Sleep Warbler, by Simon Lowe, is Dan’s Issue 11 pick. Here, he explains how it explores the theme of Power in a disturbing, yet entertaining, way.Grab a copy of Firewords Issue 11 at firewords.co.uk/eleven

Heartwarming & Poignant - Jen’s Pick

Sep 16th, 2019 4m 49s

Jen picks a memorable piece from Issue 11. Little Jacques and the Bad Man, by Audrey Kalman, has stayed with her since she first read it during the submission round. Here, she discusses why.Grab a copy of Firewords Issue 11 at firewords.co.uk/e

Great Writing That Doesn't Get Published

Sep 9th, 2019 5m 12s

We take a look at writing that could easily have been included in Firewords but which, for many reasons outwith the writer’s control, we have had to reject.

Know Where To Send Your Work

Sep 2nd, 2019 6m

Linked to our previous article, Know What An Editor Wants Without Stalking Them, this episode will help you to target your work most effectively - and save you time in the process.

Fragments Revisited

Aug 25th, 2019 5m 54s

Here, we take a look at continuing problems with the misuse of fragments. Check out the accompanying article at firewords.co.uk/fragments

Back for a new season!

Aug 25th, 2019 4m 9s

An introduction to the new season of our podcasts, which will all come in short, five minute chunks.

Bonus Story Episode: Curiosity, CO

Jan 10th, 2019 17m 2s

While we're taking a break from recording new podcast episodes, here's a story from Issue 10….Curiosity, COAuthor: Beth LincolnRead by: Daniel EhrenworthArtwork by: Berat PekmezciFrom Firewords Issue 10: firewords.co.uk/ten

018: The Editing Process

Jul 24th, 2018 15m 3s

Writing is only a tiny part of the battle – editing is where the true magic happens, but it can be hard to maintain the motivation to keep refining once the first draft is done. In today’s episode we discuss this process and why it can be such

Bonus Story Episode: The Wasp and the Willow

Jul 17th, 2018 12m 58s

It's been a little while since we had a new episode of the podcast because we've been busy getting Issue 10 finished. To bridge the gap between episodes we thought it'd be fun to share the audiobook recording of a story from a previous issue. W

Balancing Writing and Real Life

May 30th, 2018 12m

One of the biggest struggles for writers these days is actually finding the time to write. We're all leading busier lives with more distractions than ever, so how is it even possible to find the right balance? In this episode, we tackle this to

016: Answering your questions

Apr 23rd, 2018 15m 2s

This episode is a little different because we answer some listener questions. We received some great #AskAnEditor questions and had fun trying our best to answer them. What do we wish submitters would stop doing? Would we recommend starting you

015: Why you need a submission strategy

Mar 26th, 2018 12m 58s

It's submission time at Firewords (until 29th March!), which seems like a good time to share some tips for submitting to us and other publications. Jen shares her 3-step submission strategy that ensures she sends her writing out regularly.

014: Unexpected Perspectives

Mar 1st, 2018 16m 27s

We explore the idea of perspectives in writing and how they can make or break a story. We also have some excellent examples for you from Firewords 9!

014: Unexpected Perspectives

Mar 1st, 2018 16m 27s

We explore the idea of perspectives in writing and how they can make or break a story. We also have some excellent examples for you from Firewords 9!

013: Poetry that moves us

Jan 11th, 2018 11m 1s

The first podcast of 2018 focuses on poetry and how we believe you can get a true emotional reaction from your reader. We don’t take an analytical look at poetic techniques, but rather step back to consider how writing should be approached in t

012: A look back at 2017

Dec 6th, 2017 14m 50s

In this end-of-year wrap up episode, we look back at what we achieved in 2017 and what we’ve got planned for the future. We also talk about Issue 9 of the magazine, which is about to be released! Finally we discuss the NaNoWriMo challenge that

011: Are you guilty of overwriting?

Oct 26th, 2017 9m 58s

Today's episode was inspired by a problem we've noticed in a few submissions. It's also something Jen is struggling with in her own writing: Overwriting. This topic is one we've written about before, but we’re discussing it again as it’s an imp

010: Final touches before submitting

Sep 29th, 2017 10m 35s

As we head into another submission round, we thought it would be a good time to discuss them on the podcast, so today's episode is all about those final touches before you hit send.We're back. We're married. And we're excited to be podcasting

009: Knowing when to stop

Aug 4th, 2017 4m 50s

We’re taking a break from podcasting for the whole of August and this mini update episode explains why (spoiler: one week until the wedding!) We also touch on a problem that a lot of writers experience – feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes you need

008: What have you got to lose?

Jul 21st, 2017 18m 55s

In this week’s podcast, I keep the topic a surprise from Jen and put her on the spot about what’s holding her back from putting her work out there more.Here are some of the reasons we touch on in this episode. Maybe you can relate to some of

007: Self-promotion for writers: A necessary evil?

Jul 5th, 2017 16m 6s

Writing can be a very solitary activity and a lot of writers would prefer to keep it that way, but putting yourself out there and spreading the word about your work can be extremely rewarding.Self-promotion is often thought of as a dirty term

006: What makes a winning story?

May 31st, 2017 14m 26s

With Issue 8 fresh off the press, we are excited to be publishing the winners of our visual prompt competition, run in partnership with Bloomsbury and Writers & Artists. Maggie Chiang, illustrator and past-contributor of Firewords, created a wo

005: Why feedback is the secret to improving your writing

May 17th, 2017 11m 51s

In this week’s episode, we discuss different ways that you can use feedback – both from Firewords and other sources – to improve your writing on a continual basis. We also have three suggestions on where you can find this elusive feedback.A l

004: Building a writing habit

Apr 14th, 2017 16m 23s

Why is writing consistently so damn hard? Sometimes it feels like life is constantly trying to interfere with getting words on the page. In this episode, we outline of our own creative writing routine and show we are normal human beings; we str

003: Writing effectively for a set theme or prompt

Mar 22nd, 2017 21m 50s

Is it possible to write to a theme effectively AND keep your unique writing voice? Hear some excerpts of writing we’ve published and find out why they work so well. We also discuss the pitfalls of trying to force your writing to fit a theme tha