WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRITE?

The "Friend" is the famous story magazine, so obviously we place a lot of importance on that. We buy hundreds of short stories every year.

Then there are our serials — we run two at a time, because the readers enjoy a continued story so much. Story series don't appear regularly, but are always extremely popular when they do.

Features have to compete for the space that is left! So they're virtually tailor-made for the magazine.

Before you start… PLEASE STUDY THE MARKET

This is vitally important, because the "Friend" has a very distinctive, individual approach to both fiction and features.

First, a bit about the most important people — the readers. Without them there would be no magazine!

They range in age from about thirty to well over eighty. They like being entertained — and dislike being depressed. They like realistic material, but not so realistic — with sex, violence, drugs, drink, etc — that they are frightened or saddened. They still believe in the sanctity of marriage and the importance of the family. Our readers like people — ordinary people, with problems they can sympathise with, and in situations they can relate to. They're optimistic — they like to see something good coming out of a situation, or the redeeming side of a character. They're practical women — and men — with ordinary interests and hobbies. They're always willing to give a neighbour a helping hand and enjoy being with a group of friends.

Yes — they are traditionalist. And proud of it! So they like to see their values reflected in their "Friend". Many say that's exactly how they regard the magazine — as a friend.

So please, read The People's Friend for several weeks. Then, try to work out how the authors have achieved what we want.

But don't just write a carbon copy of something already published. Try to be original.

COMPLETE STORIES

These vary in length – between 1000 and 4000 words usually. Deeper, more emotional, stories tend to need more space than lighter ones. We also accept short, short stories, from 500 to 1000 words, for our occasional complete-on-a-page fiction.

Our readers like reading about people of any age. Don't fall into the trap of thinking we only use stories about grans and grandads, widows and widowers. Stories with older characters are, obviously, important but our readers also enjoy those with up-to-date, young, romantic themes. There's always a place for the light-hearted and humorous, too.

This isn't to say we avoid "modern" themes like divorce or single parent families, but these must be treated sympathetically and tactfully.

We'd rarely show divorce happening "on stage" in a short story - or a serial. Separation that ends in reunion would be something our readers would approve wholeheartedly!

We're always looking for good Christmas stories (as well as other seasonal material) but beware the well-worn themes! Again the message is — be original and try to reflect the real spirit of Christmas.

So what DON'T the readers enjoy?

Well, they've made it clear they don't want to read depressing, or bitter, stories. Or stories that shock or disgust or upset because of their graphic content — be it sex, violence or substance abuse.

And avoid the story with a "twist in the tale" that misleads or cheats. Any twist has to be credible — and emotional.

Readers like to have a chuckle, or a lump in the throat, at the end of a story... or even both! But remember, they prefer to laugh with people rather than at them.

And they like to know how a character feels, as well as what he, or she, is doing. Write from the heart as well as the head - so that the emotion of the situation comes across strongly.

And the ending has to be satisfying.

We rarely use stories from the viewpoint of animals or inanimate objects. Historical short stories are difficult - it's not easy to be convincing in under 4000 words. And anything with a supernatural theme tends to get the thumbs down from our very responsive readers.

In the author's byline we frequently describe our stories as tender... touching... moving... amusing... charming ... All words with positive feelings behind them.

Your raw material is people. Our readers want to identify with your characters, believe in them, their problems and the situations. If they can't get close to a character, or that character does or says something unconvincing, they'll lose interest. Your job is to keep the reader reading.

WE STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU TRY WRITING SHORT STORIES BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT OUR OTHER FORMATS.

SERIALS

These are normally worked on from the early stages by the author and at least one member of staff. The storyline is carefully worked out by phone, letter, or by a face-to-face conference! Only when agreement is reached does the story proceed.

All our serials have a strong emotional situation as their central theme, usually family based. There can be other loosely connected storylines involving family members, relatives, friends… So it's quite in order to change viewpoints. It's even possible to do this in a first-person story — with a bit of ingenuity!

We avoid subjects that are controversial, or which would be beyond the average reader's comprehension. We don't want to teach, or preach, or clamber on bandwagons. We don't want unusual, outrageous or offensive characters… This doesn't mean that characters have to be bland. Far from it. They must appeal to the reader's imagination and stir their emotions.

Your story can be set in the present day or it can be historical — without going too far back into the dim and distant past!

Writing a serial isn't like writing a novel. You have to enthral the reader in such a way that she — or he — is looking forward eagerly to next week's instalment. You don't have the luxury of writing long, beautifully crafted narrative or descriptive passages.

Serials run from ten to fifteen instalments on average, though we will use shorter, or longer, stories from time to time.

The opening instalment is usually quite long — six or seven thousand words. You should aim to set the scene, introduce your characters and explain their problems.

Your opening page must catch and hold the reader's interest right away. Some problem, some crisis, should be coming to a head; some endeavour, some venture about to be undertaken...

Succeeding instalments are shorter, around five thousand words.

Each instalment is made up of three or four chapters. (Get the idea of differentiating between a chapter and an instalment.)

Each chapter should deal with a particular aspect, or incident, or scene in the story, moving it forward at a good pace. Although there will naturally be some overlap, each chapter should be more or less complete, ending on a high point to encourage the reader to go on.

Don't jump around in short, quick, disjointed scenes. Give yourself a chance to develop your characters and their relationships.

Your final chapter to the instalment should have a more powerful curtain, so the reader is impatient to know what will happen next.

How your characters react — in their different ways — to the problems and situations you put them in, is what makes your "Friend" story. Your storyline — plot, if you like — is important, of course, but the reader will remember a good character long after she's forgotten other details.

Effective use of dialogue will not only build up your characters in the reader's mind, it can also provide background information.

Don't write long passages explaining what makes your character tick, or what's gone before. The reader should "sense" their personality through what they say and how they react to challenging situations. Let the characters speak for themselves, so the reader can get involved and identify with them.

Study the popular soaps on TV. See how their writers use dialogue.

We very rarely buy a complete serial in manuscript form. Don't even try a first instalment on your own!

Send us your idea, with perhaps just a few pages of the story, and give us a detailed synopsis of how the story develops ... and we'll get back to you.

FICTION SERIES

These might be considered a sort of hybrid, a cross between a short story and a serial. They are usually based on a strong, central character in an interesting situation. Each week's story is complete in itself and, in subsequent weeks, new characters and their problems are introduced.

But each story has a common setting and our central character is always there, playing a pivotal role.

CHILDREN'S STORIES These are traditional stories for children of nursery and primary age. Think of a bedtime story ... nothing frightening, or disturbing, please! Humour is always welcome, and we'll also consider stories in verse. Length? Somewhere between 500 and 700 words.

FEATURES Our readers always enjoy "visiting" places up and down the country. These range from short, first-person experiences with a couple of pictures, to extensive photofeatures about a whole area, attraction or event. If you feel you want to try PHOTOFEATURES, please contact us first to discuss it. And, remember, there will be keen competition from established photographers and writers. Our standards are very high.

FILLER FEATURES are usually about 1000 words long. We're looking for bright, lively articles, full of human interest, on a broad range of topics. Animals ... holidays ... childhood ... they should all have a strong personal involvement.

POETRY Short lyric verse should rhyme and scan as naturally as possible. It must be easy to read so the meaning, or message, is clearly understood. Descriptive and "mood" poetry is always popular.