Find pitch-perfect hooks for articles on virtually any topic by targeting anniversaries.
Author Archives: Brian A. Klems
The 10 Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Query Letter
Learning how to write a must-read query letter is important. By sticking to these 10 specific dos and don'ts of writing a query letter, you'll give yourself the best opportunity to find success and land an agent.
A Suicide Note
You are helping out at a charitable center by organizing donated items. When searching through an old suitcase, you find a suicide note dated six months prior. What's peculiar is that you know the person. What's even more peculiar is that the person is still alive. Write the story about what happens when you...
Affect vs. Effect
Deciding whether to use affect or effect isn’t as tough to as you may think. Let me explain.
Terrible Musician
You’ve just been to the worst concert of your life. Afterward, you head to a bar with friends and start drowning your disgust. Moments later, the musician (or musicians) shows up. You decide to confront the musician about the lousy performance and ask for your money back. The musician suggests a different approach to...
5 Literary Agents Seeking New Clients
When trying to get your manuscript published, it's often beneficial to have an agent on your side. Agents not only have connections within the publishing industry but they also read hundreds of proposals a year, giving them better perspective of what will sell and what won't. Here are five literary agents currently looking to...
What Happened to Your Pants?
Pretend you are a recovering alcoholic who falls off the wagon while attending your high school reunion. Start your story with "I hadn't had a drink in nearly 10 years" and end it with "If only I could remember where I left my pants."
3 Ways to Get Published: How to Turn Your Manuscript into a Published Book
The goal for most of us writers is to get our work published. We dream of the day we walk through our local bookstore and see our name on the cover of a book. While getting published isn't the only way to validate oneself as a writer, it certainly is one of the most...
Book Contract: What’s Negotiable and What’s Not
Here's a list of everything you should ask about when negotiating a publishing contract.
5 Ways to Come Up With Great Story Ideas
Here are five ways that will help pump up your creativity muscle and build story ideas that will keep you writing for hours on end.
A Mad Scientist Approaches You With an Offer
A mad scientist approaches you with an offer—he will heighten one of your senses, but it will make one of your other senses duller. It isn't optional; he's going to perform the surgery anyway, but you get to choose which two senses. Write this scene.
Your 2013 New Year’s Resolution Top 10 List
Make a New Year's resolution list that includes 10 goals. They don't all have to be writing-related, but at least 3 of them do. Then refer to this post often this year and update it as you complete your goals.
New Year’s Eve Letter from Future You
At exactly midnight on New Year’s Eve you receive an email labeled “Open Immediately.” The really strange thing is that the email is apparently from your future self. What does it say?
Why Did Santa Kidnap You?
You wake up in a daze only to find out you've been kidnapped and are currently tied up to a chair. After hours of unsuccessfully trying to escape, a door starts to open. Your kidnapper is none other than—Santa Claus? Write a story explaining why Santa kidnapped you and what he intends to do...
The 19 Most Popular Articles on Writing of 2012
During its first full year in action, my WritersDigest.com blog (The Writer's Dig) reached amazing heights and has become one of the most popular parts of our website. First, I want to thank everyone for that—without your support and clicks, I wouldn't be able to do what I love, which is find and share...
Connecticut, Our Thoughts Are With You
We are in shock and completely devastated to hear about the tragedy in Connecticut today. As a father of three young children, I can't even imagine the heartbreak and hell these families are unjustly being put through. From the entire Writer's Digest staff, our thoughts, prayers and hearts go out to everyone involved.
The 12-12-12 Big Clearance Sale From Writer’s Digest
Forget about Black Friday—Writer's Digest is offering up some of the most heavily discounted deals of the year on 12/12/12 Tuesday! Throughout all of today, December 12, 2012, get discounts as high as 80% on books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs and more of the best writing resources around. Find out more here.
A Haiku of Bad Habits
Write a haiku (three lines: five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables) about your significant other’s most annoying habit/feature. Or, do the same for a friend, coworker, family member or pet.
Your Elf on the Shelf is Stealing From You
You brought an Elf on the Shelf into your home, but instead of him visiting Santa every night, you believe that he is mysteriously stealing money from your wallet and taking nightly trips to (fill in the blank). One night you stay awake and secretly follow him to find out the truth. Write this...
Introducing “Caption Me Thursday” (& Win a Prize)
I like to snap random photos of things I find amusing. I've been trying to find some use for them and I think I finally have it: Introducing "Caption Me Thursday," a new weekly event on this blog where I post an odd photo and you give it a caption. Here's how it works.
Need Some Writing Gifts for that Writer in Your Life (You, Perhaps)?
Writer's Digest's Christmas & Holiday Gifts for Writers is filled with great writing gift ideas that will not only help any aspiring author write better, but also take that big step to land a literary agent and get published. Click here to check it out.
Reject a Hit: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Let’s step once again into the role of the unconvinced, perhaps even curmudgeonly or fool-hearted editor: What harsh rejection letters might the authors of some of our favorite hit books have had to endure? This contribution comes from Chris Gay of Manchester, Conn., who found Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol to be as...
Tell Santa You’ve Been Good
Last year, Santa didn't bring you what you wanted for Christmas and you were left to assume it's because you weren't a good boy (or girl). Start building a case for getting that gift you want this year by making a list of your good deeds to date and what else you plan to...
12 Writer’s Digest Deals of December: Day 2, Deal 2
It's day two of our annual 12 Deals of December, where we release a new deal of great savings on Writer's Digest resources (books, bundles, etc.) from December 1st through December 12th. These discounts are big and meant to help you get more for less around the holidays. So without further ado, here's today's...