Get the low down on one archetype character who might be perfect for giving your story an added layer of conflict and complexity that will spark readers'—and agents'—interest.
Author Archives: Brian A. Klems
And That’s Why We All Ate Hamburgers This Thanksgiving
Write about the only time you hosted Thanksgiving—and how it went so terribly wrong. Start with the line, "For my first Thanksgiving as host, I bought the biggest turkey they had in the store," and end your story with "And that's why we all ate hamburgers."
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 13): How to Create Powerful Conflict in Your Novel
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: How to Create Powerful Conflict in Your Novel
10 Great Travel Destinations for Writers
Here are the top 10 places every writer should visit and tips on how to maximize your time while visiting.
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 12): How to Pace Your Novel
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: How to Pace Your Novel
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 9): 37 Motivational Tips for Writers
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: 37 Motivational Tips for Writers
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 8): Tips on How to Write Fast
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: Tips on How to Write Fast
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 7): Checklist of Story Points
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: A Checklist of Story Points ...
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 6): Breakdown of Storytelling Plots
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: A Breakdown of Storytelling Plots ...
Running For Class President (& a Bombshell Announcement Made by Your Opponent)
You decide to run for president of your high school class only to find that your opponent is running a smear campaign about you. Worse yet, your opponent has been telling everyone that he/she will drop a bombshell announcement in front of the entire school during your first debate. The debate is here. Write...
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 5): 50 Questions to Consider When Writing a Novel
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content each weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: 50 Questions to Consider When Writing a Novel
The Winner of the Shortest Short Story Contest (#SSStory)
First off, thanks to everyone who participated in our inaugural Shortest Short Story Contest (#SSStory). I was blown away by the participation (more than 1,100 tweets and comments) and am grateful that you enjoyed it as much as I did. With the help of WD Books editor James Duncan, we whittled it down—which was...
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 2): Motivation Master Plan Template
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content every weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today’s giveaway: A Motivation Master Plan Template
NaNoWriMo Giveaway (Day 1): Get Started Calendar
In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to be offering free content every weekday in November to help all NaNoWriMo participants (and, really, anyone who is working on a novel). Here is today's giveaway: Our Get Started Calendar.
Happy Halloween From Writer’s Digest (Dancing Kurt Vonnegut?)
Today was our annual Halloween costume and decoration competition, and the Writer's Digest team once again put on a good showing. Our theme was "Dead Writer's Society" and, as you can see, we all "morphed" into some of the greatest literary writers who now haunt the world as ghosts (friendly ghosts, I'm sure). Guess...
YOU Are the Arch Nemesis
A movie hero steps out of your television and proclaims that you are his/her arch-nemesis. Write about what happens.
The Shortest Short Story Contest (Free w/Prizes)
Over the coming month thousands of writers (including you, perhaps?) will take a stab at knocking out 50,000 words in just 30 days for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). But before the marathon hits, we wanted to do a short race--a super short race--and give you an opportunity to write The Shortest Short Story...
5 Things to Stop Doing (If You Really Want to Finish Writing Your Novel)
Your novel isn't going to write itself (I mean, if it were, it probably would have finished itself a long time ago!). Here are the five things you need to stop doing immediately if you want turn yourself into someone who stops asking questions about how to write a manuscript and starts...
Why I Write
Tell us the story of when you first realized that you needed to be a writer. (Did it happen when you were young? Was it after you read a particular book? Etc.)
Come West With Us: Writer’s Digest Conference West in Los Angeles (Oct. 19-21, 2012)
Big News: For the first time ever Writer's Digest is packing up its writing and publishing knowledge and heading to Hollywood (no, they aren't making a movie about us … yet). We're bringing our Writer's Digest Conference to the West Coast (why should only East Coast writers have all the fun?) and we want...
Jerry B. Jenkins Book Giveaway Winner
Thanks to everyone who read Jerry Jenkins' tip on The Key to Successful Writing and participated in the contest. The winner of an autographed copy of The Breakthrough is ...
Why You Had to Break In
You are 16 years old and you and your friends have just been caught breaking into the local gas station. After your parents post your bail, you must explain why you did it, since this is not something you would usually do. What your parents—and others—don't realize is that you did it for heroic...
Novel Character Comes to Life – And May Murder Someone
You've written a novel with a character that eventually murders one of his or her neighbors. Suddenly, a new person moves into your neighborhood with the same name as your character. Looks similar too. In fact, you can't help but notice this new neighbor is doing several of the same things as your character—including...
Raise vs. Rise
Way too often do we see folks misuse these two words. Here's a simple explanation of the difference between raise and rise—and when to use each.
Announcing the August Winner of our Write It Your Way Competition
A big congrats to YC Takahashi of Kennesaw, Ga., whose short story “The Shoes” won our August Write It Your Way competition. (The theme for the July competition was “New Beginnings.”) Her story ranked No. 1 out of nearly 160 entries. Enjoy YC’s story here below and don’t miss your chance to enter the...