Staying Alive: How to Thrive in the Publishing Industry
Staying alive, staying alive, ah, ha, ha, staying alive. Here, Jenny Milchman explains how to not just survive, but thrive in the publishing industry.
4 Lessons Writers Can Learn from ‘The Good Place’
The success of NBC's The Good Place relies on its flawed but lovable characters, charming humor and, especially, its game-changing twists. Here are some hands-on lessons you can learn from the show’s terrific writing.
Living for All It’s Worth: The Novels of Neuroscientist Lisa Genova Explore Love and Empathy
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova writes novels chronicling the fate of ordinary people who are diagnosed with extraordinary and often fatal neurological diseases.
Drawing Board to Writing Desk: The Transition from Writing Comics to Writing Novels
Are you trying a format you're unfamiliar with? When Michael Moreci went from writing comics to writing novels, one simple realization—and a few basic truths—carried him from one medium to the other.
5 Tips for Writing About an Established Relationship
Whether the relationship is healthy, codependent or even antagonistic, established relationships have a few unique things in common.
Pay It Forward: Writer’s Digest’s Most Anticipated Upcoming Books
In an industry that’s often cutthroat and always competitive, the importance of a supportive writing community can’t be over-emphasized. Knowing there are others in your corner can motivate you to carry on through those peaks and valleys. In that spirit, WD Editors share their favorite upcoming books for 2018.
Using Physicality to Bring Your Characters (And Your Fiction) to Life
One of the most common challenges writers face in the character development process is conveying their personalities (even those of side characters) in a naturally complex and believable way. Here, Joan Dempsey dives into the heart of a critical element that can help you flesh out—no pun intended—your characters and enrich...
The Art of Collaboration: 10 Tips for Writing Success
How do individual writers, with unique styles and voices, come together to produce a cohesive novel with seamless prose? Here are 10 things you need to know when attempting to write collaboratively.
The 2 Questions You’re Actually Asking When You Ask, “How Do I Write a Novel?”
This post originally appeared on stephenspowers.com When you ask, “How do I write a novel?” you’re really asking two questions: “How do I go from zero words to 100,000?” and “How do I write something worth reading?” Only by answering both these questions was I able to write THE DRAGON ROUND. Column...
Short Novels Sell
After spending years revising my book, MARRIED SEX, I was convinced that its 37,000 words had split the stylistic difference between James Patterson and James Salter—that this was as novel tight as a screenplay. No adverbs. Few adjectives. Only active verbs. What Orwell called “prose like a windowpane.” Column by Jesse Kornbluth, debut...