EDITOR’S LETTER
http://www.writers-online.co.uk APRIL 2020^3Published by
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and be willing for their names to be disclosed.De r Read r
Regular readers will remember that last month, I was droning on in this
letter about how Eoin Colfer had found his writing groove by making it fun
for himself and not being afraid to be diverted. Now, I’m pleased to be able
to highlight the opposite case. This month’s star writer, Kathy Reichs, has
forged an impressive career by writing exactly what she knows. Originally
intending to raise popular awareness and understanding of the forensic
anthropology career she so obviously loves, Kathy decided to write a novel
drawn from her own experience and expertise. So rather than widen her
focus to write a novel, she actually narrowed it, homing in on the topic she
knew so well, and which so few other authors would be able to do justice
to. It just goes to show that there is no ‘one size fi ts all’ as far as the right
approach to writing goes.
When giving advice to freelances hoping to write for WM, I often
come back to the idea of the writer’s unique angle. What’s the topic you
can write about that nobody else can? What makes your journey down
a familiar route different from anybody else’s? What can you alone tell
us? Identify that, and your article or story is already half sold. Nathan Hill,
editor of Practical Fishkeeping, echoes that advice for us this month, with
a thorough and practical exploration of how to give magazine editors what
they want – worth a careful read, regardless of whether you have the fi shy
expertise.
So what are you waiting for? Find your niche, and make the most of it!Simon Hall is a crime fi ction
author and BBC TV news
correspondent. His novels are
about a television reporter who
covers crimes and gets so
involved in the cases he helps
the police to solve them. He
has contributed short stories
to a range of magazines and is
also a tutor in creative writing,
teaching at popular writers’
schools such as Swanwick,
Fishguard and Winchester, on
cruise ships and overseas.Nathan Hill is a lifelong
aquarist-turned-writer who
now edits Practical Fishkeeping
magazine. His background
includes public aquaria, retail
management, lecturing, writing
and editing. His work has been
published in magazines
including Landscape, Excerpt,
Welcome Welcome, Moon
and Bandit Fiction, and the
anthology Ten Legged Tales.
He is currently working on a
collection of short stories.Gillian Harvey is a freelance
writer who lives in
Limousin, France, with her
husband and five children.
She writes lifestyle
features, real-lives and
short stories for a range
of UK publications. Before
becoming a professional
writer she worked as an
English teacher. Her first
novel, Everything is Fine, is
due for publication by Orion
Fiction on 28 May 2020.SIMON HALL
GILLIAN HARVEY
BESTSELLINGWRITING MAGAZINE
APRIL 2020KATHY REICHS
Crime writing secrets from
the bestsellerBones 7709649162669 04>£4.HELPING YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITERNEWS YOU CAN USESpring clean your style
Clear your writing of clutter10 new ways to
get publicityHow to write for niche pet magazinesJOURNALISMOpportunitiesCompetitionsto get published to enter
Insider know-howReader success and morestories ...How to stay on track, and motivated, for a 150,000+
word spec fic epicFictionCOMPETITION
SPECIALGet creative with our guide to
over 750 comps to enterNATHAN HILL
Jonathan Telfer
EditorTAP HERE
TO WATCH
A WELCOME FROM
THE EDITOR