Writers Forum

Advantages: Inspires, encourages, has a variety of features
Disadvantages: Not quite up to the standard of its rival

...this magazine is aimed at writers – but specifically what kind? A glimpse at the contents page reveals helpfully that it is, “For writers of short stories, magazine features, novels, plays, film scripts and poetry.” That would seem to include the majority of writers, and as a wannabe feature writer certainly includes me. On the website, which I also investigated, WF cites itself as a “major resource for writers from beginners ...
...Budding journalists, poets and fiction writers are interviewed and in the current December issue there is an article about 16-year-old triplets who have designed a website to encourage other young writers. I am always fascinated to hear how successful authors started their writing careers and how they maintain their success and work rate. WF publishes interviews with a variety of writers and recently has featured Patricia Scanlan and Carmen Posadas. ... Read review

Advantages: The odd interesting article, ideas for markets.
Disadvantages: Commercial soulless tat.

...is supposedly trying to help writers get paid for their work, the self-publishing/print on demand industry gets some kind of glowing article. Usually it's some ageing clergyman saying: 'Faber rejected my book about railway stations in Suffolk, but then these nice people took £3,000 of my life savings to turn it into a paperback and now I'm really happy.' Writer's Forum is a magazine that has lost any shred of dignity it may once have had. It gets ...
...sprung up to charge second-rate writers vast sums of money to make their manuscripts into books that aren't worth reading. Some of these companies do provide quality services, don't get me wrong. Pen Press enjoys an excellent reputation, and people like Parchment and RPM are just printers looking for a nice little sideline, with no pretensions to being publishers. But so many come in with a line that goes like this: 'Publishers will never read ... Read review

Advantages: Ideas and competitions for aspiring writers
Disadvantages: New editions are slow to get on the shelves

I read a previous review on this by a man who obviously only sees financial gain as the benefit from writing. As a regular reader of Writers' Forum I find the articles and advice it offers extremely helpful and encourages me to 'look outside the box'. Most writing competitions charge a fee for entering - some more than others and, yes, perhaps I was lucky as I only sent them one story which is to be published in July's edition. So for me there was ... Read review

Advantages: well written, informative, packed with goodies
Disadvantages: may be a little expensive, mostly for experienced gamers

...is the download pages (which offer game patches, mods and add-ons), the freebies section (offering game related wallpapers for your computer) and the uncensored section, which has the online version of gamer snap, and the PCG forums. The forums are a hive of activity, and are reported on in the magazine itself. Feedback is welcomed and sought after, with the writers and the editors mingling with the common folk freely. The magazine retails for £4.99, and comes out monthly, which you may think to be a little steep until you see the 2 CDs (or DVD’s) that come with. I can't comment on the DVD’s (I'm not lucky enough to have a DVD drive *sob*), but the CDs are packed with demos, game trailers and videos (drooling is encouraged here), all the latest patches add-ons and more. Exclusive demos are pretty much a given each month... Read review

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