Writing Magazine

Writing, as every one of us knows, is exciting. On a good day, writing offers more thrills and spills than the average rollercoaster, and there can’t be a writer alive who isn’t hooked on chasing the buzz of that exhilarating YESSS! moment when the w

In writing historical fiction, it’s easy to get lost in the dates and facts that you’ve been researching (Who was monarch at the time? Which countries were allied in the War of Spanish Succession?). This can lead to sterile writing, and getting caugh

I’m often asked about how I devise and deliver dramatic action when I’m writing against a backdrop of climate degradation, new technology, ecological crises and opportunities. It’s a good question because all those issues require technical or scienti

Heather Morris writes historical fiction – with a difference. Her novels tell reallife stories of the resilience of ordinary people caught in the crossfire of some of the 20th century’s most terrible events. New Zealand-born, Australia-based writer H

Mark Brown lives in Lancashire with his wife Catherine and their cat Oscar. Having worked in Education for the last ten years, he finds writing short stories a way of escaping the daily grind. Apart from the odd reader’s letter, Mark has never had an

It was reading Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment as a teenager that made me fall in love with literature and want to become a writer. This dark 19th-century Russian novel forced me to spend several days in the company of a narcissistic yet also sensi

My new book is called A Lesson in Cruelty. I started writing the first draft on 7 July 2022, and finished it by 31 October. Then the hard work began – it went through three structural edits and several rounds of line edits. I pressed send on the fini

I am sceptical about fate but serendipity is a beautiful word. When April’s Writing Magazine landed on my doormat I was even more excited when I discovered the theme of the issue: life writing. I wrote a novel when I was eleven and later went to univ

I have subscribed to the magazine for a number of years and have been writing for many more, without publishing success, writes Jenni Douglass. So, in May last year I finally built up enough courage to self-publish a children’s book, Tess & The Ashe

I have been writing since I was 17 and when you churn out news articles all day every day, it stifles any creative inspiration, writes subscriber Lucy Ghose. However, when I was made redundant it spurred me on to join a local writing club. I entere

After publishing two fantasy novels, my first nonfiction book is now out, published by Troubador, writes subscriber Annie Percik. Meditations on Being Amazing is a hug of a book, written in the wise and supportive voice of my giant teddy bear, Stanl

If you have a query for Lisa, please send it by email to lisacuttsenquiries@ gmail.com Q In the novel I’m currently writing, a man is shot in his study with a crossbow bolt. The bolt can clearly be seen by others when they enter the room as it is pr

Writing is hard. As writers we are often told this and it’s often other writers who tell us. Some writers and wannabes believe them. But, if you do, then think again. Writing is supposed to be lonely. We are often told so. I’ve never been lonely when

Madeleine Milburn taught English in Germany after graduating from St Andrews University. However, after a chance connection with a woman running a small independent publishing company, she changed jobs and learned all about the Frankfurt Book Fair an

Q I feel there’s so much at stake on the first pages of my novel but can’t settle on the best way to start. AI’ve been working with a few authors recently who have submitted a book draft and then (apologetically!) sent through revised first pages tha

In the 1970s and 80s horror fiction was huge, the genre dominated by bestselling titles by Stephen King and James Herbert, writes Gary Dalkin. Shelves were filled with books by Ramsey Campbell, Shaun Hutson, Brian Lumley, Mark Morris, Stephen Laws a

The Montreal International Poetry Prize is a global poetry competition and non-profit organisation run by the Department of English at McGill University. The competition is open to entries from anywhere in the world, and the deadline is 15 May. Entri

Nat 1 Publishing LLC is an anthology publishing house dealing in science-fiction and fantasy infused with a good dash of comedy, parody, and satire. Currently Audience Askew Literary Journal is open for submissions of poems and stories with a theme o

The annual international award is for books produced by selfpublished and indie-published authors and small independent publishers. The Poetry Books Award is based in Wales and comes from the team behind the International Welsh Poetry Awards. It is f

The annual Frogmore Poetry Prize invites entries of original, unpublished poetry no longer than 40 lines. The winner’s prize is 250 guineas and a two-year subscription to The Frogmore Papers, and there are second and third prizes of 75 and 50 guineas

For its Poetry Competition, Fiction Factory is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems up to 40 lines. The competition will be judged by Helen Cox. The winner will receive £100, feedback on five poems and an hour-long mentorship Zoom call. Fi

The 2024 Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year contest is inviting submissions of original, unpublished poems up to 60 lines. The winner will receive £200 and be named Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year, and there are second and third prizes of £100

Coverstory Books are inviting entries of original, unpublished poems up to 60 lines. AI work is not permitted. There are prizes of £200, £80 and £40. All prizewinners will be published in a future edition of the New Contexts anthology and be invited

The competition is for poems with themes relevant to working class life, struggle, communities and culture. The Bread and Roses Poetry Award from Culture Matters is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems up to 50 lines that reflect the theme

Win a £600 first prize in the contest that will be judged by Paul Stephenson. Enter original, unpublished poems up to 50 lines in the 26th Ware Open Poetry Competition. The prizes are £600, £300 and £150. There is also a special Sonnet Prize of £150

By Gary Dalkin The Bookseller’s British Book Awards (Nibbies) will be given in 12 categories on 13 May in London in a ceremony to be streamed online. The shortlist for Book of the Year is: Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittak

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, published by Matter Press, a US nonprofit literary press, is looking for what they term ‘compressed creative arts’, writes Gary Dalkin. They accept fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual arts, as lon

GET PUBLISHED For many readers I’m sure that selling individual copies of books is a significant part of what they do. Some of this may be done these days via social media and a website. Some is done in more personal ways: signing sessions, library

The Hastings Book Festival Competitions are for short stories up to 2,500 words and poems up to 40 lines. The short story judge is VG Lee and the poetry judge is Jessica Mookherjee. Winners in each category will receive £250, and runners up get £100

Balestier Press is a UK imprint which aims to publish the best and most original voices in contemporary world literature, humanities and social sciences, writes Gary Dalkin. The Press is committed to promoting diversity in publishing, with a particu

Cautionary Tales begin with the premise that someone, usually a child, displays elements of bad behaviour and comes to a sticky end because of them. In the tradition of Hilaire Belloc, whose tales have amused readers for over a century, poets were in

There was a boy whose name was Joe, Who never stopped to boast and crow. Belittling efforts of the rest, He’d run it faster, done it best. With chin held high and chest puffed out, He’d brag and gloat and strut about, His scornful taunts and mocking

Katrine was a horrid child, untidy, mean, and oh, so wild! “Katrina dear,” her mum would say, “I wish you’d put your toys away. Your dolls look scary lying there. upon the floor with one-eyed stare! And what about your party dress, all crushed and cr

Also shortlisted in WM’s Cautionary Tales Poetry Competition were: Alison Allen, Reigate, Surrey; Norma Allen, Llandinam, Powys; Lorraine Evenden, Tunbridge Wells, Kent; Kate Gordon, Johnstone, Renfrewshire; Elizabeth Horrocks, Wilmslow, Cheshire; C.

The runner-up in WM’s Open Fire Short Story Competiton is Miranda Cooper. You can read her story at www.writers-online.co.uk/writing-competitions/showcase/ Also shortlisted were: Mary Bevan, Wimbourne, Dorset; Paul Collett, Sturminster Newton, Dorse