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

How to conjure YOUR OWN GHOST • Fauzia Musa’s maternal family was one of the 400 million people impacted by the Partition of India and Pakistan. Her debut novel, The Strangling Fig, is narrated in part by a ghost who carries that history into the present. Here, she sets out how to conjure a ghost of your own, and why the genre might be exactly what fiction needs right now.

Learning to spell • As she conjures a magical boarding school, Genevieve Cogman explores how to write academia with fantasy elements

Crafting a hug • Cosy fantasy is the ultimate feelgood escape – no wonder it’s so popular right now. Fantasy author Sarah Beth Durst sets out how to create your own cosy fantasy story.

Stage to page • Writing scripts and writing novels are completely different processes. Screenwriter Arvind Ethan David runs through what he learned when he wrote his first novel, The Great Game

FROM FEMME FATALE TO FATAL FLAW • Emma Styles writes crime fiction about women taking on the patriarchy. Here, she gives a writer’s guide to evolving female agency in crime fiction.

HOLLYWOOD Gothic • Internationally bestselling speculative fantasy author Olivie Blake tells Tina Jackson about writing dark romance and murderous ambition in her modern Gothic take on the Los Angeles film industry

TIPS AND TRICKS TO make your writing fly • In this month’s column, Della Galton looks at writing for publication

Subscribe and receive a copy of A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE • James McCreet applies a forensic micro-critique to the beginning of a reader’s manuscript

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER • In the final column in his fantastic series on the fundamentals of creative writing, author and tutor Ian Ayris looks at going beyond craft to trust your instinct

MY PATH TO PUBLICATION JENNY KNIGHTSBY • Taking advantage of professional advice gave the new thriller author the commercial edge she needed to get her debut a deal

Short route to success • Sometimes a very few words can land just right, says Lynne Hackles

DAX DAGGER • The horror writer, also known as thriller author Karin Nordin, picks the five books that sent shivers up their spine

Walking & creativity • Kerri Andrews’ new book is about women walking in nature. In this inspiring piece, she reflects on the way walking enables a state of creative flow

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

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ACTION!

Subscribers’ news • SUCCESS STORIES FROM OUR WRITING COMMUNITY

FEAR AND THE FOLLY • With a chilling new ghost story out in time for Halloween, Adam Macqueen describes setting up the dual timelines in his tale of the supernatural

POEM FOR PEACE • Alison Chisholm explores a new way of seeing the world in a peace-themed poem

Going right, going wrong • Helen Walters looks at characters making moral choices, with an...