An Overview of Issue # 8
Issue # 8 of The Inner Circle Writers’ Magazine has so much packed into it that it took a few posts in the Inner Circle Writers’ Group to outline the content. I’m summarising those posts here as I'm very keen that no one who takes themselves seriously as a writer misses what is going on over in the magazine as a whole or with this issue in particular.
Featured Authors
The main feature is on author Elizabeth Bailey, and I think it's one that will strike home with many of you. Here's someone who has devoted many years to writing, and carved out a niche for herself - but one for whom success has come only after years of striving. The article includes an excerpt from one of her books - she writes historical mysteries and romance tales - so that you know she is a writer of the first order, but when you read her own background, I think you'll be inspired by the ups and downs she's been through, and how they have all led in the end to ups. Real success is now hers - and it can be yours too, if you follow her advice.
On the subject of individual authors getting interviewed, our 'Desert Island Books' this month stars RLM Cooper, known to her friends as Rita. She's taken a slightly different tack with the format of this regular feature - a wise and sensitive one, which I think you'll relish.
Special Gift for Subscribers
The Seven Levels of Attention arose from a study of marketing, but it embraces much more than that. The reason why I have made it available to all subscribers for free is because it is directly relevant to what writers are trying to so, both in terms of writing their stories and selling them afterwards. It contains the mechanisms of attention, how it works, how to manage and direct it, and how not to waste your time looking for it in the wrong places.
Fully illustrated, and with diagrams and some things that you can try for yourself, this e-book is retailing at £19.99 (that's about $US25.00) and you can get it that way if you wish, here.
But for one penny more, you could also get it by becoming a subscriber to the world's most exciting writers' magazine, here.
If you're serious about making a career out of writing, I don't think you'll regret getting your hands on The Seven Levels of Attention.
Fiction
WRONG TRAIN Part Two
If you ever wanted a mini-masterclass in writing an entertaining and yet consistently worldly-wise short story, you could do worse than follow Warren Alexander.
In this final part of his two-part tale, Alexander never fails to keep us smiling, often with excruciatingly real humour, but is also able to offer us wisdom without preaching. Watch this author: he is capable of great things.
You can find Part One of his story in Issue #7, here.
THE SCENT OF GOODNESS by award-winning author Mehreen Ahmed at first enthralls us by getting inside the head of a character type whom we all might recognise from our own lives - but then takes us in a completely unexpected direction, pushing, as she usually does, the boundaries of fiction.
THE STRANGE WELL by Archit Joshi conversely begins with a surreal setting before bringing us up sharply, and totally without warning, with a story that writers, in particular, will appreciate.
Some months ago, the magazine offered up a short writing prompt, and THE OPERA MUST GO ON is Heather Hood's amusing response to it.
Finally, in a feature which I'm calling 'Master Author Showcase', you get to read THE SIGNALMAN Part One by Charles Dickens. I taught classes based on this short story for more than ten years, and so know it backwards - and, as a result of needing to explain what it was doing to my student readers, I deconstructed it piece by piece, in order to learn precisely how Dickens made this such a famous tale. Read it and shiver - and then, in future magazines, learn why you shivered!
Articles
Part of what the magazine is all about is education: enlightening you about techniques, approaches, possible pitfalls, short cuts and all kinds of things to do with the writing field. This issue is packed full of such things.
One of the highlights of this issue is GRAMMAR NINJA with Samantha Hamilton -or rather, with one of her characters. 'Reggie Clayton' takes the helm this month to explain all about capitalisation. Not to be missed!
Then there's INTERNET PITFALLS FOR NEW WRITERS with Dennis Doty telling us what to watch out for if we're new and are approached by unscrupulous people.
I present a comprehensive WRITER’S WORKSHOP on how to deal with the dreaded blank page when we're starting to write, and Julie Eger gives her advice about whether or not to write at all in her beautiful piece called RIGHT OR WRITE?
Basics that we all need to be aware of when we set out to sell our work are given in HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR OWN BOOK with Denise O’Hagan and best-selling author Carmen Baca gives her advice regarding Twitter.
Some WRITING ADVICE FROM THE MASTERS is offered by Warren Alexander, with quotes about writing from great writers.
You get to judge which type of marketer you are in THE WORLD OF MARKETING, then we have a controversial A WINDOW INTO MIDDLE-EARTH article called Tolkien’s Heresy which was originally banned from the Tolkien Society!
JUSTIN WIGGINS goes to the Logos Theatre in South Carolina to see The Horse and His Boy and then our regular Doctor Who feature AN UNEARTHLY CHILD takes a look at the Third Doctor!
Topping it all off, we have an audiobook review and comparison with ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S PSYCHO by Tony J. Fyler.
And more…
This overview of the latest issue of The Inner Circle Writers' Magazine is just to point out that, even with the special features on individual authors, the wonderful fiction from new and classic writers, the enlightening articles from experts and the incredible 92-page full colour free gift for subscribers, there is still more in there, including The Tragedy of Macbeth Part 8 and the announcement of the winner of the Great Clarendon House Writing Challenge.
It's quite likely that you will never find an item which offers more value for your money than The Inner Circle Writers' Magazine. That's intentional: I don't want 'It's too expensive' to ever be a valid objection to getting this magazine - I'm serious when I say it was devised for you, the writer, and I want news of it to spread far and wide so that all writers can benefit from what it has to offer.
The free gift alone could change your entire approach to storytelling and marketing, for example.
The best way to let others know about the magazine is to talk about it individually to writers whom you feel may gain something from it. Think counter-intuitively - as writers, that comes naturally - and think small: one deep conversation is worth a thousand shallow glances.
People can get one issue for just £2.00 (that's about $US2.50) or they can subscribe and get 12 issues for only £20.00 - along with splendid gifts.
It's part of the 'yellow brick road' offered by Clarendon House Publications to a healthier, happier and more lucrative career as a writer for you.
I look forward to your feedback!