Your Story #90: Submit Now!
Prompt: Write the opening sentence (just one sentence), of 25 words or fewer, to a story based on the photo above. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Use the submission form below OR email your submission directly to yourstorycontest@fwmedia.com. IMPORTANT: If you experience trouble with the...
Brand Basics: 6 Debut Authors Discuss Their Author Platforms and Connecting with Readers
6 Breaking In authors discuss the makings of their author platforms—or lack thereof—and how they best connect with readers.
Your Story #89: Vote Now!
Prompt: Write a short story, of 650 words or fewer, based on the photo prompt above. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Vote now to help choose our winner for Your Story 89! Read the finalists below, then vote for the one you like best...
Nothing Wasted: Interview with Tomi Adeyemi, Author of ‘Children of Blood and Bone’
In our "Breaking In" column in Writer's Digest magazine, we talk with debut authors—such as Tomi Adeyemi, San Diego-based author of Children of Blood and Bone—about how they did it, what they learned and why you can do it, too. This is an extended interview with Adeyemi, who appeared in the February 2018...
Unstoppable: YA Fantasy Author Leigh Bardugo on World-Building and Having Faith in Your Abilities | The WD Interview
In this interview from the March/April 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest—including outtakes that didn't appear in the magazine—bestselling author Leigh Bardugo discusses finding YA fantasy stardom and why, if pursuing a dream, you’re always on the right track.
Your Story #88: Winners!
Enter the Your Story #88 contest now and you could see your work in Writer's Digest!
Your Story #87: Vote Now!
Prompt: Write a short story, of 700 words or fewer, based on the photo prompt shown here. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Vote now to help choose our winner for Your Story 87! Read the finalists below, then vote for the one you...
Correction: Your Story #82
We made a deeply regrettable error in our November/December Your Story column, where we incorrectly attributed one of the winners in Contest #82 as Marlene Seielstad when it should have been Lindsay Neadow. The winning entry is as follows: While he thought he was snapping his money shot, Frank didn’t realize...
Your Story #86: Winners!
Prompt: Write the opening sentence (just one sentence), of 25 words or fewer, to a story based on the photo in this post. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.
Your Story #85: Winner!
Prompt: Write a short story, of 700 words or fewer, based on the photo at left (or below for mobile users).You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Once again, you’ve made the Your Story competition a success! Thanks to everyone who participated in competition #85 (either...
Your Story #84: Winners!
Prompt: Write theopening sentence (just one sentence), of 25 words or fewer, to a story based on this photo. (For mobile users, it will appear below.) You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Thanks to everyone who entered and/or voted in WD’s Your Story 84!...
Your Story #83: Winner!
Write a short story, of 700 words or fewer, based on this prompt: A man is surprised to find himself feeling both pleased and liberated by the news that he will soon die. Once again, you’ve made the Your Story competition a success! Thanks to everyone who participated in competition #83...
Have You Checked Out WD’s 101 Best Websites for Writers?
Each year, for nearly 20 years now, the editors at WD have scoured the web for the best digital resources for writers. These 101 websites we select are, we believe, the best of the bunch.
Your Story #82: Winners!
Write the opening sentence (one sentence only, 25 words or fewer) to a story based on the photo on the left. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Thanks to everyone who entered and/or voted in WD’s Your Story 82! Here are the results. The top 10...
A Writer’s Guide to British vs. American English
Upon my recent discovery that, in England, “English muffins” are merely dubbed “muffins” (I know), my curiosity was piqued: What are some ways vocabulary may differ across the pond? This infographic comparing everyday differences in British and American English is a gem (or as the Britons call it…a gem. But I...
Self-Published Authors: Here’s What You Need to Know About Book Cover Design
You’ve got the words on paper. You’ve done the editing, the rewriting, the beta-readers-feedback inputting. You’re ready to share your book with the world. But you’re a writer, not a designer. What’s a self-published author to do? These tips will steer you in the right direction.
Your Story #81: Winner!
Prompt: Write a short story, of 700 words or fewer based on the prompt at left. (For mobile users, it will appear below.) You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Once again, you’ve made the Your Story competition a success! Thanks to everyone who participated...
11 Reasons Writing is Good for Your Health
Most of us write simply because we love to. It’s an outlet for our creativity. It’s fun. (Hard work, sure, but fun.) As it turns out, writing’s got some health perks, too.
Take 3: Bonus Q&A’s From Fiction Editors
Fifteen fiction editors at top publications answer our trio of questions to get to the heart of what they’re really looking for in short story submissions—and how yours can stand out. Here are bonus responses we didn’t have space to print in the magazine.
128 V̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶G̶o̶o̶d̶ Excellent Alternatives to the Word “Very”
It’s easy to fall in a writing rut of using the same ol’ modifiers. This list makes it easy to break out, with a few (128, to be exact) suggestions for mixing it up. This infographic is courtesy of Luke Palder of ProofreadingServices. Visit them online at proofreadingservices.com. Baihley Grandison is the assistant...
Your Story #80: Winners!
Prompt: Write a line (just one sentence only, of 25 words or fewer) that best describes what’s happening in the prompt at left. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Thanks to everyone who entered and/or voted in WD’s Your Story 80! The top 10 winners...
Behind the Scenes of Platforms of Yore: Not Every Cat Wants to Be The Cat in the Hat
Every issue of WD, we feature one of our favorite late great authors in a column called Platforms of Yore, where we imagine what their modern-day social media pages might look like. For the latest PoY column in our February issue, we featured Dr. Seuss. (Don’t have the issue yet? Get it here)....
#ThrowbackThursday: Kurt Vonnegut in WD in 1985
At Writer’s Digest, we’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with some of the world’s bestselling and most beloved authors. Back in 1985, one of those authors was Kurt Vonnegut. Over his 50-plus-year career, he published 14 novels—among the most notable, Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle and Breakfast of Champions—along with five...
INFOGRAPHIC: 30 Of The Most Famous Books and How Long it Took to Write Them
From Salinger to Stevenson to Tolkien and more, the length of time it took our most beloved authors to write their literary masterpieces ranges drastically from 2 1/2 days (The Boy in Striped Pyjamas) to 16 years (The Lord of the Rings). This nifty comparison of 30 of the world’s most famous books breaks...