• Write Better Fiction
    • Plot
    • Character
    • Settings
    • Dialogue
    • Short Story
    • Writing Techniques
    • Genre
    • Grammar
    • Revising & Editing
  • Write Better Nonfiction
    • Personal Writing
    • Historical Books
    • Travel Books
    • Business Books
    • Articles
    • Humor in Nonfiction
    • Creative Nonfiction
    • Grammar
    • Revising & Editing
  • Write Better Poetry
    • Poetry Prompts
    • Poetic Forms
    • Interviews With Poets
    • Why I Write Poetry
    • Poetry FAQs
  • Get Published
    • Build My Platform
    • Find a Fiction Agent
    • Find a Nonfiction Agent
    • Write My Query
    • Submissions & Proposals
    • Sell My Work
    • Self-Publishing
    • Business of Writing
    • Ghostwriting
    • Audiobooks
    • Breaking In
  • Be Inspired
    • Writing Prompts
    • Poetry Prompts
    • Interviews
    • The Writer's Life
    • Writing Quotes
    • Vintage WD
    • From the Magazine
  • WD Competitions
    • Annual Competition
    • Self-Published Book
    • Self-Published Ebook
    • Popular Fiction
    • Personal Essay
    • Poetry
    • Short Short Story
    • From the Winners
    • Your Story
  • Resources
    • Write For Us
    • WD Podcasts
    • Meet the WD Team
    • Free Downloads
  • About Us
  • Meet Us
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe
  • Renew a subscription
  • Customer Service
  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Competitions
  • Writer's Digest Annual Conference
  • Novel Writing Conference
  • Writer's Digest Shop
  • WD University
  • Tutorials
  • Webinars
  • 2nd Draft Critiques
  • Digital Editions
  • ScriptMag.com
  • Active Interest Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Settings
Logo
  • Write Better Fiction
  • Write Better Nonfiction
  • Write Better Poetry
  • Get Published
  • Be Inspired
  • WD Competitions
  • Resources
  • Script
  • Events
  • Competitions
  • Free Downloads
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
Logo
  • Write Better Fiction
  • Write Better Nonfiction
  • Write Better Poetry
  • Get Published
  • Be Inspired
  • WD Competitions
  • Resources
  • Home
  • How to Improve Writing Skills
Tips for self editing
Revising & Editing

Polishing Your Prose: Tips for Self-Editing

Help your freelance writing land better with editors and increase your chances of getting published with these 11 proven tips for self-editing.

  • By Estelle Erasmus
    Apr 6, 2020
Selling popular fiction
Vintage WD

Vintage WD: Decoding the Secrets to Selling Popular Fiction, Part 2

Part 2 of this April 1981 WD article by Roy Sorrels and Megan Daniel about writing and selling popular fiction picks up where part 1 left off.

  • By Amy Jones
    Mar 5, 2020
Multigenre writing - Simon Van Booy
From the Magazine

Becoming a Multigenre Writing Master

Multigenre writing can be a challenge, but it can also be a way to fulfill the different parts of your creative needs. Simon Van Booy shares his tips.

  • By Simon Van Booy
    Feb 28, 2020
Bard's Writing Tips
Writing Techniques

Will's Way: Four Timely Craft Tips from the Immortal Bard

Debut novelist Karin Abarbanel shares four writing tips for contemporary novelists she discovered from studying the plays of the Bard for 365+ nights.

  • By Karin Abarbanel
    Feb 13, 2020
story structure
Plot

Hidden Architecture: Using Structure to Reinforce Story

Novelist Wendelin Van Draanen offers advice on how to choose the best story structure for your novels and provides compelling examples from her award-winning books.

  • By Wendelin Van Draanen
    Jan 14, 2020
Aysha Akhtar Our Sympathy With Animals
Writing Techniques

How I Interviewed a Serial Killer and Stayed Sane

Talking to a serial killer for research, Dr. Aysha Akhtar, MD, MPH, reveals the planning that went into her interviews and how she stayed sane through the process.

  • By Aysha Akhtar
    Jun 28, 2019
Image placeholder title
Screenwriting (Film)

Take Two: How to Adapt a Book Into a Screenplay

When adapting a novel for film, Script Magazine editor Jeanne Bowerman says your number-one job is to tell an amazing story—enhancing it for the format.

  • By Jeanne Veillette Bowerman
    Jun 26, 2019
Image placeholder title
Writing Techniques

Using Story Tropes to Subvert Reader Expectations

Taylor Simonds tells how being aware of the tropes of your genre and turning them upside down can help your work stand out in an oversaturated market.

  • By Taylor Simonds
    Jun 26, 2019
Image placeholder title
The Writer's Life

Writing a Novel? Here are Seven Friends You Need

From the veteran writer to the friend who doesn't read, author Karen Dukess presents the seven friends you need to keep on track while writing and publishing your novel.

  • By Karen Dukess
    Jun 14, 2019
The Wild Impossibility by Cheryl A. Ossola
Writing Techniques

Sometimes the Story Writes Itself

Writing fiction can be like dreaming, coming from our subconscious. Cheryl A. Ossola suggests writers need to get out of the story's way.

  • By Cheryl A. Ossola
    Jun 10, 2019
John (J.B.) Jamison is the author of the Emily Graham series
Character

Three Ways to Discover Who Your Characters Really Are

Don't "create" characters; get to know them instead. John Jamison has used the power of story in various roles—from pastor to brand development consultant—and he has some unique methods for getting to know his characters.

  • By John B. Jamison
    Jun 7, 2019
Image placeholder title
Screenwriting (Film)

Advice From a Playwright: Have Actors Read Your Novel

Playwright Frank Strausser shares the benefits of working with actors to figure out why your scenes are not working.

  • By Frank Strausser
    Jun 3, 2019
Image placeholder title
Historical

Blurred Lines: Writing Historical Fiction From Fact

Melanie Benjamin—author of six historical novels about real people and events—offers four lessons she's learned about writing fiction from fact, and when to deviate from the truth.

  • By Melanie Benjamin
    May 24, 2019
Writing Sucks
The Writer's Life

It's Great to Suck at Writing

Author Karen Rinaldi sucks at surfing, but she continues to dedicate hours to it anyway, and she explains why we should also be okay with failure in many forms—even our writing.

  • By Karen Rinaldi
    May 10, 2019
Image placeholder title
The Writer's Life

Juggling Act: How I Work on Multiple Manuscripts at Once

WD editors were impressed to hear that Next Girl to Die author Dea Poirier was working on four manuscripts simultaneously, all after completing her debut novel. We asked Poirier to share a few tips with you on how she manages multiple manuscripts at once.

  • By Dea Poirier
    May 6, 2019
writer with a day job | aine greaney
The Writer's Life

8 Traits I Wish Employers Knew About Writers

Writers work hard. Now, if only employers would. E.L. Tenenbaum shares eight skills writers have that make them great candidates for that necessary-for-most day job.

  • By E. L. Tenenbaum
    May 1, 2019
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Writing Techniques

Where Do I Start?: The Anatomy of Chapter One

No matter the genre, editing is essential. Audrey Wick and her editor, Julie Sturgeon, give readers a behind-the-scenes peek at the process of editing the first chapter of a manuscript.

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 22, 2019
Image placeholder title
Overcoming Writer's Block

The Secret to Overcoming Writer’s Block: Meditation

How does meditation help overcome writers' block? A writer and meditation teacher explores the science behind it all.

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 22, 2019
 Your First Novel Revised and Expanded Edition
The Writer's Life

In the Chorus That Surrounds Every Writer, Listen to the Voice That's Your Own

It is easy to get lost in the flurry of feedback you get after sharing your writing for critique. Lorraine Devon Wilke shares how not to lose track of your own voice in the process.

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 9, 2019
Image placeholder title
The Writer's Life

How Shame Can Stop You From Fulfilling Your Writing Potential

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 8, 2019
Image placeholder title
Settings

Old and New: Merging Memory and Research in New Zealand

Call Me Evie author J.P. Pomare shares how his research trips to the town where his suspense novel takes place influenced his writing.

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 1, 2019
 IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Books a Million | Amazon
Character

Third-Person Limited: Analyzing Fiction's Most Flexible Point of View

From fast-paced action to intimate drama, third-person limited POV can be adapted to any scene or situation.

  • By Peter Mountford
    Mar 1, 2019
Image placeholder title
Writing Articles

How a Strong Character Arc Can Make Readers Love Your Protagonist

Novel readers love it when a protagonist dramatically transforms from Page One to The End. Jerry B. Jenkins shares the fundamentals of developing a strong character arc.

  • By Jerry B. Jenkins
    Feb 26, 2019
Image placeholder title
Publishing FAQs

The Quintessential Guide to Selecting and Working With Beta Readers

With the brutal, thorough help of beta readers, you can achieve writing goals faster and more efficiently. LS Hawker offers a definitive guide to selecting and working with them.

  • By Guest Column
    Feb 20, 2019
  • About Us
  • Meet Us
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe
  • Renew a subscription
  • Customer Service
  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Competitions
  • Writer's Digest Annual Conference
  • Novel Writing Conference
  • Writer's Digest Shop
  • WD University
  • Tutorials
  • Webinars
  • 2nd Draft Critiques
  • Digital Editions
  • ScriptMag.com
  • Active Interest Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2021 Active Interest Media All Rights Reserved.