4 HEADLINES
NewsfrontThe latest in
the world of writing
6 HOW I WRITE
Getting nifty
after fi fty Jane
Wenham-Jones has
found her winning formula,
she tells Phil Barrington
8 WRITERS’ CIRCLE
Your letters plus a reader’s
First Draft challenge
10 G E T S TA RTE D
Pitching to win Douglas
McPherson shows how he
subbed a wrestling feature to
a mag – and how you can too
13 TALES OF MY GURU
Hugh Scott has a wake-up
call from his mystery mentor
14 FICTION MARKETS
Reprints and rights
Re-sell your published stories
for extra cash – Kat Day has
the legal low-down
17 CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Only connect
Christopher Lloyd
explains to Anita
Loughrey how home-ed
led to a career in non-fi ction
and those giant timelines
19 AGONY AUNT
Dear Della Writer Della
Galton answers your queries
20 FREELANCE MARKETS
The Magazine Scene
Sex, scares and carers this
month in Adam Carpenter’s
industry update plusDiary
of a freelance hack
22 FICTION MARKETS
Inside Story Our King
of the short story Douglas
McPherson shows how he
bagged a magazine sale with
two real-life cultural icons
24 WRITING EXERCISE
Starting in the right
place Barbara Dynes shows
how to pinpoint a killer
opening – and set an exercise
27 THE BUSINESS
Becoming a writer
Find inspiration in the great
outdoors, says Kath Kilburn
28 FLASH COMP
Our writing contest is FREE
to subscribers plus last issue’s
romance story results
31 NOVEL MARKETS
Publishing now
Four industry fi gures
tell Kathleen
Whyman how we can all do
our part to increase diversity
32 INSPIRATION
Idea Store Paula WIlliams
hears from the author of a
spooky romcom
34 KICKSTARTERS
April 30 fun prompts to
pep up your writing
37 STORY COMPETITION
This month’s winners
of £550 in cash prizes
42 INSPIRATION
Idea Store The one that
went astray last month...
48 FICTION WORKSHOP
Funny you should say
that... Lorraine Mace
gives a step-by-step guide
to writing humour, with the
help of a reader’s story
50 POETRY COMPETITION
Poetry judge Sue Butler
introduces this month’s
theme plusExperiment
52 POETRY COMP RESULTS
The winner of £100 for our
‘Wound’ competition
54 WRITERS’ DIRECTORY
This month’s events, writing
courses and helpful books
58 MOTIVATION
The Mentor Emily
Cunningham helps a writer
settle a problem of identity
60 WRITING KNOW-HOW
Research
SecretsYA author
Sue Wallman tells
Anita Loughrey how talking to
teens shapes her writing voice
plusWriting Outlets with
Janet Cameron
62 COMPETITION CALENDAR
The NAWG’s Simon
Whaley talks to
Morgen Bailey about
how editing can help you win
65 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Get Writers’ Forum delivered
direct to your door
66 WHERE I WRITE
Phil Barrington visits
cosy crime writer
Julia Chapman in her
makeshift writing space
Write soon, Carl
L
ast month I reported how
story writers had been
receiving new contracts
from That’s Life! Australia
demanding all rights before
they received payment.
Thankfully it turns out the
accounts department had
sent them out in error and
there are no plans to grab
rights – from short story
authors at least; of course, other poor freelances must still be
receiving the nasty terms. Holding on to rights is important,
as Kat Day explains on page 14. She investigates the market
for reprints, where outlets are happy to pay for previously
published stories. Some authors fi nd they make more money
from resales than they do from the fi rst sale. Access to a
global audience means these editors are happy that readers
are unlikely to have seen the story printed elsewhere. It’s a
shame most big publishers don’t take the same view.
A WORD FROM
THE EDITOR
Writers’ Forum
Select Publisher Services Ltd
PO Box 6337
Bournemouth BH1 9EH
TEL 01202 586848
PUBLISHER Tim Harris
EDITOR Carl Styants
CHIEF SUB Wendy Reed
Photography and artwork
With thanks to Shutterstock
COVER IMAGE Tithi Luadthong
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IT MANAGER Vince Jones
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Don’t miss issue #223 on sale from 9 April
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WELCOME
Writers FORUM
It’s not just slang YA author Sue Wallman
on how to create authentic teen voices
Pen name planA rejected writer asks:
Should I change sex to get a book deal?
Page one to the endJane Wenham-Jones
shares her new formula for writing a novel
Every monthto help you write better fi ction, non-fi ction and poetry workshops, exercises and market news
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HOW TO WRITE WHAT TO WRITE WHERE TO SELL IT
#222 Apr 2020 £3.
Pitching to winStep-by-step guide to
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Selling fi ction againWe look at the market
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ADDING HUMOURTo lift even the darkest tale
Why The King is still ELVIS LIVES!
a magic story ingredient
30 DAILY KICKSTARTERS WIN! Enter our world-famous story, poetry and fl ash com5-MIN PROMPTS TO GET YOU INTO THE WRITING HABITps
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