Think someone stole your idea? Not so fast. Here’s what you can learn from two authors and their tale of “simultaneous discovery.”
by Eileen Cook and Lara Zielin
Writing Articles
How to Create a Free Author Website on WordPress
Here are 5 simple steps to set up a free website/blog using WordPress.
by Meryl K. Evans
Twist Ending Tips From Harlan Coben
Award-winning writing, quick-witted characters and the kind of suspense every reader craves—his books may be classified under mystery or thriller, but Harlan Coben seems to have it all. And he’s willing to share his secrets.
by Jessica Strawser
How to Recover From E-Mail Gaffes
E-mail gaffes are all too easy to make—and all too common. Here’s how to recover from four cringe-worthy mistakes.
by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Rachel Friedman
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from writer Rachel Friedman. Rachel Friedman is the author of The Good...
Back to Basics: Writing & Publishing Memoir
It can be very difficult to sell a memoir when you’re not famous. Without a celebrity’s fan base, or a loyal and captive audience, then you need to write like a master, or have such a fantastical story that no one can divert their attention from it! The other question that often arises with...
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Glen Retief
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from writer Glen Retief. Glen Retief is the author of The...
6 Steps to Jump-Start Your Story
Sooner or later, we all get stranded in the middle of our manuscripts. Use these 6 steps to jump-start your story so you can keep on driving.
by John Dufresne
18th Annual Self-Published Book Awards Winners
Like confronting a dark past, publishing your own book can be daunting. Weldon Long found one bold way to do both—and earned top honors in WD’s Self-Published Book Awards.
by Melissa Wuske
5 Innovative Poets to Watch & Learn From
As everyone knows, you can’t make a living from writing and selling poetry. Or can you? Well, it IS next to impossible to make a living by only writing poems. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why poets seem to be the ones I see most often experimenting and innovating. They know that large-scale publication...
18th Annual Self-Published Book Awards Winners – Mainstream Fiction
Announcing the Mainstream Fiction winners of the 18th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards.
18th Annual Self-Published Book Awards Winners – Children’s
Announcing the Children's winners of the 18th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards.
18th Annual Self-Published Book Awards Winners – Genre Fiction
Announcing the Genre Fiction winners of the 18th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards.
18th Annual Self-Published Book Awards Winners – Inspirational
Announcing the Inspirational winners of the 18th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards.
More from Nancy Kress, author of Beginnings, Middles, & Ends
Extended Interviews With 20 Writers With Day Jobs
How I Found My Agent: Susan Pohlman
"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at...
Helpful Insights for Self-Publishing Novelists
I moderated a panel at SXSW called The Self-Publishing Novelist, which included insights from 3 experienced experts: John Sundman. Read an interview with John here, Building an Enthusiastic Fan Base as a Self-Published Author. Carolyn McCray. Read her helpful articles over at Digital Book World, including Best Practices for Amazon E-Book Sales, How to...
The Very Beginning: Your Opening Scene
In this excerpt from Chapter 1: The Very Beginning: Your Opening Scene from Nancy Kress’s Elements of Fiction Writing: Beginnings, Middles, & Ends, you’ll learn:
- why it’s so important to establish your story’s promise
- how...
Beginnings, Middles, & Ends
Find out more about Elements of Fiction Writing: Beginnings, Middles, & Ends by Nancy Kress.
- Hook readers, agents, and editors in the first three paragraphs.
- Make and keep your...
Q&A With Nancy Kress
Read an exclusive Q&A with Nancy Kress, author of Elements of Fiction Writing: Beginnings, Middles, & Ends.
Take Back Your Lunch Hour
In this excerpt from Chapter 4: Writers, Take Back Your Lunch Hour from Áine Greaney’s Writer With a Day Job, you’ll learn:
- how to make your lunch hour work for you
- the ...
Writer With a Day Job
In Writer With a Day Job by Áine Greaney
- Learn how to balance a day job and a writing life
- Find exercises, inspiration, and techniques you need to build creative...
How to Craft Compelling Characters
To make characters seem real, you need to tap into what drives them. Use this foolproof method to bring the emotion of your story to life.
by David Corbett
Finding Your Memoir’s Voice
Literary agent Paula Balzer discussed finding your voice in this excerpt from her book WRITING & SELLING YOUR MEMOIR.