New Year Writing Resolutions

Make 2019 your best writing year yet with our Writing Resolutions.

1. Write more, and read more. Our Writers Of The Week often include this as their ‘one top tip’. It’s the best way to learn about creating interesting characters and storylines. It also helps your spelling and grammar. Win, win!
2. Join a writing group. If you’re not in a Writing Group now, why not consider joining one this year? It’s a good way to meet like-minded people and it can give you the courage to submit your work for publication. It’s motivating, helps you learn to cope with deadlines, gives you an opportunity to hear constructive criticism, and can help writing feel less lonely.
3. Read magazines you’re interested in submitting to. We occasionally receive really good stories, but we can’t include them because for one reason or another, they’re not “Friend”-suitable. Perhaps they contain bad language, or they’re too downbeat, or too gruesome. Always read the magazine you’re submitting to for a few issues before sending in your story, to check you’re on their wavelength.
4. Remember to keep your reader in mind. It’s important to remember who you’re writing for – who will be reading your work? Here on the “Friend”, three out of four of our readers are female. Age-wise they’re predominantly 50+, with a young mindset and a love of fiction.
5. Keep up-to-date with our website. The Fiction Team all blog regularly with helpful advice for would-be writers here at www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk. Shirley’s Story Starters are designed to give you inspiration, should it be in short supply. Our Writing Tools have helpful hints and tips on submitting, and The Grammar Guru will help you check your story’s in order before you send it in! Find us on Twitter and Facebook too.

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year, from us all here at the “Friend”.