Writer's Digest

Here are the latest newsletters from Writer's Digest:

In this issue, learn the answers to 25 frequently asked questions writers ask about publishing, a new market spotlight, going from podcast to publication, and more!  25 Publishing FAQs for Writers After more than 20 years of working with writers and other publishing professionals, I've learned a thing or two about how the industry works. But I've also learned a thing or two about which questions writers frequently have about writing and publishing. Because they ask me at live events, on social media, or via email.  (Common publishing terms.) As such, I thought it would be a great idea to start answering those questions in individual posts. Then, it occurred to me that another great idea would be to collect those posts in one spot that makes it easy for writers to find answers to common publishing questions. Here it is. In this post, I've collected 25 publishing FAQs for writers and will plan to add to this list as I answer other questions in the future.  Read the full article... Craft & Business of Writing Virginia Quarterly Review: Market Spotlight Virginia Quarterly Review (or VQR) is a literary journal looking for top-notch fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. (The Sun Magazine: Market Spotlight.) The editors say, "From its inception in prohibition, through depression and war, in prosperity and peace, the Virginia Quarterly Review has been a haven—and home—for the best essayists, fiction writers, and poets, seeking contributors from every section of the United States and abroad. It has not limited itself to any special field. No topic has been alien: literary, public affairs, the arts, history, the economy. If it could be approached through essay or discussion, poetry or prose, VQR has covered it." VQR pays $200 per poem, up to four poems; collections of five or more usually earns $1,000. For prose (fiction and nonfiction), they pay 25¢ per word. Book reviews are $500, and online content generally earns $100-200 per piece. Read More... Jeff Gomez: From Podcast to Publication The book began as a podcast in late 2017. The plan was to, every two weeks, upload an episode of me talking about one of the band's studio records. In each episode, I talked about who played on the album, what was happening in music at the time, and I also went through the record track by track and offered commentary on each song.  (7 ways to develop an affordable marketing plan.) I wrote up "scripts" and then recorded myself reading the scripts. After doing this for a few episodes, I realized that what I was writing were really essays. Each essay was about 16 to 20 pages. After doing the math, I knew that—at the end of the podcast—all my essays would add up to a manuscript. I'd have a book on my hands! Read More... Plot Twist Story Prompts: Missing Item For today's prompt, have something go missing. That something could be super important (like a briefcase full of money). Or it could be seemingly, though not necessarily, innocuous (like an old flash drive or pair of shoes). And yes, the "thing" that goes missing could actually be a person. (20 Things to Consider When Building Fantasy Worlds.) One nice aspect of the missing item twist is that it forces characters to reveal things about themselves. Some characters will automatically assume the missing item was stolen (or kidnapped). Others will think it was misplaced (either by someone else or themselves). Read More... Send Your Work to 2nd Draft Critique Services! No matter your style or genre, Writer's Digest Shop offers a high-level view of your writing. After an evaluation of your submission, one of the professional 2nd Draft critiquers will provide feedback and advice. You'll not only learn what's working in your writing, but what's not, and—most important—how to fix it. Gain a critique of your manuscript, query letter, synopsis, and more! Click here to learn more >> Freelance Writing Tips for Regional Publications If you're looking to break into the freelance writing arena but are unsure of where to start, consider pitching to publications found in your own community. Whether you are a beginning freelancer or interested in branching out from your day job, regional publications offer opportunities to get your foot in the door, build confidence, gather reputable contacts, and create solid portfolio clips you can use to build a platform toward work with other magazines. Read More... Robert Lee Brewer Robert Lee Brewer is a senior editor for Writer's Digest and former editor of the Writer's Market book series. He is also the author of Smash Poetry Journal and Solving the World's Problems. Find him on Twitter at @RobertLeeBrewer | Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301 Learn about the newest Writer's Digest writing competition and read how one author pushed herself to write better historical fiction.  Writing in the Shadows: On Writing Better Historical Fiction When researching and writing historical fiction, a writer opens doors into the past and prepares for surprises. As I dug into Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel's written history when I began my latest novel, The Queen of Paris, I found right away that I could not trust many of her biographies. While she was alive, Chanel demanded absolute approval before cooperating with a writer. She nixed most of them. Her image was carefully structured and protected, as were the now-famous witty quotes that seemed to fall impromptu from her lips before the press. In fact, as my research began, I soon realized that despite Chanel's public image and those beautiful, clean couture designs—the bias cut satins and silks, the lace inserts, soft jersey dresses, diamond hair clips and romantic perfumes—the real Coco was still a mystery. Because her life during the war years when the Nazis occupied Paris remained hidden until only recently as her secrets gradually came into the light. Read the full article... What's New A New WD Writing Competition We’re looking for personal essays! Think you can write a winning essay in 2,000 words or less? Enter the first ever Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Awards for your chance to win $2,500 in cash, get published in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to our ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference. Read More... 10 Terrific Quotes From Charlotte's Web Here are 10 terrific quotes from Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White. In the same book that involves matters of life and death, the power of persuasion, and growing up, Charlotte's Web provides plenty of quotable moments. Read More... Finish the Sentence Writer's Digest Weekly Writing Prompt Pick any of the prompts below. Finish the sentence, and begin your story! When Penelope finally met Amanda... Because Dexter was down on his luck... To give them a clue, Steve drew in his notebook... Megan was running out of plans... When they ran out of orange soda... Read More... Character Development Premium Collection Save an extra $20 this week! *Use code CHARACTER20 Save big on eight of our best resources at Writer's Digest Shop! Inject your writing with emotion and create layered characters that will make your readers laugh, cry, and never forget your stories. See what's included... Write What You Know. Except... A Script Magazine Feature Ray Morton shares advice on how to write what you know and twist it in a dramatic way to help your odds of crafting a story executives want to read. Read More... Perfecting Submission Materials Boot Camp Writer's Digest University Agents get literally thousands of submissions a year, including query letters, sample pages, and synopses. This 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. Learn More... Amy Jones Amy Jones is the editor-in-chief of Writer’s Digest and the former managing content director for WD Books. Prior to joining the WD team, Amy was the managing editor for North Light Books and IMPACT Books. Find her on Twitter at @AmyMJones_5 | Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301 Critique of Your Query Letter Included! Writing a query letter and querying agents can be a frustrating experience for writers, but it’s actually a very simple process. In this live webinar, Jess Regel will demystify the query letter. You will learn the basics of how to write a query letter and how to get the best results from agents. All registrants are invited to submit your one-page query letter for critique. Even if you can't attend the live webinar, registering for this live version will enable you to receive the recorded webinar and a personal critique of your material. What You'll Learn: The importance of the query letter The basic structure of a query How to determine which agents to query in the first place Do's and Don'ts  And much more! Who Should Attend:  Writers who haven’t yet written their query and don’t know where to start Writers who have written a query and want it to be critiqued before they start reaching out to agents Writers who are willing and able to revise Writers who have been querying agents, but haven’t been getting requests Writers who want to know more about how agents decide which queries they request July 16, 1:00 PM EDT ENROLL NOW Instructor: Jess Regel Jess represents fiction and nonfiction in both the adult and the children’s markets. Her authors include New York Times Bestsellers Bryn Greenwood (All The Ugly and Wonderful Things), Amber Smith (The Way I Used to Be) and Shea Ernshaw (The Wicked Deep), as well as national bestseller and award-winning writer/podcaster Nora McInerny (It’s Okay to Laugh). No matter the genre, Jess looks for distinctive voices and stories that are one of a kind.  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301 Active Interest Media, 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301, USA Featured Offer Save an Extra $20 This Week! Use Code CHARACTER20 Save big on eight of our best resources designed to help you write better characters. Click here to see what's included. $389.93 $79.99 $59.99 SAVE NOW! *Use code CHARACTER20 during checkout to save an extra $20. Coupon expires July 10, 2020 at 11:59 PM CDT. Not valid with other offers or products Upcoming Webinar Query with Confidence Writing a query letter and querying agents can be a frustrating experience for writers, but it’s actually a very simple process. In this live webinar, Jess Regel will demystify the query letter. You will learn the basics of how to write a query letter and how to get the best results from agents. July 16, 1:00 PM EDT LEARN MORE! July Boot Camp Perfecting Submission Materials Agents get literally thousands of submissions a year, including query letters, sample pages, and synopses. This 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. July 21-24, 2020 LEARN MORE! Upcoming Webinar The Picture Book Puzzle Join Maria Vicente and get your picture on the shelves. This live webinar includes a live presentation, a Q&A session, a critique of your children's picture book manuscript, and downloadable worksheets that will help you write, revise, and pitch your picture book long after the webinar is over. July 30, 1:00 PM EDT LEARN MORE! Explore More Resources  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301

11 Secrets to Writing Effective Character Description The characters in our stories, songs, poems, and essays embody our writing. They are our words made flesh. Sometimes they even speak for us, carrying much of the burden of plot, theme, mood, idea, and emotion. But they do not exist until we describe them on the page. Until we anchor them with words, they drift, bodiless and ethereal. They weigh nothing; they have no voice. Once we've written the first words—"Belinda Beatrice," perhaps, or "the dark-eyed salesman in the back of the room," or simply "the girl"—our characters begin to take form. (3 ways to introduce your main character.) Soon they'll be more than mere names. They'll put on jeans or rubber hip boots, light thin cigarettes or thick cigars; they'll stutter or shout, buy a townhouse on the Upper East Side or a studio in the Village; they'll marry for life or survive a series of happy affairs; they'll beat their children or embrace them. What they become, on the page, is up to us. Here are 11 secrets to keep in mind as you breathe life into your characters through description. Read the full article... Plot Twist Story Prompts: Missing Item For this week's prompt, have something go missing. That something could be super important (like a briefcase full of money). Or it could be seemingly, though not necessarily, innocuous (like an old flash drive or pair of shoes). And yes, the "thing" that goes missing could actually be a person. (20 Things to Consider When Building Fantasy Worlds.) One nice aspect of the missing item twist is that it forces characters to reveal things about themselves. Some characters will automatically assume the missing item was stolen (or kidnapped). Others will think it was misplaced (either by someone else or themselves). Read More... This Week in Writing 7/6—Guy de Maupassant died 1893 7/6—Kenneth Grahame died 1932 7/6—William Faulkner died 1962 (Faulkner quotes for writers.) 7/7—Robert A. Heinlein born 1907 7/7—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died 1930 7/7—David McCullough born 1933 7/10—Marcel Proust born 1871 7/10—Mildred Wirt Benson (original Carolyn Keene) born 1905 (The secret of the 25 chapters in Nancy Drew books) 7/10—Alice Munro born 1931 7/10—Seth Godin born 1960 7/11—E.B. White born 1899 (10 terrific quotes from Charlotte's Web) 7/12—Henry David Thoreau born 1817 7/12—Pablo Neruda born 1904 Robert Lee Brewer Robert Lee Brewer is a senior editor for Writer's Digest and former editor of the Writer's Market book series. He is also the author of Smash Poetry Journal and Solving the World's Problems. Find him on Twitter at @RobertLeeBrewer  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301