Writing Magazine

The saying goes that “everyone has a story in them” and it’s the mission of Writing Magazine to help you get yours out. Brought to you by real experts who know what it takes to improve your writing or get published, this monthly magazine is a must-have for all writers. Whether you write fiction, poetry, drama, children’s books, non-fiction or anything else, each issue features tips, practical exercises and real-life advice, that will not only help you get all that creativity onto the paper but also, get your name and profile out into the industry. With writing masterclasses from professionals, industry news, events listings, competitions where you can submit your work for fantastic prizes and real paid writing opportunities, Writing Magazine has everything you need to hone and improve your talents.

WELCOME

Giving an F • Although we may routinely employ it in everyday life, the use of colourful language in fiction is still contentious. Where do you draw the line? Author James McCreet considers the role of expletives in fiction.

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

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

Sagas:Related tales

Novel Ideas Just saying

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

Your writing critiqued • James McCreet applies his forensic criticism to the beginning of a reader’s manuscript

Creative reading (PART 2) • Ian Ayris explores the relationship between reading and the writer, and how reading can help you improve your own process

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

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

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

The world of writing

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

Subscribers’ news

A bookseller’s debut

DECIDING MOMENTS

Survivors’ stories

Read my lips • Explore verbal communication in these writing group exercises from Julie Phillips

Get the write idea • Think about how you can build on information and observations in these creative writing exercises to try right now

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

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

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

Sunning it • With the holiday season on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to think about the ingredients for writing a sunny summer...