Category Archives: Short stories for magazines

The Elements of a Short Story

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Della Galton

I often get asked if there is any sort of checklist for writing a short story.  And yes, I think there is.  Here is what I think a short story should include: A character who has a problem/conflict which must … Continue reading →

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Is it possible to make a full time living writing for magazines?

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Della Galton

Is it possible to make a full time living writing for magazines? If so, how? I started writing for womags after joining an Adult Education class called Writing for Profit and Pleasure. The teacher was Jean Dynes (she writes as … Continue reading →

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Writing Courses – Five tips on finding a good one?

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Della Galton

I am lucky enough to be able to teach creative writing at various venues.  This is Woman’s Weekly’s new home at Canary Wharf. How can you fail to be inspired by this view? Tip Number One – Credibility Do the … Continue reading →

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WRITING GOALS and the Rule of Three!

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Della Galton

Do you, by any chance, have a New Year Resolution that involves writing? This idea might help you to keep it. The Rule of Three is one of the most powerful principles I have ever learned. With thanks to Jack … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash Fiction, ideas, Inspiration, Short stories for magazines, The Reading Group, Tips on writing, Woman's Weekly, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Writing Courses – are they worth it?

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Della Galton

There are so many writing courses around these days. Universities run them, publishers run them, magazines run them. In fact every Tom, Dick and Harry (if you’ll excuse the cliche) runs writing courses. Even the smallest town has a literary … Continue reading →

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The Short Story Writer’s Toolshed

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Della Galton

The Short Story Writer’s Toolshed was first published as a series in Writer’s Forum. I later decided to compile it into a handy little book. Here is an extract I thought you might like. How The Toolshed Works Every writer … Continue reading →

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Womag Writer – Guest Post by Patsy Collins

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Della Galton

It’s an honour to welcome Patsy Collins to my blog today to talk about the Womagwriter blog.  Patsy is a short story writer and novelist. Like myself, she has always found Womagwriter a brilliant resource for short story writers. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, Short stories for magazines, Writing | 2 Comments

How do I stop my romances becoming predictable?

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Della Galton

Here’s another question from a recent postbag at Writers’ Forum. This one comes up quite a bit.  We’re talking fictional ones by the way! Q A common cause for the rejection of short stories (I know, because I’ve received many!) is … Continue reading →

Posted in Dear Della, Questions from Dear Della, Short stories for magazines, Tips on writing, Writing, Writing problems and solutions | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Submitting stories to magazines – should I send a cover letter?

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Della Galton

Here is another question from my Dear Della page that I get asked regularly. Q Whenever I submit a short story to a magazine, I give basic details and contact information on the cover sheet. Is it always necessary to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dear Della, Questions from Dear Della, Short stories for magazines, Tips on writing, Writing | 6 Comments

Ten Stories NOT to send to Woman’s Weekly

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Della Galton

I was lucky enough to be teaching with the very lovely Gaynor Davies at Woman’s Weekly last Monday. Here are a list of stories she currently does NOT WANT because a) they have too many already or b) they’d been … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Inspiration, News, Short stories for magazines, Woman's Weekly, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments