Write Better Fiction

When a character’s personal conflict reflects a larger societal issue is when character and plot come together. Author Beth Kirschner discusses how to create character conflict that can mirror a larger societal conflict.

When writing about real people in historical fiction, what might the consequences be of taking certain artistic liberties? Author Robert Lloyd discusses the ethics of literary revivification.

Ambassador Philip Kaplan discusses how the characters came to him through the magic of the writing process in his debut novel, Night In Tehran.

When you've kept your readers up all hours of the night turning the pages, then you know you've got a winning thriller on your hands. Author Wanda M. Morris offers 6 tips on how to write a thriller that delivers, plus examples from thrillers to add to your bookshelves.

Journal entries, third person, written letters, oh my! There are a myriad of ways to tell your story, and choosing how to move forward can feel daunting. Author Liz Keller Whitehurst shares the 4 advantages of writing a novel using multiple narrative forms.

Let's look at the differences between weather and whether with Grammar Rules from the Writer's Digest editors, including a few examples of correct usages.

Author Blake Sanz discusses the 20-year process of writing his new short story collection, The Boundaries of Their Dwelling.

Any novel of any genre can have mysterious elements that keeps the reader wanting more. Author Christopher Parker offers 4 tips for writing a story with an engaging mystery.

Would the master of the mystery novel be the master of solving mysteries in real life? Author Colleen Cambridge considers whether or not Agatha Christie would make a good amateur detective.

Trained fighter and author Carla Hoch helps get the bones of our fight scenes into our NaNoWriMo drafts—and reminds us that the NaNoWriMo journey is a messy one for a reason.

The Writer's Digest team has witnessed many writing mistakes over the years, so we started this series to help identify them for other writers (along with correction strategies). This week's writing mistake is oversharing in self-help writing.

Feeling overwhelmed with putting together your fantasy fiction novel? Author Marshall Ryan Maresca comes to the rescue with 6 tips for developing an exciting fantasy adventure premise.

USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas discusses the process of writing the sixth installment in her Lady Sherlock mystery series, Miss Moriarty, I Presume?

Writing what you know is not necessarily the same thing as writing your personal experiences. Young adult author Nikki Barthelmess discusses how to write what you feel as a way to write what you know, and to ask "what if?"

More than just an equal balance of romance and comedy, a successful rom-com needs many of the same elements that are required of books of any genre. Author Denise Williams lays out 5 tips for developing an engaging premise for a rom-com novel.

Bestselling author Katherine Reay discusses the purpose and appeal of split-time novels, as well as recommending titles for both readers and writers.

Author Kasimma discusses the process of breathing life into the Igbo culture with her short story collection, All Shades of Iberibe.

Setting has the ability to resonate with readers in the same way that characters do. Here, author Stephanie Gangi discusses her experience writing New York in her novels.