4 Lessons Running Can Teach You About Writing
One writer's new hobby of running has taught him four valuable lessons about writer's block that have helped him—and he hopes helps you too.
33 Common Words & Phrases You Might Be Saying Wrong
This infographic is courtesy of Jennifer Frost of GrammarCheck. Visit them online at grammarcheck.net or check out the free online grammar checker at grammarcheck.net/editor for proofreading help. Baihley Grandison is the assistant editor of Writer’s Digest and a freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter @baihleyg, where she mostly tweets about writing (Team Oxford Comma!), food (HUMMUS FOR PRESIDENT, PEOPLE), and Random Conversations With...
The 5 Biggest Fiction Writing Mistakes (& How to Fix Them)
Start your revision by addressing these, and you'll immediately change your story for the better.
How to Write the Perfect Query Letter
A literary agent shares a real-life novel pitch that ultimately led to a book deal—and shows you how to query your own work with success.
Lay vs. Lie (vs. Laid)
Here's the difference between lay vs. lie, along with "lay lie" examples and a simple chart that breaks it all down and will make it easier for you to know when to use each.
7 Reasons Writing a Book Makes You a Badass
I've always been a big nerd. But for one shining moment, one GLORIOUS MOMENT, when I finished writing my book, OH BOY, YOU'RE HAVING A GIRL: A Dad's Survival Guide to Raising Daughters, I felt like a complete and utter badass. Here's why.
WD Annual Competition Deadline Is Today!
No matter what you are writing, chances are there's a spot for it in our 84st Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. And now there's even greater incentive to enter as we've upped the ante ...
Should You Include Word Counts in a Magazine Query?
When you query a magazine editor, should you propose a word count for the article or let the editor decide? Here's what editors want you to do.
How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo:
How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo:
To Outline or Not To Outline
November is almost here, which means two things: 1) You're going to be seeing a lot of mustaches and 2) it's time to start preparing for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Before November 1 hits, study these key tips on outlining.
What if Dr. Seuss, J.K. Rowling and Mary Shelley Were Rejected by Agents?
As writers who receive piles of rejection letters, it only seems fair that, from time to time, we be given an opportunity to return the favor. There are many books I’d love to reject (here’s my #1 choice), if only for the satisfaction of releasing some pent up frustration and envy....
A 12-Day Plan of Simple Writing Exercises
It's the perfect time to restart your engine and get back into writing. Here, I offer up a 12-day plan of simple writing exercises to help you keep your creative juices flowing without eating up too much of your time. Follow this plan and in less than half a month,...
Your Novel Blueprint
Turn your dream novel into a reality by using this Story Plan Checklist.
QUICK TIP: Save Your Story From Coming to a Bad End
Too many stories end badly. And yet they somehow get published and even succeed to some degree. That’s because the rest of the story—the structure of it and the compelling essence of the character—triumphs to an extent that the ending doesn’t make or break the story at all. It just is....
Try These 30-Minute Writing Challenges
Set aside 30 minutes, choose one of the following exercises and, as Tim Gunn from “Project Runway” would say, “Make it work!”
How to Write a Biography: Writing from the Heart
The most important thing that you as a biographer can do is to write from the heart. You can take a number of approaches to writing from the heart. For example ...
Freelance Writing: 5 Tips for Pitching Anniversary-Themed Articles
Find pitch-perfect hooks for articles on virtually any topic by targeting anniversaries.
5 Tools for Building Conflict in Your Novel
Just like anyone else who builds things from scratch, writers need tools. And the more you use them, the better you become at using them. The more tools you’re exposed to, the greater your skill. So herein are some tools for you in this matter of creating conflict. Use them to...
Why We’re Thankful to Be Writers
Around Thanksgiving I'm always reminded of how thankful I am for my wife, my kids, my family and my friends. One thing that I often overlook is how thankful I am that I am a writer. It's a challenging profession, one that causes a lot of rejection, heartbreak and unintentionally condescending...
How to Write & Sell a Cross-Genre Novel
Here are the keys to writing and pitching a novel that crosses genres.
How To Make Your Setting a Character
Powerfully portrayed settings seem to have a life of their own, but how is that effect achieved? Make your setting a character is a common piece of advice given to fiction writers, yet beyond invoking all five senses when describing the scenery, there’s not a lot of info out there about...
“New Adult”: The Next Big Thing?
There’s a new genre targeting readers who are outgrowing YA—but is it here to stay? Here’s what you should know about the New Adult trend.
NaNoWriMo: 5 Writing Lessons That I Knew Before, But Know Much Better Now
A few weeks ago, I had never heard of National Novel Writing Month, although I’ve been somewhat lazily writing a book for a year in my free time (Lesson 1: don’t wait for free time). Then one day when I was busily browsing posts on Facebook, I got a notification; someone...
How to Become a Travel Writer
Each person in the audience fights the bull along with the torero, not by following the flight of the cape, but by using another imaginary one that moves differently than the one in the ring. —Federico García Lorca, Poem of the Bull Nearly everyone loves to travel, and many of us...
Write Like A House Cat
In a way, most successful writers I know remind me of my house cat Charlotte, says author Peter Brown Hoffmeister. They might be balding or have an average coat of hair. They might not be incredibly good-looking, large or small. They certainly won’t exude sex appeal in a bikini, and they...