DEAR READER
Do you find that various times of year lend themselves to particular approaches in your writing? As autumn gathers pace and nights are drawing in, we couldn’t let spooky season go by without looking at the perennially fascinating topic of writing ghost stories. Our thanks go to Adam Macqueen, whose brilliant new collection is published to tie in with Halloween, for the fabulous insights – and a particularly unsettling exercise – that you can read on p6.
Darkness comes in many guises, and this month’s star interview is legendary crime star Patricia Cornwell, whose forensic examiner Kay Scarpetta explores unsettling and inexplicable territory in her latest novel Identity Unknown. If your interests are more on the shady side of the street, discover the books that drew noir authority Nick Triplow into casting a light on urban darkness on p26.
Darkness can also be taken as something that casts a shadow over your writing experience, and coping with the
WELCOME
spectre of rejection is something that regularly haunts writers. Take heart on how you can overcome having your work rejected and use it to move towards success on p10. The fear doesn’t always end with publication though, and we’ve also got a piece about overcoming pre-publication terrors on p13.
In contrast to all this dark stuff, this month we’re popping the fizz and celebrating self-publishing successes in The Business of Writing on p50. This ties in with WM ’s new special edition bookazine, The Self Publishing Guide, written by WM experts – a focussed, step-by-step guide to everything you need to self-publish your book (you can get your copy from www.writers-online.co.uk). Here at WM, we’re proud of our experts and thrilled with our success stories – after all our mission is to turn your writing dreams into reality.
Happy writing, happy publishing, look out for a spooky tale or two, and good luck!
Tina Jackson Content Editor
CONTENTS ON THE COVER 4 Advanced creative writing techniques: Narrative
Internal logic and flow is vital for writing to engage readers 6 Fiction: Good haunting
Adam Macqueen’s tips to get you writing your own spooky stories 10 Writing life: Immaculate rejection
How to overcome rejection and use it to get your writing published 13 Writing life: Getting the fear
Coping strategies for pre-publication terrors 14 Creative writing: Writing everyday voices Draw on lived experience to create authentic characters whose voices ring true 16 Star interview: Skeleton keys
Patricia Cornwell, queen of forensic crime writing
INTERVIEWS AND PROFILES 12 My writing day: Dann McDorman
The post-modern mystery author talks about following the fun 24 My path to publication: Helen Heckety The writer wanted her debut to represent a realistic disabled person like her 26 Shelf life: Nick Triplow
The leading exponent of UK noir‘s top five books 48 Author profile: Timothy Janovsky
How his contemporary queer romances tell diverse love stories
CREATIVE WRITING 9 Creative nonfiction: Real life, great stories
Use your lived experience to make a point in a personal essay 20 Under the microscope
A forensic micro-critique of the beginning of a reader’s manuscript 22 Fiction: Creative writing building blocks Give your stories depth and resonance by creating rounded antagonists 36 The first five pages: Stage ghosts
Edward Carey describes the beginning of his latest novel
38 Poetry workshop: Ace tribute
A poem about tennis star Roger Federer takes an unlikely turn 40 Fiction focus: Playing with the past
The timeless draw of reading, and writing, historical fiction 42 Masterclass: Why are you like that?
Look beyond character flaws to discover motivation 44 Writing for children: Own voices
The importance of writing stories that reflect people’s real lives 46 Fantastic realms: Planet B
The vital questions involved in finding ‘another Earth’ in sci-fi
COMMUNITY AND COMPETITIONS 25 Novel ideas 28 Readers’ letters/The wide world of writing 30 In the Spotlight: Your writing showcased 32 Subscribers’ news: WM subscribers’ publishing success stories 34 Get the write idea: Prompts to get you writing 66 & 68 Short story winners
INSIDE THE INDUSTRY 50 The business of writing: Self-publishing success
Three first-time authors on their self-publishing experiences 52 Research tips: MOOC learning
How a massive open online course can help you with your research 53 Behind the tape
Expert advice to get the details right in your crime fiction 55 Get published You’ve read the advice, now get into print! Up-to-date submission calls, publishing opportunities and writing competitions 61 Going to market 64 Travel writing know-how 70 Ask a literary consultant: A worthy antagonist
Your protagonist’s opponent is key to creating tension in your novel
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