Blog Profile / WritersDigest.com
| URL : | http://www.writersdigest.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Arts / Writing | |
| Posts on Regator: | 1347 | |
| Posts / Week: | 16 | |
| Archived Since: | October 10, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
WD Poetic Form Challenge: Senryu
It’s been two months since our last poetic form challenge and the April PAD Challenge is over, so let’s get another one started. This time around, the challenge is to write senryu, … Read more
Your Story 51: Submit Now!
Prompt: Begin your story with the following line of dialogue: “Heads, we get married; tails, we break up." Read more
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 220
Sorry for the late prompt today. Was finishing up some edits on Writer’s Market all morning. For this week’s prompt, write a late poem. I know, I know–how original! But seriously, write … Read more
How to Push Your Characters to Their Limits
How far can a character go before she’s “out of character”? Here’s how to use the interplay of context, conflict and contradiction to your story’s advantage. Read more
You’re Only Crazy if You Say You’re Not
One morning you awake to find yourself in a straight jacket, being taken off to an asylum. How do you prove your sanity? What do the guards and psychiatrists say you did? Read more
10 Questions with Humor Writer Dan Zevin, Author of Dan Gets a Minivan
As part of my 10 Questions Series, humorist Dan Zevin took a minute to talk with me and answer 10 fascinating questions about humor writing—covering the writing process, finding an agent, important advice for aspiring humor writers and more—that anyone who has ever considered writing humor should check out. Read more
5 Ways to Build Solid Relationships in Your Story
2. “The Stalking Test” -- Staring at a boy or girl from a distance is fine, every once in a while. Especially if the staring shows something he/she is doing that helps the reader get to know him vs. telling how attractive he/she is. A few mentions of observation/appearance are plenty. Show More Summary
Brian Kimberling: An Interview With the Author of SNAPPER
Brian Kimberling's debut, SNAPPER, details the brief but romantic career of a backwater birdwatcher. It won the 1st Annual Janklow & Nesbit Prize, and will appear from Pantheon (April 2013) and from Tinder Press (UK, May 2013). In aShow More Summary
If You’re Feeling Down and Out About a Rejection Letter …
Consider James Lee Burke. Sure, his novels are everywhere these days. Bookstores. Airports. Bestseller lists. But here’s how they got there. As Lindsey O’Connor detailed in our profile of the author, Burke published … Read more
The Hidden Room
While preparing your garden at the beginning of spring, you find the blueprints for your house buried in the earth. When you pull it out and examine it, you find that there is a room in the blueprint that doesn’t exist in your house. Both disturbed and intrigued, you set off to find the missing room. Write what happens next. Read more
Tackling Historical Fiction
For those of you who are curious about the craft of historical fiction writing, let us part the curtain a little and let you have a peek. Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Sara Megibow and “The Daedalus Incident”
This series is called “Successful Queries” and I’m posting actual query letter examples that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting these query letter samples, we will also get to hear thoughts from the...Show More Summary
10 Questions Writers Must Ask Before Quitting Their Day Job
Ask yourself these 10 crucial questions before you quit your day job. Read more
Karen Rigby: Poet Interview
Please welcome Karen Rigby to the Poetic Asides blog! Rigby is the author of Chinoiserie (Ahsahta Press, 2012), winner of the 2011 Sawtooth Poetry Prize, and of the chapbooks Savage Machinery and … Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by F.T. Bradley
1. Know Your Process. Before I even got my agent or my books found a publisher, I had a writing schedule, and set deadlines for each stage of the process. At the time, it felt a little ridiculous, but I’m glad I did this now. I know exactly how fast I can write a first draft, or how long it takes me to do a deep edit. Show More Summary
6 Secrets to Creating and Sustaining Suspense
No matter what you write, keep your readers captivated with these no-fail techniques. Read more
Bonus WD Interview Outtakes: Khaled Hosseini
In peaceful Kabul, Afghanistan, many years ago, there was a young boy who, like most young boys, loved his family, loved his country, and loved great stories. He was taken by his … Read more
4 Truths That Will Revolutionize Your Revision Process
Perhaps because I’m in the process of revising a novel manuscript myself, the advice in the May/June 2013 Writer’s Digest Guide to Pain-Free Revision really resonated with me as I pieced it … Read more
5 Tips for How to Write a Young Adult Crossover Novel
1. While you should certainly feel free to include characters of whatever age you choose, make sure there’s at least one teenager. While young adults often read books without teenaged characters (I was partial to Somerset Maugham stories...Show More Summary
Zest + Small Things = Great Writing (Guest Blog by Elizabeth Sims)
Recently I was asked to talk to a group of ‘beginning writers’. Mind you, these people were adults; it’s not like they were in the first grade just learning how to spell … Read more