May/June2013 Issue
May/June Issue
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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
20 Master Plots Exclusive
Download a free PDF of the checklists for each of the 20 master plots. About the Book Learn more timeless plots for your fiction in 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias.
20 Master Plots Excerpt
Master Plot #6: Revenge from 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, … Read more
20 Master Plots
20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-537-8 ISBN-10: 1-59963-537-2 $16.99 paperback, 288 pages Buy the Book at WritersDigestShop.com! Read an Excerpt! Find out more about … Read more
Conflict & Suspense Exclusive
Download a free PDF of Bell’s in-depth conflict analysis of his novel No Legal Grounds. Find out more about Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell.
Conflict & Suspense Excerpt
Brainstorming for Conflict from Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell How do you begin to write a story with conflict? 1. You come up with ideas that … Read more
Conflict & Suspense
Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-273-5 ISBN-10: 1-59963-273-X $16.99 paperback, 256 pages Buy the Book! Read an Excerpt! Learn surefire techniques … Read more
How to Prepare for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
November is known by most literati as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. How it works: Start writing a 50,000-word novel on November 1 and finish by midnight on November 30th. I’ve participated in the event twice. First, let me share these three important takeaways from my experience. 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
3 Tips for Consistent Tone
If you find yourself having a difficult time sustaining one tone over a long work, try these three tricks. Read more
Should You Use a Non-AAR Literary Agent (& What Does That Mean)?
There are plenty of things writers should worry about—writer’s block, plagiarism, memoirs by the cast of “Jersey Shore”—but an agent who isn’t a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives shouldn’t be high on the list. Here’s why. Read more
How Smartphones and Tablets Can Help You Write More
If you’ve got a tablet or smartphone, you’re in business. Write on the go with the latest generation of apps. Read more
The Geyser 5-Step Approach to Revision
Revising is a natural balance of creative eruptions and quiet analysis. Use this 5-step method to harness your story’s power and channel its flow to create a finished piece that will make a splash. Read more
Writer’s Workout Exclusive
Download a free motivational poster to keep you moving as your build your writing career. Read an Excerpt! Learn how to cultivate clarity, inventory ideas, write richly, and serve up words. About … Read more
Writer’s Workout Excerpt
Excerpt from The Writer’s Workout by Christina Katz CULTIVATE CLARITY When you write something needlessly prolix and convoluted, there’s a reason for it, and that reason is usually a lack of clarity … Read more
Writer’s Workout
The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques from Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-179-0 ISBN-10: 1-59963-179-2 $19.99 paperback, 384 pages Buy the Book! Read … Read more
Word Savvy Excerpt
Attacking the Wrong-Word Problem From Word Savvy by Nancy Ragno Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put the plan … Read more
Word Savvy
Word Savvy: Use the Right Word Every Time, All the Time by Nancy Ragno Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-303-9 ISBN-10: 1-59963-303-5 $14.00 paperback, 224 pages Buy the Book! Read an Excerpt! … Read more
10 Ways to Launch Strong Scenes
Any story or novel is, in essence, a series of scenes strung together like beads on a wire, with narrative summary adding texture and color between. A work of fiction will comprise many scenes, and each one of these individual scenes must be built with a structure most easily described as having a beginning, middle and end. The beginning of each scene is what we’ll address here. Read more
The 4 Pet Peeves of Freelancers (and How to Tackle Them)
Here’s a quartet of freelancers’ biggest pet peeves—and how to tackle
them when they happen to you. Read more
How to Bring Your Voice to Life in Personal Essays
It’s not what happens to us in our lives that makes us into writers; it’s what we make out of what happens to us. It’s our distinctive point of view. Read more
How Many Sample Chapters Are Necessary?
When submitting your work to an agent for consideration, how many sample chapters should you include in your proposal? Writer’s Digest online editor Brian A. Klems explains. Read more
7 Ways to Perfect Your Writing “Tone”
Often when we feel something is missing from a piece of writing, the key lies in examining the tone. Here’s how to revise your work so that it resonates. Read more
Your Straight-Forward Guide to Publication
Are you headed down the right road toward getting published? Have you lost your way? Use this guide to assess where you are on your journey—and how to know when it’s time to change course. Read more
6 Signs You’re Getting Closer to Publication
Be on the lookout for these signals, which may indicate that agents and publishers are starting to take notice of your work. Read more
