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

MAKE TIME TO WRITE • The beginning of the year is the perfect time to set a writing agenda for the months ahead, but with our time-poor lives, how are you going to prioritise it? Creative writer teacher and mentor Helen Stockton has sound advice on carving out the time you need

Fall back in love with your novel • Writing a novel is a long-term relationship. Although most of the time you love your book, sometimes you hate its guts. Author Nicola Martin offers advice on how to reignite the flame

A changing MARKETPLACE • When publications close, freelances need to explore new avenues. In the first of a two-part series, Esther Chilton looks at how you can find freelance writing work in an increasingly digital publishing climate

Getting into (someone else’s) character • SF and mystery author Tim Major, who has written Sherlock Holmes and Jekyll and Hyde novels, looks at making well-known characters your own

Time on your side • Give your fiction the time it needs to grow, says author and editor Debz Hobbs-Wyatt, whose new novel began life as a short story 20 years ago

Lighting the path • Julia Cameron, revered creator of The Artist’s Way, tells Tina Jackson about her tried and tested toolkit for unleashing creativity, and how it evolved

REAL LIFE, great stories • This month, Jenny Alexander looks at story remembered through a subject

Your writing critiqued • James McCreet applies a forensic micro-critique to the beginning of a reader’s manuscript

TENSE AND POINT OF VIEW: PART TWO First Person • Writing in First Person gives your work an interior perspective that can draw readers into your story and keep them there. Writer and tutor Ian Ayris introduces you to using it effectively

JENNY MORRIS • The crime writer describes how her debut novel grew from a short story that won a WM competition

New year, new writing • Lynne Hackles resolves to do things differently in 2025

AMY JORDAN • The author of police procedurals outlines five books that piqued her imagination and had her glued to the page

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 Who am I?

POETRY • Hope on the Page

PROSE • Who Am I?

WE WANT YOUR WRITING • (and we’ll pay you for it!)

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

Following your fears • Husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerard and Sean French, who write their bestselling psychological thrillers as Nicci French, describe the seeds of their latest novel, which deals with the long-term effect of trauma

PIGEON POST • How do you make a subject your own in writing? An original twist gives this bird poem wings, says Alison Chisholm

Talk on the wild side • Do you have non-human characters in your stories, and how will they express themselves? Margaret James looks...