WD Presents: More Ways to Connect with the Writer’s Digest Community!
This week, we’re excited to announce the deadlines for several competitions, give you information on our upcoming conference, and more!
There's always so much happening in the Writer's Digest universe that even staff members have trouble keeping up. As a result, we decided to start collecting what's on the horizon to make it easier for everyone to know what's happening and when.
This week, we’re excited to announce the deadlines for several competitions, give you information on our upcoming conference, and more!
*****
Upcoming Competition Deadlines
Self-Published Book Awards
DEADLINE: May 3, 2021
Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer, or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer’s Digest hosts the 29th annual self-published competition—the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors.
Annual Writing Competition
DEADLINE: May 7, 2021
Writer’s Digest has been shining a spotlight on up-and-coming writers in all genres through its Annual Writing Competition for 90 years. Enter our 90th Annual Writing Competition for your chance to win and have your work be seen by editors and agents! Almost 500 winners will be chosen.
*****
Your Story #112
DEADLINE: June 28, 2021
Write the opening line to a story based on the photo prompt in this article for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of Writer’s Digest. (One sentence only.) You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.
*****
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference Information!
JULY 22-25, 2021
Writer's Digest Annual Conference is hopeful we will be able to meet in-person this July. There is still a lot of COVID-related uncertainty in 2021, and WD wants to take the proper steps to ensure all of our speakers, attendees, exhibitors, and staff are as safe as possible. That includes creating and thinking about a contingency plan to our in-person event. Be sure to check our website for the latest information.
*****
Five Online Writing Courses Start This Week
Five new online writing courses start this week, including Short Story Fundamentals, Read like a Writer, and more. Click here to check out the Writer's Digest University calendar.
Getting Started in Writing
When you take this online writing workshop, you'll discover your voice, learn the basics of grammar and examine the different types of writing. No matter what type of writing you're planning on crafting—nonfiction or fiction—you'll need guidance along the way.
Short Story Fundamentals
Whether you are a writing novice looking to cut your teeth or a published professional, the short story is a unique and challenging medium that offers you amazing opportunities. Also, short stories are a great way to gain publishing credentials with less time investment than it takes to develop a novel-length work. The workshop covers structure and the common pitfalls writers experience when crafting a short story.
Writing Online Content
In addition to online article writing, this course will also teach you how to pitch online assignments and establish and promote an online platform. Special attention will be paid to blog and website establishment, leveraging social media (Facebook and Twitter), SEO (keywords, meta tags, and so forth), Google Tools (Google Analytics and AdWords), and using premium subscription services.
Pitch an Article: Write for Today's Marketplace
In today’s competitive marketplace, it’s important to catch an editor's attention. It all starts with a pitch.
No matter what kind of article you want to write, a good pitch letter will get you noticed by an assigning editor.
This intensive two-week course will teach you how to craft a good pitch letter and do it well. Be ready to mine your life for ideas. Start thinking about a great spin on a topic or an unusual personal experience that you'd like to write about in class.
Read Like a Writer: Learn from the Masters
This course will demonstrate that the best way to become a good writer is to study the writing of others, especially the work of the masters.
Because there are no hard-and-fast rules to writing, it’s important to study what other writers have done and how they consciously make narrative decisions and meticulously select details based on audience and purpose.
*****
Upcoming Webinars!
Agent One-on-One: First 10 Pages Boot Camp
May 20-24, 2021
As many writers know, agents and editors won't give your work more than ten pages or so to make an impact. If you haven't got them hooked by then, it's a safe bet you won't be asked for more material. Make sure you've got the kind of opening they're looking for! In this invaluable event, you'll get to work with an agent online to review and refine the first ten pages of your novel or non-fiction book. You'll learn what keeps an agent reading, what are the most common mistakes that make them stop, and the steps you need to take to correct them. The best part is that you'll be working directly with an agent, who will provide feedback specific to your work.
Short Story Virtual Conference
May 21-23, 2021
Writer's Digest is pleased to present an exclusive virtual conference for short story writers! On May 21-23, our Short Story Writing Virtual Conference will provide expert insights from SEVEN award-winning and best-selling authors on the finer points of how to write a short story. Spend the weekend learning techniques for honing your craft skills, marketing your short fiction, editing, and getting the tools you need to advance your career as a writer from seven different published authors*, then (if you choose) submit up to 500 words of a short story to an editor for critique. The editor will provide you with a personalized critique of your short story.
Experience the education, camaraderie, and opportunities provided by a live writing conference without ever having to leave your home!
21 Days to Your Novel Outline and Synopsis
May 27-June 18, 2021
Outlines for novels can seem daunting. The synopsis, even more so. A synopsis is something you’re going to need because it’s vital to selling your novel if you’re going to query agents or publishers. And the outline is going to save you time while you’re writing your novel. Starting with your premise, expanding your outline, and then writing your synopsis is the perfect way to understand exactly what your story is about and how to get it done.
In addition to your outline, your premise and synopsis are two of the most important tools in writing your novel.
This course is designed to help you understand how to craft a winning premise, how to outline your novel, and then how to take both of those things and assemble a synopsis that will act as a guide for you to write your novel and sell it.
*****
May/June Issue of Writer’s Digest Out Now!
When you get down to it, most writing begins with curiosity, whether the source is a spark of interest in the mind of the person writing or whether a writer is answering the calls of curious readers. In the May/June 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest, we aim to do both as well: answer questions about topics that pique writers’ curiosity and provide resources that will enable curiosity to be a force of inspiration for your work.
