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habits for effective writing
Writing Habits and Practices

How to Rev Up Your Writing: Habits for More Effective Writing

Writer's Digest author and author coach Nina Amir shares 4 ways to create better habits for more effective writing, including cutting down on distractions.

  • By Nina Amir
    Feb 20, 2020
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Overcoming Writer's Block

Embracing the Blank Page: Why All Writing is an Act of Courage

From writing sketch comedy to novels to telling true stories from his own life, William Kenower has found that all writing takes courage. Learn more about how to gather the courage to turn nothing into something.

  • By William Kenower
    Apr 12, 2019
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The Writer's Life

How Shame Can Stop You From Fulfilling Your Writing Potential

  • By Guest Column
    Apr 8, 2019
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Writing Techniques

Perfect Stories: The Pursuit of Perfection & Surrendering Your Story to Your Readers

Sometimes finishing a story is the most unsatisfying part of writing. No matter how hard you work on it, you may still feel something is missing. William Kenower discusses this dissatisfaction, the quest for perfection, and the need to relinquish your story to your readers.

  • By William Kenower
    Dec 12, 2018
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Writing Habits and Practices

The Pros and Cons of Binge Writing

Lynn Dickinson explores the positives and not-so-positives of being a binge writer.

  • By Lynn Dickinson
    Dec 3, 2018
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The Writer's Life

5 Things Writers Should Stop to Appreciate on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can be a time of straight-up existential crisis for writers. But Thanksgiving is also a time to stop and appreciate the things you care about, to express gratitude for all the whosits and whatnots that keep you ticking and typing.

  • By Jess Zafarris
    Nov 21, 2018
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Writing Habits and Practices

What's the Weirdest Place You've Ever Written?

Here, author Lisa Freeman shares some of the weirdest places she's ever written. We also asked our Twitter followers to share the strangest places they've penned a story or article. What's yours?

  • By Guest Column
    Nov 12, 2018
 Enter your best short stories today!
There Are No Rules Blog by the Editors of Writer's Digest

When Writing Fiction Can Help Us Understand Reality

Author Reyna Marder Gentin discusses how writing fiction helped her gain a new perspective on her personal life.

  • By Guest Column
    Oct 19, 2018
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The Writer's Life

The Glamorous and Unattainable Writing Life: 6 Common Misconceptions About Being a Writer

Now that you've published a book, you can afford that fancy NYC loft, right? Emily Bleeker clears up a few common and hilarious misconceptions about writers.

  • By Guest Column
    Sep 21, 2018
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Publishing Insights

Is Social Media Changing How We Write?

What if, in relying so much on social media platforms not only to maintain relationships but to promote our work, we’ve become impatient during the genesis of it?

  • By Guest Column
    Aug 30, 2018
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Breaking In Writers Digest

Two Authors Discuss How Their Debut Novels Were Picked Up by Hollywood

Film adaptations aren’t typically in the plotline for debut novels, but two new thriller/suspense authors, Kathleen Barber and Rea Frey, have capped their debut dreams with film contracts for books seemingly written for the screen.

  • By Guest Column
    Jul 12, 2018
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There Are No Rules Blog by the Editors of Writer's Digest

How Freud's Fundamental Rule of Psychoanalysis Applies to the Writing Experience

How does Freud's fundamental rule of psychoanalysis apply to the life of a writer? DeSales Harrison explores how his former training as a psychoanalyst helped him craft his novel—and the writing process in general.

  • By Guest Column
    May 7, 2018
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The Writer's Life

Guide to Critique Group Etiquette: 9 Embarrassing Mistakes That Make You Look Like an Amateur

As a writing critique group member, you walk a hair-thin line between appropriate ruthlessness and inappropriate intrusiveness. So how do you know where the boundaries are before you stumble into them? Here are nine mistakes it’s never okay to make.

  • By Mandy Wallace
    Mar 15, 2018
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The Writer's Life

10 Ways to Overcome Lonely Writer Syndrome

One of the downsides to becoming a fulltime author or writer is that, by its very nature, writing can be a very lonely business. But there are things you can do to avoid lonely writer syndrome.

  • By Tim Knox
    Feb 18, 2018
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Writing Goal

Jeff Somers and the Rough Beast, Episode 1: How to Write a Novel

This video series follows author Jeff Somers (Writing Without Rules, coming from WD Books in May 2018) as he begins and works on a new science fiction novel, tentatively titled Rough Beast.

  • By Jeff Somers
    Feb 16, 2018
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The Writer's Life

What's Your Ideal Writing Life?

Every writer needs support and encouragement. Lynn Dickinson's advice will support and assist you in creating a powerful and useful writing tool – an effective Vision of your Ideal Writing Life.

  • By Lynn Dickinson
    Feb 12, 2018
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Business of Writing

6 Lessons Learned from a Year of 101 Rejections

Natalie D-Nalopeon discusses valuable lessons learned and victories from a year in which she aimed to reach 101 rejections for her writing.

  • By Guest Column
    Jan 22, 2018
the writing life

So long ... farewell...

  • By Maria_removed
    Sep 26, 2008
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Publishing Insights

Announcing: The Great WD Writing Prompt Contest

  • By Maria_removed
    Sep 18, 2008
the writing life

Stephenie Meyer and the first draft

  • By Maria_removed
    Sep 11, 2008
the writing life

5 Nifty Google Writing Tools

  • By Zac
    Sep 3, 2008
the writing life

Alegra Clarke's latest entry

  • By Maria_removed
    Aug 25, 2008
Publishing Insights

Writers are Readers

  • By Maria_removed
    Aug 19, 2008
Publishing Insights

Writer's Digest TV: Lee Child

  • By Maria_removed
    Aug 18, 2008
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