Anthony Burgess once said that the dream seldom survives the first paragraph.
And Edith Wharton, quoting an old French proverb, wrote, "I dream of an eagle, I give birth to a hummingbird."
All writing is about that gap—no, that chasm—between expectation and final product. A veritable Grand Canyon. It is the very thing that induces writer's block.
I say that we writers should just expect that disappointment, not be surprised by it. Expect it, sidestep it, move on.
Author Heidi McCrary digs into when a memoir is a novel (or at least, when it should be a novel) and examines the thin line between fabricated fact and real fiction by looking at her own novel, Chasing North Star.
Dubbed the "Godfather behind creative nonfiction" by Vanity Fair Magazine, Lee Gutkind shares his first experience with memoir, what makes it different than his previous books, what writers can't take back, and more!
In honor of WD's 100th-anniversary year, this week's writing prompt will be a blast from the past.
Learn when you're writing or reading a homonym vs. homophone vs. homograph with Grammar Rules from the Writer's Digest editors, including a few examples of each.
Emily Gray Tedrowe shares how a perspective shift improved her latest novel (The Talented Miss Farwell), what she hopes is not a one-time thing, and more!
Kurt Vonnegut once said he wanted his novels to "catch people before they become generals and Senators and Presidents," to "poison their minds with humanity. Encourage them to make a better world." Here are seven ways he lived up to those aspirations.
Award-winning and bestselling novelist Clare Mackintosh shares why it took three novels to write her most recent (After the End), what she learned about writing thrillers, and more!
YA author Hanna C. Howard shares why she feels fiction is a bit like Brussels sprouts, especially when sautéed with olive oil, salt, and pepper: good for your health and soul.
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the Italian octave, also known as the first eight lines of Petrarchan sonnet.
