Writing Magazine

Comedy is a bit like terrorism. There’s no one set route into it, but it invariably ends up with your family explaining to anyone who will listen that they’ve no idea how you’d ended up like this. I once had what my mother considers to be a proper jo

One of the least-noticed and seemingly most unremarkable corners of a publishing contract is the author’s copies clause, in which the right of the author to buy their own books direct from the publisher at a set discount is set forth. For most first

From Charles Dickens to Anthony Doerr, writers have explored the possibilities of telling a story from dual perspectives. It allows you to focus on the contrasting experiences of two characters, or can even bring your reader into the mind of a charac

It’s all been so unremittingly grim recently that a deep delve into escapist feelgood fiction is a welcome retreat from the everyday world. And it doesn’t get more uplifting than the romantic comedies of Jill Mansell, the bestselling author known as

As acrime/thriller writer, I have sometimes been accused of deviating from my genre by straying into what some might call science, or even eco fiction. But I don’t believe in the artificial boundaries placed on us as writers by the marketing concept

I’ve accidentally written a history book. It started out as a memoir with some historical research because I didn’t feel qualified to write history. I didn’t study the subject and I know that it is quite rigorous in terms of citing sources and creati

To read an extract from Miss Aldridge Regrets Writing a second novel is notoriously tricky and I’m very grateful for some wise advice I received just after signing the publishing contract for my debut: write at least a rough draft of the second novel

Explore the significance of a memorable place from the past. Think of a place that held particular meaning, either for you or a character, at some point in the past. What was the place? How would you describe it? What’s the story that makes the place

Creating something out of nothing is magical. Artists pull inspiration out of the ether and transform it into a work of beauty and it’s the same with writing. So this month your group are going to pick up their paint brushes, plunge their hands into

Brenda Pieper-Callan is a qualified registered nurse and midwife. She is an avid letter writer as a result of her passion for writing, and has published work-related articles. In 2015 she undertook writing courses at the Irish Writers Centre, Dublin

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. I can’t remember who coined that particular aphorism. But these days, in the hugely competitive worlds of commercial and independent publishing, it’s surely a truth that is universally acknowl

VISIT https://writ.rs/illusion TO READ THE STORY This month’s story combines horror, supernatural and crime elements in a compelling tale where things may not be what they seem. Was It An Illusion? (subtitled A Parson’s Story) by Amelia B Edwards

The world of children’s publishing is hugely competitive. With so many stories landing on publishers’ and agents’ desks, how can your story stand out? It’s true that brilliant concepts, intriguing characters, tight plots and mesmerising writing obvio

Empty now, the bottle of old-school aftershave has survived each lunging cull and lives at the back of the cabinet beneath the bathroom sink. Alongside is a horse-hair brush with a base of winter-chapped red like a tiny buoy hauled ashore from a chil

You may or may not have come across the term epistolary storytelling, but I’d say it’s good odds you’ve encountered it in either your reading or writing. If you’ve ever been through a book or a short story and found letters, emails, text messages or

Animal skins and fur, salt, coins, bank notes, cheques, IOUs, credit card payments, cryptocurrency – money can be understood to mean anything that’s used to make payments and to account for credits and debts. This kind of broad definition means that

If you have a query for Lisa, please send it by email to lisacuttsenquiries@ gmail.com Q If my protagonist is outside a mechanic’s garage trying not to be shot, what item or items would likely be stored outside, around the building, that she can hid

The 2023 Bristol Short Story Prize is inviting entries. The annual contest has a £1,000 prize for the winner. The Bristol Short Story Prize is for original, unpublished short stories up to 4,000 words, in any genre or style. It is open to all writers

In the last issue, we looked at character types, stereotypes, character names, if you can have too many characters, and where characters come from. We are now going to look at how to bring your characters to life on the page. Oh, and we’ll also be ta

Poetry, prose and visual art from writers and artists of all backgrounds are invited for Creatives, a digital platform which has been published by the award winning Scottish Mountaineering Press since February 2021, writes Jenny Roche. Concerned ess

Hungry Shadow Press is looking for short stories for its new anthology: The First Five Minutes of the Apocalypse. Submissions are invited of ‘short horror, weird, dark fiction which deals with a fictional apocalypse.’ Writers are asked to place the s

US speculative fiction small press Weird Little Worlds Press is open to unsolicited submissions until the end of February. The Press plans to publish at least four novels this year and the unsolicited submissions period is designed to give authors of

W henit comes to flying, I am a nervous passenger but a confident drinker and valium-swallower. This was said by the novelist Martin Amis, and though many people fear flying it is, in fact, statistically one of the safest ways to travel. Indeed, all

FIRST PLACE £200 David Hobson now resides in BC, Canada, but he grew up in Lancashire. He is a life-long, avid reader and has always had an interest in writing. Once he retired he decided to get more serious in the task and has self-published a non-f

WIN! £700 IN CASH PRIZES & PUBLICATION £250 to be won.The winner will receive £200 and the runner up £50, with publication for both entries. Write about a journey this month but what that means is up to you – and, for a change, this comp is open to b