Writer's Digest newsletters

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Writing the Personal and Profound Novel With more than two million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller and the fastest-selling UK title by a new crime writer in 2015. It won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. Both Clare's second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. All three of her thrillers were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Clare's latest novel, After the End, was published in June 2019 and spent seven weeks in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart. Together, Clare's books have been published in more than 40 countries. (36 Plot Nots: Plot Clichés to Avoid.) In this post, Mackintosh shares why it took three novels to write her most recent, what she learned about writing thrillers, her best piece of advice for other writers, and more. Read the full article... Looking for an excellent publisher? Atmosphere Press is an independent full-service publisher for books of all genres, from fiction to poetry to non-fiction to children's picture books, and beyond. Atmosphere’s exceptional editorial, design, and promotional team embraces an author-friendly approach to getting your book out into the world. They use a collaborative publishing model, allowing you to retain your rights while Atmosphere helps make your book awesome.   Submit your full-length manuscript by September 30th with no reading fee at atmospherepress.com/books/guidelines. Plot Twist Story Prompts: Divine Act For today's prompt, have something unexpected and uncontrollable happen. Some may call this an act of God or a divine act. In ironic cases, it may be dubbed cosmic irony. But whatever you call this thing that happens, it should be unexpected and something outside the control of the main characters. For instance, a couple is enjoying a nice walk together on a trail with the sun out and no wind...when a tree suddenly falls. Maybe it lands on one of them. Or the tree could take out a bridge they needed to cross to get back to civilization. If not a tree, maybe the bridge just collapses when no one is on it, or there's a landslide. You know, just something random. (5 Ways to Surprise Your Reader Without It Feeling Like a Trick.) I had this happen in my life once when I was driving on a sunny day through a neighborhood and a utility pole fell across the road...right...in...front...of...me. Like if it had waited a few more seconds (or I'd driven a mile over the speed limit), I'd have been a goner. Super random. Read More... This Week in Writing 9/28—Herman Melville died 1891 (12 Herman Melville quotes for writers.) 9/29—Miguel de Cervantes born 1547 9/29—Carsons McCullers died 1967 9/29—W.H. Auden died 1973 9/30—Rumi born 1207 9/30—Truman Capote born 1924 9/30—Elie Wiesel born 1928 9/30—Elizabeth Sims born 1957 (7 rules of picking names for characters.) 10/1—E.B. White died 1985 10/1—Tom Clancy died 2013 10/2—Wallace Stevens born 1879 10/2—Graham Greene born 1904 10/3—Thomas Wolfe born 1900 10/3—Gore Vidal born 1925 (10 quotes on writing.) 10/4—Anne Rice born 1941 10/4—Anne Sexton died 1974 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, Colorado 80301

 

Writer's Digest online writing workshops cover every aspect of writing, from how to get started all the way to getting your project published -- all from the comfort of your home! Click here to view the full course calendar >>   Courses Starting This Week:  12 Weeks to a First Draft Instructor: Mark Spencer Dive into the world of writing and learn all 12 steps needed to complete a first draft. In this writing workshop you will tackle the steps to writing a book, learn effective writing techniques along the way, and of course, begin writing your first draft.   How to Write a Book That Sells Instructor: Nina Amir If you want to write a book that will sell, you’ll want to learn from a professional who knows her way around the book business. This course provides the necessary knowledge to craft a book with a high likelihood becoming a bestseller.   Blogging 101 Instructor: Dan Blank Don’t know how to start a blog? Not sure what to focus on? Don’t fret! This online writing workshop will guide you through the entire blogging process—how to create and setup a blog, where to start, and much more!   Short Story Fundamentals Instructor: John DeChancie The short story is a unique and challenging medium that offers you amazing opportunities. Throughout this four-week workshop, you will have feedback and support while you write and hone an entire short story from beginning to end, and you'll leave with a polished draft of your story.   The Art of Storytelling 101: Story Mapping and Pacing Instructor: Gloria Kempton Discover how the seven core competencies of storytelling—concept, character, voice, plot, theme, scene construction, and style—combine to create compelling narrative.   October Boot Camp: How to Find and Keep a Literary Agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency October 20-23, 2020 How do you hook an agent right away, keep them hooked, and make the most of your new publishing relationship? In this boot camp, you'll learn how to get a literary agent’s attention through a great submission as well as how to work with them successfully. Agent feedback on your first five pages and query letter is included!   October Webinars:   How to Hook an Agent: Queries and Beyond! with Katie Shea Boutillier Thursday, October 8, 1:00 PM EDT Querying can be a thrilling experience. From the first day you send out your first batch of queries, to your first requests, to some valuable feedback, and then to finally a match made! Join agent Katie Shea Boutillier as she explores exactly what agents are looking for in clients.   How to Write a First Draft in a Month with Carly Watters Thursday, October 22, 1:00 PM EDT NaNoWriMo is coming up and yes, you can write a draft of your book in a month! Don’t let limited time, busy lives, or other obstacles get in the way. A manuscript in 30 days requires thoughtful preparation, strategic planning, a strong sense of discipline and loads of enthusiasm. This live webinar will give you the concrete tools to achieve your goal.   View Full Course Calendar   Hate being tied to a schedule? Our Self-Paced Courses are Now Only $19.99! EXPERT INSTRUCTORS | CONVENIENT ACCESS INVALUABLE FEEDBACK   | Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, Colorado 80301 Interested in Pitching? Register by October 21!   At the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, the virtual pitch slam is a rare opportunity to pitch your book directly to agents and editors actively looking for new voices! Attendees will pre-record their pitch in video format for agents and editors to view and provide direct feedback via live chat. We’re adding new agents everyday across all genres—including fiction, nonfiction, children’s, young adult, and more. Advocate for your book and you might just become another Pitch Slam success story. Time is running out. Pitch Slam attendees must be registered by October 21 in order to participate! If you’ve been on the fence about whether to sign up, we’re here to remind you of what you’ll receive: Pitch Perfect session conducted as a recorded webinar with a Q&A plus sample pitches and a demo with instructions to build your author booth Immediate feedback on the merits of your pitch directly from agents and editors working in that genre or category Actionable advice on improving your pitch and/or ways to improve your storyline or nonfiction premise An opportunity to submit your work for consideration, land representation, or perhaps even get a deal—it can happen! Inclusion of your query letter in the WD Annual Conference Query Letter Directory, supplied to all attending agents and editors after the conference Yes, you read that last line correctly. One of the little-known aspects of Pitch Slam is that after the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference is over, we’ll invite all Pitch Slam participants to send us their query letter! Our editors will compile these letters into a directory of queries (sorted by genres and categories) and send them to every agent who was at Pitch Slam. Query letters are collected post conference. If you’ve decided this is the year for you and your book to take the next big step, don’t hesitate. Finalize your 2020 registration today and lock in your Pitch Slam slot.   Register Now Information SPONSORED BY:  | Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, Colorado 80301

. CRITIQUES YOU CAN TRUST! Professional feedback on what works and what doesn't... Do you like writing short stories? One of the most exciting parts of finishing your story is having someone read and experience it. However, can you trust your family and friends to give you their honest opinion? And if so, do you trust that their feedback is on a professional level? If you are serious about getting your short story published, you can trust the professional editors at Writer's Digest 2nd Draft services. Give your story the polish it deserves so you can share it with the world! Click here for more information and pricing. LEARN MORE  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, Colorado 80301

Each Flashback Friday throughout 2020, we'll be sharing an article from our archives to celebrate our 100th anniversary. Tweet your favorite WD memory to us @WritersDigest using the hashtag #WritersDigest100. Thanks for celebrating with us! It Starts With Voice By Michael Orlofsky, Writer's Digest June 1993. Voice is your mind. Increasingly, in contemporary fiction the energy of the narrative has been shifting from characterization to the author’s voice. Maybe the best part of fiction always has been the author’s voice, but that’s not the way I was taught to approach writing. I was taught to start with character. I’m not sure that advice is sound anymore. The search for “unique” characters can lead to monstrosities: Already this semester my creative writing students have turned stories about a mass murderer; a woman who beats and abandons her child; a woman who kills brother, lover, aunt and self; a man who remorsefully knifes an assailant to death; and a sociopath at a mall with an automatic weapon in his gym bag. These are sweet, normal undergraduates. Finally, I issued a ban: no more dead bodies in workshop. I worry less about my students’ vision of society, however, than I do about their perception of themselves and about how their selves become fiction. Maybe these stories are nighttime anxiety-dreams surfacing as daytime anxiety-fictions. Regardless, their authorial voices aren’t their own; they belong to prime time. When teachers or editors or other readers say a character isn’t interesting, what they’re really saying is that the author isn’t interesting. Because character is the author, plus memory, plus imagination, plus observation. What captures story readers is a sense that the voice of the author has authority. When Tolstoy opens Anna Karenina with the famous line “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” I am of a mind to follow the author anywhere. No character has yet appeared; no plot line has begun. What captures me is Tolstoy’s voice – its wisdom, compassion, observance, control. Reading the opening paragraphs of a story or novel, I search for signs of the author’s voice; Is she an authority? What descriptive words is she using? What comments is she making about her character? What unique observation is she putting into her character’s head? Continue reading this article on our website. 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 How to Find and Keep a Literary Agent Boot Camp How do you hook an agent right away, keep them hooked, and make the most of your new publishing relationship? In this boot camp, you'll learn how to get a literary agent’s attention through a great submission as well as how to work with them successfully. Agent feedback on your first five pages and query letter is included! Click here to Learn More | Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, Colorado 80301

Enter our newest competition, the Personal Essay Awards! 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. Prizes One Grand Prize Winner will receive: $2,500 in cash Their essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2021 issue A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a coveted Pitch Slam slot The Second Place Winner will receive: $1,000 in cash Their essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2021 issue The Third Place Winner will receive: $500 in cash Their essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2021 issue Fourth through Tenth Place Winners will receive: $100 in cash Their essay titles published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2021 issue Eleventh through Twenty-Fifth Place Winners will receive: A $50 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com   LEARN MORE  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, Colorado 80301

Attention poets! We’re on the look out for poems of all styles. SUBMIT YOUR BEST POEMS in the 15th Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards for a chance to win $1,000 in cash. The Grand Prize Winner will be published in Writer’s Digest magazine, and all top winners will be listed on WritersDigest.com! We want to see poems in all styles-rhyming; free verse, haiku, and more! Choose your favorite poems of 32 lines or less, and enter them today for your chance to win.. Enter by October 1, 2020. LEARN MORE  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, Colorado 80301