With details of upcoming courses, here are the latest Writers Digest newsletters:
Jordan Rosenfeld’s
masterclass will help you master the art of tension.
|
|
|
Tension is like the connective tissue that
allows muscles to attach to bones, and flex their might. It’s the heart of
conflict, the backbone of uncertainty, the hallmark of danger. It keeps
readers guessing, and characters on their toes. From the inner conflicts of a
character's deepest psyche, to the mechanics of how you reveal information to
the reader, creating tension is critical to crafting a story your readers
can't put down.
That’s why we’re offering a special pre-conference workshop on Thursday, August 22nd,
right before the 2019
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference kicks off!
- Four
key elements of page-turning tension
- Strategies
for building character tension
- Essentials
of creating plot tension
- How
to balance scene elements for maximum tension
- How
to build powerful images that layer in subconscious tension
Whether you’re a beginning writer or already
have a few short stories or novels under your belt, you’ll walk away from
this masterclass with practical techniques to elevate your fiction by
mastering the art of tension.
Seats are limited, so be sure to register before March 26th and save $150!
|
|
|
F+W, 10151
Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA
|
Demystify the
self-editing process
|
|
|
You’ve done it:
typed The End. Those two wonderful words mark your graduation from
always-wanted-to-write-a-novel to someone-who-did. Congratulations. Other
ideas might be cooking away in the back of your brain, making you eager to
start a new project. Often, this is where the spirit wanes as new writers
lose momentum for the old manuscript. Because, you didn’t finish, did you?
You only finished the draft. Now you have to focus on revising your novel.
Here’s the bad news (and there’s no good news): The rewrite is tougher than
the draft. The draft is infatuation. The right rewrite strengthens your
fiction into something that lasts to publication and gains a significant
readership.
You know this task needs triage, so you won’t copyedit too soon. You line
edit for tone, consistency and language, but you want more ways to improve.
Boost your novel-polishing skills with these seven strategies.
1.
|
EMBRACE THE DOUBT
Those murky feelings that cloud your mind when contemplating the massive
task of revision? Welcome those doubts, that hesitation. A skeptical eye
confers an appropriate attitude for rewriting. Every word in every sentence
must carry its weight, either revealing character or advancing the story.
Now be brave enough to cut or improve weak writing.
|
2.
|
GO BACK-TO-FRONT
WHEN POSSIBLE
Let’s say your plan for one brief session is a specific checkpoint. You’re
verifying that sensory detail engages every scene, or perhaps you just want
to note how many pages are in each chapter to ensure there aren’t
twenty-five chapters of about fifteen pages while one chapter sprawls to
thirty-five pages. If the revision item does not have to be done starting
on page one and working to the last page, flip it and work backwards. This
strategy prevents paging through in a direction that can distract you into
an unintended sentence-by-sentence reread. The danger of that accidental
read is that it risks dulling your reaction to the prose and worse, lets
you fall in love with some passages while neglecting others. Read More...
|
|
Every writer
struggles with the process of self-editing and revision? Writer's Digest can
help you make the process feel less daunting.
When you take this
online writing workshop, you will learn the methods of self-editing for
fiction writers to ensure your writing is free of grammatical errors.
You’ll also dig deeper into how to edit a book with Write Great Fiction:
Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell. Use his self-editing
checklist to keep you on track and take the time to perfect your work. After
all, you only have one chance to make a first impression on an agent or
publisher.
|
Course Starts This Thursday
|
|
|
F+W, 10151
Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA
|
Plus this month's
boot camp!
|
|
|
Our writing online workshops cover every
aspect of writing, from how to get started all the way to getting your
writing published. Writer’s Digest University features writing classes online
for every skill level of writer and our professional instructors are
dedicated to helping you achieve your writing goals.
Click
here to view course schedule >>
|
Courses Starting
This Week:
|
Advanced
Blogging
Instructor: Naveed
Saleh
Have you been blogging for a while, and in need of the inspiration and ideas
to take it to the next level? In this course you will leave with the know-how
to build your blog into something extraordinary! Are you new to blogging? Click
here instead to learn the basics.
|
Creativity
and Expression
Instructor:
Elizabeth Huergo
When you take this online workshop, you’ll explore creative writing topics
and learn how descriptive writing can breathe life into your characters,
setting, and plot. If you are a beginner writing this is the perfect course
to help you develop your creative skills!
|
Pitch
An Article: Write for Today's Marketplace
Instructor: Estelle
Erasmus
This intensive two-week course will teach you how to craft a good pitch
letter and do it well. Be ready to mine your life for ideas. Start thinking
about a great spin on a topic or an unusual personal experience that you'd
like to write about in class!
|
Revision
and Self Editing
Instructor: Terri
Valentine
When you take this online writing workshop, you will learn the methods of
self-editing for fiction writers to ensure your writing is free of
grammatical errors. If you have just finished your first draft, this is the
perfect course for you.
|
Social
Media 101
Instructor: Dan
Blank
It’s important to know how to use social media for writers, everything from
the basics to how it can benefit your career. Discover how to use social
media to your advantage in this Social Media 101 workshop.
|
Writing
the Memoir 101
Instructor: Gloria
Kempton
During this course, you will learn how to structure your stories, develop
your storytelling skills, and give you the tips, techniques, and knowledge to
adapt your own life stories into a chronological memoir.
|
Literary
Agent Boot Camp: Perfecting Submission Materials
Dates: March 19 - 22
In this 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. Learn
More >>
|
|
|
F+W, 10151
Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA
|
Get noticed for the
right reason with a good pitch letter!
|
|
|
In today’s
competitive marketplace, it’s important to catch an editor's attention. It
all starts with a pitch.
No matter what kind of article you want to write, a good pitch letter will
get you noticed by an assigning editor.
This intensive two-week course will teach you how to craft a good pitch letter
and do it well. Be ready to mine your life for ideas. Start thinking about a
great spin on a topic or an unusual personal experience that you'd like to
write about in class!
Improve your pitching game!
|
•
|
Locate editors and magazines looking for
pitches
|
•
|
Address an editor the right way
|
•
|
Mine your life for ideas
|
•
|
Write a headline that resonates for an
editor to get the sale
|
•
|
Target your pitch to the reader
|
•
|
Erase adverbs: they are your adversaries
|
•
|
Craft a pitch letter for maximum impact
with a powerful intro and an ending that leaves the editor wanting more
|
•
|
Spin a topic for multiple pitches
|
|
•
|
Anyone who is pitching publications
|
•
|
Writers who want to see their work
published
|
•
|
Writers or journalists at any level who
want to improve their pitching game
|
|
•
|
"Estelle
provided fantastic insight in this pitch course. Very enlightening
especially for those getting into the writing game. This is my second
course under Estelle’s tutelage and she never disappoints. Her feedback is
direct, encouraging and actionable. She has helped me build confidence and
jump into writing with both feet whether I wanted to or not!" -NB
|
|
Thursday, March 14 - March 28, 2019
|
|
|
|
Instructor: Estelle
Erasmus
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning
journalist, writing coach and former magazine editor-in-chief of five
publications, including Hachette’s
Body by Jake, The
American Breast Cancer Guide, and Women in Touch. As a writing coach, Erasmus
evaluates her student’s writing, and helping them to structure it, while
polishing their prose and creating greater clarity to make their essays flow,
so they can get published.
|
|
|
F+W, 10151
Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA
|
No comments:
Post a Comment