February 2012 Issue
February Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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5 Simple Steps on Creating Suspense in Fiction
Whenever you cause readers to be curious about what comes next, you’re creating suspense in fiction writing. Here are five simple steps you can take to increase the level of suspense in your scenes. Read more
10 Tips to Avoid Clichés in Writing
It’s not enough to love our story ideas. We need to weigh their suitability as subjects for fiction, and then figure out how to go about making use of them. This means steering clear of cliché and its sappy cousin—melodrama. Here are 10 tips to help you do just that. Read more
Reject a Hit: Romeo & Juliet
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 hits have had to endure? For this special edition of Reject a Hit, WD readers took our online challenge to rebuff Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet—in just one line. Here are 10 of our favorite faux editorial snubs. Read more
10 Ways to Tell if Your Story Should be a Memoir or a Novel
Should your story be fictionalized or be a true telling of your life? You have to decide. Here are 10 factors to consider. Read more
10 Ways to Improve Your Writing While Thinking Like a Comedy Writer
Do you have the SWEATS: Serious Writer Experiencing Anxiety and Timidity Syndrome? If so, you don’t need medication to cope with your ailment—all you need is a shot of Comedy Writing 101. Here is a 10-part breakdown of how to write better and avoid the SWEATS. Read more
Why Julia Cameron Plays By Her Own Writing Rules
Alcoholism. A turbulent Hollywood marriage. Writer’s Block. For the author of The Artist’s Way, the path of the writer has never been a walk in the park. Read more
More & More & More Tales To Give You Goosebumps (Yeah, We’re Talking About R.L. Stine)
Hilarious! Scary! Terrifyingly prolific! Meet middle-grade horror legend R.L. Stine. Read more
10 Ways to Harness Fear and Fuel Your Writing
If we let the fear of rejection prevent us from pitching or querying or submitting, we are ensuring that we’ll never realize our aspirations. But when we consciously work with fear, we can actually harness this energy source in ways that support our writing goals and enhance our writing experience. Here are 10 ways to do it. Read more
50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day
If you’re the kind of writer who prefers being read and selling your work as opposed to being an unknown starving writer (who doesn’t?), here are 50 quick, simple ways to launch your platform into action and climb your way to success. Read more
5-Minute Memoir: Hidden in Plain Sight
5-Minute Memoir is exactly what it sounds like—a personal essay on some facet of the writing life, be it a narrative or a reflection, pensive, touching or hilarious. Enjoy this installment from Kathleen Cleberg. Read more
Ask the Pro: Literary Agent Adriana Dominguez Discuses Queries and More
Literary agent Adriana Dominguez is looking for manuscripts. Find out what kind, learn about the most common mistakes she sees in query letters and more. Read more
Is a Freelancing Career Feasible?
Q: I want to quit my day job and freelance full time, but I’m nervous that I won’t be able to make enough money to pay my bills. Can I really make … Read more
The 90 Top Secrets of Bestselling Authors
Here, some of the most successful writers in recent (and not-so-recent) memory share their take on everything from how they get ideas (or go find them), to the best way to start a manuscript (or why the only important thing is that you start at all), to their most methodical writing habits (and quirkiest rituals), to writing with the readers in mind (or ignoring them entirely). Read more
5 Steps to Transform Meals into Writing Experiences
Use these 5 steps to transform any meal or day in the kitchen into a written experience that will leave readers hungry for more. Read more
The Fact-Check Checklist
You interviewed your sources for an article, wrote it up and turned it in. Done? Not yet. Often you need to provide backup info for the publication’s fact checkers, and requirements for doing so vary. With that in mind, here’s a checklist to keep even the toughest fact checkers happy—and to pave the way for that second assignment. Read more
Reject A Hit: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
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 issue’s contribution comes from Kristina Wojtaszek, who tackled Eric Carle’s children’s classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Read more
5-Minute Memoir: The Beauty of Bones
5-Minute Memoir is exactly what it sounds like—a personal essay on some facet of the writing life, be it a narrative or a reflection, pensive, touching or hilarious. Enjoy this installment from N.M. Kleby. Read more
How to Avoid Parenting Your Characters
There are a lot of ways that writers parent their characters, but no matter how you do it the end result is the same—a story that just doesn’t work and ultimately won’t sell. Fortunately, it’s a habit you can break. Read more
Crafting Novels & Short Stories Exclusive
Download a free PDF with interviews with novelists like Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Anne Tyler, Margaret Atwood, and more. Find out more ways to make your fiction stand out with Crafting Novels … Read more
Crafting Novels & Short Stories
Crafting Novels & Short Stories by The Editors of Writer’s Digest Books Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-571-2 ISBN-10: 1-59963-571-2 $19.99 paperback, 368 pages Buy the Book at WritersDigestShop.com! Online Exclusive Download … Read more
What You Really Need to Know About Memoir Writing
I’ve always thought that if I were to ever write a memoir, it’d be the most boring 80,000 words in the history of publishing (or at least a close second to this). My life has, thus far, been fun, entertaining and interesting to me, but how would that translate into an interesting story? Then I started reading the 5-Minute Memoir. Read more
Songwriting Without Boundaries
Songwriting Without Boundaries Lyric Writing Exercises for Finding Your Voice by Pat Pattison Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-59963-297-1 $17.99, paperback, 240 pages Infuse your lyrics with sensory detail! Writing great song … Read more
5-Minute Memoir: The Art of Falling Without Hitting the Ground
5-Minute Memoir is exactly what it sounds like—a personal essay on some facet of the writing life, be it a narrative or a reflection, pensive, touching or hilarious. Enjoy this installment from Robert B Robeson. Read more
The Downside to DIY Publishing
For those of you curious about the world of do-it-yourself publishing, here are a few (humorous) questions you might want to ask yourself before you decide, as I did, to publish your own books. Read more
How to Improve Your Researching Skills and Write Accurately
Whether or not you’re already an expert on your topic, it’s vital that you do all the necessary work to get accurate information. Here’s how to guarantee you do that. Read more