Writer's Digest - deadlines 13th and 19th June

Here is the latest Writer's Digest newsletter with details of the conference, early booking deadline 13 June, and the writers contest, deadline 19 June, and more:

Plus writing tips, conference advice and more from Writer's Digest.

 

10 Tips for (Re)Writing a Novel   Jolina Petersheim, author of The Divide and The Alliance, shares the secrets for completely editing and rewriting a novel-with ten specific tips to help you through the slog. Read More...

Steal These 31 Writing Prompts Writer’s block? Get your creative juices flowing with 31 Writing Prompts to Inspire You Through the Month! These prompts are easy, fast, and fun. They’ll help fire up your imagination and encourage you to dig deeper as you write. Plus, they’ll prime your brain to become an idea-generating machine. Whenever you sit down to write, you’ll jump right into the flow. Get your FREE 31 writing prompts here!

5 Writing Rules Everyone Should Know   Wherever you fall on the Writing-Skillz Spectrum, it never hurts to review the basics. Below are some good rules of thumb to keep in mind as you put pen to paper. (Of course, in writing, as with just about anything, there are exceptions to every rule. But you gotta know the rules in order to break 'em, right?) Read More...

Find your way to self-publishing success in just 5 easy steps 5 Steps To Self-Publishing—your step-by-step guide that navigates the entire self-publishing process. Yours free. Only from BookBaby. Download your free guide.

A 30-year Writing Journey Finds Publishing Partner at Writer's Digest Conference   I was nervous when I arrived at the 2015 Writer's Digest Conference at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. This professional gathering could clinch thirty years of work on one manuscript. Over decades, I nurtured and rewrote my account of working for former New York State Governor Mario M. Cuomo, while my oldest brother was associated with John Gotti. I had a unique story and was capable of telling it, but I was unskilled at bringing my work into the publishing market. Read More...

Unlock the potential of your manuscript! Helga Schier, PhD, published author and professional editor offers effective, personalized, constructive and comprehensive editorial services. Contact: withpenandpaper@verizon.net, www.withpenandpaper.com, 310.828.8421

How Taking a New Path in Writing Can Fire Up Your Muse   "What about a magical blow dryer?" Liz admired her freshly blown out hair in the mirror at DryBar, clearly the inspiration for the idea. Lisa shrugged and took a long sip of her champagne. It was May 2014 and we were in New York, prepping for a meeting with our agent, Elisabeth Weed. Read More...

Meet New York Literary Agents and Hollywood producers, August 4-6, Portland. Fiction, YA, genres, screen workshops with Alaya Dawn Johnson, Larry Brooks, Steve Barnes. http://www.willamettewriters.org/wwcon

Literary Agent Boot Camp: Perfecting Submission Materials   In this brand new boot camp from Fuse Literary Agency, attendees will learn how to put together a short yet effective query letter, a one- to two-page book synopsis (fiction), and a nonfiction book proposal. They'll also learn some best practices for submitting their query, pages, and synopsis and/or proposal to agents. Each attendee will have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with an agent and receive a valuable critique of ten pages of their work in any combination: query letter, manuscript pages, synopsis, or proposal. Starts June 20. Sign up here ...

Your Weekly Writing Prompt   The End of the Bucket List: Write a story about a character who finds out that he or she is dying and has been knocking things off his/her bucket list and has finally reached the last item. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments here ....

Brian A. Klems Follow @BrianKlems Brian A. Klems is the senior online editor of Writer's Digest and author of the popular gift book Oh Boy, You're Having a Girl: A Dad's Survival Guide to Raising Daughters.

 

Submit your finest writing to WD's 86th Annual Writing Competition by June 19.

 

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Submit your finest writing to WD's 86th Annual Writing Competition by June 19. Is your best piece of writing waiting to be read by the right set of eyes? If the answer is yes, pull it off the shelf, dust it off and enter it in the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition. For more than 80 years, talented writers—like you—have found career-igniting success in the pages of Writer's Digest. This is your chance to score a paid trip to the Writer's Digest Annual Conference, pocket $5,000 and see your name on the cover of Writer's Digest, along with other great prizes. Entering is easy and the results could be life-changing—but the deadline is on the horizon. Discover the category best suited for your writing and make your move!

 

No event helps you delve deeper into your novel than this one!

 

No event helps you delve deeper into your novel than this one! Just one week left to save! Register by June 13! Considering a trip to the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Conference in Pasadena? If you’re still weighing the pros and cons, consider this: The chance to take part in a conference devoted exclusively to the novel is rare—not to mention this will be WD’s only West Coast event in 2017. Plus, when you register by June 13, you’ll lock in the early-bird discount. Those are all terrific reasons to join us this October, but the most important is what your attendance could mean for your career. At WDNWC, you’ll enjoy a start-to-finish progression of instruction that will meet you wherever you are on the path to a finished novel. Spend a long weekend fine-tuning your book and return home energized—and much closer to your goal of publication. Speakers and sessions are still coming together, but now is the time to take that leap of faith. Register by June 13 to reserve your seat and your best rate! GET TALKING: #NWC17

Learn how to put together a dynamic yet professional submission package

 

Agents get literally thousands of submissions a year, including query letters, sample pages, and synopses. Of those thousands, they request a full manuscript from few and offer representation to even fewer. Think of your submission package as a job application for your book. You not only want to apply to the right people, the ones who have a passion for the books you write, but you want to present your book in such a way that they will easily see what your book has to offer. This brand new live Writers Digest boot camp will teach you how to put together a dynamic yet professional submission package that will show agents you take your potential author career seriously and make them want to read your work. In this brand new boot camp from Fuse Literary Agency, attendees will learn how to put together a short yet effective query letter, a one- to two-page book synopsis (fiction), and a nonfiction book proposal. They'll also learn some best practices for submitting their query, pages, and synopsis and/or proposal to agents.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: On Tuesday, June 20, you will gain access to a 60-minute workshop led by literary agents Jennifer Chen Tran, Tricia Skinner, Michelle Richter, and Carlisle Webber. This workshop will show you what agents expect from your submission package and how you can shape it to fit their needs. After listening to the presentation, attendees will spend the next two days revising materials as necessary. Following the tutorial, writers will have two days in which to log onto the discussion boards and ask your assigned agent critiquer questions related to revising your materials. The agents will be available for a discussion session from 1-3 p.m. (PT) on both Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22. By end of day (11:59 p.m., PT) on Friday, June 23 , attendees will submit up to 10 double-spaced pages for review to their assigned agents. These pages can include any combination of double-spaced query, synopsis, book proposal, or pages of their manuscript. The agents will spend three weeks reviewing all assigned pages, provide relevant feedback and offer suggestions to help attendees improve upon them. The agents reserve the right to request more materials if they feel a strong connection to the work and want to read more. *While we accept requests to work with a specific agent, there are no guarantees that attendees will be matched with their requested agent. All agents are able to provide critiques for all genres.

Boot Camp Runs: 6/20 - 6/23   $199.99   Learn more

ABOUT FUSE LITERARY AGENTS: Michelle Richter  joined Fuse Literary after eight years at St. Martin's Press. While there, she edited nonfiction including MELISSA EXPLAINS IT ALL by Melissa Joan Hart and RENEWABLE by Jeremy Shere, and worked on women's fiction, memoir/ biography, pop culture, cookbooks, and diet/health books. Michelle is primarily seeking fiction, especially book club reads, women's fiction, contemporary romance, literary fiction, magical realism, and mystery/suspense/thrillers. She's also open to YA fiction, particularly contemporary YA and YA mystery/thriller. For nonfiction, she's interested in fashion, pop culture, science/medicine, sociology/social trends, and economics.. Tricia Skinner  has 20 years of experience working with the video game industry in various roles, including public relations, industry relations, and writing/editing. She is also a hybrid author of passionate urban fantasy (represented by Fuse co-founder Laurie McLean). Diversity in genre fiction is dear to Tricia's heart. As an agent, Tricia wants to represent authors who reflect diversity and cultures in their work. She specializes in Adult, Young Adult and Middle Grade.  Jennifer Chen Tran  is an Associate Agent at Fuse Literary acquiring both fiction and non-fiction. Jennifer acquires both fiction and non-fiction. For fiction, Jennifer is seeking literary fiction, commercial fiction, women's fiction, upmarket fiction, contemporary romance, mature Young Adult, New Adult, suspense/ thriller and select graphic novels (both adult, YA or MG). She is particularly interested in voices from underrepresented and marginalized communities, strong and conflicted female characters, war and post-war fiction, and writers who are adept at creating a developed sense of place. She admires writers who have an ear for dialogue and who are not afraid to take emotional risks. Carlisle Webber  considers herself to be an editorial agent and has industry experience as a copy editor for Yen Press, a division of Hachette Book Group, and the health and parenting website Spright.com. She belongs to the American Copy Editors Society and Bay Area Editors' Forum and holds a Professional Certificate in Editing from University of California, Berkeley. When editing, she aims to make a book the best possible version of itself, shaping it in a way so it can best use its unique voice to appeal to a wide audience. She is accepting science fiction and fantasy for YA and MG only.

Get your sneak peek here!

 

Best rates by June 13 The schedule for the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Conference, taking place in Pasadena this October 27-29, is now live! Plan your ideal writing weekend by mixing and matching sessions across four tracks— Craft, Character, Genre and Beyond. Look for more sessions and speakers to be announced in the coming weeks, but the time to lock in your best price is NOW (and discounted hotel rooms are available only until they sell out). If you’d like to learn how to produce a tightly crafted novel that’s compelling to agents, editors and readers, the Novel Writing Conference is the event you’ve been waiting for. Join Writer’s Digest this fall! GET TALKING: #NWC17

Time is running out. Act now!

 

The Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Conference, focused exclusively on the needs and interests of fiction writers, is returning to the West Coast this fall! From Oct. 27–29, this immersive weekend in the craft and business behind your book is headed to Pasadena, Calif. Your chance to lock in your best possible price ends this Tuesday, June 13, at midnight! The mentors and speakers have been invited. The customizable schedule of sessions is growing by the day. The building blocks for your novel are all here, simply waiting to be assembled. But the clock is ticking. You must register by June 13 to lock in the lowest price that will be offered for this event. (And now is the perfect time to book that discounted hotel room, too.) Ready for your next step? We think so. Register today! GET TALKING: #NWC17   Includes a FREE Craft and Technique Guide   SAVE UP TO 82% ON WRITER'S DIGEST   SUBSCRIBE NOW AND GET YOUR FREE GIFT The No. 1 Resource for Writers There's no better time to subscribe to Writer's Digest. Our in-depth articles and inspiring features help writers in all stages of their careers. In every issue of Writer's Digest you'll get: Must-have tips and publishing secrets to stay inspired, creative and motivated The latest, best markets for print and e-publishing Techniques for effective writing in various genres PLUS when you subscribe now you'll get a FREE GIFT - Writer's Workbook: Your Ultimate Craft and Technique Guide - to download instantly! Everything you need to stay inspired and improve your craft Learn from bestselling authors, seasoned editors and literary agents     Discover how to draft the perfect query   A Guide to Drafting the Best Query Letter   Most literary agents comb their query accounts to find their next author for representation. The query letter is your book's only opportunity to make an incredible first impression. The best query letters are clear, concise, engaging, and well-organized. During this 48-minute tutorial, literary agent Melissa Edwards guides you on how to draft the perfect query letter. Read More... Writer's Digest Tutorials   Writer's Digest Tutorials Members enjoy full access to all tutorials featured in this newsletter, as well as every tutorial on the site. For only $199 you gain access to all Writer's Digest's writing tutorials for an entire year. That means you have access to all 300+ current tutorials and all the new tutorials created throughout the year.  New Releases   Engage Agents, Editors, & Readers With Your Novel's First Chapter, Part 1   PREVIEW   Engage Agents, Editors, & Readers With Your Novel's First Chapter, Part 2   PREVIEW   Creative Ways to Promote Your Poetry   PREVIEW   More Contemporary Poetic Forms   PREVIEW Writer's Digest Membership Options   $25 MONTHLY $199 Annually   300+ WD Tutorials are immediately available for viewing, and at least one new tutorial is added weekly. Sue Johnson Sue is an Instructional Designer for Writer's Digest. She lives with her Corgi/Dachshund (Dorgi), Dori, and three kitties. Follow her on Twitter @sueajohnsonco.