… and how to put them right! Advice and opportunities for new, aspiring and upcoming journalists and writers of non-fiction
“Don’t take it to heart.” “It’s them – not you.” “It’s nothing personal.” Share news of a rejection of your work to a friend or loved one and I’ll bet they’ll respond with one of the above – or a variation of. They’re just saying what is expected of them, and being nice. You know …
Last time, in Mistake No. 109, I wrote about travel writing, and how it shouldn’t be treated as holiday writing. This time, I want to write about restaurant reviewing, and how it shouldn’t be treated as eating-out writing. For that’s the first key mistake I see when I read restaurant reviews by my students: a …
I call travel writing holiday writing when it is an account of the writer’s holiday, written as if to a friend or member of the family, in the style you might adopt for the back of a postcard. ‘Having a lovely time’ writing. Editors rarely want holiday writing. Editors want travel writing. They want adventure, …
There is a phrase that religious publishers and editors dread: ‘The Lord told me to write this.’ Can you feel yourself preparing to tiptoe out of the room? Even worse is the statement, ‘God told me you would publish this’. Why would anyone say such a thing? It implies that to reject the writer would …
I’ve read all the inspirational quotes. I know the will to persevere is the difference between success and failure. I know that the difference between a writer and a published writer is that the published writer carried on. I know that aspiring writers expect writing advisors and experts to say “Never give up” – and, …
Periodically, I get frustrated at greedy and unnecessary clauses in contracts – particularly in relation to writing competitions. All copyright-grabbing terms and conditions get my goat, but every now and then, one comes along which gets my whole herd. Step forward Vogue UK’s Talent Contest 2016, which is seeking out journalists under 25 “with an …
Know any Writers? I hope not. I’ve shared breathing space with several over the years and how my personal swearbox remained unfilled on each occasion remains a matter of mystery to me. A Writer is three things: a/ a former aspiring writer b/ a current professional writer, and c/ a writer who wants all current …
I have my views on the Brexit, but I shan’t tell you them, because you don’t care. I presume you have yours, and I hope you extend me the same courtesy, because I don’t care either. Don’t write about why you think we should stay or why we should go. Do write about what the …
Some examples of boring ideas: * Me and My Beauty Routine – for a glossy women’s magazine * The NHS is Wonderful – for the Guardian * “I love Dogs” – for a dog magazine These are just terrible. When I see something like this I don’t tell the student they’re terrible, but I do …
Experiment, argues Simon Whaley, in one of his recent posts, in which he called for writers to submit contrasting and distinctive entries when intending to submit more than one to a writing competition. It was such a good idea, I thought the principle – or a version of it – could be applied to pitching …
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