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

Unreal estate • Haunted houses are a staple in supernatural fiction. Zoë Apostolides looks at how you can bring them into a 21st-century novel

Write against the machine • Author James McCreet assesses the (genuine) threat of writers being replaced by AI and what creative writers can do to mitigate it

JUST THE FACTS? • True stories and the lives of real people can be a great inspiration for writing – but there are some things a writer needs to know about handling factual material, as Simon Guerrier from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain explains…

Swoon-worthy stories • Top tips for writing popular areas of romance from authors appearing at the Bournemouth Romance Writing Festival

Planting ideas, GROWING WORDS • Mary Ward talks to the author of a new book about gardens in literature, with advice about writing about gardens in your own stories

HOUSE OF HORROR • Gothic historical novelist Laura Purcell tells Tina Jackson about revisiting the decaying ancestral mansion in her most beloved title for her latest bone-chiller, House of Splinters

REAL LIFE, great stories • Jenny Alexander looks at why it’s good to experiment with different forms when you’re writing from life

Subscribe and receive Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2026

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

Dialogue PART ONE • To begin exploring how to write speech in fiction, writer and tutor Ian Ayris looks at creating the context for a dialogue to take place

PATRICK RYAN • The American author describes how he made a conscious choice to write because he loved it, rather than for success – and then wrote a book that landed his first deal

Smiley faces • Before there were emojis, Lynne Hackles marked her writing successes by drawing a happy face

SHELF LIFE ALI HARRIS • The author of a new novel founded in her own experience of child loss shares five books that inspired her with their humanity and compassion

Writing is the best therapy • Debut novelist Harriett de Mesquita describes how an autism diagnosis led to a creative breakthough, and offers advice on how self-awareness can enhance your writing

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

FIVE QUICK QUESTIONS

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A MOMENT THAT CHANGED ME

Subscribers’ news

GAME ON • It pays to be adaptab le with your writing. Screenwriter, tabletop RPG writer and now novelist Adam Holloway explores how turning your writing into a game can take it to the next level

What’s left behind • Novelist Justin Myers describes setting out the beginning of his novel about the aftermath of a bereavement in no uncertain terms

Lines of loss • A poem based around a letter sent by the poet John Clare speaks eloquently to Alison Chisholm

Times are CHANGING • Helen Walters...