EDITORIAL

Your new-look magazine

IT'S makeover time at Mslexia. You’ll already have noticed our new cover design (dinna fash – there won’t always be a man there!). Inside, too, we’ve given the mag a fresh layout to make it easier to navigate – and a raft of new features, starting with our new Guidelines section, where insiders spill the beans on how to get started – and stay ahead of the game – in two major areas of writing.

Later on, in our revamped Creativity section, we’re launching the unique Mslexia MA in Novel Writing. Not everyone can spare the time and money to attend a university-based postgraduate programme. So we’ve asked Jenny Newman – who’s been running one of the top courses in the UK – to develop a series of nine fiction masterclasses for us.

For those of a more introspective disposition, top writing therapist Celia Hunt begins her regular autobiography workshops to help you turn your life into literature. Follow her exercises – then submit them for our new Curious Incidents slot on page 7.

Jenny and Celia are joined by three more regular columnists – all leading lights in their fields. Literary agent Carole Blake starts her Diary on page 13, poet and broadcaster Kate Clanchy quizzes major poets on the gestation of a particular poem, and life coach Bekki Hill will be on hand in every issue with tips on reviving your flagging motivation.

Last but not least, we have overhauled our listings pages to give you more of everything you want: even more competitions, more events, more calls for submissions. Enjoy.

Debbie Taylor
Editor