The Road Traveled
The winner of the 1999 Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Awards talks about the journey that led him to publishing success.
Spend Your Marketing Dollars Wisely
With a bit of imagination and initiative, you can gain publicity for your book without emptying your bank account.
Promote Your Book With Your Own Web Site
Whether your first or 10th book is about to hit store shelves, a Web site is the key to promoting your latest work. Here's what you need.
4 Tips for Choosing the Right Word
How do you choose the right word for the right situation? The most powerful words tend to be the shortest and, not coincidentally, the ones most basic to the English language. Words like kin, thanks and small, for instance, are deeply rooted in Old English before A.D. 1000, while words like...
from Cagey to Quotable
Disarm these six difficult interview types to get the information you need.
Tips on the Goals of Description in Writing
What do we mean by description? Rebecca McClanahan dispels some myths about the uses and goals of description.
10 Tabloid Tips To Better Writing
Sure, tabloids are a fun read. But this
Five Tips for Writing Children’s Literature
If you are interested in writing stories for very small children, here are five tips that can help get you started.
Steven Malk of Writer''s House, who handles children''s book authors like Jon Scieszka and Elise Primavera, talks about the advantages of having an agent, offers tips on choosing one, and reveals what he looks for in a manuscript.
Hook Kids’ Attention With Your Writing
Between the Internet, Nintendo and the TV remote how can "boring" books compete? If you've never asked yourself a similar question, you've probably never written anything for children. Marcia T. Jones and Debbie Dadey explain what it takes to grab a kid's attention and hold onto it from the beginning to...
Advice from Agent Steven Malk
Steven Malk of Writer''s House, who handles children''s book authors like Jon Scieszka and Elise Primavera, talks about the advantages of having an agent, offers tips on choosing one, and reveals what he looks for in a manuscript.
Birth of a Series
The author writes it and submits. The editor considers it, then takes it on. In their words, both sides of this relationship share their takes on the process of bringing a debut novel to life.
Journal Jolts
7 creative things you can do to find sketching inspiration.
Getting Your Life in Line
Creating a timeline of your life in your journal can help you see more clearly how to get from Point A to Point B.
Personal, Historical Journaling
Dedicate a journal to history as it happens. Chronicle your memories and reflections on the moments that define your generation.
Lock Up Your Private Writing
Guard your diary from trespassing eyes with a little creative protection.
Becoming an Amateur Food Critic
Critiquing a restaurant gives you a feeling of power. Do you give the restaurant a glistening review and let them stay open to serve another meal? Or do you pan them, point out their flaws, and watch them struggle? Of course, unless your reviews are published, you would never truly have...
Same Time Next Year
Make a date to study magazines' editorial calendars before you query—they'll tell you exactly what editors want and when.
David E. Meadows’ The Sixth Fleet
"I really feel that the only way you can sell something is to keep it out there. Every time I sent something out, when it came back rejected, I'd immediately send it again. I think of it like I do war ships—if you keep a war ship in port, you're not...
5 Ways to Share Poetry With the World
If you love poetry, shout it out!
Bill Lawrence
From politicians to doctors, the co-creator of Spin City starts up his newest sitcom,
Scrubs, under the spotlight of Thursday prime time.
Singularly Modern
Even as a member of a distinctive literary club, Virginia Woolf broke new ground all by herself.
Dissecting the Short Story: In Class with T.C. Boyle
Dissecting the Short Story: In Class with T.C. Boyle
Waiting to Excel
It takes a lot more than writing your heart on the page to sell a book. Here are three lessons in perseverance one writer learned the hard way.
Writing Advice From Nonfiction Writers
Nonfiction writers give us their techniques and advice for writing.