Open Writing

If this is your first visit to Open Writing - welcome!

Of course you’ve clicked into our Web magazine out of curiosity. Hoping to see something new. Anticipating a good read.

Well, there’s lots to read in Open Writing. Enough to keep your eyes busy for quite some time. Although we have been in existence for not much more than two months, we’ve already featured enough words to fill a book.

And new material is added to Open Writing every day.

We have a team of regular columnists who live in all parts of the world.

There’s Ronnie Bray in Montana, Craig Briggs in Galicia, Glen Taylor in South Island, New Zealand and Susan Siddeley, who divides her time between Chile, Canada and England.

Here in the UK there’s Paul Chan, Mike Shaw, Elsie Eva, Sue Papworth, Sally Codman, Tom Hellawell, Richard Mallinson, Ruth Kaye and Stewart Smith.

All of them enthusiastic and talented writers.

There are also numerous contributions from University of Third Age writing group members.

Oh - there’s me too. I write this weekly column, Time To Tell.

I’ve been an enthusiastic writer since the days when I was in Primary school. Would you believe, I even enjoyed writing essays!

At the earliest opportunity, I became a newspaper journalist. I’ve worked as a reporter for 10 newspapers, on three continents - Europe, North America and Africa.

I’ve written millions of words which have been inked onto newsprint. Over the years enough cuttings have been accumulated to fill a sizeable drawer.

And my urge to write is still unquenched!

There are thousands more like me out there. People who enjoy writing, and are keen to have an audience for their work.

Open Writing is here to help. We are interested in displaying new work on the World Wide Web - real-life stories, poems and a few short stories.

No financial reward for articles, stories and poems featured here. This is a just-for-fun Web mag. The only cash involved in Open Writing is the modest amount which I pay to keep it on-line.

However, authors featured in this magazine have the considerable reward of knowing that others will read and appreciate their words.

Best-selling novelist Mark Haddon said, when interviewed recently, “Most of my work consists of crossing out. That’s the secret of all good writing.’’

Well said.

Open Writing is not your usual blog. There’s a place for web logs - an immediate unrehearsed exchange of thoughts, feelings, ideas. But our words are generally the result of careful thought, concentrated effort.

So, read us - and enjoy.

Then return to read us again, and again…

And if you too have an itch, after being bitten by a writing bug, consider contributing to Open Writing.