This month we have Expert Advice from tutor Heather Cooke on giving publications what they really, really want, a great student success story, plus some success forum posts, Ten Top Tips on plotting a novel and the usual Inspiration, Useful Websites and End Note.

• Editor's News
• Successes
• Expert Advice
• Top Tips
• Useful Sites
• Inspiration

Hello Dear Readers,

Ooo...summer is just the best time to get out and about. It’s sunny and warm – well most of the time – the days are long and there are lots of festivals, fetes and summer fairs you can attend. So, get your notebook, your camera and your voice recorder and get out and about – you never know who or what you might come across.

But, before you go rushing off, have a read through the Expert Advice from one of our most experienced tutors, Heather Cooke. She advises on how to give editors what they really want so that you get what you want – publication. We also have a great success story from Gabrielle who’s just had a novel published and, if you want to follow in her footsteps, Ten Top Tips and Useful Websites would be a good place to start. Of course if you are serious about writing a novel you should consider our Novel and Short Story Writing course – you can send in parts of your novel for assessment by our tutors and get invaluable feedback on where it may need revision.

Last month I mentioned a fantastic competition organised by Phaebus Media Group for a TV Mini Series. Unfortunately, the link to further information was missed out – sorry about that! We have also been informed that the deadline for the competition has now been extended to 7th September so there’s still time for you enter if you’re interested.

Useful Websites also details some excellent research websites for those wanting to add authenticity to their writing by using the correct terminology.

This month there’s an interesting event that can be accessed from your computer – it’s a podcast. In fact, there are three podcasts being aired by Writers in the Sky, a Tennessee-based talk show about writing, publishing, and book marketing. The podcasts will be interviews with four authors discussing sci-fi, children’s, memoir and novel writing. They are free to view and are a small part of a large collection of podcasts available for view here.

You could also visit the 7th Annual D.H. Lawrence Festival in Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire. There are events taking place throughout September. Held in the month of his birthday, the festival “brings together a diverse programme of events and activities including reading groups; lectures; events as part of the national Heritage Open Weekend; film screenings, exhibitions; guided walks; workshops and family events.” Some events are free and some incur a small fee. It’s a great way to learn about the fascinating life of this highly respected writer.

This is an early warning for those who’d like to splash out and spend time at a fiction writing retreat. The Agean Arts Circle is hosting a four-day workshop on the Greek island of Andros. It is for writers of short stories, novels, creative fiction and memoirs and “will explore how improvisational voice, movement, and written approaches borrowed from play writers and other theatre artists can make prose come alive on the page.” It takes place between 23rd and 28th September and costs 1200 Euros, which includes accommodation and travel to and from mainland Greece. Have fun!

And finally, I want to mention a student of ours, Spanner Spence, who has recently launched his own digital magazine, Spectra. He’s looking for paid submissions of work “in one of – or a combination of – the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres. Hardcore, mainstream and experimental stories are all welcome, though all should feature strong characters at their core.” And they are welcoming new writers. So, if this is your thing it could be just the break into publishing that you need. Plus, tune in next month to read the full story of how Spanner achieved his success in Student Stories.

And, if you fancy reading about how to become a writing tutor you can read an article in the September issue of Writing Magazine. It’s a useful insight into the process of tutoring from Nicola Lisle, Alex Gazzola, Esther Newton and Simon Whaley. Plus, you’ll regularly find articles from Lorraine Mace and Alison Chisholme gracing their pages.

Happy writing!

Shelley x

P.S Don’t forget this month’s 21st Birthday Celebration Competition is to win a copy of our Fiction Writing course.