Young Writers Archives - New Writing North

What does a songwriter do all day?

Is being a songwriter all about living the rock ‘n’ roll dream? Or is it something altogether more artistic? And how much do the words matter? Sunderland lass and super-talented songwriter Nadine Shah tells us about writing in bed, dealing with bad reviews and how being a musician is a bit like being prime minister.

What does an independent publisher do?

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘independent publisher’, but what does it actually mean? We get some answers from Kevin Duffy, who founded independent publisher Bluemoose Books in 2007 with his wife Hetha.

What does a Digital Marketing Executive do?

We talk to Digital Marketing Executive at Penguin Random House, Indira Birnie, about the challenges and opportunities of working in digital marketing.

How do I become an editor?

Senior Editor at Hutchinson Sarah Rigby, who specializes in non-fiction and historical novels, offered to give us an insight into books, publishing, agenting and how editors aren’t allowed to drink wine all day (anymore).

What does a poet do all day?

What’s the reality of being a poet in the twenty-first century? We asked poet Clare Pollard about her experiences as a poet and what she gets up to on a day-to-day basis.

How do I become a journalist?

For a young writer, Alice Vincent has already clocked up an impressive CV; she’s currently an arts and entertainment writer for The Telegraph, and before this was an editorial assistant at The Huffington Post. She tells Young Writers’ Nasim Asl how she’s come such a long way in such a short time.

How do I become a novelist?

In this post YA author Non Pratt tells us how she became a novelist. Non has been a full-time writer since the publication of her first novel Trouble in 2014.

What’s it like to be an Online Editor?

Co-Editor of the Guardian Children’s Books site, Emily Drabble, tells us about life online.

How to…become a booktuber

Have you heard of booktubing? If not, you soon will have- it's the new vlogging phenomenon that is becoming so popular, publishers are sitting up and taking note. It's also pretty easy to do. Teen blogger and YouTuber Lucy Powrie tells us her story and gives us some top tips for geting started.

How to…start a magazine

Online is fine, but sometimes we all yearn for an actual, physical thing. Degna Stone, co-founder and sometime editor of poetry magazine Butcher’s Dog, tells us about its origins and gives some tips about where to start with a magazine.

How to…start a writing group

Being in a writers’ group is one of the most inspiring things you can do. You feel like you’re not alone, and you get support, inspiration and advice from other people who know what you’re struggling with, or proud of. It’s also (almost) free to set up and all you need is a couple of like-minded people to get going. If you want to give it a go, Iain Rowan, founder of Holmeside Writers in Sunderland, gives us some words of advice.

How to…conquer your nerves

At Young Writers, we get asked a lot about nerves. How is it possible to get up on stage and share our work if we feel really nervous? So we asked top spoken work artist Hollie McNish how she copes and, rather reassuringly, she told us this….

How to…critique

No one likes to hear criticism, but all writers need a critical friend in order to develop their work. That’s why an essential part of being a writer is being able to give and receive feedback. But how do you frame criticism so it’s useful? And what do you do with criticism when you receive it? Iain Rowan, from Sunderland’s Holmeside Writers, has some advice.

How to…make a zine

Zines are a great way to try out publication with full control over content, style and distribution. Zines can include both text and image and are relatively cheap to produce, so there is plenty of scope to experiment either on your own or with a group of friends!

How to…perform poetry

Want to perform your poems but don’t know where to start? Kirsten Luckins, spoken word artist and Apples and Snakes North co-ordinator, offers us some pearls of wisdom.

How to…start a blog

Amy Mackelden, microfiction writer and co-founder of feminist/trash TV blog Clarissa Explains Fuck All, gives us some top tips on how to start your own blog.

How to…set up a spoken word night

Being a writer can sometimes be a bit of an isolating experience. But one of the best ways to combat this is to get together with some other writers and put on a gig! Bob Beagrie, founder of Electric Kool-Aid Cabaret in Middlesbrough, gives us some tips for how to get started.

On Not Losing the Plot

Reached a dead end and don’t know where to go next? Go through the 10 questions below and answer the questions about your story. If you can’t answer them - maybe that’s the bit you’re missing.

Make Friends with Your Characters

Stuck with your creative work? In this post we talk about how getting to know your characters can help get your story going.

Free Your Mind: Found Poetry

Sometimes you want to write but putting down those first words can feel impossible. If you're stuck for ideas, why not try some found poetry instead?

Get into Writing: Competitions

Getting noticed in any industry is tough, but the world of writing is even harder than most. In this post we show you a great way to stand out by entering competitions.

Get into Writing: Submit to magazines

There are loads of brilliant publications that provide a platform for emerging writers, and we’ve helpfully compiled a handy list of some of our other favourites in this post.

Get into Writing: Find other young writers

It goes without saying that the internet is probably the best place to start to look for stuff for young writers - a little bit of googling will help you find everything from online courses to extremely niche fan-fiction sites. However, if you’re feeling a bit lost in amongst the millions of online writing communities, we’ve helpfully selected a few of the best.