Choosing the Write Mag - Review 2: The Writer

I'm down with an infection of the upper respiratory tract and have lost my voice. I've started antibiotics so hopefully the voice will come back soon and I can reply to *some* of the more delighted comments I heard about the voicelessness.


I received the May issue of The Writer about ten days ago. Kalmbach publishing, as I had mentioned before, sent me a magazine called FineScale Modeler by mistake. They apologised and asked me to keep it as a compliment. My nephew’s in love with it now.


Name: The Writer
Age: 122. Seriously!
Place: USA

I'm more or less in love with The Writer. How many magazines do YOU know that were born in 1887 and are still going strong today?


The May issue has a list of free writing softwares. I’ve relied on Office alone but after reading the article, felt brave enough to try the different s/ws. Now I wonder how I got on with mere Word all these years. Non-fiction writing including freelancing and writing copy for the web are given adequate coverage. Most writing magazines tend to be very fiction-centric. The Writer does cover fiction, poetry and non-fiction in that order, but generous attention is given even to the last two. There is also a feature on Flash Fiction. Novel reviews, interviews and market watch are not left out either. This isn't the most colourful-looking magazine out there, but I like the subtle, intelligent look. The cover itself will tell you that this is not a frivolous scan-and-throw mag.


The oldest existing magazine for writers does have those ads and articles on self-publishing. There are five ads for self/online publishing but thankfully no articles on that dreaded topic in the May issue. There is a classified section which includes contest ads and critiquing services. Events and writer-meets are listed (mostly US events).


There are 12 issues per year and it costs $33 if you're in the US and $42 for Canadians. Elsewhere, it's $45. Not a bad deal for 12 whole magazines. Plus, if you subscribe NOW, you get a copy of How to be a Better Writer free! (Message/comment/PM/Email me if you want the promotional code for this offer.)


If you are a subscriber (like yours truly) you get entry into the web resources for subscribers. There's a forum, feature articles and a blog. The forum could do with a lot more activity, but there are some interesting posts and articles nonetheless. Like the Writers’ Digest, The Writer tends to be US-centric. Having said that, I would recommend this magazine, but not for more than a year. After 12 issues, they all look the same.