Important Writing Lessons From First-Time Novelists
Writing and publishing your debut novel can take three months or 30 years. In this roundtable discussion, five very different breakout authors share what they’ve learned about how to position yourself for success.
Writer’s Digest Article Index 2012
All feature articles and columns published in Writer’s Digest during 2011 are indexed by topic. Abbreviations for regular columns: Inkwell—IW; Ask the Agent—ATA; Breaking In—BI; Questions & Quandaries—QQ; Your Story—YS; Conference Scene—CS; Writer’s Workbook—WW; Standout Markets—SM Writer’s Digest Article Index 2012 BUSINESS/LEGAL MATTERS “How Do First Rights Work?” QQ, Brian...
Writing Challenge: Can You Write the Opening Sentence to a Story Based on This Photo?
And now, it’s time once again for our long-running writing challenge: The Your Story contest. Think of it like The New Yorker’s caption contest with a WD twist. In every issue of Writer’s Digest, we give our readers a chance to get published in the magazine by responding to a writing...
The Power of Pairs Roundtable: Exclusive Outtakes
In a feature article in the January 2014 Writer’s Digest, we brought together four of today’s most successful co-authors to discover what goes on behind the scenes when writers collaborate—and how two heads really can be better than one. In these online-exclusive outtakes, they talk more about some of the other...
How to Write for Writer’s Digest (… Even if You’ve Never Written for Magazines Before)
Yesterday we updated the Submission Guidelines for Writer’s Digest magazine (just some routine tidying—adjusting links, adding a couple sections, overanalytically tweaking a word here and there, then immediately changing it back, etc.). Which got me thinking. A few years back I did what I wish more editors would do—I wrote about...
Should you quit your job to write full time?
The following is a guest post by WD Contributing Editor Linda Formichelli, from her new book, Write Your Way Out of the Rat Race … And Step Into a Career You Love. — You want to ditch the rat race to become a freelance writer—or do you? If you’re on the...
The Rices on Research
In these bonus outtakes from our exclusive dual interview in the November/December 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest, Anne Rice and Christopher Rice share the inside scoop on their research processes. Is research something you specifically set aside time to do, or does it just organically happen in the process of following...
Before They Were Famous: The Oddest Odd Jobs of 10 Literary Greats
by Alex Palmer Plenty of acclaimed and successful writers began their careers working strange—and occasionally degrading—day jobs. But rather than being ground down by the work, many drew inspiration for stories and poems from even the dullest gigs. Here are 10 of the oddest odd jobs of famous authors—all of them...
13 Quirky Workplaces of Famous Writers
The following piece by Celia Blue Johnson is currently in the October 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest. Check out the full issue here. Many great writers have found creative comfort while sitting at a desk. (Charles Dickens was so attached to his that he had its contents shipped to his...
John Grisham’s 3 Must-Haves of Novel Writing
The following is a guest post by author Tony Vanderwarker: I spent two years writing a novel under the guidance of my friend and neighbor John Grisham. So in light of this piece on There Are No Rules speculating about John’s rules of thumb as a writer, I’m sharing the three...
Why Watching TV Can Actually Be Good For a Writer
Guilty that you spent some time last night watching TV instead of writing? Don’t feel too bad. As a handful of authors discussed in the “Is Reading Really Considered Working?” panel at ThrillerFest Saturday, writers can learn from more venues than just books—there’s literary merit in taking in some TV.
10 Things to Remember When Writing a Legal Thriller
“Lawyers can make brilliant heroes,” as author Meg Gardiner pointed out in her ThrillerFest panel “Boxers or Briefs? Making Your Attorney Stand Out.” With that in mind, here are some lessons we drew from the panelists to help you sharpen your protagonist, and bring your legal thriller to life for readers.
9 Inspirational (and Practical) Bits of Advice From Anne Rice, Catherine Coulter, David Morrell and Others
Here’s a collection of wisdoms from the star-studded panels and sessions at ThrillerFest.
David Morrell On the Key to Settings
In his CraftFest session at ThrillerFest, “Setting: How to Make Your Novel Go Places,” David Morrell (author of First Blood) riffed on how to produce fantastic settings that become characters in their own right.
Michael Connelly on the No. 1 Key to Writing a Series
Michael Connelly dishes his No. 1 secret on how to pull off a successful series.
10 Things Shakespeare Can Teach Us About Writing Thrillers
Conspiracy. Murder. Politics. Love. Sex. Ghosts. Pirates. Thrillers and the works of William Shakespeare may have more in common than you’d think. And, as author A.J. Hartley proved in his session “Cues From Shakespeare, the First Thriller Writer,” there’s a lot the bard can teach scribes about storytelling.
3 of Michael Connelly’s Favorite Bits of Writing Advice
Michael Connelly (author of the Harry Bosch series) shares three of his favorite nuggets of advice from other writers.
What to Look for When Editing Your Manuscript
What should writers do when they finish their first drafts? Author Patricia Gussin reveals how to tune your manuscript up so it’s ready for agents and editors.
Here’s Bestseller T. Jefferson Parker’s Writing Process: Might It Work for You?
In his ThrillerFest session “Off on the Right Foot—When to Outline and When to Write,” T. Jefferson Parker (author of the Charlie Hood series) detailed the ins and outs of his personal writing process.
4 Things Star Trek Can Teach Us About Writing
The following is a guest post by Thomas Smith. Happy Friday. Over the years I’ve looked at what my dogs have taught me about writing, what Batman can teach us about writing, and today I’m going to extend the tradition. Today we’re going to look to the stars for our guidance....
Unplug and Zero In: Could a Writing Retreat Be Standing Between You and a Finished Manuscript?
The following is a guest post from Jotham Burrello, publisher of Elephant Rock Books. * I arrived at Ragdale House on a sunny June morning in my rusty Saab. I’d packed my laptop, printer, notes, manuscript, suitcase, peanut butter crackers and a bottle of Glenlivet. I had abandoned my MFA thesis...
Last call! Writing Challenge: Write the Opening Sentence to a Story Based on This Photo
To anyone not currently wandering the halls of Book Expo America in New York, loaded down with so many books you wish you’d brought a wheelbarrow (my favorite part of the event): How about a writing challenge? Basically, in every issue of Writer’s Digest we give our readers a chance to...
If You’re Feeling Down and Out About a Rejection Letter …
Consider James Lee Burke. Sure, his novels are everywhere these days. Bookstores. Airports. Bestseller lists. But here’s how they got there. As Lindsey O’Connor detailed in our profile of the author, Burke published his first story when he was 19. It did not earn him instant fame. He worked the oil fields....
More From Bestseller Joe Hill
Author Joe Hill (NOS4A2, Horns, Heart-Shaped Box) describes his parents, Stephen and Tabitha King, as “the best writing teachers in the world.” Here he offers a few more thoughts on what he has learned from them, and shares a story about collaborating with his father on “Throttle.”