(Bluesky/Instagram: @madeleinefwhite)
We’re in October: the home of Black History Month and National Poetry Day. It’s also the start of our new theme, (R)Evolution. I love the idea of this: the quiet evolution of growth creating a seismic shift beneath our feet, alongside the more immediate action of its ‘revolutionary’ sister.
All this reminded me of a piece I wrote for Write On! a few years ago, Consumer vs Creator, which argued that the more we consume, the less we are likely to create. How this resonates now feels especially relevant.
It’s caused me to wonder about my own evolving reading habits in these increasingly volatile times. I’m in full consumer mode, immersing myself in Romance and Romantasy, genres that let me drift away from reality. And yet, this retreat has prompted a deeper question: is this escapism purely indulgence, or a purposeful pause; a way to rest and recalibrate my creative direction?
The challenge, of course, lies in the balance. Consumption can easily become numbing, a surrender to imagined worlds that soothe but achieve little beyond self-soothing. The real gift comes when we complete the full cycle: turning solace into action, reflection into creation and personal restoration into something we can share.
This October, as leaves turn and evenings lengthen, I find myself stepping into a new cycle; one in which the healing I find in fiction fuels forward motion. It’s a cycle that moves something like this: consume, integrate, create, share. Stories are not just comfort; they are springboards – and autumn, of course, reminds us that creation always follows restoration.
It’s not just my own reading/ writing cycle I’m thinking about here. As Founding Editor of Write On! I’m able to invite you to spring into action as well. So, if the new theme inspires you, please do submit!
In terms of our digital and audio offerings, as ever, we try to be topical as well as reflect our overall theme. ‘(R)Evolution ‘runs from October-December and you can find our submissions guidelines here.
In the meantime , I hope you’re enjoying Write On! 26. You can access the digital edition here.
Write On! Audio, the podcast ‘For Writers Everywhere’ connects emerging and established writers to each other, the publishing industry and a wider audience in an audio celebration of diversity, originality and excellence. 
And, of course, our autumn print issue (26) is out now. Physical copies of Write On! are distributed in libraries and other centres across the country. You can also see it 
