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The Fine Line is an Edinburgh-based publisher, editorial consultancy and website content service. We publish books that enthral our staff, provide personalised content for your site, writing advice to get you started, lessons to download, insights into the methods of working writers, weekly writing prompts, a Dear Editor writers' problem page, and an editorial service designed for your individual needs.

The Zeal and Softness Becoming to the Sex: the Origins of the Agony Aunt

In 1693, the first British women’s magazine, The Ladies’ Mercury, was published.  It ran for only four issues before folding.  Quite why its run was so brief is unclear, particularly given the fact that its male counterpart, The Athenian Mercury, ran for over seven years.  Presumably the concerns of the fairer sex weren’t considered sufficient [...]

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Your Weekly Writing Prompt

One In France it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon; in England it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow; in San Salvador, drunk drivers can be executed by firing squad; in Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is [...]

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