February 2012 Issue
February Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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Website of the Week
Writing Website of the Week
Andrew Jack's site not only follows the journey of this writer on his quest to get his fiction published, but also offers solid writing advice.Andrew Jack Writing 
*Not affiliated with our 101 Best Writing Websites feature.
Completed Multiple Manuscripts
[description]Learn the next steps to getting your completed manuscript published and into the hands of readers.[/description]
[keywords]writing manuscripts, completed multiple manuscripts, writing a manuscript, submitting a manuscript[/keywords]
[keywords]writing manuscripts, completed multiple manuscripts, writing a manuscript, submitting a manuscript[/keywords]
Finishing your work isn’t the problem. You can write all day long when a story moves you. What you need is help taking the next step – getting your work published and into the hands of readers. You’ll learn how to do that and more here.
How to Avoid 10 Common Conference Mistakes That Most Writers Make
10 top conference organizers reveal the 10 common pitfalls they most often see writers tumbling into—and how to avoid them. Read more
Do You Need a Publisher Anymore? Hachette and J.A. Konrath Duke It Out
In his obituary to the year-long Domino Project, Seth Godin wrote that publishing companies and other traditional players that do not adapt to new modes of doing business will go extinct. Others have suggested the same.
Meanwhile, some authors like J.A. Konrath and David Gaughran have eschewed traditional relationships with publishers to create and distribute their work on their own. In the aftermath to the Book Country self-publishing tool launch from Penguin, some outspoken critics took the announcement as an opportunity to question publishers’ relevance.
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
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
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
Write a How-to Article in 6 Easy Steps
A how-to is written as a sequence—first you do this, and then you do this. The essential question the writer asks herself when writing a how-to is, “What happens next?” If you are about to embark on a how-to, start at what you consider the beginning, and just keep answering that question over and over again. Before you know it, you will have sketched out a draft of a how-to article. Read more
Ask the Pro: Editorial Manager Deborah Werksman
Editorial Manager Deborah Werksman is seeking romance novels, series and trilogies in the paranormal, time travel, romantic suspense, historical, contemporary and erotic genres for Sourcebooks Casablanca. She is also interested in innovative women’s fiction, as well as international and historical fiction. For submission guidelines, visit … Read more
Get Paid to be a Word Nerd
Writers who leverage their skills as copy editors can earn bigger paychecks, diversify their portfolios and spend more time doing what they love. Learn how you could be one of them.
by Rebecca Smith Hurd
A Legal Checklist for Writers
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should take special care that you’re not risking an invasion of privacy or defamation charge.
by Amy Cook
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How to Organize Your Story Ideas
The best ideas can start out running wild—but you’ll need to train them onto the page if you want to write that novel you have inside of you. Here’s how.
by N.M. Kelby
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Your Essential Synopsis Checklist
Here are the essential specs for a successful synopsis. Bookmark this page and always cross-reference before sending out any synopsis.
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10 Synopsis Dos and Don’ts
Here are 10 keys to creating a successful synopsis. Read more
Your Guide To An Effective Novel Synopsis
Writers often find that the synopsis is the most difficult component of their novel submission package. Here we break it down for you so you can spend less time stressing and more time writing.
by Chuck Sambuchino and the Editors of Writer’s Digest Books
10 Query Letter No-Nos
Here are 10 common query letter mistakes that could get your idea rejected.
by Ann Rittenberg
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Basics of a Solid 3-Paragraph Query
Here are the tools you need to write a query letter that sets you apart from the pack.
by Ann Rittenberg
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Finish Your Novel in 4 Simple Steps
You need stamina to transform that out-of-shape first draft into a story with staying power. Use these 4 revision strategies to make your novel go the distance.
By Lin Enger
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Publishing Contracts 101 (Protect Your Work)
Make sure your agreement protects you—and your book. Here are 6 key terms/areas you need to address before signing on the dotted line.
by Paul S. Levine
Publishing 101: What You Need to Know
Here’s your step-by-step guide to the publishing process–how it works, why you need to know and how you can play an influential role in your book’s success.
by Jerry D. Simmons
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The 7 Biggest Myths of Publishing (Know the Truth)
A veteran author tells you, writer to writer, what getting published is really like—and confronts the seven biggest myths.
by Elizabeth Sims