May/June2013 Issue
May/June Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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Writing Your First Draft
You have a great opening. You’re pretty sure you have a terrific ending. But the middle? It drags! Maybe you’re even starting to lose interest. Well look here for the help you need in making that middle just as compelling as the rest of the story – exciting enough that you’re compelled to finish, and finish well! We’ll also teach you how to write a novel in three months or fewer.
Tips for Revising Your Manuscript
Revising is often perceived as frustrating and overwhelming, but Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell gives you the guidance you need to revise like a pro.
In this excerpt from chapter fifteen, discover why it’s so important to do a careful first read-through of your manuscript before you start the revising and editing. Read more
The Four Commandments of Writing Good Sentences
If you want to write a good sentence, don’t pay any attention to your grammar. I don’t mean “a sentence this like OK is.” I mean don’t automatically think you’ve written a good sentence just because it’s grammatically correct. Lots of bad sentences are grammatically correct. Some of these bad sentences might even be yours.
by Bonnie Trenga Read more
Challenging the Limits of Memory
In this excerpt from Writing Life Stories, Bill Roorbach teaches you how to pay attention to and translate your memories and how to overcome your resistance to remembered places and events. Read more
WGF: Revision & Self-Editing
From the Write Great Fiction series, Revision & Self-Editing offers techniques for transforming your first draft into a finished novel. Read more
Publish Your First Book After 50
Who says publishing is a young person’s game? Here are an agent’s tips for writing and publishing well into your golden years.
By Scott Hoffman
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9 Ways to Overcome Too Many Ideas Syndrome
Don’t let your creativity get in the way of your productivity. Here are nine tips for overcoming Too Many Ideas Syndrome. Read more
8 Basic Writing Blunders
These big-picture writing errors might make you cringe with recognition. But shake it off: Bestselling novelist Jerry B. Jenkins will help you fix them.
by Jerry B. Jenkins Read more
5 Tips to Help You Pick Up the Pace
Readers are also less likely to pick up or continue reading a story that they feel "drags." Here is some advice on how you can prevent your story from falling behind. Read more
21 Tips to Get Out of the Slush Pile
Here is the essential checklist of tweaks to consider when reviving a rejected story (or while writing or editing your first draft).
by James Plath
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Successful Query Letters
While there is no formula for the perfect query letter, all successful queries share certain qualities. Take a look at these tips from the Writing the Nonfiction Book Proposal Workshop from WritersOnlineWorkshops.com Read more
3-Part Recipe for PERFECT Agent Queries
Dish up good representation for your book by adding three key ingredients to that next query letter. Read more
5 Tips To Polish Your Fiction
5 Tips To Polish Your Fiction Read more
The 10 Commandments of Fiction Writing
Guide your writing ways with these 10 rules thou must not break.
by Raymond Obstfeld
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3 Tips for Writing Successful Flashbacks
Most writers try to avoid flashbacks, but if you just can’t resist sending your readers back in time, fiction columnist Nancy Kress has some advice. Kress explains what makes a flashback work, and how to perfect your own time traveling techniques. Read more
17 Writing Secrets
One author shares his tried-and-true principles for making good writing better.
by Steven Goldsberry Read more
