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

MAKE YOUR STORIES STRONGER • In the second part of her series, prizewinning author and short fiction specialist Alice Jolly explores the techniques that will make your short stories stand out as you progress from a first draft

WRITING NOIR FICTION • Noir is crime fiction’s murkier, cooler cousin – amood as well as a genre. Noir authority Nick Triplow walks us through what noir is and how you can add a noir feel to your own writing.

FACT versus Fiction • Bestselling crime writer and former police officer Clare Mackintosh walks the thin blue line between fact and fiction, and suggests writers should go for authenticity rather than accuracy

A RECIPE FOR MURDER • Mystery fiction is definitely having a moment. Author Dann McDorman sets out the building blocks of Golden Age-style crime stories.

TWICE UPON A TIME • As acclaimed crime writer John Connolly returns to the darkly imaginative landscape of The Book of Lost Things, he talks to Tina Jackson about making sense of the world in the only way he knows, through story

Never too late • Novelist Phyllida Shrimpton began her writing career in her 50s – and she relishes what being an older writer can bring

Imagination AND YOU • Imagination is the most important element in a writer’s toolbox. Develop the habit of cultivating it, says writer and tutor Ian Ayris, and you’ll find your ideas flourish.

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

SHELF LIFE • The crime author picks five titles that gripped her imagination and influenced the way she writes her bestselling killer thrillers

Meetings can be MURDER • Leonora Nattrass, author of the Laurence Jago historical crime series, explains why she chose to set the opening of her third novel Scarlet Town at a political meeting

The world of writing • What goes through a writer’s brain? Readers’ letters and dispatches from the wide world of writing.

IN THE SPOT LIGHT: YOUR WRITING FINDING A FRIEND

Subscribers’ news • To feature in subscribers’ news contact: tjackson@warnersgroup.co.uk

New moves for Ruth and Roley • Last year I moved to March in the Cambridgeshire Fens – something I’ve been wanting to do for 30 years but life as always got in the way!

Multi-formats for Tomislav

Characters branching out

CRACKING REGIONAL CRIME

CREATIVE COLLABORATION • Stuck with your writing? Try these fun group exercises from Julie Phillips that demonstrate how working with other people can help solve the dreaded block.

TV EYE • Think about the way TV offers insight into other lives in these creative writing exercises from Jenny Alexander

GET THE write idea • Explore new horizons in words with these place-related creative writing exercises to try right now

NATASHA CALDER • Lynne Hackles talks to the novelist about the transition from academic to creative writing that resulted in her unsettling...