Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Writing Magazine

It’s a tried and tested maxim that writers should always be writing – even a hundred words or so, every day, will ingrain the habit and make writing as much a part of your life as eating and breathing. It will make you fluent – and build your word count too! But to keep things fresh, we’d also suggest that every now and then writers should switch things up. Try something new. Take a creative risk or two. This month we’ve included some wonderful pieces to get you thinking, and writing – abrilliant new series on short stories; articles on how to write about sex, and love, and fantastic suggestions for varying the pace in your writing. We’ve been switching things up too – this month, with nights drawing in…

There are times when, as a reader, all you want is to be swept up into a book – to sink into it and lose yourself in it until, finally, reluctantly, there are no more words to read. That’s what makes Harriet Evans’ multi-generational family dramas so addictive: her unerring ability to captivate her reader and draw them into the world of each family whose story is unfolding. A Harriet Evans book is like being a visitor to a fascinating family home, privileged to have inside information as the secrets and dramas of its inhabitants are gradually revealed. ‘I want to write about a family that lives in a house over a period of time and I get the house and get the family but it changes,’ says Harriet. ‘I…

WRITERS’ CIRCLES Twenty years of Alpha Writers Online writing group, Alpha Writers, was started by the late Olaf Chedzoy in May 2004 as a one-year experiment, but is about to enter its twentieth season. The idea was for an international, English-speaking group for people who found it hard to attend a traditional writing group for whatever reason. The idea was ahead of its time and during the Covid 19 pandemic was able to continue without interruption. The group is truly without national boundary, with members scattered over both hemispheres; at present ranging from the Scottish Highlands to England, Bulgaria to France and the USA to Australia. Outgoing coordinator Christine Genovese, a French resident, has been with the group since the start and has passed organisation over to Ros Kind who…

LOAD OF BANKERS Given the recent controversy over Coutts bank closing Nigel Farage’s account, a letter by Spike Milligan dated 4 February 1968 reminds us that the failed politician is not the first famous person to take issue with the private bank. ‘How dare you remind me about this trivial overdraft when my Post Office Savings have reached £17.8.0? I must warn you that once a month I put all my overdrafts into a hat and the one that comes out first, I clear. If you are not careful, I won’t even put your name in the hat.’ GD BRAVING THE MAGIC Ian Ayris wrote his article ‘Writing with courage’ (WM July) for me, I’m sure of it. I haven’t written, or even tried to write, for months, maybe even…

If you have a query for Lisa, please send it by email to lisacuttsenquiries@ gmail.com Q In my story, a man is murdered by a poisoned dart in a mausoleum located on private grounds. However, he is still alive when his friends find out that he has collapsed. Consequently, they send for the ambulance service, who rush him into hospital (they can’t wait for the police). But they do call them, as it’s attempted murder. The man dies soon after. Usually in a murder story, the police are called out first, or at least at the same time as the paramedics. On this occasion, however, it’s the other way round. Upon being informed of the attempted murder, do the police and SOCO treat the situation the same as if they’d…

The main question as you send out your manuscript will always be: is it what others actually want to read? It can take multiple redrafts to shake out the core theme that you’re passionately writing, something that people are desperate to read. Only once the focus has been established and the superfluous has been eliminated, will you be left with something unique that feels true to your original vision for the book. This final version will contain the beating heart of the story and will fulfil the promise that had you beginning the writing journey in the first place. In order to get to this stage, self-editing techniques are crucial. There need to be redrafts to hone your story-writing skills and distil the narrative to its essential core. The final…

Whitefish Review Whitefish Review publishes work related to mountain culture. It’s open to submissions until 30 September for work on the theme of Dangerous Ideas, inspired by the fact that ‘in 1642, Galileo Galilei was imprisoned under house arrest for life for publishing theories that stated the earth was not the centre of the universe. His dangerous idea was scary to the Church, who believed in an Earth-centered universe.’ Submit fiction up to 5,000 words, non-fiction, essay, one to three poems, visual art of all kinds, and photography. PDRLS Deadline is 30 September. Website: www.whitefishreview.org Broken Antler Broken Antler publishes an annual literary horror magazine and BAM Quarterly, an online journal plus ‘The Marrow’, Broken Antler’s blog and home of their LGBTQIA+ creator series, updated biweekly. Currently ‘The Marrow’ is…

Sparkling Books Sparkling Books are a member of Independent Publishers Guild. Currently they are seeking submissions of fiction, in the crime thriller, crime mystery, detective fiction, romance and women’s fiction genres. For non-fiction use the contact form to make a preliminary enquiry before completing the proposal form. Submit online, sending a fully edited manuscript, edited by an independent editor, and in a standard publishing format. Include a promotion plan. Books are published in print and as ebooks. Rights and royalties are discussed on acceptance. Website: www.sparklingbooks.com Flux Flux is a YA imprint of independent children’s and YA publishing company North Star Editions, Inc. Flux is open to most genres. Submit a query letter with the first three chapters and a brief 1 to 2 paragraph plot synopsis plus a short…

Booker’s dozen The longlist for the Booker Prize was announced in August. The 13 listed books explore universal and topical themes, from, according to the judges, deeply moving personal dramas to tragi-comic family sagas; from the effects of climate change to the oppression of minorities; from scientific breakthroughs to competitive sport. The longlist is: The House of Doors, Tan Twan Eng; The Bee Sting, Paul Murray; Western Lane, Chetna Maroo; In Ascension, Martin MacInnes; Prophet Song, Paul Lynch; All the Little Bird-Hearts, Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow; Pearl, Siân Hughes; This Other Eden, Paul Harding; How to Build a Boat, Elaine Feeney; If I Survive You, Jonathan Escoffery; Study for Obedience, Sarah Bernstein; Old God’s Time, Sebastian Barry; A Spell of Good Things, Ayòbámi Adébáyò. The list includes ten writers longlisted for the…

The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize 2023/24 The international short fiction contest has a £2,500 first prize. The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize from Galley Beggar Press is an international competition inviting entries of original, unpublished short fiction from published and unpublished writers anywhere in the world. The winner receives £2,500 and each shortlisted author gets £200. Longlisted authors receive £50 and a four-book subscription to Galley Beggar Press. This year’s judges are Alex Clark, Chigozie Obioma, Tomiwa Owolade and Susan Tomaselli. Enter short fiction in any style or genre, up to 6,000 words. Entry costs £10 per story. 200 free entries are being offered on a first-come, first served basis for writers unable to afford the entry fee. The closing date is 30 September. Website: www.galleybeggar.co.uk/prize Henshaw…

WELSH WINNERS Drift by Caryl Lewis has been named Wales Book of the Year 2023, whilst Pridd by Llyr Titus is the Wales Book of the Year 2023 in Welsh. The winners were announced by Literature Wales at a ceremony at the Tramshed in Cardiff. Lewis has won the Welsh-language Wales Book of the Year Award twice in the past – for Martha, Jac, a Sianco in 2005 and Y Bwthyn in 2016 (both published by Y Lolfa) – making her the first writer to have won the Wales Book of the Year Award in both languages. Other winners were, English-language Wales Book of the Year; The Children & Young People Award: When the War Came Home, Lesley Parr; The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award: Drift, Caryl Lewis; The Poetry…

Hungry Shadow Press: ‘Little Bastards’ Editors Alexis DuBon and Brandon Applegate are putting together an anthology entitled Little Bastards for those ‘too-short horror stories nobody wants.’ Longer than 500 word flash, but not long enough for the 3,000 usual horror story limit, these stories will find a home in this anthology. The deadline is the 30th of September, 2023. There is no theme for the anthology. Submit creative horror in any genre from 1,000 to 2,000 words. Payment is US$0.08 per word paid via PayPal, plus a paperback copy. The closing date is 30 September. Website: www.hungryshadowpress.com Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies The Chicken Soup team want to publish an anthology of funny stories, the zanier the better. They ask writers to search their memories for all those humorous…

SHORT FICTION SPECIAL: Maybe you already write short stories? Or perhaps you’re a new writer, and you are not sure how to start? Either way, this series of three articles will provide you with ideas and inspiration to help you write your first story – or find new ways of looking at a story you are already working on. In this first article, I am going to look at how a short story differs from longer fiction, what makes a good story, and how to create a first draft. The next article will look at writing ‘the turn’ and at creating dialogue and subtext. The final article will look at why you need to create a sense of place and how you can do that. It will also investigate endings…

May Rinaldi recently retired as a health and safety consultant. Previous jobs included as a lab technician and a taxidermist; all of which have proved extremely useful when writing crime. She lives in Dumfries with her Norwegian husband, two cats and several hens, but spends a lot of time on Gozo, Malta’s sister island, and decided to set her novel there due to the many characters and settings invoked by the island. 1 I understand why you didn’t begin with the much easier-to-process ‘DCI’ – the reader may not know the abbreviation. On the other hand, this is a crime genre book; we might be relatively safe to assume the reader would know it. The problem is that the first sentence begins with a threeword job title: not the most…

Iremember when I was six years old, sitting on the floor at infant school, listening to the teacher tell us the most brilliant story. Full of intriguing plot twists, it was fast paced, exciting … and then the bell rang. ‘No!’ I shouted. ‘I need to know how the story ends.’ The teacher smiled and suggested I write my own ending. So, I did. And that’s when I realised how much I loved writing because unlike other subjects we studied at school, there were no right or wrong answers when writing a story. The next day I was so excited to show the teacher what I’d written but never found the courage to pull the pages from my bag. What if she read my words to the class? What if…

https://writ.rs/threedays TO READ THE STORY This month’s story, ‘Three Days’ by Samantha Hunt, really puts the reader through the wringer emotionally. As always, you will get the most out of this masterclass if you read the story for yourself (https://writ.rs/threedays), however I should warn you that there are some difficult themes and upsetting scenes in it. It is a true masterclass in the art of building up a sense of tension and foreboding, and then delivering on the promise at the end. As you read the story there are a number of moments when a strong feeling of apprehension is triggered. Let’s have a look at some of those moments. Right from the start we have our main character, Beatrice, walking along a road. Notice how we immediately get a…

Lisa Highton’s publishing experience spans the world. She’s been a publishing director at Doubleday, HarperCollins, and Hodder in Australia. She returned to the UK in 2005 to work for Hachette, establishing their Two Roads imprint, where she worked with authors like Kirsty Wark, Sally Magnusson, Janet Ellis and Susan Calman. Having gained so much publishing experience, what drew you to becoming an agent? I’d worked for many of the major publishers all my life, and while I was very proud of having started my Two Roads imprint at Hachette, it was time for a change and a fresh challenge. I left on a high in its tenth anniversary and best year ever, but after a break I wanted to experience a different aspect of the book world! You joined the…

Building bricks by Jenny Roche Non-fiction essays, reviews, interviews, belles lettres, memoir, translations ‘and all manner of incidental ephemera’ are invited for Brick magazine, a Toronto-based international literary journal published twice a year. ‘We welcome humour, depth, the unclassifiable and playfulness with the non fiction form’ say guidelines. Submissions should be completed unpublished pieces and although there are no strict word limits there is a tendency to publish pieces of 1,000-5,000 words. Submit only one piece. Payment rates are CA$55 and upwards depending on length plus two copies of the journal in which your work is published and a one year subscription. Submissions are open from 1-31 October 2023. Use the Submittable link: https://brickmag.com/about/submissions/ Get bustling By Gary Dalkin Kelsey Stiegman, senior fashion editor at US women’s lifestyle and pop…

Current Current is an online journal of commentary and opinion that provides daily reflection on contemporary culture, politics and ideas. It publishes features of 800 to 1,200 words in the form of essays, reviews, or opinion pieces. Submit a pitch no longer than 150 words and include a brief bio. Payment and rights discussed on acceptance. Website: https://currentpub.com Button Eye Review Button Eye Review is a literary journal which publishes horror, thrillers, gothic tales, and dark literary fiction and is currently accepting submissions of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Submit stories up to 7,500 words and up to five poems. Payment is $10. Website: https://buttoneyereview.com Sunspot Literary Journal Sunspot Literary Journal publishes ‘microfiction, flash fiction, poetry, short stories, plays, scripts, literary works and well-written genre pieces up to novella length.’ Submit…

I make no apology for linking to global warming again this month, to take us into another topic which might be included in travel writing. If you have ever had a bumpy flight, you will know the word turbulence. This is usually defined as being when 0.2 degrees (or more) of force are experienced and is created when the wind shear factor – involving a change in wind speed or direction – sets a plane shaking. Global warming equals warmer air and warmer air equals more wind shear. This is increasing, with the number of hours in which flights experience this turbulence being, the Met Office tell us, substantially up in recent years. It may be uncomfortable, but it is not dangerous. Nevertheless many people find that being shaken about…

CONTENT WARNING Includes explicit material Martin Amis has said that sex is hard to write because it tends to the particular rather than the universal. Everybody’s experience is different. ‘It may be,’ he wrote, ‘that good sex is something fiction just can’t do – like dreams . . . Sex can be funny, but not very sexy.’ Indeed, The Literary Review’s annual Bad Sex in Fiction award has been won by many notable writers otherwise known for their fine prose. It’s a minefield. But why? One of the problems is exactly what Amis identified: it’s very difficult to describe sensations that are highly personal and subjective using mere words. Writing sex puts into words the things we usually don’t say. There are no words in sex – only deeply felt…

Pascal Engman, the son of a Swedish mother and Chilean father, lives in Stockholm. Since his first novel, The Patriots, was published in 2017 Pascal has become the best-selling Swedish crime novelist of his generation, with more than 600,000 copies of his books sold in Sweden. Formerly a journalist at the Swedish evening newspaper Expressen, Pascal has been praised by Camilla Läckberg, David Lagercrantz and The Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy as a rising star of Swedish crime fiction. Does all this praise added more pressure on him? ‘It’s nothing compared to the pressure I put on myself. But all jokes aside – Iam extremely humbled by that. I have looked up to so many Swedish authors – Henning Mankell, Fredrik Backman, Camilla Läckberg, David Lagercrantz, Jan Guillou, and Steig Larson…

I was watching Portrait Artist of The Year when I first heard the expression ‘tinker time’. In case you’ve not seen this programme, each week a group of artists have to paint a portrait in four hours. They are divided into three groups, each having a different celebrity posing for them. It was getting to the final minutes. The camera zoomed in on one of the artists. I can’t remember his name or who he was painting. I do remember thinking his painting looked finished but he was still adding teeny-tiny touches to it. He said it was tinker time. I immediately wrote down those two words in my notebook. Tinker time, I thought, is what we do when writing, or what we should do. I finish a piece of…

1. When and where did your journey as an author begin? Since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to write a book. I was (and still am) an avid reader. When my darling mom passed away in 2006, I found it cathartic to write about how I felt and what I thought she’d say to me from heaven. One day, years later, it hit me that this book was never going to write itself, so I’d better get on with it! I made it a goal and a priority. My first publishing contract was signed just after my fiftieth birthday. 2. What is (or has been) your proudest moment as a writer? When I got my first reader email from a stranger, telling me how my first book…

When sonnets are mentioned, people expect to encounter poems of romantic love, lyrical descriptions, gentle philosophising or emotionled musing. These are, indeed, the traditional subjects poets have selected for the form; but you can write a sonnet about anything under the sun. Susan Clark of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire found the ideal subject in her grandson, and the first two quatrains of her Shakespearean sonnet describe a lively little boy whose biggest care is being penned in the classroom for the day. The mood changes as we move into the third quatrain. This takes us out of the child’s world and into the adult’s, with the weight of broadcast news casting its disturbing shadows. But the poem comes full circle, and the final couplet returns to the child’s ebullience, symbolising innocence…

There are various words and phrases which I find useful red flags when it comes to sifting out dodgy social media posts or any other piece of writing it is probably safe to take with a pinch of salt or steer clear of. Literally is one, in just about any context. As is any use of the word shill. While the philologist in me loves the fact that an obscure bit of carny slang should have such currency, its use is an invariable sign that good faith is no part of what I am reading. ‘Studies show’ along with ‘deep dive’ are equally sure signs of a facile, insincere and shallow grasp of the subject at hand. It’s a list I am constantly adding to, a fun private parlour game…

The Titchfield Festival Theatre New Play Competition The Titchfield Festival Theatre New Play Competition is inviting submissions of original plays. The winning playwright will receive £1,000 and their play will be performed for one week at the Acorn Theatre venue in February 2024 with stage and set designers and a technical team in a package worth £10,000. The competition is open to playwrights living in the UK who are over the age of 18 years. The closing date for submissions is 30 September. Plays of all genre will be considered and they should have 1-2 hours playing time. Plays should not have been previously been performed, optioned or produced in any form anywhere in the world. Plays which have had a rehearsed reading are eligible. Translations, adaptations of other works…

Canelo breaks into horror By Gary Dalkin Canelo Horror is a new imprint from UK publisher Canelo launching this October with the first British publication of John Langan’s Bram Stoker Award-winning The Fisherman. Canelo already have lists devoted to crime, adventure, action, history, etc, and the new imprint promises a mix of original titles and reprints, ‘books and authors that have shaped the genre while charting its own territory to offer the most unique and chilling novels being written today’. Commissioning editor for Canelo Horror, Kit Nevile says: ‘Horror has always been an area of great personal and professional interest, but the landscape for the genre has exploded in recent times, with ever more titles crossing from niche interest into the mainstream. Even beyond the surge of TikTok buzz, there’s…

The Prose Poem Competition 2023 The inaugural contest for the new Prose Poem Project is for prose poems up to 500 words. Prose poems for the competition may be on any subject, and must be original and unpublished. There are prizes of £100, £50 and £25, and honourable mentions will get £10. Winners and all shortlisted prose poems will be offered publication. The entry fee is £3 for one, £4.50 for two, and £6 for three. The closing date is 15 October. Website: https://theprosepoem.com/ The Cheltenham Poetry Festival International Poetry Prize 2023 The inaugural contest has a £200 first prize. The Cheltenham Poetry Festival International Poetry Prize 2023 is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems on any theme, up to 50 lines. The prizes are £200, £100 and £50. The…

A positive presence With shops closing across the country, it’s encouraging news for writers that, having opened 13 new bookshops last year, Waterstones launched a new branch in Petersfield in June, and another in August in Blackburn. The latter is in the shopping centre in the location of a former branch of W H Smith. Also, following closure last year due to redevelopment, the branch of Foyles at Waterloo Station reopened in the middle of August. GD Inkyard closed HarperCollins closed YA imprint Inkyard Press in August, with Inkyard titles absorbed into the HC Children’s division. A press statement cited ‘current market conditions’, ‘a shifting retail landscape’, and ‘higher production costs in a price-sensitive segment’. In other words, the terrible state of the economy. GD Fantasy finalists The finalists for…

The East Riding Festival of Words Poetry Competition 2023 The East Riding Festival of Words Poetry Competition is inviting entries of original, unpublished poems up to 45 lines, on this year’s theme, which is ‘My perfect place’. In the adult category, there is an East Riding Gold Prize of £500, an East Riding Silver Prize of £200, and an East Riding Bronze Prize of £150. There are also two £25 highly commended prizes. The entry fee is £4 per poem. There are free-entry competitions for school-age children. The East Riding Primary competition and the East Riding Secondary competition both have prizes of £75 and £50, and two £25 highly commended prizes in each age category. The judging panel of Yorkshire poets is Matthew Hedley-Stoppard, Wendy Pratt and lead judge James…

Tiny ghost, big deal By Jenny Roche Independent publisher Tiny Ghost Press specialises in publishing young adult novels which feature LGBTQIA+ characters or is written by an author who identifies as such. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in London. ‘We’re interested in everything from contemporary romance, dystopian adventures and anything which is spooky, supernatural or has a speculative element … we’re looking for spooky oddballs, the goth ghouls, the teen wolves … haunted houses, romantic werewolves and spells gone awry’ said founder and editorial director Joshua Dean Perry. Submit the first three chapters or 10,000 words of your novel and a one-page summary which should include the ending. Include also a short query letter with information about yourself and your story. The 2023 Exeter Novel Prize…