November/December 2013 Issue
November/December Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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Writing Articles
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Selling Your Book’s Movie and TV Rights – What You Need to Know
If you’ve ever wondered how something gets made into a film—and how your work can be tapped for one, too—here’s the inside scoop on options. Read more
The Ideas that Inspired The Hobbit, Animal Farm & 8 Other Famous Books
Ideas often percolate and simmer over time, but every once in a while lightning strikes—and a sudden flash of creativity can alter a writer’s career forever. Take, for example, these 10 famous works inspired by unexpected bolts of inspiration. Read more
Writer’s Digest Article Index 2011
All feature articles and columns published in Writer’s Digest during 2011 are indexed by topic.. Back issues may be ordered at The Writer’s Digest Shop. Read more
Writer’s Digest Article Index 2010
All feature articles and columns published in Writer’s Digest during 2010 are indexed by topic. Back issues may be ordered at The Writer’s Digest Shop. Read more
What is the Throughline of a Novel? (And Why It’s Important You Have One)
The best way to travel the length of your story is to grab hold of the throughline—the driving force of the book—and refuse to let go. Understand the throughline of your novel by studying these examples. Read more
Namedropping: Finding Solid Names for Your Unique Characters
What’s in a character’s name? Everything. Here’s how you, the writer, can master the neglected art of moniker-making. Read more
The 3 Skills Every Successful Freelance Writer Must Have
Today’s writing tip discusses freelancing for a living. If you are thinking about becoming a freelance writer and wondering what skills you need to survive within the freelancing world, today’s writing tip … Read more
Writing 21st Century Fiction: A Sneak Peek
Donald Maass, bestselling author of Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction, now takes an in-depth, comprehensive look at the craft and method of writing 21st century fiction. You might … Read more
Questions to Ask (& Strengthen) Your Minor Characters
If your supporting characters aren’t working toward an understanding of the main character or situation in some way, you might ask yourself what they’re really doing there, hogging time and space in your book. Here are questions to ask about your minor characters to make sure they have a purpose. Read more
The 21 Key Traits of Best-Selling Fiction
Do you wonder want readers want? In today’s writing tip, you’ll discover the 21 key traits of best-selling fiction excerpted from The Writer’s Little Helper by James V. Smith, Jr. The 21 … Read more
16 Blogging Tips For Writing Fresh Content & Attracting Readers
If you already write a blog or are thinking of creating one, you’ll need to know how to attract and keep your readers interested. Today’s tip comes from Christina Katz’s book Get … Read more
Meet the Real Andre Dubus III
He did not set out to follow in his famous father’s footsteps, nor is he as dark and brooding as his own House of Sand and Fog. And those are just the first of many things that will surprise you about the bestseller. Read more
Take Your Author Website to the Next Level
Is your online home ready for visitors—say, editors, agents and your future fans? Tidy up your digital den with our blueprint for success. Read more
3 Steps For Overcoming Writer’s Block
This writing tip addresses overcoming writer’s block and is excerpted from You Don’t Have to Be Famous by Steve Zousmer. Being stuck at the start creates a special kind of frustration. Before … Read more
Starting a Freelance Career: A Couple Frequently Asked Questions
Are you new to writing and exploring what type of writing you want to do? This eBook excerpt, How Do I Start a Freelance Career?, from the Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, covers everything … Read more
4 Ways to Improve Plot/Climax in Your Writing
Many beginning novelists think of the climax of their story as one single, explosive event. While that’s true to a degree, the climax of a novel actually has four components. Here’s what they are and how to get them right. Read more
4 Techniques For Improving Your Writing Style
Today’s tip of the day comes from Grammatically Correct and describes some techniques for improving your writing style and for assessing how well your efforts are succeeding. Not all these strategies will … Read more
How to See Your Work Through an Agent or Publisher’s Eyes
Query letter writing is no doubt one of the hardest forms of writing to master. Here’s what agents and publishers need to see from you when you pitch your work. Read more
How to Write Like Sandra Brown, RL Stine & David Morrell
Sandra Brown, R.L. Stine and David Morrell got together for a chat on the craft of writing. Here are their writing processes and where they get their ideas. Read more
5 Ways to Balance Writing and Life
In her insightful panel “Life or Work? Balancing Life’s Demands With Writing,” moderator Joan Johnston (Shattered, Hawk’s Way) quizzed a group of established publishing pros about how, exactly, you can quiet daily demands so that you can get those voices in your head down on the page and into the hands of readers. Read more
The Key to Thrilling Readers
When it comes down to it, how do action scenes actually thrill, and how do they keep readers hooked? Read more
Lee Child Debunks the Biggest Writing Myths
Like his famous protagonist, Jack Reacher, Lee Child is a bit of a rogue badass—especially when it comes to his thoughts on writing, and debunking popular writing rules. In his ThrillerFest session “Tell, Don’t Show: Why Writing Rules are Mostly Wrong,” Child battled a few of the biggest writing myths out there, and explained what really keeps a reader reading until The End. Read more
Ann Rule on Breaking Into True Crime
Bestseller Ann Rule had a heck of a journey to becoming a writer. Here is her incredible personal saga, and her tips on how to break into true crime. Read more
The 7 Deadly Sins of Writing
In a thought-provoking ThrillerFest panel provided by WD managing editor Zachary Petit, four popular authors shared what they believe to be the deadly sins of the writing craft. Here are seven of their offerings. Have you committed any of them? Read more