time-machine whilst
escaping from the museum’s cat, travels
back in time, saves the day, gets hooked
on this new life (cue Book 2).
Now try this:
Create a new idea off the top of your
head, along the lines of Idea Stage 1:
It’s about a xxx who xxx.
Now build up the idea to Stage 2
and Stage 3, until you have a well-
developed concept.
Loglines, pitches and USPs
A logline is a summary, which
communicates the heart of the story,
including external conflict and
emotional resonance. When agents
and publishers ask you to pitch your
story, for example in a submission
cover letter, this is what they’re
looking for. Think about your USP
(unique selling point) and highlight
this. What does your story offer that’s
unique? That hasn’t been done before
in children’s fiction?
Idea stage 3 is close to a logline, but
we can take it further by exploring
both the internal and external
conflicts. Be clear about the difference
between the two.
Internal conflict is about what the
character needs personally, like the
character overcoming a fear, having a
personal re-evaluation, etc. It’s what
makes us care about the character –
what’s holding them back and what
they need to move onto the next stage
of self-development.
External conflict is about what the
character wants, like a quest to obtain
something, rescue something, or
prevent something and what thwarts
our protagonist’s attempts to gain
whatever it is they desire. It’s what
makes us care about the plot and turn
those pages.
Ideally, loglines should explore both
the internal and external conflict, but
sometimes this may be tricky. Choose
one or two strong adjectives to describe
your protagonist. The approximate
word count for a good logline is around
25-30 words, so every word counts. For
example, with our time-travelling mouse
(and there’s your USP, by the way):
When big-talking Marvin Mouse
accidentally sends Clawdia the evil
museum cat back in time, he must
find courage to follow her and save
mousekind from her fiendish slavery
scheme (30 words).
What does this logline tell us in 30
words? Let’s break it down.
• Big-talking – humour potential, but
also a lack of courage/self-worth here
• Marvin – protagonist
• Mouse – an animal-led story
• Accidentally sends – catalyst for story
• Clawdia evil museum cat – antagonist
and setting identified
• Back in time – time-travel story
• He must find courage – internal
conflict and character arc for protagonist
• Follow her – action taken
• Save mousekind – stakes of
external conflict
• Fiendish slavery scheme – external
conflict: Marvin needs to prevent
this happening.
With children’s fiction, it’s also
important to include the age range of
the readership and the genre.
‘Marvin the Mouse and the Ninth
Emperor of Doom’ is a humorous
adventure story for ages 7-9.’
When big-talking Marvin Mouse… etc.
Now try this:
Write one of your story ideas as a
logline. Add the genre and age range.

SCBWI
Conference:
The Hook
Zoe
Cookson:
‘The Hook’
organiser.
What’s The Hook?
‘It’s the SCBWI version of the BBC’s
Dragons’ Den – a chance for members
to pitch themselves and their work to
a panel of top agents (and a friendly
audience of SCBWI members).
Each participant has ten minutes to
pitch their work and receive feedback
from each agent. So, to allow time for
feedback, they have a maximum of
two minutes to introduce themselves
and three minutes to pitch. They can
use slides or just talk.
The winner can choose one of the
agent panelists for a 1-1. Previous
winners have gone on to sign with
agents and have found the whole
experience extremely rewarding.
How do people get involved?
They need to be attending the
conference and apply in line with
the guidance we publish. A panel
of published SCBWI members then
judge all entries anonymously. This is
the link to last year’s info: https://writ.
rs/scbwihook
When is the next competition?
The conference is 1-3 November and
we’ll be opening to entries for The
Hook in the summer.
Reasons to enter:
The Hook forces you to hone your pitch
and really get to grips with your story.
You aren’t just pitching to agents
on the panel – who knows who’s in
the audience.
The audience is always lovely
– warm, supportive and very
encouraging.
Twitter: @SCBWI_BI
Website: https://britishisles.scbwi.org/
WRITING FOR CHILDREN
Catherine Whitmore: Hook winner
How did you prepare your pitch? I condensed it into a five-minute pitch, wrote
I pitched my YA novel, Too Big For Her Boots. it onto index cards and prepared Powerpoint
Set in 1920, it is the untold true story of slides. I’ve watched The Hook before and
England’s greatest female football player.  presentations with slides have always appealed
‘When Lily Parr is given the chance to play to me much more than those without.
football professionally, she jumps at the
chance to leave her poor mining town, How did it go?
cramped family terrace and the ghost of her I was nervous but I’d watched The Hook in
best friend. But can she prove her worth to previous years and always thought, ‘I should
secure a place on the team, and stop the FA have done that. The only reason that I didn’t
from banning women from this “unladylike” was fear.’ I was shell-shocked to win. The real
sport, now the war is over? When joining the prize was the affirmation that my novel has a
team opens her eyes to a whole new way sufficient hook to spark interest in the difficult
of life, Lily realizes she is playing for equality, YA market. 
opportunity and a modern way of life, but also
the freedom to love for the first time.’  Top tips 
• Find a one-liner that gives a flavour of your novel
The pitch needed three elements.  to the agent. For example, X meets Y. I pitched my
1) The context of my book is widely unknown, novel as ‘Historical Bend It Like Beckham’. 
so I needed to give a brief history lesson.  • Find the essence of your story. Start with
2) Then I focused on the main conflict in the who the story is about and what their problem
novel and the protagonist’s drive. I was tempted is, what is the antagonistic force and what
to weave sub-plot and secondary characters must the protagonist do to overcome it, ‘or
in here but deleted it all. As the judges and else’. Then add detail depending on how long
audience have so much information to take in, I you have to talk. 
only named the protagonist and the antagonist.   • Do it! Attend pitching and 1-2-1 events with
3) Writers are often asked, ‘why have you agents. This is the only way to hone your pitch.
written this book?’ So, I wanted to convey the The SCBWI Conference, Agents’ Party and the
importance of football to me and the impact of Book Bound Retreat offer great opportunities.
the FA’s ban of women from playing the sport.  Twitter: @purewhitty
George Kirk: Hook participant
How did you prepare your pitch?
I pitched my latrine punk novel The Time
Toilet, a hysterical, historical story that will
yank the chain of any 8 to 10-year-olds. Top tips
I spent two weeks preparing. What is my • Preparation is key. If you want the pitch to go
story about in 10 words? What books would smoothly then you have to prepare, prepare
it sit alongside in a bookshop? What will the some more, and then add an extra three coats
main conflict in the story be and who are the of preparation on top of that.
characters that will both help and hinder? And • Have your complete pitch in the first ten
most importantly, what exactly is the heart of words. Everything after that should just be
the story? expanding on what you said to begin with.
My pitch needed to not only explain my • Pitching is not about performing. What
story but demonstrate it. The Time Toilet is matters is having a clear idea of your story,
literally the ultimate in toilet humour so I what it means to you and what it will mean to
wrote all the toilet puns I could think of. Then its readers.
I looked back through my pitch to see where Twitter: @GeorgeKirkTales
they would fit. Website: www.georgekirk.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 63
 Away from your desk
Get out of your garret for some upcoming activities and places to visit

Back soon!
Protect and Survive:
Britain’s Cold War Revealed
What was it like to live in Britain during
the Cold War? Find out and see original Newcastle Noir
documents including civil defence posters The crime writing festival take
and spy confessions at the new exhibition place at Newcastle Central
at the National Archives between 9 April Library from 3 to 5 May,
and 9 November. featuring an appearance by WM
Website: nationalarchives.gov.uk/coldwar subscriber and crime star AA
Dhand and writing workshops
from Crime Fiction Coach and
Cheshire Cat Books.
Website: https://
newcastlenoir.co.uk/

Minehead
Literary Festival
Leading author Tessa
Hadley tops the bill at The Abergavenny
this intimate one-day
Writing Festival
festival exploring place
in writing on 27 April. Family Tree Live Back for a fourth year with
a packed programme of talks,
Website: www. Discover all about researching
Russell G Sneddon/Writer Pictures

mineheadliterary workshops, storytelling, reading and

family history and tracing your
festival.org performances from local authors
roots in a packed weekend of
between 11 and 13 April.
workshops, lectures, living history
Website: http://
and activities at Alexandra Palace in
abergavennywritingfestival.com/
this new event on 26 and 27 April.
Website: https://writ.rs/
familytreelive

Crime &
Thrillers Weekend Thinking 3D:
Ian Rankin heads the bill in
a weekend of talks, writing From Leonardo
workshops and more in the
historic Highland town of
to the Present
Cromarty from 3 A new exhibition at the
to 5 May. Bodleian Libraries, on until
February 2020, looks at the
Website: www. way artists and scientists
cromartyartstrust. have learned to convey three-
org.uk/crime-and- dimensional objects the page.
thrillers.asp Website: https://writ.rs/
thinking3D

Gary Doak/Writer Pictures

 BEHIND THE TAPE
N E W AU T H O R P R O F I L E

If you
have a query
for Lisa, please send it
by email to enquiries
@
lisacutts.co.uk

Expert advice to get the details right in your crime

fiction, from serving police officer Lisa Cutts

Q Iarrive
f a body part had been found at a crime scene would the police
in force to search for the rest of the body or would they A Itfound,
would most likely be the county’s force where the first body was
and therefore launched the first murder investigation.
take just the body part away for investigation or both? Also, would If say, a body was found in Kent, they’d investigate the first murder, If a
the witnesses be kept in the police loop about the proceedings? second body in Sussex was thought to be linked to the first one, Kent would
keep ownership, probably send officers to carry out enquiries in conjunction

A The police would arrive and search in numbers. Depending on

what the body part was, say a limb, they are likely to be dealing
with a murder or attempted murder. Even if it’s an accidental injury,
preservation of life is the number one priority.
The body part would also be preserved, removed and DNA tested,
and fingerprinted too if the part is a hand.
The witness would be kept up to date, especially if the matter is a
crime as they would be needed for court, and should be too as a matter
of courtesy.
with Sussex officers and an officer from each force would interview the
suspect together. That’s in an ideal world, resources having an impact.
If someone was already charged and on remand or serving a sentence,
the second county would carry out their own murder investigation.
Q What is the most senior rank of officer likely to be in a small,
rural police station and can she or he make a decision on
granting police bail?
A It’sa custody
a little complicated as most rural stations that still exist don’t have
suite. The cells tend to be in the larger police stations. Police

Q What happens if a killer has two victims in different counties,

therefore involving two different police forces? Would they run
two separate but linked investigations, or would one team take over
both investigations? Would one of the forces be in charge overall?
bail has also changed, and suspects tend to be ‘released under investigation’
or for more serious offences such as murder or rape, the police would need
to refer to the Crown Prosecution Service. 
If your scenario relates to murder, the CPS will make the decision.

w h e t h e r
N o t s u re d y f o r
rk i s re a
your s or publishers?
w o
agent

We’ll help you decide

… and give it that extra final polish.
With our professional critique and mini
manuscript service, you will gain valuable
feedback on how to present your writing.

Get your work critiqued from only £100! Find out more at:
http://writ.rs/critique OR CALL 01778 392492
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 65
 Go your
own way
L
ast month, we started
to explore some of the
challenges – and indeed the
opportunities – that could
come with starting life as a
ffreelancer.
reelancer. Hopefully from that you
were able to take away the kind of
uncertainty it comes with, and the
type of organised, self-motivated
and dedicated individual it requires.
Getting yourself rolling is one of the
main difficulties that any freelancer
can face, but that’s not to say that
you should allow for any kind of
complacency to set in later on. The
aim to keep earning money to ensure
that the bills are paid – and, indeed,
that you can have enough for a few
of life’s luxuries – is a very real one,
and even one bad month out of the
year can have serious consequences
for the financial health of anyone
working for themselves. So, having
discussed some of the key factors in
getting started, here’s some advice
on how to keep yourself going as a
freelancer!
Keep on top of tax affairs
When I first started as a freelancer,
I went to a training day at the local
HMRC office for them to inform us
about the tax implications of being
self-employed. One of the key things
to come out was that many people
66 MAY 2019
Continuing from last month, Alex Davis shares insider
advice on going freelance in literature
don’t tend to put enough aside of
their earnings to cover themselves
when it comes time to pay up at the
end of January, and as such end up
signing up to all sorts of different
deals and arrangements – assuming
that such a thing can be put
together, of course, and that there
aren’t more serious implications to
not being able to pay your tax bill.
Make sure at least 25% to 33% of
your income gets put to one side for
the end of the financial year.
The other piece of advice that
I was offered there – and one I’ve
stuck to ever since – is to get your
tax return in early. Yes, you might
have until the end of January to
file your return, but that funnily
enough coincides with the deadline
to actually pay the tax! That can have
some nasty consequences if your tax
bill is more than you expected for
some reason. What I’ve always done
is completed my return at the first
available opportunity, in April, when
the previous financial year comes to
a close. That way – even if there is
something horrible lurking in my
tax calculation – I have plenty of
time to try and rustle up the extra
cash needed, rather than having to
get into things like payday loans or
selling my kidneys.
Also remember that if you do
www.writers-online.co.uk
have some work that is put through
payroll traditionally, this is a separate
section of your tax return – you may
have some work that is employed
and some that is self-employed, so
being clear on the distinction here is
important.
Keep on finding new
partners –and diversifying
When you are freelancing,
sometimes you can get into a sort of
comfort zone, doing the same sort
of work for the same partners on a
regular basis. But, where it comes to
freelancing, there’s never anything
that you can ensure is completely
safe. There’s always a chance – albeit
a slim one – that the company or
person you depend on for half (or
more) of your income every month
suddenly goes AWOL, or goes bust,
or makes a decision to stop hiring
you. As I was keen to emphasise last
month, freelancing can be pretty
uncertain, so I’d suggest it always
pays never to rest on your laurels and
rely too fully on one organisation.
Hopefully – with all being well
– they will just continue to keep
rolling and you can keep the money
rolling in too.
I would suggest that once you have
a firm reputation for a particular
kind of work – whatever that might

be – it’s worth scouting around for
some other clients in that field who
might be able to send work your
way. Getting skills and experience
onto your CV can go a long way,
and even if work from one client isn’t
staggeringly regular, anything can be
a help. Sometimes it’s handy to have
small and less regular jobs to fit in
around what you see as the ‘main’
type of work or the ‘main’ clients.
By reaching out and developing new
working partnerships, you are not –
if you’ll forgive the cliché – putting
all your eggs in one basket.
It’s also worth considering if
there are other ways in which you
might be able to apply your skills,
knowledge and experience besides
what you had initially intended. One
of the things I’ve always loved about
freelancing is that you never know
exactly where it’s going to take you.
That can genuinely be half the fun
of the journey. Sometimes it’s just a
matter of being open to ideas and
suggestions that come along; other
times it can be about actively seeking
to expand your working portfolio – if
you feel comfortable doing so, and
that you have time. Which brings us
to our next point.
The importance of time
management
In the interest of being completely
honest, this is the bit of freelance
work I am really bad at – but
hopefully you can do better than me
in this regard. There can often be
a temptation as a freelancer to just
say ‘yes’ to everything – in a way
that is natural, as more work means
less uncertainty and potentially even
more opportunities. You might even
feel that there’s a perceived risk that
you’ll fall out of favour if you say ‘no’
to numerous bits of work, although
this is more likely imagined than
it is real. However it’s important
to ensure that you actually have
adequate time to do the work, and
to do it well without rushing it. All
too often during busy spells you
can find yourself giving up evenings
and weekends, meaning that you’re
getting worn out and likely being
less productive in the working time
you do have. So be sure to identify
the time you have, plan ahead in
terms of what days and hours you
can/want to work and say yes or no
accordingly.
A final note, and something
that I’ve heard from freelancers –
including myself – is that you need
to build in adequate holiday time for
yourself. If you were in traditional
employment, you’d be absolutely
sure to take off whatever holiday
time you had and make the most
of it – but now you’re in charge, so
you need to set this time aside and
not take any work on that’s going to
have an impact on these holidays. It’s
important not to give in to what I
call ‘freelancer’s guilt’ – another one
of those bad habits that I personally
suffer horribly with – and feel as
though you have to be working all
the time, or that you’re somehow
wasting time when you’re not
working. Just like any other line of
work, the more you can distinguish
between work time and relaxation
time, the better – and trust me
that when you work at home, this
distinction can be a challenge.
What really pays?
As well as a question of just how
much you can – and indeed should –
work, there is also the consideration
of what you are earning while you
are working. It’s important for any
freelancer to have some idea of their
own value, but there might be some
projects that come along that pay a
bit less. Do you feel it’s wise to do
them or not – is it sufficient reward
for your time? This is not always an
easy question, as things like what else
you have on and the financial needs
of the time can have an impact. If
it’s quiet on the whole, it might be
worth doing something that pays a
bit less to fill the gap, or if you are
saving up for that holiday or big
purchase then maybe the extra cash
can be really useful. But when it is
busy it can be a matter of zooming
in on what pays better and putting
what pays less on the backburner
– most people are in freelancing
because they love what they do, but
that also has to be couched with a
bit of a ‘cutthroat’ attitude at times.
Over time you’ll get a feeling and
a sense of what’s right for you, and
what times of the year tend to work
out busier and what are the slower
months and seasons for you.
www.writers-online.co.uk
FREELANCING
Keep powering along
On a personal note, writing this
article was especially interesting for
me, because it made me think a
great deal about why I went freelance
myself and what it’s been like over
the near-decade I’ve been living this
lifestyle. I can’t deny there are times
that I think there must be an easier,
steady, less punishing way to make
a living – although as I’ve already
said maybe some aspects of my own
approach are not ideal. It’s not easy
to start, and equally it’s not easy to
continue, but then again not much
that was ever any good was easy. For
all the stress and sleepless nights,
when I think back to all the talented
authors I’ve had the chance to work
with, the events that I’ve been able to
put on, the books I’ve had a hand in
helping to publication and the sheer
variety of exciting opportunities that
have come my way, I can’t say that I
regret it at all. To me it’s always felt
just right. But then again maybe I’m
just a workaholic and that’s why it
suits so well.
So there’s my rough guide to
freelancing, based on years of
experience in the field of writing. I’ve
tried to present both the good and
the bad, but in closing I would have
to say – think about it very carefully
before you make the leap. It’s not
always a simple thing to make work,
and if it doesn’t, it’s not always a
simple matter to jump back into the
world of employment that you left
behind. But if you are determined to
make the leap, then I hope this advice
over the last couple of articles has
been of help – and good luck!
Disclaimer:
ent into freelance
Stepping out of regular employm
ies considerable
work is not for ever yone, and carr
inte nde d as guidance and
financial risk! This article is
ing at the poss ibility of becoming
advice for people look
own personal and
self-employed. Please consider your
befo re taking this step,
financial circumstances carefully
nt care er deci sion. Neither the
as you would any significa
azine accept any resp onsibility for
author or Writing Mag
lanc e.
the effects of any readers going free
MAY 2019 67
 Writing
tandem
If two heads are better than one,
Simon Whaley finds out if two
writers are better than one.
S
ome things work better in
partnership: strawberries
and cream, fish and chips,
French and Saunders.
But when it comes to
the business of writing books, can a
writing partnership work? Is it possible
to share what is, for many of us, such
a deeply personal experience? The fact
that co-authored books exist suggests
that for some writers this is a business
decision that works.
‘On the whole, the process was
surprisingly harmonious,’ Chris
Brookmyre explains. As one half of
Ambrose Parry, and co-writer of the
highly successful The Way of All Flesh
crime novel, Chris already knew
his anaesthetist co-author, Marisa
Haetzman, extremely well: he’d
married her.
‘When we thought about it
afterwards,’ he continues, ‘we realised
that this was probably because we each
brought a unique set of skills to the
task. I was an experienced writer and
Marisa brought historical knowledge
and an anaesthetist’s desire for
meticulous planning.’
Practical partnership
Having written novels previously
under his own name, Chris knew
working in a partnership would mean
a different way of working. ‘What I
would normally do instinctively when
it comes to constructing a story had
to be made explicit. Ideas had to be
clarified so that they made sense to
both of us. In practical terms Marisa
68 MAY 2019
wrote most of the chapters about
Sarah, our female protagonist, and I
wrote predominantly from the point
of view of the male protagonist, Will
Raven. But we rewrote each other’s
contributions to maintain a consistent
voice and tone. Marisa, unsurprisingly,
tackled the medical scenes and, in
an unusual departure for me, I was
responsible for the more disgusting
elements in the book.’
Even though they’d planned this
division of labour, they still needed to
be flexible.
‘We discussed the outline of the
novel in detail,’ Chris explains, ‘and
then divided up the writing tasks but
who wrote what was not hard and
fast. There was a considerable amount
of overlap. Neither of us owned a
character and we usually agreed about
how a character would behave in any
given situation.’
There were also aspects of the
partnership that Chris, as the
experienced novelist of the two,
enjoyed. ‘The fact that we know each
other so well was extremely helpful.
It took a level of pressure off me to
not have to come up with a new
story – and indeed a new world – as I
would normally do when embarking
upon a new novel. Instead, Marisa had
constructed the literary environment
and I was therefore able to have some
fun exploring it.’
Of course, the test of whether a
writing partnership worked is whether
both writers would do it all again.
‘The second book in the series will
www.writers-online.co.uk
be published in August 2019,’ Chris
confirms, ‘and we followed the same
template as before – dividing writing
tasks and re-writing each other’s work.
We’re still speaking to each other.’
Two authors, two voices
While Ambrose Parry writes as one,
some books work better having two
distinct voices.
In October 2015, Peter Jones and
Della Galton published their non-
fiction book How To Eat Loads and
Stay Slim.
‘Pretty early on Della and I
realised that we were coming at the
thorny subject of weight loss from
two very different places,’ Peter
explains. ‘Often times we found
ourselves disagreeing with each
other! But ironically that ended up
making the writing process easier.
Rather than write from one, united
“voice of wisdom”, Della wrote
her chapters... and I wrote mine!
And personally I think that worked
really well. So much so that when it
came to recording the audio book,

Audible agreed that I should read my
chapters, and Della should read hers.’
Both Della and Peter have written
extensively on their own before this
joint venture, and they both found the
experience a positive one. Although
such partnerships do emphasise the
different way in which authors work.
‘I enjoyed it, says Della. ‘I found it
refreshing to write with another author.
The only bit I wasn’t so keen on was
waiting for Peter to finish his sections
so I could write mine. I’ve never had
any patience and this was brought
home to me when we embarked on
this project. I tend to write all my first
drafts at top speed, whereas I think
Peter might do his more slowly, but
maybe with fewer rewrites.’
For Peter, having another writer
on board helped with those crisis of
confidence moments every writer has
in a project. ‘It was fun. And kind
of exciting. Writing can be a very
solitary activity. There are moments
of crippling self-doubt. Is this book
actually any good? But I don’t
remember feeling that way about
How To Eat Loads And Stay Slim.’
A potential writing partnership
should think everything through
before writing starts. After all, while
you’ve only half the work to do,
you’ve only half the control, too.
‘It took about half the time to write
this book as my other self-help books!’
Peter jokes. ‘However, co-writing a
book inevitably involves surrendering
some of the control over what goes in
it. Which is completely fine... unless
you’re a control freak. Like me.’
Della enjoyed having someone to
explore ideas with, but understands
that a lot of the partnership success
depends upon how well you get on
with your writing partner.
‘Writing can be very solitary,’
she says, ‘and this kind of writing
definitely isn’t. I loved being able
to discuss ideas – I think two heads
are generally better than one when
it comes to ideas. And yes, as Peter
says, it means you don’t have to write
as many words as usual. I actually
can’t think of any drawbacks – there
might be some if you didn’t agree
with each other and/or weren’t on
the same wavelength. But this would
be something you would need to
sort out in advance of making any
decision to co-author.’
T H E BU S I N E S S O F W R I T I N G
Prolific partnerships
Halving your workload can also
have the benefit of boosting your
productivity. One of the world’s
most prolific authors is James
Patterson, who achieves much of
his vast productivity through several
writing partnerships.
Mark Sullivan has partnered with
James Patterson on five novels, the
first being Private Berlin.
‘He and I met back in the 90s when
my novel, The Purification Ceremony,
was a finalist for the Edgar Award,’
Mark explains. ‘We ran into each other
over the years, and then about eight years
ago, one of his representatives contacted
me wanting to know if I’d be interested in
co-authoring novels with him. I happened to be
going to New York the next day for a conference
and we arranged to meet. We hit it off and he
offered me the job of co-authoring Private Berlin.
That’s how it started.’
James Patterson is well known for coming
up with extremely detailed synopses, often
running to eighty pages, so some of his writing
partnerships work from those but, as Mark
explains, it all depends upon the project.
‘I’ve worked from the detailed synopses on
some novels, and we’ve worked on the outlines
together on others. I take the first stab at the
book with Patterson reading in
50-75 page chunks, and offering
detailed notes.’
Another great benefit of a
writing partnership like this is that
it’s also a learning opportunity.
‘Patterson is the best story mind
I have ever encountered,’ says
Mark. ‘Working with him has
been like taking a master class in
commercial fiction writing. He’s
withering in his criticism and
effusive in his praise. I’ve learned
and become a better writer from
every discussion I have had with
him.’
As these examples show,
sometimes co-authoring a book,
whether it’s a piece of fiction or
non-fiction, can make complete
business sense. It could be half
the work when compared with
writing a project solo. However,
there’s also the issue of how to
split the proceeds. But treat it
like a business decision, formalise
it with an agreement that both
sides are happy to sign, and it
could be the start of a whole new
writing business.
www.writers-online.co.uk
Co-Authorship Considerations
Chris Brookmyre: ‘Make sure you
share the same vision and the same
passion for the project – it is easy
to make assumptions that the other
person wants to tell the same story as
you. Subtle differences can become
more pronounced as the process
evolves, so you need to be of one
mind. Know your relative strengths
and weaknesses. Be honest with each
other, and be open to constructive
criticism. Have frequent meetings
to discuss progress.’
Peter Jones: ‘First, figure out how
you are going to divide your royalties
ahead of time. In an ideal situation,
you want your publisher – or
publishing platform – to pay out half
to one person, and half to the other.
Otherwise you might find yourself
in a situation where one of you
gets 100% of the royalties, and the
other has to submit an invoice, every
month, for the rest of your lives, to
get their half. And the last thing you
want in your life, is MORE admin
and MORE paperwork. Secondly –
talking about lives – it may be worth
drawing up an agreement (or getting
legal advice) about who inherits your
half of the copyright when you die:
your co-author, or your estate?’
Della Galton: ‘Make sure you are
starting on the same page – pun
intended! Have a very clear idea of
the following:
• How the writing process will
happen, ie who will write what.
• Set a time limit for each other
– or one of you may be left tapping
your foot waiting for the other to
finish a section!
• Agree on a plan of action for the
future should you ever wish to divide
ownership of the book, eg will one
of you have digital rights and one of
you paperback.’
Mark Sullivan: ‘Bury your ego and
work in service to the story. Keep an
open mind. Listen. Don’t make the
same mistakes twice. Deliver your
best. Understand that they are the
boss and that they make the final
calls. Enjoy the process.’
MAY 2019 69
 Are you ready to
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Research without
Tarja Moles explains how to research online without worrying about privacy issues
W
e tend to view Google
as a search engine and
tech giant, but it is, in
actual fact, an advertising
company that has the
world’s best technology to advertise anything and
everything – after all, it knows us very intimately.
And why wouldn’t it? We ask its search engine
questions we would be too embarrassed to ask
anyone else. And we use its products and services,
and consent to it collecting and sharing our data.
If you’re worried about your privacy, but
want to continue using the internet for research
purposes (and otherwise), there are ways in which
you can minimise the intrusion. Here are some
steps you can take:
Operating systems
If you’re using Chromebook and Chrome OS,
change to another operating system. Microsoft
Windows and Mac OS are the most popular
ones, but they also collect user data. Linux (www.
linux.org), a free open-source operating system,
and its Ubuntu version in particular, are generally
considered the best option. This said, please DO
NOT start changing your operating system if
you don’t know what you’re doing! This is a job
that requires expert advice.
Browsers
Chrome is Google’s web browser and Opera
and Vivaldi are based on it. These are therefore
the browsers to avoid if you’re concerned about
your privacy. Although there are numerous
other browsers available, Firefox (www.
mozilla.org/firefox) is often recommended
as the go-to alternative. This is because it was
created by a non-profit organisation that aims
to protect user privacy.
Search engines
Google is currently the best search engine
available, which makes the switch to something
else tricky. However, privacy-focused and ad-free
alternatives are improving. For instance, using
the combination of DuckDuckGo (https://
duckduckgo.com) and Startpage (www.
startpage.com) should work well. The latter, in
fact, pays Google to use its search results, but
removes all the trackers and logs before showing
the results to the users.
Email
You may or may not use email for your research,
but if you have a Gmail account, the implications
go beyond your email use. While gathering
data from your emails, attachments and contact
details, Google will also collect the data about
your internet use if you remain logged into
Gmail and use the internet at the same time.
To switch to an email provider that respects
your privacy usually means paying a fee (the
‘free’ email providers get their payment from
elsewhere, such as advertising). There are several
options available, such as ProtonMail (https://
protonmail.com): it’s user-friendly and its
interface is similar to that of Gmail. It also
offers a free version, but only gives you 500MB
of storage space. To find more secure email
providers, go to https://writ.rs/secureemail.
Document editing suite
Although Google Docs isn’t as popular as
Microsoft Office, both have privacy issues.
LibreOffice (www.libreoffice.org) is a
commonly-used alternative. It’s a free open-
source office suite and has a lot to offer, even if
you’re not concerned about privacy but merely
want a convenient word-processing program.
Cloud storage
Storing your research findings and your writing
in the cloud as a back-up is a good idea. If you’ve
been using Google Drive, there are other more
private services available. Dropbox is considered
a good choice, but it’s not actually as private as
it’s portrayed to be (read more at https://writ.rs/
dropboxsecurity).
As with email provider alternatives, many
secure cloud storage providers charge a fee.
However, there are some companies, such as Sync
(www.sync.com), that give you limited space for
free. If you need to store a lot of material, it may
be cheaper to use an external hard drive.
Videos
YouTube is linked to Google and used for data
collection: all the videos you watch and any
comments you write will be linked to your user
profile. Although there are other video platforms
(eg Vimeo, https://vimeo.com), you can’t,
obviously, watch the same content there.
To watch YouTube videos privately, stay
www.writers-online.co.uk
RESEARCH TIPS
logged out of your YouTube/Gmail accounts
and, additionally, use a Virtual Private Network
(VPN). It’s a tool that can be used to protect
your privacy and increase your online security.
Using a VPN will make it difficult for YouTube
(and others) to track your activities. (Find out
more at https://writ.rs/vpn2019.)
Translation
When you’re doing research, you may come
across a passage in another language that you
want to understand. Google Translate is a handy
tool for that. To use a private translation tool
instead, try DeepL (www.deepl.com/translator)
and/or Linguee (www.linguee.com). The former
is better for blocks of text while the latter is more
useful for translating single phrases or words.
Please note that, as with Google Translate, these
tools are not entirely accurate and some languages
work better than others.
Issues
Google is pervasive. Leaving Facebook is
fairly straightforward technically (although it
may be challenging psychologically). Google
is trickier: there are so many products and
services to quit, and not all alternatives are
free or that user-friendly.
Furthermore, even if you do manage to make
the switch, sooner or later your search results will
take you to a webpage that has Google Ads and/
or Analytics. Or your friends’ Gmail accounts
will collect your data from the emails that you
send them.
So, quitting the Googleverse completely may
not be possible, but it is possible to reduce the
amount of personal data that you allow it to
collect and share.
Further resources
• About Google: https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Google
• Restore Privacy’s list of
Google alternatives: https://
writ.rs/googlealternatives
• Localization Lab’s list of
open source or privacy-tech
projects: www.localizationlab.
org/projects
MAY 2019 71
 Editorial calendar
Strong forward planning will greatly improve your chances with freelance submissions.
Here are some themes to consider for the coming months.

Pics: Wes Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Bob Bekian; Harvard Mk1, CC BY-SA 3.0 Daderot; Keith Carradine, CC BY-SA 2.5 Frank C. Müller; Rosanna Arquette, CC BY-SA 3.0 Frantogian; Ed Norton, CC-BY 2.0 Steve Jurvetson; Christian Slater, CC BY 2.0 Daniel Benavides; Phil Lynott, CC BY 3.0 Helge
1 August 7 August
Anne Frank made the IBM’s Automatic Sequence Controlled
final entry in her diary Calculator, also known as Harvard Mark
75 years ago, three 1, was officially presented to Harvard
days before she was University 75 years ago.
taken by the Gestapo
and subsequently sent
to Auschwitz.
3 August
The 1944 Education Act was passed,
ensuring free education for every
child in the UK, dividing schools into
primary and secondary, and providing
free school milk and meals.

14 August
Electronic monitoring
(tagging) was trialled for
the first time in the UK in
Nottingham 30 years ago
Overas; Richard Gere, CC BY-SA 2.0 Nancy Pelosi’s House office; Ian McDiarmid, CC BY-SA 3.0 Xanathon; Magic Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0 Rafael Amado Deras, electronic tag, CC BY-SA 3.0, Jérémy Günther-Heinz Jähnick.
15 August
The Woodstock music
festival, a definitive
gathering of the hippie
movement, took place
50 years ago

Celebrity celebrations
1 August: Moby Dick author Herman Melville was born 200 years ago
2: Horror film director Wes Craven was born 80 years ago
(died in 2015)
8: Actor Keith Carradine was born 70 years ago
9: PL Travers, author and creator of the enduringly popular
Mary Poppins, was born 120 years ago.
10: Actor Rosanna Arquette will be 60
11: Star Wars actor Ian McDiarmid will be 75
13: Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, known as ‘the master of 16 August
suspense’, was born 120 years ago. He died in April 1980 18 peaceful protesters campaigning for
14: Retired US champion basketball player Magic Johnson was parliamentary reform were killed, and nearly
born 60 years ago 700 wounded, by volunteer soldiers during the
18: Actors Edward Norton and Christian Slater were both born Peterloo Massacre in Manchester 200 years ago.
50 years ago
20: Thin Lizzy singer Phil Lynott was born 70 years ago.
He died in 1986.
24: Argentinian magic realist writer Jorge Luis Borges was born
120 years ago
Looking ahead
31: Actor Richard Gere was born 70 years ago In 2022, it will be
the 50th anniversary
of the first UK
Gay Pride Rally,
which took place in
London on 1 July
1972 with around
2,000 people.
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 AU T H O R P R O F I L E
LUKE TURNER
The author talks to Margaret James about exploring forests and sexuality in his acclaimed memoir
I
don’t often get the opportunity
to profile the authors of
memoirs, so I was delighted
to talk to young British writer
Luke Turner about Out of
the Woods, his candid and engaging
account of his fascination with one of
the UK’s most ancient forests.
What first prompted Luke to write
Out of the Woods?
‘It wasn’t so much a prompt as an
impulse that emerged over a period of
time,’ he says. ‘I’ve loved the Epping
Forest landscape since I was a child.
When I moved close to the woodland
in the early 2010s, I started visiting it
a lot more. I read as much as I could
about it and soon realised nothing
new had been written for years.
‘Originally, Out of the Woods was
intended to be a straightforward social
history of the forest. But I was writing
it at a time when my life was falling
apart, and soon mere social history
no longer seemed enough to make
a book. I had neglected to deal with
difficult parts of my life, but I found
that entering the landscape – both in
present-day reality and in the strange
histories I was uncovering in archives –
made me realise that here I might start
to understand our human relationship
with all forests.’
Unusually for a writer, Luke read
the audio version of Out of the Woods
himself. ‘Until I read the audiobook, I
74 MAY 2019
“I know very few men who are
engaging with the difficulties and
complexities of masculinity. I am
hoping this will change.”
thought I’d written a book that was just
about forests,’ he says. ‘But reading it
aloud made me realise it’s mostly about
sexuality, explored via woodland.
‘I’d been thinking of writing a
history book about the forest for quite
a while, but I never thought it would
come to anything. I mentioned it to a
few people, and one of them put me
in touch with Natalie Galustian at the
DHH Agency. We met up, I thought
Natalie was brilliant, and we went
on from there. Then, as my initial
proposal was going out to publishers,
another book about Epping Forest was
announced, and I was sent back to
square one.
‘But this turned out to be a blessing
in disguise. My original version, which
www.writers-online.co.uk
by then was about 40,000 words
long, had run out of steam. So, with
Natalie’s encouragement, I started
to look at new ways of exploring the
forest. I did a reading about some of
the sexual history of the place. Jenny
Lord, who is now my editor, saw it.
She and Natalie encouraged me to
pursue new directions, looking at how
I fitted into the story.
‘At the same time, I was writing
columns about the forest for the
Caught by the River website (www.
caughtbytheriver.net), and the
episodes to which people responded
most deeply were the ones I’d written
about emotions and about myself. I
should say here that Jeff and everyone
at Caught by the River were pivotal in
Out of the Woods happening, because
they were an incredible resource of
enthusiasm and encouragement.
‘Gradually, the book ended up
becoming more of a memoir, and
more about sexuality, than a history
book about a forest. My agent Natalie
sorted out the deal with Jenny at
Weidenfeld & Nicolson. All in all,
from idea to publication, it’s been five
very long years.’
Luke writes beautifully about
Epping Forest, a place I would now
love to visit myself. Do woodlands in
other parts of the UK or the world
inspire and comfort him?
‘I’m not sure if any woodlands
comfort me,’ he says. ‘Forests are
such strange and powerful places that
my relationship with them is always
TAP incredibly complex, and veers from
HERE
To purchase
exultant joy to abject terror.
‘I spent some time writing in a
steep valley in Cornwall. It was the
site of a former tin and silver mine
and has become very special to me.
Once the scene of intense industry –
there are still unguarded mineshafts
LISTEN – it is now a mixed oak-and-beech
TAP woodland. While writing my book I
HERE stayed in a shed, and the solitude not
To hear only allowed me to disappear inside
an extract
from myself and get back to some very
Out of the difficult times, but also cured me of
Woods
many of my fears of the woodland in
the dark, even though I was always hope this might resonate with people. on, and I know very few men who
slightly terrified when, in the middle What’s been exciting and interesting for are engaging with the difficulties and
of the night, I had to walk out into me is how everyone who has read the complexities of masculinity. I am
the drizzly void to have a piss. book seems to be relating to, and picking hoping this will change.
‘Other woodlands to which I’ve had up on, very different aspects of it. ‘What am I writing now? At the
strong reactions are Hardcastle Craggs ‘I think this is an incredibly odd time moment, it’s music reviews which
in the UK’s Calder Valley, the Wolski to be a man. I’ve had a fairly appalling help to pay the bills. Since finishing
Forest next to Krakow (it’s utterly time at the hands of sexually abusive Out of the Woods I’ve been flat out
stunning in the autumn) and Berlin’s men. I also grew up never feeling with work and haven’t had a second to
Grunewald. But I don’t think you comfortable with masculinity, or knowing think about what I will do next book-
have to fetishise forests or woodlands how to relate to most of my peers. I wise, although I do have a few ideas.
on account of their size or remoteness. am absolutely of the opinion that men, I have just done another short piece
You can be just inside a woodland including myself, need to look at their for Caught by the River. I am working
boundary to feel as if you’re at the very behaviour and thought patterns and on a short story and a collaboration
ends of the earth. privilege. Yet most of the men I talk with artist Eva Vermandel for a Rough
‘My message for readers of this to are struggling with the way that the Trade pamphlet to be published this
book is that sexuality, faith and nature conversation about masculinity is going. year, but to be honest 2018 was so
are far more complicated than they’re ‘I do understand that years of polite exhausting that I am struggling to find
seen in this appallingly binary age. I complaint from women have achieved the mental space to be creative.
wanted to use my honest (and at times little, and that these days women are ‘While I’m not writing I’m mostly
explicit) writing to bring nuance into well within their rights to tell men to running the online music publication The
conversations around these issues. I get so suck it up. I also see a lot of men not Quietus, which is a full-time job on top
fed up with seeing narratives saying that responding well to what’s happening, of freelancing. Writing is tough when you
all religion is bad, that homosexuality is and getting pushed in very dangerous don’t come from a wealthy background
a sin, that sex positivity should never be directions: towards Incels, Jordan and have the expense of living in
questioned, and that nature will always Peterson and so on. This worries me. London. I still go to the forest often,
nurture us. I wanted to present readers The media and literary landscapes although I get frustrated with not having
with my own life, which reveals that the are still dominated by male voices enough time to work with the Epping
picture is usually more complex, and I in terms of presence, power and so Forest Conservation volunteers.’

THE MOTH SHORT STORY PRIZE 2019 the

moth
art and literature

Helen Oyeyemi
Laura Potts
Caoilinn Hughes
Chris Newlove Horton
Issue 36 Spring 2019

1st PRIZE €3,000 | JUDGED BY KIT DE WAAL

2nd Prize Writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France + €250 | 3rd Prize €1,000
Stories on any theme or subject welcome, as long as they are previously unpublished

CLOSING 30 JUNE 2019

www.themothmagazine.com

RELAX & WRITE

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2019
31 MAY - 2 JUNE at The Hayes
SWANWICK ALFRETON DERBYSHIRE
‘A weekend of Writing Poetry’ with Alison Chisholm
6-8 SEPTEMBER at The Royal Agricultural University
CIRENCESTER GLOUCESTERSHIRE
‘Writing for Magazines’ with Simon Whaley
4-6 OCTOBER at The Hayes
SWANWICK ALFRETON DERBYSHIRE
Romantic Fiction & Writing Crime
18-20 Oct. Poetry Retreat at Gladstone’s Library

All inclusive fee - contact Lois on 01454 773579

Email: loisbm@aol.com or loisbm@outlook.com
www.relaxandwrite.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 75
WRITERS’ NEWS
Your essential monthly round-up of competitions, paying markets,
opportunities to get into print and publishing industry news.
Crime on the streets
Tina Jackson
Win a two-book publishing
deal with Avon in The Big Issue
magazine’s competition to find
the UK’s next great crime writer.
The competition, which is
being run by The Big Issue in
association with HarperCollins
imprint Avon, is for an original,
unpublished crime novel.
‘We’re delighted to announce
the launch of this competition,’ said The Big Issue’s editor Paul
McNamee. ‘What an opportunity this presents. Everybody is said to
have a book in them but people frequently don’t know how to get
their great ideas to the right people and into print. So, here we are.
Working with such a legendary publishing house is a way to make
somebody’s dream become reality.’
‘It is with great excitement that we launch the search for the
UK’s next big crime writer, and we couldn’t wish for a better
publication to do this with than The Big Issue,’ sad Helen
Huthwaite, publishing director at Avon. ‘With the help of some
of the best talent in the business, we will be scouring the length
and breadth of the country for an author who can deliver heart-
stopping writing and nail-shredding suspense. This is a life-
changing prize for one talented winner, and we can’t wait to see
what the entries have in store for us.
To enter, send the complete manuscript as a doc file, double
spaced in 12pt Times New Roman, plus a synopsis of no more
than 100 words. Send entries by email with the subject line ‘Big
Issue writing competition’.
Entry is free. Only one entry per person is allowed.
The closing date is 31 May.
Details: email: avonsubmissions@harpercollins.co.uk;
website: www.bigissue.com/tag/crime-writing-competition/
WALES WANTS WRITERS
The BBC and National Theatre Wales have launched the inaugural
Wales Writer in Residence scheme.
BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Writersroom Wales and National
Theatre Wales will award a £12,000 bursary to cover a year’s
placement as Wales Writer in Residence. The selected writer
will have a guaranteed broadcast credit and be featured across
a variety of media. The residency will be split in two parts: six
months with BBC Cymru Wales and six months with NTW. The
winning script will be commissioned, developed and produced for
BBC Radio 4 and/or BBC Sounds.
New and established script writers who can represent Wales and
Welsh culture are encouraged to apply. To enter, send a completed
English-language audio script between thirty and fifty pages,
submitted as a pdf. The writer’s name must not appear on the
manuscript. Include a brief biography. Submit through the online
submission system.
The closing date is 3 June.
Website: https://writ.rs/waleswriterinresidence
76 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk
Invest in a creative future
The Creative Future Writers’ Award is inviting entries from under-
represented writers.
The Award is aimed at writers who traditionally have lacked
opportunities within the publishing world because of mental health
issues, disability, health or social circumstance.
To enter, submit poetry up to 300 words or prose up to 2,000
words on this year’s theme, which is ‘home’.
Prizes, including cash as well as mentoring and development to
a total value of £10,000, will be awarded in two categories: poetry
and prose.
The prizes are: platinum level: £100, Chapter and Verse mentoring,
editorial consultancy; gold level: £75, online course from The Poetry
School or Curtis Brown Creative, manuscript assessment from The
Literary Consultancy, writing retreat at Ty Newydd or Retreats for
You; silver level: £50, partial manuscript assessment from The Writing
Coach; subscription to Writing Magazine or WM resource pack;
bronze: £25, story critique from Writing Magazine or 1:1 tutorial
from The Poetry School. There are further prizes for commended
writers and all shortlisted writers will be published in an anthology
and receive ongoing support from Creative Futures.
Submit online or by post. The writer’s name must not appear on
the manuscript. All writers entering the competition should state on
the online or hard copy entry form how they are under-represented.
The competition is free to enter. Each entrant may submit one piece
of writing in each category.
The closing date is 1 June.
Details: Creative Future Writers’ Award, Community Base, 113
Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG; email: info@creativefuture.org.
uk; website: https://literary.creativefuture.org.uk/
Rewarding arts
Arts Quarter Books is inviting entries for the Teignmouth Prize.
Enter short fiction up to 2,500 words. The winning and shortlisted
entries will be published in Arts Quarter Books’ next anthology and the
overall winner will receive a cash prize of at least £234.
Enter stories up to 5,000 words by email after paying the entry fee.
Send entries as single-spaced doc files without indents. All entries must be
original. Reprints are accepted. All entrants will receive a brief critique.
The entry fee is £7 per story, payable online.
The closing date is 1 May.
Details: email: theteignmouthprize@gmail.com; website: www.
artsquarterbooks.com

Flash in
the smoke
The London Independent Story Prize is inviting entries for its next
quarterly competition.
The competition, which is for 300-word stories, has a first prize of £200.
Send original, unpublished short fiction for adult readers by email as a doc file
typed in 11pt font. The filename must be the title of the piece. The writer’s name
must not appear on the manuscript. Include the wordcount in the document file.
Send the entry email after forwarding the payment receipt.
There is an entry fee of £7 per story, payable via PayPal.
The closing date is 6 May.
Details: email: entry@londonindependentstoryprize.co.uk; website: www.
londonindependentstoryprize.co.uk
A NOVEL IN WAITING
Fitzcarraldo Editions will be accepting entries for the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions
Novel Prize from 15 April. The winner will receive a £3,000 advance against
publication by Fitzcarraldo Editions in its fiction list.
The competition is for innovative, imaginative novels which explore and
expand the possibilities of the form.
To enter, send an original, unpublished novel manuscript at least 30,000
words long. Format the manuscript in double spacing and 12pt font. Include a
cover letter with a biographical note, full contact details and an outline of the
novel. Submissions may be made by post or by email.
Unpublished and previously published writers from Great Britain and
Ireland are welcome to submit.
There is no entry fee.
The closing date is 15 July.
Details: Fitzcarraldo Editions, A104, 8-12 Creekside, London SE8
3DX; email: novelprize@fitzcarralsoeditions.com; website: https://
fitzcarraldoeditions.com/prizes/novel-prize
Time to write
The theme for this year’s HG Wells Short Story Competition is ‘time’.
The annual competition invites entries of short stories between 1,500 and 5,000
words on the theme. There are two categories. The Margaret and Reg Turnhill
Competition for young writers of 21 and under has a prize of £1,000, and the over
21s category has a prize of £250.
Enter original, unpublished short stories as pdf or txt files in 12pt Verdana,
with numbered pages and 1.5 spacing. The writer’s name must not appear on the
manuscript. All entries must be submitted through the online submission system.
Entry is free for under 21s, and £10 per entry in the adult category. Pay fees
by PayPal or credit/debit card.
The closing date is 8 July.
Website: https://hgwellscompetition.com
FIRST NOVEL, BIG PRIZE
The First Novel Prize 2019 is inviting entries.
The competition, which has a first prize of £1,000, is for original, novel
manuscripts over 50,000 words. There is a second prize of £250 and a third
prize of £100. The competition is judged by a literary agent and an adult fiction
commissioning editor.
Novels may be in any genre for adult readers, and must be unpublished or self-
published. Only fiction for adults will be considered.
Submit the complete novel manuscript with a synopsis and contact details in a
single document. Manuscripts should be double spaced on single sides of A4, with
numbered pages and the author name and novel title on each page. Enter via the
online submission system.
There is an entry fee of £25 per manuscript, payable by PayPal.
The closing date is 31 May.
Website: www.firstnovel.co.uk
www.writers-online.co.uk
WRITERS’ NEWS
ONLINE NON-FICTION
MARKET
Take time to read this
Tina Jackson
For the last decade, the Longreads website has
showcased long-form non-fiction stories: essays and
journalism about the topical social and cultural issues
of the time. The stories on Longreads are in-depth
writing and include investigative pieces, profiles,
interviews, personal essays and memoir, book reviews.
Longreads accepts submissions of original work in
various categories.
• Personal essays: This slot is for essays, 2,500-
10,000 words, that illustrate a relatable human
experience that readers will identify with. Send
completed essays by email, including a single-
paragraph synopsis and a brief author biog to
essays@longreads.com. The payment for accepted
essays is $500.
• Reported, researched and critical essays: Ideas-
based essays around 2,000-3,000 words, often
looking at newsworthy topics from a personal or
historic angle. The base rate is $500 for an accepted
essay. Send proposals to Krista Stevens (krista@
longreads.com) or Cheri Lucas-Rowlands (cheri@
longreads.com).
• Long-form journalism (features and investigative
projects): Long-form, heavily researched pieces by
professional journalists. The base rate starts at $1,500
for commissioned pieces. Send pitches to Mike Dang
(mike@longreads.com) or Krista Stevens.
• Book-related content: Longreads publishes
in-depth book reviews of new and forthcoming
books (2,000-5,000 words, $500), book-related
personal essays and literary criticism (2,000-5,000
words, $500) and author interviews (2,000-5,000
words, $500). Send pitches to Dana Snitzky (dana@
longreads.com).
• Blog posts, reading lists and short interviews:
Longreads also publishes shorter content (800-1,000
words) that’s linked to longer pieces on the site.
Payment starts at $250. Contact Krista Stevens or
Ceri Lucas-Rowlands.
Website: https://longreads.com/
MAY 2019 77
WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES GLOBAL CHILDREN’S MARKET

Czech
Get versed in kids’ writing
BBC Science Focus
visitors invited
magazine is edited Gary Dalkin
by Daniel Bennett. He
welcomes letters on
science-based topics,
Versify is a newly
with prizes for the launched US children’s
star letter writers, and imprint from publisher
pays £50 for ‘question Mifflin Harcourt
of the month’. curated by Kwame
Details: email: reply@ Alexander, who won
sciencefocus.com; the 2015 Newbery
website: www. Medal for his novel
sciencefocus.com The Crossover, an award
given for the year’s ‘most
Poole Poetry
Collective in Dorset
distinguished contribution to American literature for
welcomes new children’. Alexander is seeking picture books, novels, Since the launch of the project in
members. Meetings and nonfiction from both new authors and artists 2004, UNESCO Cities of Literature
are on the first and and those who are well established. The aim is to has grown to include twenty cities
third Wednesday each publish books which explore the beauty, hurdles, and around the world, each noted for
month at the Scot hopefulness of life – books that will engage, entertain, their literary culture. Each city
hall, Hermitage Road, and empower young people to imagine and create a provides its own unique annual
Parkstone at 7.30pm. better world. programme, with Prague offering
Website: www. Alexander says, ‘...we’re looking for books that a series of six two-month long
facebook.com/
poolepoetry
edify, electrify, and exemplify the wonders and woes residencies for foreign writers and
collective/ of childhood. Part of our mission is to publish writers translators. Perhaps the most famous
whose voices haven’t been heard before. That’s why beneficiary of the scheme, at least in
Having been we’re accepting unsolicited and unagented submissions.’ the UK, is Sarah Perry, author of The
cancelled due to For fiction and picture books send the entire Essex Serpent.
a allegations of manuscript. Don’t worry if you don’t have illustrations. Applications for 2020 will open
sexual misconduct For non-fiction, submit a synopsis and sample chapters, around in June and close on 31
and financial or the full manuscript if it’s available. Use standard August – check the website at www.
improprieties last manuscript format. For graphic novels, submit a prahamestoliteratury.cz/en/ for
year, the Nobel
detailed synopsis and between 3-5 sample pages. Send details as they become available. You
Prize for Literature
will return this year,
both submissions and enquiries to versify.Info@hmhco. can optionally provide an extract,
giving two awards, com. If you haven’t had a response in twelve weeks no longer than two pages, from a
one for this year and assume that Versify isn’t interested, but feel free to make published work. To apply you must
one for 2018. further submissions in future. have a cultural interest in Prague and
Website: https://versifybooks.tumblr.com/contact at least one published literary work
Waterstones (not self-published) or two broadcast
Children’s Laureate, or published radio dramas or one
managed by
BookTrust, is WORKING performed or published theatre play
or have translated at least one work
marking its 20th
anniversary with CLASS VALUES of a Czech author into English.
celebrations until You must be willing to take part
June. In that time Writers & Artists has launched a in local literary life, giving readings/
ten Laureates have new prize for unpublished working talks and other cultural activities and
been appointed, class writers work on a piece of writing during
encompassing all The winner will receive editorial your stay, a copy of which you will
genres of children’s feedback from writer and competition give to the Municipal Library in
literature. judge Natasha Carthew, who is a Prague within two months of the
passionate advocate of working class end of the residency for promotional
Hayley Steed
writing, and a place on a W&A How To Get Published event at Bloomsbury purposes. In return each successful
was promoted to
literary agent at the Publishing. The winner will also receive a book in the W&A Writing applicant will receive a scholarship
Madeleine Milburn Companion series and a copy of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. Five shortlisted of €600 for each of their two
Literary, TV & Film writers will receive W&A book prizes. months, plus travel expenses and free
Agency To be eligible, writers must be unagented and unpublished. To enter, accommodation in an apartment
submit a writing extract up to 2,000 words (ideally the beginning of a work in which will be provided.
‘Learn to write well progress), a synopsis, and a 200-word description of your writing background Send any enquiries to prague@
and you will walk on and how you self-identify as a working class writer. Submit doc or pdf files by cityofliterature.cz. More details
water and turn wine email, using the subject heading ‘W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize 2019’. at: www.prahamestoliteratury.cz/
into opium. You will en/activities/writer-in-residence-
All genres and styles of writing are invited, and the work does not have to
speak a thousand
new tongues and talk
deal with working-class issues. Submitting writers should not currently have a program/
to the gods. You will publishing deal or agent. The successful applicants for 2020
live in constant and The closing date is 10 June. will be announced at the end of
everlasting euphoria.’ Details: email: waybcompetitions@bloomsbury.com; website: https:// October.
Roman Payne writ.rs/workingclasswritersprize

78 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 WRITERS’ NEWS

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET

Unearth new female talent
Jenny Roche

A fairly new print and digital magazine Unearth

Women is created by and for women and has a
mission to publish women’s stories from around
the world. It is distributed internationally.
There are several sections of the magazine to pitch
to: The ‘Women to Watch’ section profiles inspiring
women, the ‘Unearthed’ section contains under-
reported stories impacting women, ‘Brave New Eats’
It’s a Funny
are food and drink stories and profiles of women in
the food and drink industry. The travel section has
worldwide city guides, travel tips and trends. Travel
Old World
by Derek Hudson
stories should not be personal journeys but should
relate to larger themes and issues.
When pitching, mention whether you intend Weird book titles continue to raise smiles,
your piece for the print or digital section. Summarise although there are sometimes suspicions
your idea briefly, say who you might interview and that the names are chosen deliberately,
whether you can provide photographs. Also include and not in innocence.
a brief bio and one or two links to any previously Be Bold with Bananas is a cookbook,
published work you have. and also on the food scene there’s Spam:
Restrict your email to two paragraphs and A Biography –The Amazing Story of
include everything in the body of the email; no America’s Miracle Meat. With far fewer
attachments. calories involved, we welcome to the
Payment rates for work published in the digital bizarre books realm, The Joy of Water Boiling.
edition range from $75-$150 and from $200-$400
for work published in the print edition. Rates • It probably won’t appeal to any
vary depending on the word count, your writing modern writers, but legend has
experience and whether original photographs can it that Demosthenes, the Greek
be supplied. orator, would shave half of his
Check website for any upcoming themes and pitch to: unearthwomen@gmail.com head because it forced him to
Website: www.unearthwomen.com/writers-guidelines/ stay inside and work’.
Mental Floss reported online
that Plutarch wrote: ‘Here he
Make an aesthetic decision would continue, oftentimes without
intermission, two or three months together,
The Aesthetica Creative Writing Prize is open for international entries for the shaving one half of his head, that so for shame he might
2019 competition. not go abroad, though he desired it ever so much.’
The winners in the poetry and short fiction categories will receive £1,000,
with other winners; prizes including publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing • A US newspaper felt compelled to make a correction to a
Annual 2020, a consultation with a literary agent from Redhammer Management recipe used in a cookery column:
for the short fiction winner, membership of the Poetry Society for the poetry ‘In a recipe for salsa published recently, one of the
winner, a subscription to Granta and books from Bloodaxe and Vintage. ingredients was mis-stated due to an error. The correct
Enter short stories up to 2,000 words and poems up to forty lines. Works information is two tsp of cilantro (coriander) instead of
previously published elsewhere are accepted (include the details of this on the two tsp of cement
entry). Send submissions as txt or pdf documents through the online submission
system. Your name must not appear on the manuscript. • ‘A lorry loaded with thousands of
The entry fee is £18 per short fiction entry and £12 per poetry entry, payable by copies of Roget’s Thesaurus crashed
PayPal or credit/debit card. as it left a Manchester publishing
The closing date is 31 August. house last Tuesday, according to
Website: www.aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/ the daily newspapers,’ said The
Funny Jokes website, run under
the names of Will and Guy,
with tongue firmly in cheek.
A NEW CRANKSTART ‘When Will and Guy caught up
The Trustees of the Booker Prize Foundation have announced that, for the with the witnesses, we found them stunned, startled,
next five years at least, the Booker Prize and International Booker Prize, will aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, punchy,
be supported by Crankstart, a charitable foundation established by Sir Michael shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed
Moritz KBE and his wife, Harriet Heyman, who is herself a novelist (Private up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed,
Acts) and former journalist with the New York Times. flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded,
Helena Kennedy, Chair of the Trustees, noted, ‘Thanks to Crankstart, we will astonished, boggled, overwhelmed, horrified,
be able to continue the charitable activities of the Booker Prize Foundation, numbed, and perplexed.’ Not to mention flummoxed,
working with (among others) the National Literacy Trust in prisons, with RNIB gobsmacked and the more refined disconcerted.
to make the shortlist accessible to blind and partially sighted readers, and in
universities around the UK.’

www.writers-online.co.uk APRIL 2019 79

WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES GLOBAL BOOK MARKET

Sidetracked
Unusual suggestions wanted
adventure travel
journal is published Gary Dalkin
three times a year.
Proposals for Email: JhanteighK@quirkbooks.com
contributions are Rick is interested in fiction and non-fiction for adults
welcomed and there that intersects with pop culture, science fiction, comics and
are guidelines on superheroes, comedy, and/or weirdness. He is particularly
the website. keen to see titles with the potential for a prominent visual
Details: email: or graphic component. Graphic novel pitches are welcome
submissions@ but send a full outline or synopsis plus sample chapters, or
sidetracked.co.uk; even the full manuscript. No zombies, poetry or parodies.
website: www.
Email: RickC@quirkbooks.com
sidetracked.com
Philadelphia based publisher Quirk Books had a major Rebecca is on the lookout for high-concept, genre-
André Langlois hit with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by bending fiction as well as non-fiction for adults and
edits Honiton’s Ransom Briggs and are always open to submissions middle-grade readers. In adult fiction she is particularly
Midweek Herald and for strikingly unconventional manuscripts and book interested in mystery (think Tana French), science fiction
welcomes letters up proposals. Whether it is a well-written novel with an odd (Catherynne Valente), gothic fiction (Kate Morton) and
to 250 words. premise or a playful cook or craft book with outstanding literary genre fiction of all kinds, especially that which
Details: email: photography or crazy illustrations, Quirk want to see it. plays with form or takes place in an unusual setting. For
midweek.letters@ In the first instance send a single page letter of enquiry children’s books she is seeking the weird and spooky, and
archant.co.uk; by email to one of Quirk’s editorial team: editorial in adult non-fiction she wants, pop culture, humour,
website: www. director Jhanteigh Kupihea, senior editor Rick Chillot or history or gift books with an off-the-wall premise. Send
midweekherald.co.uk
editorial assistant Rebecca Gyllenhaal. It’s not essential, as much material as you have for your project. Email:
The classic horror but if you have them, include a few sample chapters. RebeccaG@quirkbooks.com
novel The Haunting Jhanteigh edited the Girl Online Trilogy by Zoe ‘Zoella’ Read the full guidelines at: www.quirkbooks.com/
of Hill House by Sugg and oversaw the launch of Skybound Books, an page/submissions
Shirley Jackson has imprint dedicated to science fiction, fantasy and horror. Details: Quirk Books, 215 Church Street,
proved such a hit for She is looking for both fiction and non-fiction projects. Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA.
Netflix in a limited
series adaptation
that a sequel has
been commissioned, Sanctuary for animals A Suffolk
despite Jackson’s
story having now and your poetry connection
been used up on
screen for a third
time. Season two Poetry of a maximum forty lines is invited for the Lord Whisky Suffolk Poetry Society is
will therefore tell Sanctuary Fund competition. The theme for this year’s competition inviting entries for the
a completely new is ‘Sanctuary’ and you can interpret this in any way you wish. All Crabbe Competition
story while retaining entries must be original, unpublished and not have won a prize in 2019 from poets with a
Jackson’s title. any other competition. Suffolk connection.
There is a £5 entry fee which contributes towards the charity’s The competition is
Hartlepool Life, animal care sanctuary based in Canterbury. Prizes are related to the for original, unpublished
a ‘positive news’ total number of entry fees received – 30% for first prize, 10% for poems up to fifty lines.
weekly launched in
second prize and two prizes of 5% one of which will be reserved This year’s judge is Tiffany Atkinson,
2017, has published
its 100th edition. for a previously unpublished poet, defined as not having been pictured, who is professor of creative
published in a book, anthology or a print/online magazine. There writing at UEA. The first prise of £600,
Ex-Blue Peter are also two prizes of 2.5% of entry fees for a poem on the animal the second, £300, and the third, £150.
presenter Konnie sanctuary and its work. There are also two highly commended
Huq has written You must be over the age of sixteen years to enter the competition prizes of £75.
a children’s book and you should format your work in a standard 12pt font. As judging To be eligible to enter, writers must
for Bonnier, titled will be anonymous do not include your name on your entry. Do have been born, educated, work or be
Cookie: The Most however include ‘PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED’ next to the title if resident in Suffolk, or be a member of
Annoying Boy in the this applies to you. The closing date for entries is midnight on 31 May. the Suffolk Poetry Society. Each poem
World.
If entering online attach your poem to an email with ‘Poetry must be typed on a separate sheet of
‘There’s no such
Competition’ in the subject line. Include your name and contact A4. If entering by post, send two copies,
thing as a potential details in the body of the email along with the title of your poem and with your name on one copy only, and
writer. There’s only a PayPal transaction number. download and complete an entry form.
somebody who is For postal entries send two copies of your typed/printed poem There is an entry fee of £3 per
doing the thing. It’s along with a cover note with your name, contact details and cheque poem, payable by cheques made our
like saying you’re for £5 per entry made payable to ‘Lord Whisky Sanctuary Fund’. You to Suffolk Poetry Society, or via the
a potential boat may add a donation to the Sanctuary if you wish. online entry system.
builder. No, you’re Details: Poetry Competition, Lord Whisky Sanctuary The closing date is 29 June.
a boat builder when Fund, Park House, Stelling Minnis, nr Canterbury, Kent Details: The Competition
you’re building a CT4 6AN; email: lord.whisky@btinternet.com; website: Secretary, 23 Century Road, Eye,
boat.’
www.lordwhisky.co.uk/news-and-events Suffolk IP23 7LE; website: https://
Clive Barker
suffolkpoetrysociety.org.uk/crabbe

80 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

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UK SMALL PRESS MARKET

Welsh women’s writing
Tina Jackson

Vocabulary
Honno is proud of being the longest-standing independent women’s press in the UK.
Honno was founded in the early 1980s by a group of women who got together to address a lack
matters
A good grasp of language
of focus on women’s writing in Wales – in Welsh and English – but particularly to bring back to
wider attention a lot of well-respected Welsh women’s writing in English that had fallen out of print. is vital for writers, says
‘After a successful crowdfunding campaign Honno was set up as a women’s co-operative,’ said Patrick Forsyth
editor Caroline Oakley. ‘After a few years of publishing with Arts Council grants on a book
by book basis – some award-winning – Honno was granted revenue funding from the newly I have seen a statistic that just 1,000
established Welsh Books Council. At present, and so far as we know, Honno Press is the longest words make up 90% of all writing in
standing independent women’s press in the UK and we hope to remain so! We hope to remain English. Probably right, but writers
an open-minded feminist press providing opportunities for women to publish their writing and surely need a few more that this –
find work in the publishing industry. We also hope to continue to talent spot future writers, certainly if they are to inspire editors
mentoring them to mainstream publishing success and to publish interesting books from Welsh to accept their work.
women writers of the past.’ Most of us revel in words and
Honno publishes a mix of adult fiction and non-fiction across differing genres from crime I am regularly ashamed of my
and thrillers to historical fiction, sagas to romance, general women’s fiction and literary fiction, own ignorance. Until recently I
as well as a classics list. ‘We haven’t to date done much science fiction, fantasy or horror but didn’t know the words tittle or
never say never, as we published Debbie Moon’s Falling before she went on to write award gambrinous*, and was surprised
winning SF drama for television,’ said Caroline. at the Christmas quiz of a large
Honno publishes a minimum of seven new titles per annum, at least one of which will be writing group to discover that very
an English language classic reprint from a Welsh woman writer of the past. In alternate years few knew the meaning of what
Honno also publishes a Welsh language classic from a woman writer. is, without a doubt, my favourite
‘I like to read something which is going to grab my attention from the very first page, either through word: abibliophobia. Bibliophobia,
a clever plot hook or a terrifically engaging narrative voice or intriguing character,’ said Caroline. ‘I an irrational fear of books, is better
also enjoy really well evoked worlds and settings. The titles which have been successful for Honno in known, abibliophobia is a fear of
the recent past have been a memoir of walking Wales after a diagnosis of serious illness, One Woman being in a position of having nothing
Walks Wales; a novel written from the point of view of a neglected five-year-old boy, Not Thomas, and to read and it makes me shudder just
a crime/mystery set between the 1940s and the present day – A Time for Silence. We also published a to think about that.
recent Wales Book of the Year Fiction Category winner, Light Switches are My Kryptonite.’  I am not suggesting that work
To meet Honno’s publication criteria submissions must be from women either born or living replete with obscure words stand a
in Wales and writing material of interest to women of Wales ‘which obviously covers a wide better chance of being published,
area! We’re happy to consider across all genres of adult fiction and non-fiction, but we don’t but I believe that a wide vocabulary
currently accept single author collections of short stories, poetry or children’s fiction.’ can make work more appealing.
Caroline is happy to hear from suitable new writers of any age – Honno has published debut Taking an interest in words is to be
authors from 28 to 83. Submit by post or email, sending the first fifty pages of a manuscript and commended; luckily most writers
a synopsis of the balance. find it fun too. There is a host of
Honno publishes in various paperback formats and ebook and pays an advance and royalties. books published about language,
Details: Editor, Honno Press, Unit 14, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, SY23 from the serious, and seriously useful,
3GL; email: editor@honno.co.uk; website: www.honno.co.uk such as Bill Bryson’s Troublesome
Words, to others with a less serious
intent. Maybe it is useful to read
Wrekin good stories for Doris such books, maybe one should do so
on a regular basis – put these titles
Wrekin Writers are inviting entries for the 2019 Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition. on your present list.
The competition, which has a £200 first prize, is for short stories on any theme up to 1,200 Maybe it is worth checking that
words. There is a second prize of £100 and a third prize of £50. things like as query letters have a
All entries must be original and unpublished. Send entries by post or email. Type entries on vocabulary range that extends beyond
numbered single sides of A4 with the story title on each page. Single-spaced entries are acceptable. the basic 1,000 words.
Your name must not appear on the manuscript. Email entries should be doc, docx or rtf attachments.
There is an entry fee of £5 per story, payable by cheques made out to Wrekin Writers Group or *Respectively: the dots above the letter
PayPal to wrekinwritersgroup@gmail.com i and the state of being full of beer.
The closing date is 12 July.
Details: The Competition Secretary, 29 Christine Avenue, Wellington, Telford TF1 2DX;
email: dorisgooderson@gmail.com; website: https://wrekinwriters.wordpress.com/

www.writers-online.co.uk SEPTEMBER 2018 81

WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES ONLINE BUSINESS MARKET

Linda Edwards edits
Words wanted from women who wow
Primary Times Dorset, Gary Dalkin
which includes tips,
advice and party B Michelle Pippen is an you will not be able to republish your material.  
guides. Details:
American entrepreneur and You must write excellent English and have something
email: office@
writeplacemedia; founder of Women Who of benefit to say to other business owners based on your
website: www. WOW. She has been featured personal experience. Articles should be savvy, snarky
primarytimes.co.uk in Forbes Magazine and on and instructive, with direct, usable advice. Particularly
Good Morning America. She is of interest are posts about making sales and making
Joffe Books have launching a new blog and is money using YouTube, Getting booked for national
acquired the crime looking for contributors who media spots and speaking post gigs, whether paid or
and general fiction are expert in some aspect of unpaid, productivity secrets and automation hacks
lists from Robert Hale business and can write time, profit or marketing hacks (how one action can produce multiple results). Other
Books (WM, Mar), but suggestions are welcome.
that will help business people increase their income,
not the Black Horse
Western imprint.
impact or influence. In the first instance register your interest via the form
Publisher Jasper Payment will range between $50 and $150 per post for at www.bmichellepippin.com/get-paid-to-share-your-
Joffe said: ‘We’re nine months’ exclusive rights. If content is published in the expertise-with-us/
very excited to have accompanying print newsletter, payment will be higher but The page also contains full guidelines.
purchased this list
of great books from
brilliant authors.
We look forward to Turn up this avenue
relaunching many
of these titles and
Writers Avenue Theatre least one professional paid production of a play of at least
allowing even more
readers to discover Company, based in London, is thirty minutes running time.
some fantastic books.’ a new writing theatre company The submissions window for unsolicited scripts will
Watch this space for and writers’ development be open from May to September for original plays with
submission details. organisation which is a 60-90 minutes’ running time. Scripts from literary
Website: www. particularly keen to receive agents will be considered year round. Alternatively you
joffebooks.com playscripts which are ‘written by a female or ethnically have the option of sending an invite to see your play as
diverse writers’. a performance or staged reading at any time of the year.
America’s biggest ‘We welcome scripts that explore identity, reflect various Selected scripts will go into production for 3-6 week runs.
literary jury prize,
or specific communities, comment on society, politics or Use a play script format for your play and a 12pt font
the PEN/Faulkner
Award for Fiction
humanitarian issues,’ say guidelines. ‘We are also interested on numbered pages of a doc or pdf document. Include
has announced in plays that simply provide pure entertainment and a title page with your name and contact details and if
its 2019 shortlist: would love to receive comedies too.’ All plays must be applicable, your agent’s details, together with a 30-50
Blanche McCrary contemporary, that is, from 1950s onwards. Adaptations, word story outline for your play. Also include your CV
Boyd, Tomb of the pantomimes, plays for children and musicals are not or a link to an online CV and a cover letter noting any
Unknown Racist; wanted although plays can include songs. writing or training experience you may have.
Richard Powers, You must be over the age of eighteen years to submit To submit, complete the application form available
The Overstory; a script, live in the UK and be able to travel to London. on the website and email with your work to: info@
Ivelisse Rodriguez, You must also have either a degree or MA in theatre writersavenue.co.uk
Love War Stories;
writing, won a playwriting competition, had a play Website:
Azareen Van der
Vliet Oloomi, Call Me performed at a professional theatre or have received at www.writersavenuetheatre.co.uk/submit-a-play
Zebra; Willy Vlautin,
Don’t Skip Out on
Me. The winner will
receive $15,000 in a Goths galore
ceremony on 29 April.
The four runners up As part of Tavistock’s first Gothic and Neo-Gothic appear on a separate cover sheet along with the title and
each receive $5,000. Celebration, which will be taking in writing, film, word count.
drama and art activities, there is a Gothic Short Story Entry fees are £3 for the first entry and £2 for each
Wimborne Life is
a new free glossy
Writing Competition offering a first prize of 30% of subsequent entry payable by cheque made payable to ‘The
lifestyle magazine entry fee receipts, a second prize of the same amount Friends of Tavistock Library’, paid in cash at Tavistock
providing coverage of and runners-up prizes of books. Library or by BACS transfer. See website for details.
local events. Contact Stories should in the Gothic tradition incorporating The closing date for entries is 31 May. The results will
Nicky Findley with folklore and myth. Judges will be looking for be made available to the public from 12 October with
events information. ‘interesting and original stories that are factually the winners being notified around two weeks before a
Details: email: correct where appropriate’. prize giving event to be held during the Celebration
nicky.findley@ You must be over the age of eighteen years to enter which takes place 12-19 October.
bournemouthecho. and stories should be no more than 1,500 words long Email to: wilkins@librarieslimited.org.uk and send a
co.uk; website:
and not have been previously published in any form or copy to: myfanwyc@btinternet.com
https://writ.rs/
wimbornelife have been broadcast. Alternatively post or deliver your entry to: Go
Type/print your work on single sides of A4 paper Gothic – Flash Fiction Competition, Tavistock Library,
‘I guess there are using a 12pt font and double or 1.5 spacing. Insert the The Quay, Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19
never enough books.’ story title in the header or footer of numbered pages. 8HF; website: www.myfanwycook.com/go-gothic-
John Steinbeck Your name address and contact details should only short-story-competition/

82 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 WRITERS’ NEWS

GLOBAL NON-FICTION MARKET And

Endless chicken soup
another
PDR Lindsay-Salmon

The well-established Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology series always needs
‘inspirational, true stories about ordinary people having extraordinary experiences’.
thing...
All stories, under 1,200 words, must be personal and true, leaving readers
feeling ‘better about life in general’.
There are currently four anthologies needing work, as well as a long list of ‘The thing that I like about
possible topics which will soon need submissions, with guidelines, on the website: novels is that they are a more
www.chickensoup.com forgiving form. You can make
• Stories about Forgiveness closes on 30 May, for stories about the benefits of missteps. It’s harder to write a
forgiveness and moving on. really good short story - I’m
• Stories about Miracles closes on 30 June, for stories of any (or without) faith more aware of the flaws in my
about amazing recoveries, coincidences or good luck. short stories. There’s pleasure
• The Golden Years or Second Wind closes on 30 June, for poems and stories in being able to spend that
about life after sixty. much time with people and ideas
• Think Positive, Live in novels, but if you write a short
Happy closes on 30 June, story, the magical period of an idea to the excitement
for stories on the power of of composition and the first draft is short, but deeply
one’s outlook to improve pleasurable in a way novels are not.’
health and wellbeing. Elizabeth McCracken, interviewed by Anita Sethi
Response time is for The Guardian
reasonable to slow. Payment
is $200 for First Rights. ‘I don’t really have a normal
Website: www. working day. A lot of days,
chickensoup.com I do no writing at all - I’m
too busy “being” a writer,
Win in Winchester which means doing
interviews, turning down
The Winchester Poetry Prize, which this year will be (or accepting) requests to
judged by Helen Mort, is inviting entries. attend festivals, etc, dealing
There is a first prize of £1,000, a second prize of with mail and emails (I have
£500 and a third prize of £250. There will also be a no assistant or secretary). When
special prize for the best poem written by a Hampshire I’m working on a book, I tend to
poet. Winners and shortlisted poets will be published work five-day weeks, writing late into the night. But
in a competition anthology and invited to read at an if the day isn’t going well, I will walk away and do
event at the Winchester Poetry Festival in October. something else, rather than force myself to grind out
The competition is for original, unpublished poems the words and scenes.’
up to forty lines. Enter by post or by email. Your Ian Rankin
name must not appear on the manuscript. If entering
by post, include an entry form or a separate sheet of ‘Look for the clutter in
paper with full contact details and poem titles, and include two copies of each your writing and prune
poem. Email entrants, attach the poems as doc, docx, odf or rtf files and include it ruthlessly. Be grateful
full contact details in the body of the submission email as well as the PayPal for everything you can
transaction number for the entry fee. throw away. Re-examine
The entry fee is £5 for one poem and £4 per poem thereafter. each sentence you put
The closing date is 31 July. on paper. Is every word
Details: Winchester Poetry Festival, c/o Faculty of Arts, University of doing new work? Can any
Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR; email: entries@ thought be expressed with
winchesterpoetryfestival.org; website: www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org more economy? Is anything
pompous or pretentious or
faddish? Are you hanging on to something useless just
A clutch of poetry because you think it’s beautiful? Simplify, simplify.’
William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic
The Grey Hen Press Poetry Competition 2019 is open for entries. Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Grey Hen Press is a small independent press dedicated to publishing poetry
by older women writers. Its annual competition is for poems by women over ‘Write freely and as rapidly as possible
sixty. There are prizes of £100, £50 and £25. and throw the whole thing on
To enter, send original, unpublished poems up to forty lines. Type entries on paper. Never correct or rewrite
single sides of A4. Your name must not appear on the manuscript. Include a until the whole thing is down.
completed entry form, and two copies of each poem. Only postal entries will be Rewrite in process is usually
accepted. found to be an excuse for not
There is an entry fee of £3 per poem, or £10 for three, payable by cheques going on. It also interferes with
made out to Grey Hen Press. flow and rhythm which can only
The closing date is 30 April. come from a kind of unconscious
Details: Competition 2019, Grey Hen Press, PO Box 269, Kendal, association with the material…’
Cumbria LA9 9FE; website: www.greyhenpress.com John Steinbeck
www.writers-online.co.uk FEBRUARY 2018 83
WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES ONLINE FINANCE MARKET Rewarding scripts

Amused that Save money and make money For the first time in its history, this year’s High
‘America has an Sheriff ’s Cheshire Prize for Literature will be
official Space Force’, Jenny Roche awarded for scriptwriting.
B Cubed Press
are irreverently
The annual High Sheriff ’s Cheshire Prize for
celebrating it with Articles on unusual, interesting and practical ideas for Literature is awarded to writers who were born or
a Space Force earning and saving money are wanted for MoneyPantry who have lived, worked or studied in Cheshire.
anthology of, personal finance blog, which pays $30-$150 if your piece To submit, in the first instance send a treatment
primarily, short is published. between 500 and 800 words for a playscript for
stories, 500-5,000 ‘We especially like detailed stories with numbers, theatre, radio or television no more than fifteen
words. Deadline strategies and tips,’ say guidelines and they welcome all minutes in length. Scripts should explore the
is tight though, 15 writers, ‘Whether you want to write for us daily, weekly, use of virtual social networking characters, take
April. Be creative: monthly or do a one-time post.’ place in one setting and feature no more than
camp, satire, bug
Posts should have an introduction and summary three characters. Twelve submissions will be
eyed monsters,
serious stories,
and be written in a ‘bloggy’ friendly style. They should commissioned and the writers paid £50. The writers
political bends, help the reader earn, save or grow their money and will need to submit their completed playscript.
poetry, and essays, have practical actionable advice, tips and strategies. Four scripts will be chosen for a live performance at
are are allowed. Include real life examples. Posts aim for mass appeal, Storyhouse in November, and their writers will each
Payment is 2¢ per with published examples including: 49 Best Online Paid receive a further £50.
word and royalties; Surveys, 59 Ways to Get Free Money, 37 Best Free Stuff Sites Enter by post or email. Send three copies of the
$25 for flash, poems and 81 Legit Ways to Make Money Online. treatment if entering by post, and the entry as a doc
and nursery rhymes. Articles in the 1,000-2,000 word range are best liked file of submitting by email. The writer’s name must
Website: www. although shorter articles of a minimum 700 words will not appear on the manuscript. Include a separate
bcubedpress.com
be considered. covering letter with full contact details and entry title.
ICON, standing for As blog readers may skim-read content use an attention Entry is free.
Integrative Cancer grabbing headline, short sentences and paragraphs and The closing date is 1 July.
and Oncology bulleted and numbered lists where relevant. Also have a look Details: The Cheshire Prize for Literature,
News, is the at the blog itself to get a feel for the style and tone used and University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester
publication from to discover a topic that hasn’t already been covered. CH1 4BJ; email: cheshireprize@chester.ac.uk;
the CancerActive Website: https://moneypantry.com/contribute website: https://writ.rs/cheshireprize2019
charity. Chris
Williams welcomes
letters.
Details: email:
enquiries@ A grand prize
canceractive.com;
website: www. The Queen Mary Wasafiri a complete book in the category they are entering. Send
canceractive.com New Writing Prize 2019 original, unpublished entries of up to 3,000 words for
is inviting international prose and five poems for poetry.
Doug Young, former submissions in three Send entries as double-spaced doc files (not pdfs). Your
publishing director categories: fiction, poetry name must not appear on the manuscript. If entering
at Transworld, is and life writing. poems, each poem should be on a separate page. The
joining PEW Literary To celebrate the tenth filename should be Entry Category_Story Title. All entries
as an associate
agent.
year of the prize, the prize must include a completed online entry form.
money has increased from Writers may enter a maximum of one submission in
Liz Potter, editor of £300 and the winner in each category will get £1,000 and each category.
Garden Answers, be published in print and online by Wasafiri. The judges The entry fee is £6 for a single category, £10 for two and
awards bird feeders this year are Louise Doughty for fiction, Warshan Shire, £15 for three. Enter and pay via the online submission system.
and food for the star pictured, for poetry and Nikesh Shukla for life writing. The closing date is 28 June.
letter. To be eligible to enter, writers must not have published Website: www.wasafiri.org/new-writing-prize/
Details: email:
gardenanswers@
bauermedia.co.uk;
website: www
gardenanswers
magazine.co.uk
GLOBAL FICTION MARKET
Emily Pearce, JNew opportunity
former chief
reporter, is now PDR Lindsay-Salmon
editor of the Isle of
Wight County Press. JNew Books is a new international publisher for emerging twelve books a year
writers of literary fiction. Founder Joshua Lorenzo Newett Currently open to submissions the team have catholic
‘A poet is, before
anything else, a
wants ‘books that evoke emotion’, which ‘take the reader tastes with ‘a soft spot for dark literary fiction with an
person who is places she hasn’t been’. This is the place for literary works and existential bent’. Think The Savage Detectives, Under the
passionately in love the kind of novels which are difficult to place with traditional Volcano or Death on Instalment Plan. Query first with a
with language.’ publishers. He defines literary as ‘books of substance, that synopsis and first chapter. Payments, rights and royalties are
WH Auden are more intellectual, typically better written, and stylistically discussed on acceptance.
more sophisticated’, than genre works, and aims to publish Website: www.jnewbooks.com

84 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 WRITERS’ NEWS

INTRODUCTIONS
Writing Magazine presents a selection of Specialist motoring magazines currently accepting
contributions. We strongly recommend that you read back issues, familiarise yourself with
their guidelines before submitting and check websites for submission details.

Buses magazine, edited Classic Land Rover, Vintage Truck

by Alan Millar, is the edited by John magazine, edited
UK’s highest-circulation Carroll, is an by Brad Bowling,
magazine covering enthusiasts’ guide is a popular US
the modern bus and to buying, owning, title for hobbyists
coach industry. Articles running , repairing covering light-
include authoritative but and modifying pre- duty commercial
entertainingly written 1990s Land Rovers vehicles under two
updates on all the latest and Range Rover tons, including
developments in the classics. Content pickups, delivery
bus and coach world. includes how-to vans, station
Readers include industry professionals and technical features, articles on historical wagons and specialised vehicles. The focus is
passionate enthusiasts, and contributions for this vehicles, journey features about adventures split between restored and original vehicles
demanding readership are accepted from writers in the UK and overseas in a Land Rover, and and those in daily use. Articles include
with expert bus and coach knowledge. There are features on vehicle restoration projects. John technical and historical features as well as
detailed contributor guidelines on the website. accepts pitches from writers for features with stories that showcase readers’ own trucks.
Payment varies. in-depth content about classic Land Rovers, Pitches for contributions are welcomed. Send
Details: email: alan.millar@ and submission guidelines are available ideas by email. Payment varies.
keypublishing.com; website: https:// online. Payment varies. Details: email: brad@
busesmag.keypublishing.com/ Details: email: john.carroll@ ertelpublishing.com; website: www.
keypublishing.com; website: https:// vintagetruckmagazine.com
Classic and Vintage classiclandrover.keypublishing.com/
Commercials, edited by
Peter Simpson, covers Land Rover Monthly, Classic Van & Pick
historic lorries as well edited by Patrick Up, edited by Peter
as working classics: Cruywagen, is the Simpson, VPU covers
commercial vehicles world’s second-biggest light commercial
weighing over 35cwt Land Rover title, vehicles 1930-
from the 1940s through covering everything 1985ish, plus motor
to the mid-1980s. Peter its readers need to caravans of the same
is always willing to know about buying, era. As a heritage
consider ideas from new owning and running a magazine for readers
contributors, particularly ‘memories’ pieces by or Land Rover. Content interested in classic
about lorry drivers and road haulage in the past, includes repair and and vintage machines,
lorry restoration stories (these need to be fairly restoration, driving it includes nostalgic features about bygone
in-depth which usually involves a certain amount routes and technical advice about Land commercial vehicles. Other feature content
of technical knowledge), well-informed historical Rovers from 1948 to the present. LRM includes reader restoration stories, buyer
pieces, stories about old (pre-1990) lorries that are readers are passionate enthusiasts with guides, archive material, show guides and
still being used commercially, and relevant news in-depth knowledge, and writers for the the latest news. Pitches for words and
items. All contributions must consist of a words magazine need to share their passion and pictures packages are welcomed from
and picture package with good-quality images. expertise. Send pitches by email. Payment writers familiar with the magazine, and
Send ideas by email. Payment varies. varies. should be sent by email. Payment varies.
Details: email: cvc.ed@kelsey.co.uk; Details: email: editorial@lrm.co.uk; Details: email: peter.simpson@kelsey.
website: https://writ.rs/cvcmag website: https://writ.rs/lrm co.uk; website: https://writ.rs/cvpu

GLOBAL DARK FICTION MARKET

Go dark
Gary Dalkin
US independent dark fantasy and horror two previously unpublished works. They will
publisher Nightscape Press is seeking to publish consider submissions ranging from subtle dark
several single author collections of stories under fantasy to extreme horror.
the Nightscape Press Charity Line. Payment will The editors will accept standard manuscript
include an advance and royalties to authors as formatting but actually prefer single spacing as they
well as to a charity of their choice. Co-editors often read on their digital devices. The reading
Jennifer and Robert S Wilson and acquisitions period is from 17 to 31 May.
editor Lynne Jamneck are looking for story Follow the full guidelines and submit through the
collections over 40,000 which include at least website: www.nightscapepress.pub
www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 85
WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES UK AGENT MARKET

International is the word
The RTÉ Radio
1 Short Story Jenny Roche
Competition in
honour of Frances
New and established writers seeking representation Not wanted are poetry, plays, screenplays, scripts, books
McManus invites are welcome to submit book proposals to London for young children and picture books.
entries from Irish based Hardman and Swainson Literary Agency, which Fiction proposals should consist of a covering email, an
writers of stories represents authors including Dinah Jefferies and Emma attached one page synopsis and the full manuscript. For
between 1,800 and Darwin. non-fiction submit a cover email outlining your book,
2,000 words to win ‘We pride ourselves on providing an excellent service why it should have a place on the bookshelf and your
prizes of €3,000, to our authors, working closely with them at all stages of qualifications for writing it. Include also a proposal and
€2,000 and €1,000. their careers… we have an international focus and make it sample chapter of the whole work if it is completed.
Winners will be a priority to sell our clients work in as many territories as The website has details of what each agent in the
broadcast on RTÉ
possible.’ company is looking for and you should submit your work
Radio 1. Entry is free.
The closing date is
Genres which will be considered are literary, women and to one agent only. They should not be contacted using
10 May. Website: historical fiction, crime and thriller, horror, young adult, their personal email addresses. All submissions should be
https://writ.rs/ middle grade, memoir, narrative non-fiction including emailed to: submissions@hardmanswainson.com
rteradio1comp popular science and history and other quality non-fiction. Website: www.hardmanswainson.com/submissions/

Letters to the
fortnightly Private
Eye are welcomed.
A platform for Asian writing
Email strobes@ Describing itself as ‘a platform for new and fiction, 750 words for reviews of full length
private-eye.
co.uk. £10 is paid
emerging writers of British and South Asian novels and non-fiction books and 500 words
for accepted origins… to share ideas and experiences’, The for reviews of novella, self published and poetry
Commentatorballs; Asian Writer aims to be at the forefront of collection titles. Send no more than six poems
email: balls@private- debate and invites submissions of features, at a time and if submitting for online content,
eye.co.uk book reviews, essays, fiction, poetry, blog videos should be a maximum ten minutes.
posts, videos and podcasts. If you would like to write a podcast, of a
English PEN marked The magazine will consider 200-word maximum sixty minutes, send a query first.
the milestone of suggestions for features you might not want No payment is made to contributors; the
supporting 250 to write yourself, or help is available to put magazine is distributed free.
titles through its
your ideas onto paper and polish your thoughts. Submit your work in the body of an email: editor@
Writers in Translation
programme, which
Maximum word counts for content is: 800 words for first theasianwriter.co.uk
was launched in 2006. person/think piece blogs, 1,500 words for essays, 3,500 for Website: http://theasianwriter.co.uk/write/

The Big Issue weekly

magazine sold
by the homeless
Be flash for Farnham
is edited by Paul
McNamee across all Get it write
its editions.
Details: email: for Mairtín
editorial@bigissue.
com; website: www. The Belfast Book Festival
bigissue.com is inviting entries for the
Mairtín Crawford Awards
Literary agency for Poetry and for Short
AM Heath has Story 2019.
recently marked its The winner in each
centenary. The Farnham Flash Fiction Competition is open for category will receive £500
entries for the 2019 prize and a three-night stay at
BBC Gardeners’
The competition is for short fiction up to 500 words. The River Mill, a writing retreat in Co Down.
World now awards
Briers vouchers for There is a first prize of £75, a second prize of £25 They will also be advised by the editors of The
a letter on the ‘Have and a special prize of £25 for the best entry featuring Tangerine literary magazine towards publication in
Your Say’ page, Farnham. The award ceremony on 25 June will be part the magazine, and be invited to read at the Belfast
£35 for a letter and of the Farnham Flash Festival. Book Festival.
photo, and £20 for a Send original, unpublished stories as double-spaced To be eligible, writers must not yet have published
letter. doc files typed in 12pt Times New Roman. Include the a novel, short story or poetry collection. To enter,
Details: email: word count. The writer’s name must not appear on the send original, unpublished short stories up to 2,500
letters@ manuscript. Enter by email, including contact details in words, or 3-5 poems (of no more than sixty lines).
gardenersworld.
the submission email. Put Flash Fiction and the story There is a fee of £6 per entry. Once the entry fee
co.uk; www.
gardenersworld.com
title and author surname in the subject line. has been paid entrants will receive an order number
The entry fee is £5 per story. Pay it via PayPal and which should be included as the subject line of the
‘We are all forward the receipt, attaching the story document. submission email.
apprentices in a craft The closing date is 7 June. The festival itself takes The closing date is 1 May.
where no one ever place during June. Details: email: bbfsubmissions@crescentarts.
becomes a master.’ Details: email: competition@FarnhamFlashFestival. org; website: https://writ.rs/mairtincrawfordaward
Ernest Hemingway org.uk; website: www.farnhamflashfestival.org

86 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk

 WRITERS’ NEWS

UK FICTION MARKET
Words wanted There is a bright blue moon in the sky and magic
about—dangerous magic. Henry knows that the
wood is full of strange creatures, including trolls. At
first, no one believes him but then creatures begin
appearing: trolls, garingay and the awesome yo
yitsoo. The yo yitsoo want to steal Lucy, Henry’s
sister, because she knows magic …

Tina Jackson ‘A wonderfully inventive story about the power of

imagination with a touch of darkness that reminded
me of The Enchanted Wood.’
when magic begins

Alison Moore, author of The Lighthouse, shortlisted for the

Man Booker Prize

Indie publisher Everything With Words, which has developed a

'A mad-dash fever dream of a book peppered with

Novel
magic, fancy, and just a little bit of soul.'

Kirkus Reviews

high reputation for publishing innovative and original children’s

fiction, is now expanding into adult fiction, and is inviting
submissions.

MIRANDA TWIST
‘Everything with Words started publishing in 2017. We started
with children’s books and YA but now we want to publish general
fiction, and we’ll be publishing it from 2020,’ said publisher
Mikka Haugaard.
£7.99 MIRANDA TWIST

Ideas
Everything With Words hopes to publish between five and ten
titles each year. ‘The future is an obscure place, but hopefully
we’ll go from strength to strength,’ said Mikka.
All Everything With Words titles will be original fiction. ‘We Enough’s
enough
are interested in literary fiction, both for children and adults,’ said
Mikka. ‘We are on the look out for strong original voices. I love
books with lots of dialogue, a touch of irony. Experimental voices
are welcome, but no science fiction please – we don’t get it!’
Mikka is always on the lookout for fresh, original voices.
‘A good book for Everything With Words is one that’s got
something that takes the reader by surprise either in its plot or
Life can get in the way but
use of language.’ words will find a way out,
To submit, send three chapters or the first 3,000 words roughly, says Lynne Hackles
a quick summary and a few words about yourself. Submissions of
children’s fiction should be at least 25,000 words for children aged
ten and under, and a minimum of 40,000 words for older readers. ‘Stop the world, I want to get off and
Everything With Words pays royalties and publishes in write,’ I shouted in my most dramatic voice.
paperback. The world didn’t hear me and no-one else
Details: email: info@everythingwithwords.com; did either. There was a whole list of things
website www.everythingwithwords.com needing to be done and my writing was put
aside. Again.
Life cannot stop and allow us large gaps

Battered Moons closes in June in order for us to fill them with wondrous
words. We get sick, our family need us,
problems arise, things need to be done but,
The Battered Moons Poetry Competition is open for entries. for many of us, the need to put words on
The competition, which is part of Swindon Poetry Festival, has paper or screen is strong and if we don’t do
a first prize of £700, a second prize of £200 and a third prize of just that we get irritable.
£100. Four commended poets will each get £25. This year’s judges This morning there’s a lot going on.
are Karen McCarthy Woolf, pictured, and Cristina Navazo-Eguía My daughter is working in her office
Newton. Winners will be invited to read their poems at an awards downstairs, my husband is fitting skirting
event at the Poetry Swindon Festival on 6 October. Wining and boards in the hall and I’ve retreated upstairs
commended poems will be published in a pamphlet. to my own space. Furthermore, I’ve closed
To enter, send original, unpublished poems up to forty lines. All poems must have the door but not before hanging my special
a title. The poet’s name must not appear on the manuscript. Enter by email, including bag on the handle. The bag announces
details of the payment reference number, contact details and poem titles, and attaching in large letters, ‘Go away. I’m writing’.
each poem as a separate file. Sometimes, for your own sanity, you have
The entry fee is £5 for the first poem and £4 for any subsequent entries, payable via PayPal. to be selfish. Not that I’d call it that. I am
The closing date is 30 June. actually saving my sanity and once I’ve
Details: email: batteredmoonsentries@gmail.com; website: www.batteredmoons.com written I’ll undoubtedly be nicer to those
around me.
I have copied out a message from Mike
Flash arts Dooley (tut.com) to remind me that
there is always a way to write. He says,
The Edinburgh International Flash Fiction Award is inviting entries. ‘No matter how scared or tired or ill you
The competition, which is run by The Scottish Arts Club, is for are. No matter how lost or confused or
short stories on any topic up to 250 words. desperate you become. No matter how
There is a prize of £500 for the best flash fiction and three shortlisted finalists will be lonely, depressed or cranky you feel… if you
invited to the Scottish Arts Club Short Story Awards dinner in Edinburgh on 5 October. just do what you can, with what you have,
The chief judge is Sandra Ireland. from right where you are, it will always be
Enter original, unpublished flash fiction up to 250 words (not including the title). Send enough.’
stories as doc or docx files. The writer’s name must not appear on the manuscript. Enter All you need to do is define what is
stories through the online submission system, paying the entry fee of £5 per story as part enough. For me it’s one thing a day.
of the submission process. And then, if it feels good, I do more but
The closing date is 30 April. whatever happens that one writing job has
Website: www.storyawards.org/aboutflashfiction to be done. And here it is.
www.writers-online.co.uk DECEMBER
MARCH 2018
2019 87
87
WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES UK AGENT MARKET

Punkanary, a new Agent opens doors
platform for comedy
shows from the Jenny Roche
team behindThe
Comedy Crowd,
Representing a diverse range of best selling and prize submit a maximum 20
is launching new
shows Nightmare winning authors the West London based Rogers, page proposal explaining
BnB and Not So Coleridge & White Literary Agency is keen to discover what your book is about
Super Heroes and and nurture new writers. and why you are the best
are looking for visual If you have a literary or commercial fiction title, a person to write it. Format
sketches about the crime, thriller, children’s, young adult (YA) or any form all submissions using a
worst possible stay of non-fiction title this agency could be a home for your 12pt font and double
in someone else’s work. The Agency does not work with theatre, film and spacing on single sides of
house and rubbish television script proposals but you may see your book A4 paper.
superheroes.The
proposal reach the screen as the Agency does work with The Agency aims to respond to submissions within 6-8
best three will be
showcased on
major film and TV agents in the UK and USA. weeks.
Punkanary’s on- To submit, send a cover letter with information about Details: Rogers, Coleridge & White Ltd, 20 Powis
demand channel and yourself and the background to your book. For fiction send Mews, London W11 1JN; YA and children’s fiction may
screened globally. a synopsis and the first three chapters or around the first be submitted to: clairewilson@rcwlitagency.com; website:
The closing date is 50 pages of your book to a natural break. For non-fiction www.rcwlitagency.com
15 April.
Website: https://
punkanary.com/

East Dorset Writing

MADNESS HEART FOR DARKNESS
Group sessions take
place monthly on Madness Heart Press is a new digital rtf or mobi file. Madness Heart Press
Fridays from 1 to publisher of horror and dark fiction. also publishes a series of anthologies
4pm at St Michael’s It accepts novellas, short story called ‘Corners of the World’,
Centre, Colehill, collections, full-length novels, and the first is ‘Corners of the World:
Wimborne. Contact even chapbooks. Judaism’. Each anthology ‘showcases
Cilla Sparkes on The press also has a podcast writers and authors from all around
0779 835728. and blog for which short stories, the world,’ and ‘each collection
interviews, and poems are needed. focuses on a different subset of
Rob Attar is editor
Check out the guidelines at the people from different cultures.’
of BBC History
magazine, and
website. What the editor seeks is the unique
welcomes letters up For book submissions, query first voices and stories of a particular
to 250 words. with a synopsis, then submit a doc, culture. The editor wants ‘to bring Submit by email. No sim subs
Details: email: the folk stories and societies to live but multiple subs and reprints are
letters@historyextra. in stark horror through the eyes of accepted.
com; website: www. those who inhabit them.’ Send all submissions as doc or rt
historyextra.com This first anthology focuses files by email: John@MadnessHeart.
on Jewish stories of horror. ‘Has Press. Deadline is 30 October.
Fergus Collins edits Ashmandai come to claim a genetic Response time is ‘reasonable’,
BBC Countryfile.
oath? Has the Golem of Prague Payment for books is 50% net retail
Details: email:
editor@countryfile. re-risen to exact vengeance on a royalties, a 2-year agreement and
com; website: www. secretive society?’ What stalks the at cost author copies upon request.
countryfile.com/ ghettos and warrens of the world? Payment for the anthology is $5.
magazine/ Violence, sex, and gore must be Website: https://madnessheart.
pertinent and interesting to the story. press
Sarah Thom edits
Asda Good Living
magazine, and
likes to hear from
ALL ABOARD FOR QUEER SF
readers.
Details: email:
GlitterShip is a science fiction and fantasy podcast devoted to publishing audio
editor@ versions of LGBTQ stories from authors of all backgrounds. It’s a good market
asdagoodliving. for reprints and welcomes submissions of fiction and poetry. The editorial
co.uk; website: team seek stories and poems in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, interstitial,
www. speculative, whatever, with a word count of 100 to 7,500 words. ‘Stories must
asdagoodliving. contain some queer content, queer being widely interpreted. For poetry submit
co.uk one to three poems please and ‘mention if you want to record yourself reading
your poem.’
‘A person who reads Reprints, simultaneous and multiple submissions are accepted, but no more
lives a thousand
lives. A person who
than 3 stories or 5 poems at a time. Response time is ‘reasonable’. Payment is
never reads lives 3¢ cents per word ($30 minimum) for original fiction and 1¢ cent per word
only once.’ ($10 minimum) for reprints, $10 for original poems, for non-exclusive English
George RR Martin language audio and non-exclusive English electronic reprint rights.
Website: www.glittership.com

88 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


Books ‘n Pieces
Magazine is
published by an
indie publisher-
friendly website
which has a
writing zone
for DIY self-
publishing, a
store with books,
writing gear and
the monthly
exclusive
magazine with
interviews, short
stories and DIY tips, which is available as a
pdf, epub, and in print from Amazon.
Editor William Gensburger welcomes
submissions of stories, up to 10,000 words,
year round. Digest the type of content,
follow the guidelines and submit through
the website: http://booksnpieces.com
Payment is $100 for stories over 2,500
words, $50 for under 2,500 words or
reprints, and $25 for poems for ‘the right
to publish your work in the magazine
(within four months), and also on the
magazine’s website’.
The Golden Key is a biannual journal of
speculative and literary writing, inspired
by the Grimm Brothers’ story of the same
name. It needs poetry and fiction which
are ‘open to the strange and marvellous
possibilities of the world’. The team
make each issue an exploration of ‘one of
the wonderful things – either literal or
figurative – one might find upon opening
the little iron chest’ of the fairy story.
It needs fiction and poetry that is
literary and speculative, ‘Realist work
sensitive to the magical and strange...
Fantastical. Slipstream. Fabulist. Gothic.
Weird tales.’ ’
There is also a competition, until 31
October, for flash, no more than 500
words, with a $200 prize.
Website: www.whatwonderfulthings.net
The Rush is a new literary magazine edited
by graduate students at Mount Saint
Mary’s University in Los Angeles. It needs
‘high-energy pieces that reflect the rush of
INTERNATIONAL
ZINE SCENE
life... fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction,
and visual art/poetics’. Explore the work
and submit through the website: www.
therushmag.com
Submit: up to ten poems in one file;
fiction, up to 2,000 words; non-fiction, up
to 2,500 words.
Response time is ‘within ninety days’
and there is payment for writers.
Brevity is a long-established zine publishing
flash non-fiction, along with craft essays
and book reviews. Reading the brief essays,
follow the guidelines and submit through
the website: http://brevitymag.com
Craft essays should be under 1,200
words and ‘discuss the craft of writing’ like
structure, or editing, or ethics. Book reviews
of nonfiction titles should be a hybrid of
narrative and book review. The Brevity Blog
is ‘the place to discuss issues related to the
writing of creative nonfiction’. Payment is
$45 for featured essays and craft essays.
Mulberry Fork
Review is a
literary zine
publishing
short stories,
flash fiction,
essays, lyrical
essays, creative
nonfiction, and
prose poetry.
They like ‘Any
colour. Any
flavour. Any
genre. Any style.’ and there is no theme.
Submit work ‘with a distinctive voice, well-
developed characters, and a strong sense of
place.’
It charges a reading fee, $8, but promises
a personal response from the editor in
return. Submit work of no more than
3,500 words, preferably 1,500-3,000 for
short stories, 250-500 words for flash, but
anything under 1,000 words is acceptable.
Prose poetry is defined as poetry written in
prose form ‘which pays particular attention
www.writers-online.co.uk
WRITERS’ NEWS
by PDR
Lindsay-Salmon
to the use of language and metaphor while
maintaining a narrative’.
Response time is 4-6 weeks. Payment is
‘When we can’ for first electronic rights.
Website: www.mulberryforkreview.com
Trigger Warning Short Fiction with Pictures
calls itself ‘an online literature site in the
spirit of the pulpy, digest-sized magazines
of the ’70s and ’80s’. It publishes ‘a
monthly collections of short stories with
spot illustrations printed on the cheapest
newsprint available.’
Submit pulp fiction in the genres of
horror, fantasy, SF and crime fiction, no
more than 5,000 words.
Read content and follow guidelines online
but submit a doc file by email: elindbom@
sbcglobal.net
No multiple or sim subs but reprints
are acceptable. Response time is ‘slow’ and
payment is ‘a stipend and a copy of John
Skewes’ story illlustration’.
Website:
www.triggerwarningshortfiction.com
Volney Road Review
is a biannual literary
magazine based
in Youngstown,
Ohio, which aims
to ‘give a platform
to the unpublished
gems hidden within
the repertoires of
established and
emerging authors’.
Submissions
are open from 1 May until 1 August and
1 October-1 February, for: poetry, 3-5
poems, no more than three pages each, in
a single document; single pieces of fiction
or creative non-fiction, no more than 3,500
words; and artwork, 5-8 pieces. Read the
work to see what is published and check
out the guidelines at the website: http://
volneyroadreview.com before submitting by
email: volneyroad@gmail.com
Simultaneous submissions are permitted,
reprints and multiple subs are not. Response
time is ‘within twenty days after the
submission period ends’. Payment is $10 via
PayPal for first serial rights.
MAY 2019 89
WRITERS’ NEWS

FLASHES GLOBAL FICTION MARKET

The Science- Small and perfectly formed
me a Story 2019
competition PDR Lindsay-Salmon
from The Society
of Spanish Tolsun Books is a US small press which specialises in
Researchers in
daring, energetic books ‘that use separate parts to make
the UK is for short
scientific stories
a whole’. Aesthetics and design are important, in the
for primary school belief that amazing authors deserve beautiful books.
children in English Tolsun publishes ‘manuscripts that are made up of
or Spanish. There smaller works, from pieces of poetry, short stories,
are prizes of £150, flash memoir, essays, comics, poetry, photo-essays,
£100 and £50. Entry translations, hybrids, and things we’ve never seen
is free. The closing before’. They do not accept
date is 16 May. novels, full-length memoir, or
Website: https:// genre work. They want writing
sruk.org.uk/science-
me-a-story-2019-2/
created from various forms put
together to make a whole, either
Rebecca Camber, in theme or pattern or shapes.
The Daily Mail’s first The team ‘value voice, energy, and
female chief crime inclusiveness’. Avoid a submission fee by submitting on 25 or 26
correspondent, is Submissions for the 2020 May. Response time is ‘slow’. Rights, royalties and
the new chairman of schedule are open until 31 payments are discussed on acceptance.
the Crime Reporters May, through the website. Website: https://tolsunbooks.com
Association.

Winners of the For young Norfolk writers

Romantic Novel
Awards, given
each year by the Writers aged 11-18 years who Category One for poetry and across all categories and should
Romantic Novelists’ are living or studying in Norfolk song lyrics or Category Two for be a maximum five minutes.
Association, are: are invited to enter the Young fiction, creative non-fiction, Submit your work before 5pm
Popular Fiction, Norfolk Writing Competition scripts and graphic novels. You on 3 June through the website.
Catherine Isaac, which offers professional can submit to both categories For teachers the website
You Me Everything; mentoring, an exclusive private with up to a maximum of three has tips on how to bring the
Contemporary, workshop session with a guest entries in each category. competition into the classroom
Isabelle Broom, One
Thousand Stars
tutor, website publication and Graphic stories should be no or a young person’s life.
and You; Comedy, ‘bookish goodies’ for the winners, more than four sides of A4 paper Website: https://
Natalie Cox, Not culminating in a summer awards and everything else no more than nationalcentreforwriting.org.
Just For Christmas; ceremony in Norwich. one side of A4 paper or forty uk/young-norfolk-writing-
Debut, Joe Heap, Enter your work under either lines. Audio entries are welcome competition
The Rules of Seeing;
Fantasy, Jane
Lovering, Living in
the Past; Historical,
That’s Life changing Author at eleven
Santa Montefiore,
The Australian quarterly Proving you’re never
The Temptation
of Gracie; Shorter
magazine That’s Life! Fast too young to write,
Novel, Jane Fiction ‘has been shelved eleven-year-old
Godman, Secret for now’, fiction editor Wisconsin boy Jonah
Baby, Second Judie Durrant informed the Larson has landed
Chance. Website: Womagwriter blog. In its a book deal for his
www.rna-uk.org place is the new That’s Life! debut title Hello,
Mega Monthly, which will Crochet Friends!
‘Language does include some fiction. The Making Art, Being
not always have length of these stories may Mindful, Giving Back:
to wear a tie and
lace-up shoes. The
vary, but will be up to about Do What Makes You Happy, to be published by
object of fiction 1,500 words. The That’s KWiL Publishing in July. Larson has co-written
isn’t grammatical Life! weekly magazine will the book with his mother, Jennifer. The deal
correctness but to continue to carry fiction of came about after Larson was profiled by his
make the reader 550-600 words. local paper, the La Crosse Tribune, and the
welcome and The contract terms – first use of the material in print article went viral online. Larson taught himself
then tell a story… and online with a ninety-day exclusivity period, plus to crochet by watching tutorials on YouTube
to make him/her non exclusive rights thereafter – remain unchanged. when he was five.
forget, whenever Unfortunately Judie Durrant is currently unable to accept The book will be part of a line called Rock
possible, that he/
stories from ‘any new writers’ for any titles in the series. Star Kids, which is open to submissions.
she is reading a
story at all.’ The Australian That’s Life! magazines are published Publisher Abby Nies Janowiec noted that ‘What
Stephen King, by Pacific Magazines Pty Ltd, and are separate from the we are looking for are kids who are doing
On Writing magazine of the same name available in the UK, which is incredible things with their lives and inspiring
published by Bauer and no longer carries any fiction. other kids to do the same.’

90 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


GLOBAL BOOK MARKET
Open door at Aussie Pan Macmillan
Gary Dalkin
The Australian division of Big Five publisher Pan Macmillan accepts unagented
submissions on what it calls Manuscript Monday. Submissions can come from
anywhere in the world as long as they are received on the first Monday of the
month between 10am and 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time via the form
at: www.panmacmillan.com.au/manuscript-monday/ where you can also read
the full guidelines.
The editorial team are looking for commercial fiction in the following genres:
women’s fiction, romance, thriller, crime, historical, humour, paranormal,
fantasy. They also want literary fiction, including short stories, as well as non-
fiction – think along the lines of history, memoir, mind/body/spirit, travel,
health, diet and or biography (biographies about Australians are most likely to
succeed). No scripts, plays, poetry or academic books.
Using the form, upload the first 100 pages of your manuscript (fifty for a
children’s book), double spaced, and a synopsis no longer than 300 words, as
separate doc or pdf documents, ensuring they are clearly labelled with the title
of your manuscript. Multiple submissions are acceptable, but not from the same
series. Any submissions received outside of the submission times will not be
read. Response time is up to three months.
Words and pictures
Quarter Press is a US small press specialising in
works connected to illustration, either non-fiction
on pop culture or illustrated fantastical fiction.
Quarter Press Zines run 16-40 pages, for ‘a single
story, a small collection of essays, or a graphic
analysis, even an extended joke/strip comic’.
Writers who need illustrations will be matched with
artists. There is also an imprint, Insert Coins, for
non-fiction on video games.
Full length books must be over 10,000 words
or more than 40 pages of graphic work, with very
specific guidelines: www.randocalrissianpresents.com
Response time is usually ‘3-4 weeks’. Payment ‘depends on submission type,
publication size, etc,’ and is discussed on acceptance. Rights start with first-time
publishing rights for an initial printing.
• An upcoming anthology, The Subversive World of Yensid, invites non-fiction
taking a skewed look at Walt Disney and his creations. The team are as happy
to hear from those who ‘adore Walt and company and its products’, as from
those ‘who hate everything it represents’. The work can be a personal narrative,
analysis, review, or whatever else explores the anthology’s theme, but no poetry
or fiction.
Send completed work as docx or pdf files, by 30 April, to:
chrisatquarterpress@gmail.com
Payment is ‘one contributor copy and a token payment’ for one-time rights.
Website: www.randocalrissianpresents.com
Keep it clean for Dirty Girls
Dirty Girls Magazine is a print and digital magazine edited by Joelle
Lambert and McKenzie Teter, who wish to create ‘a casual and comfortable
platform to share compelling art and literature’. They ‘yearn for emotion...
Send us your truth, your heart-felt brushstrokes, your cosmic yearnings’.
All voices, forms and styles are welcome but, despite the title, no erotica.
Writers and artists anywhere, beginners or established, can submit
fiction, 3-5 poems, creative nonfiction, comic strips, artwork or
photography. Keep fiction, non-fiction and memoir to no more than
3,000 words, flash to 1,000 words
Submit doc files by email: DirtyGirlsMagazine@gmail.com
Response time is ‘about two weeks’. Payment is $10 and a copy for ‘one-
time electronic rights and one-time print copy (and possibly anthology)’.
Website: www.dirtygirlsmagazine.com
www.writers-online.co.uk
WRITERS’ NEWS
E L W RI
V T
IN
TR
G
W
N
K
O W-H O
Keep an
eye out
Look out for things that could enliven
your travel writing, advises
Patrick Forsyth
ast month in this column I digressed. To
L be more accurate I wrote about the extra
content chance encounters can contribute
to travel writing. The focus was on people.
But places and things can also make a
difference to a piece. For this you must be observant –
very observant.
Some things jump out at you. How on earth does a
sizable shop in an expensive area of Heidelberg make a
living selling nothing but Christmas decorations – all year
round?
Even the mundane can be a source of interest. As an
example, consider traffic. Travel sufficiently far afield and
even the cars may be unfamiliar with, say, Honda making
cars not sold in UK and yet clearly popular elsewhere.
In South East Asia the elaborate way in which trucks are
decorated may be worth a word. Ditto the noise they
make. And throughout Asia notice the loads you see
carefully arranged on tiny motor cycles.
Some things are inherently quirky. Sticking with traffic,
in Burma most cars are right-hand drive, yet the rule of
the road is to drive on the right. Restricted view makes
overtaking an uncertain process. Investigating how this
came to be the case could provide quite extensive content.
Travel around Burma and you will regularly encounter
trees growing in the middle of the road, with traffic
slowing and passing them with care. Odd, but not when
you discover that they are intentionally left in place, being
the home of local nats (spirits) which would be upset to
have their home felled and removed.
Last month I mentioned Iceland and that reminds me
that noticing the lack of something may be significant
too. Many a place in Iceland might seem to deserve a
warning sign, but have none. I walked a high footpath to
a waterfall bordered by an unprotected high, sheer drop,
for instance. The rationale seems to be that as the whole
country is dangerous putting notices in a few places is
unnecessary. Surely that’s a point of view that could be
investigated.
There is not necessarily any relationship between
your perception of how important something is and its
potential as a story – it’s worth doing your research.
Even disastrous things can take you on this route. It
is horrid to lose your suitcase, especially if it is never
recovered. Maybe your things will then end up in
Scottsboro, Alabama, which is the only place in America
that has a store exclusively selling lost luggage items. The
store is huge – what could one write about that?
SEPTEMBER 2018 91
WRITERS’ NEWS

GLOBAL LITERARY MARKET

FLASHES
Georgia pitch
Six scholarships are
available for the MA PDR Lindsay-Salmon
in TV Fiction Writing at
Glasgow Caledonian Georgia Review is a long established magazine with a
University. The proud reputation.
deadline is 1 June. Submissions are open until 15 May for fiction and
Website: essays, no standard length, poetry in all forms (up
https://writ.rs/matv to five), book reviews (3-5 double-spaced pages) and
essays. The team seek ‘provocative, thesis-oriented
Rosamunde Pilcher, work that can engage both the general reader and the
author of romance specialist.’
classic The Shell Format work to a standard publishing format.
Seekers, has died Follow the guidelines and submit through the website:
aged 94. Her work was https://thegeorgiareview.com
particularly admired in Response time is slow: ‘We try to respond within
Germany, where her three to five months, but sometimes the ebb and
books sold more than flow of manuscripts causes delays.’ Payment is $50
15m copies. per printed page for prose and $4 per line for poetry.
Essay-reviews, book briefs and standard reviews earn copy for first North American serial rights.
Andrew Silk edits $50/printed page plus a one-year subscription and a Website: https://thegeorgiareview.com
Mature Times and
welcomes readers’
letters. The free Twenty years of excellence
magazine includes
competitions and a The VS Pritchett Memorial Prize 2,000 and 4,000 words. Send payable to The Royal Society of
prize crossword. is inviting entries for the 2019 double-spaced, numbered doc or Literature.
Details: email: competition. pdf files typed in 12pt Arial, with The RSL is providing fifty free
editorial@ Now in its twentieth anniversary the story title and word count entries for low-income writers,
maturetimes.co.uk; year, the annual competition, run at the top of the first page. Your which should be applied for before
website: www. by the Royal Society of Literature, name must not appear on the 28 May.
maturetimes.co.uk offers a prize of £1,000 for the manuscript. The closing date is 28 June.
best unpublished short story of Enter online or by post. The Details: VSP, The Royal Society
Booktime, the free the year. The winning story will be filename for online entrants should of Literature, Somerset House,
bimonthly magazine published in Prospect online and be the author name, surname first, Strand, London WC2R 1LA;
from Bertram Books, in the RSL Review. plus story title. website: https://rsliterature.org/
is edited by Ruth To enter, send original, There is an entry fee of £7.50 award/v-s-pritchett-memorial-
Hunter. The magazine unpublished short stories between per story. Pay online or by cheques prize/
is available to read
online.
Details: email: info@ Medieval manuscripts Odd voice in
booktimemag.co.uk;
website: https://writ. online Not So Normal Narrators, a new independent press set
rs/booktime up to publish YA and crossover stories featuring diverse
A two-year collaboration between the British characters, is inviting entries for the inaugural Not So
John Haynes, creator Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France Normal Narrators Short Story Contest.
of the Haynes has been completed with the result that 800 The competition, which is looking to extend the
Manuals, has died medieval manuscripts from 700-1200AD have boundaries of what a YA hero can be, is for short
aged 80. The first now been digitised and made available online. This stories told through under-represented and unusual
Haynes Manual, marks the first time these unique manuscripts have teen voices. Entries may be sent by any writer aged
published in 1966, been available to the public. fourteen and over, and must be original, unpublished
was for the Austin Lead Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the and between 2,000 and 5,000 words. Ten shortlisted
Healey Sprite. More British Library, Kathleen Doyle, commented, ‘By stories will be published in a dedicated anthology to
than 200m Haynes providing online access to the digitised versions of be published this winter. There are also prizes of £200,
Manuals have been 800 of some of the finest of these manuscripts we £100 and £50 for the top three entries.
sold globally, ranging hope to transform awareness of this period of close Enter via the online form, uploading the story as
from cars to lifestyle political and cultural entwinement between our two a text file. The writer’s name must not appear on the
manuals with titles countries, when scribes moved between England, manuscript.
including Vegan Man France and Normandy, working in Latin, French There is an entry fee of £4 per story, payable via PayPal.
Manual, Baby Manual and English on manuscripts of unparalleled beauty The closing date is 31 August.
and Alien Invasion and sophistication.’ Website: http://contest.oddvoiceout.com/
Survival Manual. The manuscripts include law, medicine, religion,
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‘Fill your paper with Ages and can be searched online by author, themes,
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92 MAY 2019 www.writers-online.co.uk


MMM is the UK’s leading motorhomes title,
outselling its nearest and only competitor by
three to one.
‘MMM is all about enjoying the
motorhome lifestyle – escaping the rat race,
even just for a weekend, and getting away in
a motorhome,’ said managing editor Daniel
Attwood. ‘It is aimed at motorhomers
and is unique in that it is written almost
entirely by motorhomers. MMM is written
by motorhomers for motorhomers. It is a
genuine, honest and trustworthy title that is
there for motorhome owners and buyers.’
MMM covers everything associated with
the lifestyle – from buying a motorhome
(new and used), to maintaining and
improving one, to travelling in one
throughout the UK and the rest of the
world. A significant proportion of the
content is travel.
‘It’s all about enjoying a motorhome,’
said Daniel. ‘The vast majority of MMM’s
readers (over 95%) own a motorhome so,
while we have some buying advice and tips
on getting the best motorhome, the focus
is on how to enjoy and maintain one. As
a result we run seven and sometimes eight
travel features in each issue and have features
on campsites and reader reviews of sites
they’ve stayed at. Then we have a huge and
very popular section on technical advice with
a Q&A section where we answer readers’
technical problems. We also have a two-page
spread on classic motorhomes, news pages
on new models, dealer appointments, etc.
Finally, we have a few one-page features
written by readers and columnists on
observations about life in a motorhome.’
Readers are typically retired, married
empty nesters with a passion for exploring
UK MAGAZINE MARKET
At home on the road
Tina Jackson
and travelling. They are generally early
adopters of new technology, are keen to
learn and have new experiences but also they
love to have enough detail to be confident
they know what to expect from a new area
or campsite. All the content is tailored to
their needs and interests, and MMM uses a
wide variety of freelance writers.
‘All of our travel is written by genuine
motorhomers so we are looking for well-
written, inspiring travel features that are
genuine and interesting,’ said Daniel. ‘A
new angle about an often-visited area is
always a plus. We want weekend features
right through to adventures over three or
six months. Themes are always good – so
following a river from source to sea or taking
a look at the churches in an area or even the
best canal walks will always work better than
simply a standard travel feature to Brittany.’
Daniel and his team are always on the
lookout for new writers. ‘If you have an
idea do get in touch,’ he said. ‘A lot of our
features are not commissioned but I have a
fantastic travel editor who manages all those
submissions and advises contributors on
style, content, etc. We do commission some
features, such as technical advice, some of
the single-page columns and specialist areas
such as the classic motorhome section.’
A good MMM feature is all about genuine
knowledge and experience of motorhoming.
‘As mentioned, we focus on reader content,’
said Daniel. ‘We are not looking for
professional travel writers (unless they own a
motorhome) unless it’s for technical features,
but rather quality semi-professionals or
amateurs who have a motorhome story to tell.
We never accept travel articles from travel
writers unless they own their own motorhome
and have financed every aspect of a tour. We
do not run articles written from paid-for trips
or where a writer has attempted to get free
ferry travel or has been loaned a motorhome
from a manufacturer. It’s all genuine content.’
MMM travel features generally run
across eight pages and are around 2,300
words. ‘As for the style, it is written as a
story not a day-by-day diary. We have some
great semi-professional travel writers and
our excellent travel editor will guide any
potential contributor on what we need.
All these features have comprehensive facts
content – so we print all costs, all details
of the campsites they have stayed at, the
details of alternative campsites, details of
their motorhome, even a detailed map. As
for the technical section, these are aimed
at reasonably knowledgeable DIYers (many
of our readers are retired engineers) so we
provided step-by-step guides to simple
maintenance jobs, as well as more detailed
technical advice features on aspects such as
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understanding payloads or how to tow with
a motorhome. These run across anything
from a single page to eight pages.
Daniel is the person to approach about
technical and advice features. ‘I am looking
for well-researched, relevant features,’ he
said. ‘I have lots of approaches, especially for
blogs for our website and the vast majority
don’t get further than a scanned read by me
and then straight to trash. Look at MMM,
understand what we do and then, if you
have a relevant feature idea, come to me
but do not send me generic ideas or badly
researched ideas. For example, I am currently
looking for a feature that will cover the
impact of Brexit if we leave with no deal
for motorhomers going into Europe this
summer. But I want specific advice – what
will the impact be on driving UK-registered
vehicles over 3.5 tonnes on European roads,
what will replace the European Whole
Vehicle Type Approval system after Brexit,
what will happen if you take your pet with
you, will the UK MoT system be recognised,
what about breakdown and recovery cover
bought in Europe, what about the EU
Health Card and or getting medication or a
pension payment while you’re out of the UK
for six months?
MMM pays a per-page rate between
£80 and £100 for contributors but for
commissioned features Daniel negotiates a
rate (up to £400) in advance. To earn the
top rate, submissions will include good
quality high-res images.
Contact Daniel or travel editor Helen
Werin with ideas by email.
Details: mmm@warnersgroup.co.uk or
mmmtravel@warnersgroup.co.uk; website:
https://writ.rs/writeforMMM
MAY 2019 93
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISE HERE Contact Louise Clarke
Tel: 0113 200 2915 or email: louise.clarke@warnersgroup.co.uk

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www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 95

My Writing
Day
J
acqueline Winspear is author
of The American Agent. ‘It’s the
fifteenth, and latest, of my series
novels featuring psychologist
and investigator, Maisie Dobbs,’
she says. ‘I’ve also written a non-fiction
book based on the series, What Would
Maisie Do? and a stand-alone novel set
in WWI, The Care and Management of
Lies, which was a finalist for the Dayton
Literary Peace Prize.
The American Agent opens in
London in September 1940, during
the early days of the Blitz. Maisie
Dobbs and her friend, Priscilla,
are volunteers with the London
Ambulance Auxiliary, and during
a bombing raid are joined by an
American war correspondent,
Catherine Saxon who, within hours of
broadcasting her story to America, is
found murdered.’
This series is very popular and the
novels always get into the top 10 in
the New York Times.
Jacqueline likes structure, saying it
is akin to having a map. ‘If you veer
off onto a path that interests you, you
know where to come back to,’ she says.
‘My day starts with my cup of tea
anytime around 6.30am-7am then
the dog and I go for a walk – and as
I walk I think about whatever I’m
working on. When I get home, I take
my breakfast to my office, a large
room at the top of the house and start
writing. I work until around 12.30,
then it’s time for a break.
‘In Stephen King’s book, On Writing,
he stated that the first draft of a novel
can be completed in three months if
you write 1,200 words each day. When
I read this it gave me a benchmark,
though some days I may write 700
words and others 2,000 – but whatever
96 MAY 2019
LISTEN TAP HERE
To hear an extract
from The American Agent
JACQUELINE
WINSPEAR
The bestselling mystery author lives in California
but her mind is in wartime London,
she tells Lynne Hackles
the number, I write for four hours in
the morning, then have a bite to eat
before leaving for the stables where I
train in the equestrian sport of dressage
four or five days each week.
‘The journey to and from the
stables takes me across the wonderful
landscape of West Marin County,
about 25 miles north-west of San
Francisco, which is where I’ve lived
for the past 26 years. The drive home
gives me more time to think about
my story and how it’s shaping up.
“I’m so immersed in my story that
my evening reading is bound up
with my background research
or allied to the time period. I
wouldn’t say I’m organised.
Disciplined is a better word.”
Once home I have a cup of tea with
toast and Marmite (some habits
never change) and go back to work
– but late afternoon is admin time
when I respond to emails, follow up
on research questions or if I’m also
working on an article (I sometimes
write features at the same time as
working on a book), I might conduct
some interviews. Around 5.30pm,
my working day sort of ends – I say
“sort of ” because when working on
a book I’m so immersed in my story
that my evening reading is bound up
with my background research or allied
to the time period. I wouldn’t say I’m
organised. Disciplined is a better word
to describe me.
‘The story’s in my head long
before I begin to write. I don’t do
any massive amount of planning
or write pages upon pages of notes
though there is a system I’ve worked
www.writers-online.co.uk
TAP HERE
To purchase The
American Agent
with since my first Maisie Dobbs
novel. The book was written whilst
recovering from a riding accident in
which my right arm and shoulder
were broken to the extent that I
needed major surgery. I could only
type with my left hand, and I can’t
write very well with that hand, so
when it came to “planning” my novel
I used large poster Post-It notes and
with a large marker pen used them
to keep track of my story in very big
letters. I noted story landing points
up to the denouement. Those landing
points were the main events that had
to happen to complete the narrative.
I also listed the characters’ names and
a list of “things I need to know” –
which amounts to additional research
that had to be done. I’ve more or less
kept to that system ever since.
‘Over the years I’ve gathered a huge
amount of material on aspects of the
era I write about, to the extent that I
have given presentations on the subject
matter – from the role of women and
their position in society before and after
the Great War, to food in wartime, media
and communication between the wars,
journalism in the Second World War – I
go where my curiosity and my heart takes
me and my stories emerge from there.’
Website: www.jacquelinewinspear.com
My Writing Place
‘I work in a large room at the top of the house. Windows
look out to the garden and the hills beyond at the back,
and out to the street at the front where maples grow, their
branches filled with red and gold leaves. When I look out it’s
like being in a tree house. I sometimes close the plantation
blinds because I don’t want to be disturbed by California
today when my mind and heart need to be in London in
1940. The dog’s bed is close to my mahogany writing desk.
It’s comforting hearing her snore as I write.’
 ON
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War on clichés!
How to avoid falling back on hackneyed Meet Eleanor Anstruther,
phrases, and why you should them who revisits the skeletons
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Author experiences inspiration for her debut novel
How I wrote two books
in a year, by WM’s
Genre-defying Canadian
own Tina Jackson poet and novelist Katie
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And much more...
rhythms and routines of her
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N OT E S F R O M T H E M A R G I N
THE
di sgru nt l edDIVA
Lorraine Mace is getting hacked off with
someone else getting the credit for her words
I
seem to have mislaid my gruntle. I
know that’s not a proper word, but
it should be because I feel decidedly
disgruntled when I read one of my
regular monthly articles. So, if I
can be disgruntled that must mean my
gruntle has gone AWOL. Ignoring the
semantics, why would one of my own
articles make me feel so out of sorts?
I hear you ask. Well, not actually hear
you, but on a writer/reader level, I am
able to convince myself that’s the case,
so I will answer you.
Until such time as my novels get to
the stage of challenging Val McDermid
and Kathy Reichs for bestseller slots,
writing articles will remain part of my
day job. Some, like this column, go out
with my name at the top of the page
(for others, it’s in a bio at the bottom).
Still more are published without any
mention of me as author. I don’t mind
not getting an acknowledgement as
these anonymous pieces generally pay
well and every penny helps to keep
creditors from my door.
My issue with the article that has
caused my gruntle to fly away is one of
hubris, pure and simple. Well, hubris
can’t ever be pure, of course, but my
reasoning is simple.
I write a popular column that has
someone else’s name at the top. Every
month readers comment and praise
the content and style, but because I
am not acknowledged in the byline,
I have to accept this other person
getting the plaudits. I’m not going
to say which article it is, for obvious
reasons, but I would dearly love to
claim the credit for it.
I’ve been writing the column for
many years and it’s never bothered me
in the least that writer X has taken
the praise. At least, I didn’t think it
bothered me, but clearly it has because
I have recently taken to carrying out
some subconscious self-sabotage.
The piece is due on the last day
of each month and I have never yet
missed a deadline, but I have certainly
98 MAY 2019
done all in my power to come close.
I always programme my work for
the month ahead, making time for
everything that is due and setting days
aside for writing my novels. I used to
put that article in for the second-to-last
week so that I could leave it for at least
seven days before re-reading with red
pen in hand.
The last few months haven’t quite
worked out that way. I’ve been
finding time to do anything other
than get down to writing it. I’ve tried
repositioning its slot to the beginning
of the month, but that didn’t help. I
just kept putting it off to the next day,
and the next day, and… then it was the
last week of the month and the days
were flying by. A few times I’ve put off
the dreaded deed for so long I’ve had
to write it first thing in the morning
before it’s even light on deadline day
and then proofread and submit at five
to midnight.
The crazy thing is that I actually
enjoy writing the articles. Not at
the time, because I’m too often
feeling grouchy, but afterwards I can
never quite understand, when the
column is such a pleasure to write,
why I prevaricate until it’s almost
too late. I like the topic and, once
I eventually get going, the words
almost write themselves.
So, if prevarication is causing me
such grief, why do I do continue to
put obstacles in the way? I don’t think
I’ll ever know the answer to that one.
What I should do for my peace of
mind is say: sorry, I quit! But, life
being what it is, I have bills coming
in every month. The mortgage and
utility accounts have to be paid. I need days before proofreading and editing
clothes and I have to eat (and the odd to make it sparkle. Off it went a full
bottle of wine doesn’t go amiss). ten days ahead of deadline. I patted
This particular article pays well myself on the back for being so
above the standard rate, so practicality grown up. Today I went online and
wins out hands down over pride. read the replies from the ‘author’ in
Last month I was a very good response to readers’ comments.
girl and wrote the article in the first Oops! There goes my gruntle
week. I printed it and waited seven again.
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and professional.”
Pauline Tait – The Fairy in the Kettle series

If you love writing - Swanwick is for you!

Join us in in August for a unique week and enjoy:
 Specialist courses and workshops
 Inspirational Guest Speakers
 The freedom to choose your own programme
 Page to Stage opportunity for scriptwriters Are yu rady o ulsh...?
 Optional one-to-one sessions with tutors • Manuscript feedback
 Opportunity to sell your books through our Book Room • Self-publishing support
 Grants available for Assisted Places • Typesetting and cover design
Plus Beautiful surroundings, entertainment and so much more • POD, bulk printing and ebooks
Fully inclusive prices from only £485 • Marketing tools

swanwickwritersschool.org.uk Discuss your book with Publishing Director Helen Hart

E: enquiries@silverwoodbooks.co.uk T: 0117 910 5829
email secretary@swanwickwritersschool.org.uk or call 01290 552248
Registered Charity No. 1168531
www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk

www.writers-online.co.uk MAY 2019 99