Interviews
Greg Russo: On Writing a Screenplay Based on a Video Game
Professional screenwriter Greg Russo discusses the joy and challenge of converting a popular video games series into a screenplay and the balance of enticing a new audience while honoring a franchise's fans.
Kristin Beck: On Writing Quickly and Publishing Slowly
Debut novelist Kristin Beck shares what it was like to write her historical fiction novel Courage, My Love and why she was so thankful for a slow publishing process.
Natalie Lund: On Grief and Unanswered Questions in YA Fiction
YA author Natalie Lund shares how she handles the subject of death for a YA audience in her latest novel The Sky Above Us.
Bridget Foley: On Writing Psychologically Potent Metaphors
Novelist Bridget Foley explains the seed that grew into her latest book Just Get Home and how she stayed hopeful in the face of rejection.
Stephanie Dray: On Writing Women's Legacies
Bestselling and award-winning author Stephanie Dray shares how she selects the historical figures that she features in her novels and how she came to see the whole of her character's legacies.
David Jackson Ambrose: On Balancing Magic and Practicality
Novelist David Jackson Ambrose discusses the initial themes he wanted to explore in his latest novel, A Blind Eye, what the editing process was like, and how his books always surprise him in the end.
Luke X. Cunningham: A Writer's Hopes for Their Readers
Emmy-nominated writer Luke X. Cunningham explains how he came to write a middle-grade mystery novel and what he hopes for the kids who read his book.
Anna Lee Huber: On Escapism and Historical Fiction
Award-winning author Anna Lee Huber discusses the particular pain of writing during the 2020 lockdown and how she views historical fiction as a form of escape.
Donna Freitas: Exploring Social Consequences in Fiction
Novelist Donna Freitas explains how she came to write her first adult novel, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, and why she wants this book to be provocative.
Joshua M. Greene: On Balancing Poetry and Conciseness in Biographies
Popular lecturer and biographer Joshua M. Greene shares how he handles writing a biography that is both accurate and concise while still illuminating the subject's personality.
James Crews: Art in Response to Negativity
Poet James Crews discusses the events that led him to edit the anthology How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope and why people need hope more than ever.
Jessica Barksdale: On How Every Poem Is a Learning Experience
Author and poet Jessica Barksdale discusses how she decided which poems would be included in her latest collection, Grim Honey, and why drafting each poem was a learning experience.
Gabriela Garcia: On Writing the Character's Arc
Debut author Gabriela Garcia discusses how she established goals for her novel Of Women and Salt, how she let her characters dictate their stories, and what it's like to write a cast of dynamic women.
David Gilman: On the Accuracy of Historical Fiction
Award-winning author and screenwriter David Gilman discusses the joys and challenges of writing the seventh book in his Master of War series, Shadow of the Hawk.
Zadie Smith + Nick Laird: The WD Interview
Nick Laird and Zadie Smith talk about how teaching affects their writing, craft insights they’ve discovered, and how staying off Twitter has made them better writers in this November/December 2020 Writer's Digest interview.
Lorraine Heath: Romance Without Outlines
Bestselling romance author Lorraine Heath explains why she doesn't outline her novels before she writes them and how that affected her revisions on her latest release, Scoundrel of My Heart.
Alma Katsu: On Where to Put the Big Reveal in a Thriller
Novelist Alma Katsu discusses what it was like to write her latest thriller Red Widow and how she made the difficult decision of where to place the novel's big reveal.
Elly Griffiths: The Mystery of Multiple Points of View
Award-winning novelist Elly Griffiths explains what it was like to write her latest crime novel, The Postscript Murders, using multiple points of view.
Nadia Hashimi: On Seeing Ourselves in Historical Fiction
International bestselling author Nadia Hashimi discusses how her latest historical fiction novel Sparks Like Stars caused her to see the need for representation in storytelling.
Layla AlAmmar: On Reading Outside Our Comfort Zones
Novelist Layla AlAmmar talks about the importance of reading outside our comfort zones and how the Arab Spring inspired her book Silence Is a Sense.
Steve Goble: On Publishing Two Books in the Same Year
Author Steve Goble explains his experience with publishing his next two novels, Pieces of Eight and City Problems, in the same year and why writers should surprise themselves.
Richard Alther: How Literary Fiction Is Like a Rorschach Test
Novelist Richard Alther explains how his latest book, Bedside Matters, opened his eyes to the writer's evolving relationship with their work and the benefit of adding uncertainty to a plot.
Sarah Beth Durst: Write What You Love, Not What You Know
Fantasy author Sarah Beth Durst discusses what inspired her to write her latest epic fantasy novel The Bone Maker, why she doesn't stick to strict outlines, and more.
Patti Callahan: On Writing About Another Culture
New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan explains why her newest novel, Surviving Savannah, underwent several sensitivity reads and what her experience was like.