Finding a writing voice can be a struggle, whether you’re writing a novel, short story, flash fiction or a blog post. Some may even wonder, what is voice in writing? A writer’s voice is something uniquely their own. It makes their work pop, plus readers recognize the familiarity. You would be able to identify...
There Are No Rules Blog by the Editors of Writer’s Digest
Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: An Interview with Philip Athans
With the release of our updated edition of Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, I figured it was the perfect time to catch up with one of our newest contributors to this classic tome from Writer’s Digest Books—the right honorable Philip Athans. Phil was one of the first people we reached out to when we...
How to Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir – Sept. 12, 2013 Webinar (With Critique) by Agent Regina Brooks
Writing a memoir or your life story? Get it published! Instructor Regina Brooks is a literary agent as well as the author of You Should Really Write A Book: Write, Sell And Market Your Memoir. On Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, at 1 p.m. EST, she is teaching her signature webinar called “Write & Sell...
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Fiction Series
One of the main concerns writers should have when planning and writing a series is consistency. But what does it mean to be consistent? It’s more than just keeping track of the character names, physical attributes, family trees, and locations in a notebook or Excel spreadsheet; it’s about presenting the logical facts that you’ve...
How to Write and Sell Great Children’s Books: Sept. 9 Agent One-on-One Boot Camp with Awesome Critique for Attendees
WD's September 2013 Agent One-on-One Boot Camp is shaping up to be an awesome opportunity for writers of children's books. The new topic is "How to Write and Sell Great Children's Books: From Toddler to Teen," and this boot camp is for writers of picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels. It all...
John Grisham’s 3 Must-Haves of Novel Writing
The following is a guest post by author Tony Vanderwarker: I spent two years writing a novel under the guidance of my friend and neighbor John Grisham. So in light of this piece on There Are No Rules speculating about John’s rules of thumb as a writer, I’m sharing the three absolute requirements for...
Worldbuilding for Fantasy and Science Fiction: Aug. 29 Webinar (with Critique) by Bestselling Author Philip Athans
New York Times best-selling author and veteran editor Philip Athans, author of The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction (Adams Media 2010), knows his stuff. He is a master of creative detailed worlds for his novels. That's why we're offering a new webinar from Philip on Aug. 29, 2013 called "How to Create...
8 Things Star Wars Can Teach Us About Writing
We recently featured a guest post by Thomas Smith on the “4 Things Star Trek Can Teach Us About Writing.” Nothing against Star Trek, but as a Star Wars nerd, I felt it was my intergalactic duty to step up and represent the other side of the sci-fi universe. So here they are, my...
August 26-29 Boot Camp: How to Submit Your Work. Agents at Kimberley Cameron Literary Critique Queries, Synopses, Manuscripts & More
When your submission materials – a query letter, synopsis, manuscript, or book proposal – arrive in an agent's inbox, they land among hundreds of others. Our all-new August 2013 Writer’s Digest Boot Camp is designed to help you streamline your submission materials to stand out in a good way. Attendees will learn how...
Not in the Writing Mood?
Falling out of a writing mood can happen to the best of us, and getting back in can be tougher than talking your way into a secret, after-hours, invite-only nightclub. But if we don’t try to break through, then we’re not writing, and if we’re not writing…well, then we can’t call ourselves writers, can...
Writing the Thriller: The Secrets to Keeping Readers Up All Night — Aug. 8 Webinar by James Scott Bell
Thrillers are enormously popular today, constantly appearing on bestseller lists every week. To write them successfully you need more than a penchant for action—you must understand the foundations of what makes the best thrillers work every time. So why not get advice from a published thriller author who also teaches on writing and structure? The...
Expert Advice on How to Write a Query Letter: Literary Agent Kate McKean Explains How in Her Aug. 1, 2013 Webinar, and Critiques Attendees’ Queries
It's no secret that a writer's query letter is extremely important in their quest to get a literary agent and get published. Agents evaluate dozens of queries a day, and make requests for more material from the few letters that impress them. They're crucial, and that's why people never get enough articles or advice...
The Cocktail Genre: Writing With a Twist
Blending two differing genres into a new storytelling twist, or what I like to call a “cocktail genre,” has been a popular style for a while now. You have Max Brooks’ documentary/horror epic World War Z (as usual, the book is better than the film); multiple works by Seth Grahame-Smith such as Pride and...
Pitch Agents and Producers at our Writer’s Digest West Conference: Sept. 27-29, 2013 in Los Angeles
The second annual Writer's Digest West Conference is approaching quickly! We at WD are planning a grand event in Los Angeles from Sept. 27-29, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The conference is actually 3 events in one. We have a traditional awesome writers conference, a screenwriting conference, and a self-publishing conference going...
Should I Self-Publish? – Part Three
If you’ve followed this series, you’ll notice that: a) I think most writers have a project that would make for a fun and possibly profitable self-published book, and b) Creating a successful self-published book will require a fair amount of design and technical skills, either your own or someone else’s. I encourage you to...
4 Things Star Trek Can Teach Us About Writing
The following is a guest post by Thomas Smith. Happy Friday. Over the years I’ve looked at what my dogs have taught me about writing, what Batman can teach us about writing, and today I’m going to extend the tradition. Today we’re going to look to the stars for our guidance. No, not astronomy....
Should I Self-Publish? – Part Two
In the previous post in this series, I discussed how we each have a great project buried in our computers, notebooks, or desk drawers that would make for a fun self-publishing project as opposed to a traditionally published book. Some things just weren’t meant for Random House. And while the small press world is...
The Art of Revision: Perfecting Your Book For Submission: June 20 Webinar With Agent Michelle Brower
All published authors can tell you that their first draft looks nothing like the finished book they sign at bookstores. How do they edit their material to take their work to a professional level? What are agents/editors looking for today in terms of a polished manuscript? Is grammar all that important, or should the...
Unplug and Zero In: Could a Writing Retreat Be Standing Between You and a Finished Manuscript?
The following is a guest post from Jotham Burrello, publisher of Elephant Rock Books. * I arrived at Ragdale House on a sunny June morning in my rusty Saab. I’d packed my laptop, printer, notes, manuscript, suitcase, peanut butter crackers and a bottle of Glenlivet. I had abandoned my MFA thesis and was at...
What Are You Reading This Summer?
Ah, summer. Whether you’re planning to spend the sticky days of June poolside or within the refuge of your air-conditioned living room, the lazy days of summer are perfect for indulging in a new book or revisiting an old favorite. From laugh-out-loud memoirs to guilty-pleasure genre fiction, the editors at Writer’s Digest share their...
What All Agents Want in a Great Young Adult Novel — June 13 Webinar With Critique by Agent Carlie Webber
Many writers today are trying their hand nowadays at writing young adult. It's a popular genre with readers, and that means it's a very popular genre with aspiring writers. Submissions are plentiful in YA, and teens have a lot of options each year in terms of what to read. So what can you do...
June 14 Deadline: WD’s Annual Competition Has a $3,000 Grand Prize With a Paid NYC Trip to Meet Agents
June 14, 2013 is coming up fast -- and that date marks the official deadline to enter WD's 82nd Annual Writing Competition. Your motivation to enter is simple: The grand-prize winner not only gets a nice $3,000 first prize, they also get a trip to New York City to meet with agents and editors....
Should I Self-Publish? – Part One
The big dream since childhood—shared by so many fellow writers of all ages—was to walk into a bookstore (perhaps a bookstore that I owned—bonus dream!) and find a novel with my name on the cover gracing a column of shelves with eager hands reaching upward to pluck a copy and buy it before racing...
Write Opening Lines and Chapters That Hook Readers — June 6, 2013 Webinar With Agent Victoria Marini
In order for someone to keep reading your manuscript, it has to start strong. Gone are the days when a book could "get good on page 44." Now it's imperative for writers to hook agents & editors with their chapter 1, page 1 -- and even paragraph 1. But this is a tricky endeavor....
30 June Writing Assignments
Recently, I’ve been sharing writing assignments on the Writer’s Digest twitter account (@WritersDigest) using the hashtag #writerassignments. Since it’s been fairly popular so far, I thought it might be good form to collect this month’s 30 writer assignments at the beginning of the month. Now you can do one assignment each day, burn through...