It's all write, but it's not great (Writing Magazine)

Member Name: DancingCopper

Product:	Writing Magazine
Date:	24/11/08 (246 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Useful reference guide, quite motivating

Disadvantages: Gets repetitive, feels quite dated

I stumbled across Writing magazine while browsing the shelves of WH Smiths for something to read on a train journey. I wasn't convinced you could fill a whole magazine with articles about writing, but I thought I'd give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised.

Writing magazine describes itself as the UK's bestselling writing magazine. It is published monthly by Warners Group Publications. There are usually articles on non-fiction writing and journalism, poetry, fiction and children's fiction. There are also articles about other forms of writing such as drama and even erotica. These appear less regularly but do ensure variety in the magazine.

The articles consist of interviews with authors and publishers, features on new works, and guidance for developing technique and understanding the business of writing. I tended to flick through to pieces I felt were relevant to my own writing. The magazine also has regular supplements, such as a six-part series on children's writing. Finally, Writing magazine features competitions, usually writing to a word-count in a particular style on a given theme. Prizes include publication of winning pieces and writing-related books.

I subscribed to the magazine for two years and I refer to my back issues occasionally. After a while I started to find the articles a little repetitive. Obviously new books are published and events occur which can be written about, but there are only so many times you can read about 'sure-fire steps to publication' which end up being based mainly on common sense and getting to know people in the industry.

In this respect, I found the magazine similar to those fitness magazines which promise a washboard stomach in eight weeks. I know eating correctly and exercising regularly will help me achieve the goal, the problem is DOING it.

The content of the magazine also felt quite stuffy. Asking writers to talk about how they write is interesting at first but gets very tedious quite quickly. While the format of the magazine is colourful and glossy, and articles are laid out in a variety of engaging ways, I couldn't get past the fact it felt old. Perhaps that's the demographic of the readership, or perhaps most writers are over forty. But I could feel myself metaphorically slipping into comfy slippers and sucking on a pipe.

Unless you really want to keep up to date with the latest writer-related news, I'd save your money. It's definitely worth a look, but don't let the fact you are reading it deceive you into believing you're a writer. I am now a member of writewords.org.uk and bought this year's Writer's Yearbook. These are sufficient tools to refer to and motivate, the rest is down to my ability to motivate myself.

More information can be found on the website at www.writersnews.co.uk. There is also information about the sister publication Writer's News, more useful for the writer looking for professional openings.

Writing Magazine is available from WH Smith, Tescos, Borders, Waterstones and other news agents, priced £3.60. If you like it you can subscribe, which gives you a better deal, issue-by-issue.

Summary: A magazine for writers and those looking to become writers