Writing for magazines
Choose a start date
- Course Code: HJ103
- Dates: 22/01/25 - 26/02/25
- Time: 12:30 - 14:30
- Taught: Wed, Daytime
- Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Yvonne Singh
Course Code: HJ103
Choose a start date
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This is a fast-track course in writing for magazines, teaching you the techniques for researching, interviewing and writing magazine articles. Throughout the course you will get feedback on your ideas, and practical help with any difficulties or obstacles you may encounter while you research your stories.
Students say: "So much material was covered, and we got a real insight into what magazine editors are looking for": "It's given me the confidence to do a pitch, write a feature/article and approach editors"; "Class discussions were rich and varied"; "It was a very practical course, packed with great tips and information"; "Brilliant." .
What will we cover?
- How to analyse the market in terms of general features, hard and soft features and specialised articles.
- What makes for a sellable feature and where to look for inspiration.
- Research shortcuts and where to look for extra information. Internet research facilities.
- How to prepare for interviews.
- How to get your readers interested and keep them interested.
- Planning an article.
- Selling an article.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Begin analysing the market both in general features, news features and specialised articles.
- Brainstorm for ideas - recognise what will make a good sellable story and where to look for inspiration.
- Prepare for interviews by researching the subject and formulating the right questions - in the right order.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is tailor-made for students serious about getting their work published and will involve a rigorous approach to analysing the market. Some of the main qualities which will determine an individual’s success or failure are determination, enthusiasm, and hard work. It’s essential you have a good command of English.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Group work, discussion, handouts highlighting key points and short in-class writing tasks. You will be encouraged to think through issues and determine answers. You may find it useful to practice the writing skills you experiment with in class at home. Verbal feedback will be offered on your writing on a rota basis where time permits.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Before joining the course, you should be reading newspapers and magazines in print and online. Remember – huge proportion of magazine features ideas come from newspapers. Familiarise yourself with the market, noticing which papers and magazines favour particular kinds of articles. Start thinking about what you want to write about and where you think you can place articles. Start asking yourself – why was this article selected….how did they get the idea….how did they do the research?
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offers a range of courses in journalism and non-fiction writing such as Writing reviews, Travel writing and Writing about food. For more information, please browse the writing section of our website.
Yvonne Singh was a staff journalist at The Guardian for over a decade, and her work has been published in that paper as well as The Observer, The Mirror, The London Evening Standard, the BBC World website, Marie Claire, Middle East Eye, Commonwealth Writers and The Big Issue among others. She contributed to the Know Your Place anthology that was featured in Guardian Weekend and in the Seaside Photographed exhibition that toured British art galleries in 2021. Her long read essay for The Guardian on her Caribbean origins was one of the paper’s most read in 2019 and her piece on a Trinidadian Hummingbird Sanctuary in November 2020 was praised in a Virago OurShelves podcast. Yvonne has also worked as an editor in a voluntary capacity for the Caribbean literary magazine Pree. Yvonne holds an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University – her debut manuscript received a distinction and was awarded second prize in the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2018. She was a judge for the SI Leeds 2020 prize. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the Seán Ó Faoláin prize, longlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Prize and Black Spring Press, and have appeared in the acclaimed journal Southword.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
