3 Ways to Know When to End Your Chapters
At some point in writing your novel, you have to start thinking about “chaptering,” the process of deciding exactly when and where your chapter breaks will go. Here are three simple, essential techniques that can help you make effective chapter pauses.
by Aaron Elkins
by Aaron Elkins
How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel
With so many great ideas, how do you organize them into some sort of coherent outline that will guide your writing? Here's how.
by Laura Whitcomb
by Laura Whitcomb
How to Improve Your Writing Style in 10 Minutes or Fewer
Everyone can benefit from the occasional reminder of the principles of strong writing. Below are 10 tips and exercises designed to make your writing more clear and concise. Think of them as a 10-minute refresher course.
by Brandon Royal
by Brandon Royal
How to “Up the Stakes” for Your Main Character
Don’t be afraid to make things hard on your characters. You should always come up with several different problems to choose from. Here are 3 ways to do that.
by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
How to Write Intriguing Male and Female Characters
Understanding gender differences can improve your writing in any genre. Here’s how.
by Leigh Anne Jasheway
by Leigh Anne Jasheway
Quick Tip: How to Develop Your Characters
Here are 4 quick exercises to make sure your characters speak to readers (and agents).
Best Writing Advice in 10 Words or Fewer
Several Writer's Digest contributors share their best advice in 10 words or fewer.
The Best and Worst of Writing Advice
When you gather a panel of writers to discuss the best and worst writing advice they’ve ever received, the conversation promises to be as colorful as it is informative—and this one with spy novelist Alex Dryden, mystery novelist Lisa Gardner, author Alex Kava, and debut author Daniel Palmer, did not disappoint.
5 Steps to a Great Female Protagonist
According to bestselling authors JT Ellison, Alex Kava and Erica Spindler, there are 5 key ways to make your heroine shine. Here they are.
by Jessica Strawser, reporting from ThrillerFest 2010 (New York City)
by Jessica Strawser, reporting from ThrillerFest 2010 (New York City)
Motivate Your Characters Like a Pro
In his session “The Psychology of Character Motivation,” Edgar-nominated author D.P. Lyle, MD, shared this invaluable exercise for developing your characters’ motivations as your story unfolds.
by Jessica Strawser, reporting from ThrillerFest 2010 (New York City)
by Jessica Strawser, reporting from ThrillerFest 2010 (New York City)
How to Give Your Character the Perfect Name
What you call your characters could influence your readers’ perceptions of them. Here are some factors to consider in finding the perfect match.
by Devyani Borade
by Devyani Borade
From Idea to Page in 4 Simple Steps
Nothing is more exciting than the promise of a story in your head, but in order to get it on the page you need to figure out exactly what you need to do to make it work. Here are 4 steps to help you build the framework of your story.
Rescuing Your Story From Cliche
In this excerpt from 179 Ways to Save a Novel, author Peter Selgin discusses ways to defeat the writer's sworn enemy: the cliche.
Audrey Niffenegger Explains How To Create a Good Story
How do you follow up a smash hit like The Time Traveler’s Wife? For artist and author Audrey Niffenegger, it all comes down to embracing the freedom to create—on your own terms.
by Jessica Strawser
by Jessica Strawser
Using Parallelism in Your Writing
The Sentence Sleuth says you need to balance all the elements of your sentences.
by Bonnie Trenga
Read chapter 1, "What is Plot, Anyway?" of Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure.
by Bonnie Trenga
What is Plot, Anyway?
Read chapter 1, "What is Plot, Anyway?" of Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure.
November is National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo’s Chris Baty shares five tips for writing your book in a month.
by Chris Baty
Read "Principles of Building of a Story" from From First Draft to Finished Novel.
With Jessica Page Morrell's Bullies, Bastards & Bitches, you'll be able to tap into your story’s dark side by creating realistic and memorable anti-heroes, villains, antagonists, and difficult protagonists.
Revising is often perceived as frustrating and overwhelming, but Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell gives you the guidance you need to revise like a pro.
In this excerpt from chapter fifteen, discover why it's so...
If you want to write a good sentence, don’t pay any attention to your grammar. I don’t mean “a sentence this like OK is.” I mean don’t automatically think you’ve written a good sentence just because it’s grammatically correct. Lots of bad sentences...
From the Write Great Fiction series, Revision & Self-Editing offers techniques for transforming your first draft into a finished novel.
by Chris Baty
Principles of Building a Story
Read "Principles of Building of a Story" from From First Draft to Finished Novel.
Bulllies, Bastards & Bitches
With Jessica Page Morrell's Bullies, Bastards & Bitches, you'll be able to tap into your story’s dark side by creating realistic and memorable anti-heroes, villains, antagonists, and difficult protagonists.
Tips for Revising Your Manuscript
Revising is often perceived as frustrating and overwhelming, but Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell gives you the guidance you need to revise like a pro.In this excerpt from chapter fifteen, discover why it's so...
The Four Commandments of Writing Good Sentences
If you want to write a good sentence, don’t pay any attention to your grammar. I don’t mean “a sentence this like OK is.” I mean don’t automatically think you’ve written a good sentence just because it’s grammatically correct. Lots of bad sentences...
WGF: Revision & Self-Editing
From the Write Great Fiction series, Revision & Self-Editing offers techniques for transforming your first draft into a finished novel.
Sub-Genre Descriptions
Here's a breakdown of some of your favorite fiction genres.
The Popular Fiction Report
What’s hot in Mystery/ Crime, Romance, Horror, Thriller/ Suspense and Science Fiction/ Fantasy? Find out in this comprehensive genre-by-genre market report.
PLUS: A breakdown of fiction sub-genres and their definitions.
PLUS: A breakdown of fiction sub-genres and their definitions.