Writing for publication

Have you ever considered writing for newspapers or magazines? While you’ll never get rich it is a good way to get your voice heard. I’ve been writing occasionally for the Guardian for over a decade now and have also had articles published in the Daily Telegraph, Times and Independent. I write mostly about the environment and World War Two but also about race relations and politics. So it’s been a privilege for the last ten weeks to lead an evening course at my local college in Stratford-Upon-Avon entitled ‘Writing for Publication’.

The course concentrated on writing features and its been really useful to go back to the basics of what makes a good article. I also learnt a lot from the pupils who produced some great work during the ten weeks. We covered a whole range of subjects including writing for an online audience, interviewing, developing a specialism, building an argument, editing, pitching, the law and money. I’ve no doubt we’ll see some of them in print in the very near future. The course is running again next year starting on 12 January 2012 so if you’d like to sign up go to the colleges website at www.stratford.ac.uk

Waffen SS in the East

I have written my first book on the Second World War entitled the Waffen SS in the East. It is a photographic record of their role in Operation Barbarossa or the attack on Russia from 1941 to 1943 and is available as a download from Amazon aimed at the Kindle market (if you dont have a Kindle you can still easily install it on your computer). You can download a free sample or purchase it here for just £2.92. I wrote the foreword and the captions for over 200 pictures which are all originals taken by Waffen SS photographers in the field. A must for anyone interested in the greatest battle of the Second World War.