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.

DEAR READER

SERIAL KILLERS: Sweat the small stuff • Your crime stories will live or die by the villains you come up with. Bestselling crime writer Helen Fields tells you how to create a convincing killer in fiction

Piracy, pillage & plunder • How do you create characters from the past, and the world they lived in? Francesca de Tores, author of Saltblood, describes how she evoked women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and offers advice to apply to your own historical writing

TIPS AND EXERCISES FOR WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION:

The missing woman • The trope of the missing women in crime fiction takes on an altogether different meaning when you’re a Black crime writer, says author Kellye Garrett

Storm warning • Cli-fi is how writers are responding to one of the most pressing issues of our times. Leading exponent Greg Mosse explains how he turns scientific predictions into thrilling action, and how you can write your own powerfully effective climate-change fiction

Advice for writing cli-fi

Witness TO HISTORY • With a recent novel about women in Japanese POW camps published and as her bestselling The Tattooist of Auschwit z hits the screen, Heather Morris talks to Tina Jackson about bringing sur vivors’ experiences to life on the page

NICOLA TALLIS • The historian tells Lynne Hackles about balancing life in the here and now with exploring the past

REAL LIFE, great stories • You and the person you used to be: This month, Jenny Alexander advises you on how to think of yourself as a character in your life writing

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

SETTING PART TWO • Make your fictional settings effective by concentrating on how they influence the mood of the character and plot, advises author and tutor Ian Ayris

NICOLAS PADAMSEE • The author describes the extreme reading experience that set him on the path to writing a debut novel about radicalisation

SHELF LIFE • The bestselling crime writer and former criminal barrister provides concrete evidence of five books that most influenced her own writing life

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

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: YOUR WRITING

Subscribers’ news

CREATIVE CLI-FI

Bear truths

Get the write idea

Melanie Cantor • The bestselling author describes the set- up of her new comic novel, and how important it is to get the reader onside from the offset

Connect, communicate • Alison Chisholm is impressed with a well-crafted poem about an understanding that goes beyond words 

TAKE ME THERE • Margaret James looks at the way certain locations become associated with books set there

Ladies who lunch • Helen Walters explores ways of making the most of group dynamics in your fiction, with an example story by Edith Whar ton

KEEP IT IN...