Category Archives: Short stories for magazines

What Do Your Short Story characters Look Like?

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Della Galton

Characterisation is the means by which you make your fictional characters appear to be real people. It is probably the most important part of any piece of fiction. If the reader doesn’t care about your character, he or she won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Inspiration, Short stories for magazines, Tips on writing, Writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Writing for The Friend

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Della Galton

Last week I was lucky enough to listen to a talk – as well as have a chat with – Shirley Blair, Fiction ed of The People’s Friend.  Fascinating stuff.  Here are ten things you may or may not know … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Inspiration, News, Short stories for magazines, Writing | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Creating Suspense in Short Stories – Three Top Tips

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Della Galton

I used to believe that the art of writing suspense was mostly about technique – short sentences build tension and pace, longer sentences slow it down. But suspense means so much more than this. So what does the word suspense … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Inspiration, Short stories for magazines, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Woman’s Weekly Fiction Workshops – Hot Tips

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Della Galton

A couple of Fridays ago I was teaching again with Gaynor Davies at the Blue Fin Buildings, our subject, Writing Short Stories for Woman’s Weekly. I thought you might like an update. There are two more short story workshops planned … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspiration, News, Short stories for magazines, Tips on writing, Woman's Weekly, Writing | Tagged | 19 Comments

The Journey of a Woman’s Weekly Short Story – from arrival to publication

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Della Galton

Last Friday I was lucky enough to be teaching at Woman’s Weekly’s offices in London with Fiction Editor, Gaynor Davies.  While I was there, I thought it would be very interesting to find out exactly what happens to our stories … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Short stories for magazines, Wednesday Writing Spot, Woman's Weekly, Writing | 39 Comments

Four Myths About Writing Short Stories for Magazines

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Della Galton

Writing stories for magazines is easy – right? Er – no – we all know that’s a myth. If you’re reading my blog, then chances are, you’ll know it from personal experience. Once you have sold a few stories to … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories for magazines, Writing | 17 Comments

Issue Led Stories

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Della Galton

Issue led stories are controversial – or can be? Should we write them? Especially for magazines. Or should we stick to nice safe subjects like weddings and car boot sales and summer balls. Not that I’ve got anything against these … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories for magazines, Tips on writing, Writing | 10 Comments

Market Research – it’s a bore, but if you want to sell more!

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Della Galton

Market research is a lot simpler than it sounds. If you want to sell short stories then you need to find out who buys them and what they are looking for. Do research your market before sending anything. Read several … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories for magazines | 8 Comments

So what is a short story then?

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Della Galton

This is a question I regularly get asked by students. I was doing a talk at a writers’ group in Bournemouth on Monday evening and it came up again.  I know I have my own definition, it’s one I’ve refined … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories for magazines, Tips on writing | 4 Comments

Speed Short Story writing

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Della Galton

How many short stories can you write in a week? How many in a day? I’ve just read a feature in Writing Magazine,  October Issue, about a guy who wrote, edited and formatted a novella length story in a week. … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspiration, Short stories for magazines, Writing | 15 Comments