BY SCOTT ATKINSON Find the narrative tension hidden in your story, and you can turn a run-of-the-mill assignment into the kind of feature piece that leaves editors—and readers—clamoring for more. Here’s how to do it.
Brian Klems’ The Writer’s Dig
The Keys to Good Science Fiction & Fantasy Storytelling
Writing strong exposition in speculative fiction (or SF, the umbrella term for fantastical fiction genres such as science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and horror) is a balancing act. It’s like watering a plant. Too little water and it dries up and dies; too much water and it rots and drowns. Here's how to get it...
5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents
Here’s a list of the five most crucial questions you should ask any agent before agreeing to join her client list.
Want to Appear in Writer’s Digest? Here’s how.
Have you ever tried to write a book in a month—as part of NaNoWriMo, with a writing group, or just on your own? What was your experience? What were the challenges, and what did you learn as you worked to overcome them? What was the end result? And what’s the best advice you could...
9 Ways to Crack Into Major Markets With Personal Essays
Follow these 9 simple steps for writing what you already know, and you could get your big break—and a paycheck to match—faster than you might think.
How to Be a Writer Literary Agents Want
All agents, admittedly or not, have a wish list—markers that help us determine which writers are primed for our representation. With hundreds of projects flooding our inboxes daily, writers who follow these simple guidelines can catch the eye of an agent and rise like a lotus blossom out of the slush pile. Here’s how...
Will Publishers Buy a 200,000-Word Novel?
You put all your effort in to writing a book and, when finished, it comes out a little longer than most writing guidebooks suggest. Can you still sell that lengthy novel? Here's the answer.
Live Chat with Thriller Writer Steve Berry, June 11, 2014
Booktrib is hosting a live chat with bestselling thriller writer Steve Berry, author of The Lincoln Myth on June 11, 2014, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The event is sponsored by Writer's Digest. You're welcome to submit questions ahead of time here or just join the chat on Wednesday and ask then.
6 Things to Keep in Mind When Gathering Testimonials/Book Blurbs
Testimonies are a long-established method of spreading the word about our good words. Today more than ever, testimonies are a necessity for your “platform”—incorporation on the front and back covers of your book, in the first pages, and, of course, on your website. Gathering effective testimonies depends on several things. Here are six aspects...
The Passing of Author Jay Lake
Award-winning author and friend of Writer's Digest Jay Lake passed away after a long battle with cancer. Our very own WD Books Editor James Duncan pays tribute to Lake and his legacy here.
The 12 Steps of Queryers Anonymous
BY AYA DE LEON Querying have you down? Know that you're not alone. Follow these steps to help you get through the emotionally exciting (yet tough) process of querying agents.
Reading Selection of the Month: The Hollow Girl by Reed Farrel Coleman
Tyrus Books, a member of the Writer’s Digest publishing family, announced the launch of The Hollow Girl—the final book in its popular Moe Prager series, written by Reed Farrel Coleman. If you’re a fan of crime fiction, check it out. Here are some of the reviews that have been popping up, including positive remarks...
5 Tips for Hitting Bestsellers Lists
BY GRETCHEN CRARY As a book publicist, one of the very first questions I’m usually asked is, “Can you help make my book into a bestseller?” While there is no tried and true way, what I can tell you about are some of the secret tips that the big publishers use to give their...
Live Chat with Thriller Writer David Morrell, June 5, 2014
Booktrib is hosting a live chat with high action thriller writer David Morrell, author of First Blood (the award-winning thriller where Rambo was created) on June 4, 2014, at 4 p.m. Eastern time. The event is sponsored by Writer's Digest. You're welcome to submit questions ahead of time here or just join the chat...
How Long Until You Can Follow Up on Query Letters?
Q: I e-mailed a query to a magazine editor three weeks ago and haven’t heard from him. The writer’s guidelines state, “Don’t call us; we’ll call you if we want to use your piece.” How long should someone wait to hear back from an e-mail query? Is it appropriate to send the query again...
Should You Write for Yourself or for the Reader?
BY KIP LANGELLO Here’s why you should be crafting your book with one specific reader in mind—and that reader isn’t who you think it is.
Help WD Choose Our Next Annotated Classic: Will it be Huck Finn? Sherlock Holmes? You Tell Us.
Right now, we need help picking the next classic to annotate. Here's how you can help.
Funny You Should Ask – Agents, Rough Drafts and More
Agent Barbara Poelle tackles reader questions giving thoughtful (and funny) answers.
The 7 Tools of Dialogue
My neighbor John loves to work on his hot rod. He’s an automotive whiz and tells me he can hear when something is not quite right with the engine. He doesn’t hesitate to pop the hood, grab his bag of tools and start to tinker. He’ll keep at it until the engine sounds just...
The 5 Essential Story Ingredients
Forget three-act structures, formulas for plot, and even beginnings, middles and ends. Write better stories by propelling your protagonist through a transformation your readers will never forget.
The 5 C’s of Writing a Great Thriller Novel
BY JAMES SCOTT BELL Boost your story’s immunity to reader scrutiny with these fortifying nutrients.
WD Editors Are Writers Too: Meet Adrienne Crezo, Managing Editor of Writer’s Digest
All the editors on Writer’s Digest staff aren’t just 9-5 editors, we are also writers and storytellers—which is why we are so passionate about writing and publishing. “WD Editors Are Writers Too” is a column on this blog to give you a sneak peek at the folks who lead the WD community—including their...
Is It My Writing or Is It My Editor?
BY JIM DEMPSEY An explanation of the corrections an editor can make to a manuscript, and how editors and authors can work together to make a great novel even better.
3 Writing Tips from Brat-Pack Star-Turned-Writer Andrew McCarthy
BY KERRIE FLANAGAN The former Brat-Pack actor and director followed his passion into a new career: award-winning travel writer. Here, he shares his best tips.
Are Subjects Joined by “And” Singular or Plural? – Grammar Rules
If you're uncertain whether subjects joined by and should be singular or plural, you've come to the right place. The simple answer is here.