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Publishing
Your Children's Book
Children's books—young adult, middle grade, and picture books—have
taken over the publishing industry (in a good way). In this WDU Boot
Camp, the agents of P.S. Literary Agency will show you how to make your
submission stand out.
Starts Today!
November
17-20, 2020
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Create an
Author Website in 24 Hours or Less
Launching your author website doesn't have to be scary. Digital media
and publishing expert Jane Friedman will teach you how to get your
website up and running in a day or less—often in one evening!
This
Thursday!
November 19, 2020
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First Ten
Pages Boot Camp
As you may know, agents and editors won't give your work more than ten
pages or so to make an impact. In this invaluable event, you'll get to work directly
with an agent to review and refine the first ten pages
of your novel.
December
3-6, 2020
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Children's
books—young adult, middle grade, and picture books—have taken over the
publishing industry (in a good way). Now, children's books are
celebrated for their enchanting prose, their relatable characters,
their beautiful illustrations, and their fantastic stories that
transcend age categories and genres. The growth of the children's book
sector has been unprecedented this past decade—so how can you make your
manuscript stand out in these crowded categories and genres?
Work directly with
an agent from the comfort of your home!
Your
Registration Includes:
- Four
special 30-minute online tutorials presented by literary agents
from the P.S. Literary Agency
- Online
Q&A session with your assigned agent
- Networking
opportunities with your peers
- Feedback
from an agent on your query and full picture book or sample from
your first chapter
Get personalized
feedback from agents with the P.S. Literary Agency! If your
submission shows promise, they may ask you for additional pages.
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Starts Tomorrow!
November 17-20
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Active Interest Media
5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA
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7
Things That Will Doom Your Novel
There are a lot of ways not to do something. Like the
new boat owner a few years ago who was filling up his pleasure craft
with fuel for that first time out. Only he mistook the tube meant to
hold fishing poles for the gas tank. After completing his work he
started up the engine.
The gas fumes ignited and blew the boat owner into the
sky. He came down in the drink and was rescued, but the boat was a
goner.
You can be just as
creative in finding ways not to
write your novel. With a little thought and not much effort, you can
easily devise methods to prevent yourself from actually finishing a
book—or finishing a book that has a chance to sell.
Read the
full article...
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Listen aloud
to catch more errors…
There’s an app
for that.
Thousands of writers
use Edit Out Loud to listen to their work and add comments from their
phones while walking dogs, doing laundry, or jogging. Comments sync
back to a Word document so you can address them. You can even share
audio with beta readers to collect their feedback. Editing just got
easier!
Try the app for
free on the App Store
or on Google Play
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Plot Twist Story Prompts: Wrong Turn
For today's prompt, it's time to take a wrong turn. More
than a few stories actually use the wrong turn twist to set up the rest
of the plot. However, there are some wrong turns that can add flavor to
your story without overtaking the entire dish.
For instance, a
wrong turn is a good way to introduce a character who will play a
significant role later in the story. It's also a great way to introduce
objects that may play a more significant role. Anyone familiar with the
Harry Potter series of novels can probably come up with several
"wrong turns" that eventually had "pay off" moments
in the stories.
(25 plot
twist ideas and prompts for writers.)
While wrong turns
are good for planting seeds in your story, they're also great for
building tension and suspense. After all, a wrong turn inherently means
that your characters are further away from their intended destination.
How long does it take for them to realize they took a wrong turn? How
do they react once they realize the mistake? These add to the drama,
but they also feed character development.
Read
More...
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This Week in Writing
11/16—Chinua
Achebe born 1930
11/16—Andrea Barrett born 1954
11/18—Robert C. O'Brien born 1918
11/18—Margaret Atwood born 1939 (WD
interview with Atwood.)
11/19—Allen Tate born 1889
11/20—Leo Tolstoy died 1910
11/20—Don DeLillo born 1936
11/21—Voltaire born 1694
11/21—Andrew Sean Greer born 1970 (WD
interview with Greer.)
11/22—George Eliot born 1819
11/22—Jack London died 1916
11/22—Jamie Lee Curtis born 1958
11/22—C.S. Lewis died 1963
11/22—Aldous Huxley died 1963 (15 quotes
from Brave New World.)
11/22—Anthony Burgess died 1993
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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
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Active Interest Media
5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA
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Active Interest Media, 5710 Flatiron Parkway, Suite A,
Boulder, Colorado 80301, USA
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This Week's
Boot Camp:
Publishing
Your Children's Book: How to Write and Pitch Young Adult, Middle Grade,
and Picture Book Manuscripts
with P.S.
Literary
November 17-20, 2020
Children's books—young adult, middle grade, and picture
books—have taken over the publishing industry (in a good way). In this
WDU Boot Camp, the agents of P.S. Literary Agency will show you how to
make your submission stand out. You’ll have the chance to submit your
query letter plus your picture book manuscript or a sample from your
middle grade/young adult manuscript’s first chapter for critique.
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This Week's
Webinar:
Create an
Author Website in 24 Hours or Less
with Jane
Friedman
Thursday, November 19, 1:00 PM EST
Launching your author website doesn't have to be scary.
Digital media and publishing expert Jane Friedman will teach you how to
get your website up and running in a day or less—often in one evening!
Allow easy access to your writing, build your list of loyal followers,
and experience the feeling of having your very own website in less than
a day!
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Courses
Starting This Week:
Copyediting
Certificate Program
Instructor:
Christine Pingleton
This workshop will provide training for aspiring copy editors in order
to give them practical and marketable workplace skills. If you complete
all the assignments and pass the comprehensive test, you will receive
documentation from Writer's Digest of your completion of the
Copyediting Certificate Program.
Character
Development: Creating Memorable Characters
Instructor: Gloria
Kempton
When you take this online writing course, you will learn how to create
believable fiction characters and construct scenes with emotional depth
and range. Create characters readers will love and develop a strong
point of view for your fiction book today!
Fearless
Writing
Instructor:
William Kenower
This workshop will look at several techniques you can you use to keep
yourself in the creative flow and out of the trouble and misery fear
always causes. It offers you a transformative experience from renowned
motivator William Kenower. Don't miss out!
Increase Your Online Reach with SEO
Instructor:
Dorit Sasson
In these uncertain times, strategies for marketing and selling books
have changed. With so many cancelled book events, authors and writers
need to be found online more than ever. Whether you’re an
authorpreneur, a freelancer, or a blogger, this very practical,
hands-on course will guide you through the magical optimization process
of how to show up on Google so that people can start finding you online.
Revision
& Self Editing
Instructor:
Terri Valentine
Every writer knows that the journey to publication is a long and hard
road. Once you finish your first draft, it’s time to start the arduous
process of self-editing and revision. In this workshop, you will learn
methods of self-editing for fiction writers to ensure your writing is
free of errors.
Writing
the Mystery Novel
Instructor: G.
Miki Hayden
Do you love reading a good mystery? Have you always wanted to write
one? During the Essentials of Mystery Writing workshop, you'll have the
choice of creating a brand new mystery story from scratch or working
with a story you already have in progress. Spend six weeks on your
craft while receiving feedback from a published mystery author!
Writing
the Personal Essay 101: Fundamentals
Instructor:
Estelle Erasmus
An excellent way to get your first byline, this course guides writers
through elements of how to write a personal essay, helping them
identify values expressed in their stories and bring readers into the
experiences described.
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Upcoming Boot
Camp:
Agent
One-on-One: First 10 Pages Boot Camp
with Talcott
Notch Literary Services
December 3-6, 2020
As you may know, agents and editors won't give your work
more than ten pages or so to make an impact. In this invaluable
event, you'll
get to work directly with an agent to review and
refine the first ten pages of your novel. You'll learn what keeps an
agent reading, what are the most common mistakes that make them stop,
and the steps you need to take to correct them.
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EXPERT INSTRUCTORS | CONVENIENT ACCESS
INVALUABLE FEEDBACK
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Writer's Digest November/December 2020
Writer’s
Digest officially turns 100! In
this special double issue, WD celebrates 100 years of helping writers
improve their craft and getting published with advice from some of the
biggest industry professionals and authors publishing today. We’ll look
back on how writing has changed over time, the founding of WD, and much
more.
This issue's
articles include:
- Writers on Writing: Bryan
Washington, the multiple-award winning author of Lot and a new
novel titled Memorial
(Oct. 2020, Riverhead Books), is the first guest author of this
new column in which writers will consider a topic important to
them, offer advice, or lessons learned. By Bryan Washington
- The WD Interview with Celeste Ng: Former WD
editor Tyler Moss interviewed the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You
and Little
Fires Everywhere. Their wide-ranging
conversation covers everything from outlining and editing, to
establishing theme and the importance of uplifting other writers.
By Tyler Moss
- WD Profile:
Erik Larson: Just before the launch of his
newest book, The
Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance
During the Blitz, Erik Larson sat down with
Zac Petit for an in-depth profile from his New York City
apartment. Larson shares about the roles that both chance and
research play in his bestselling books, all while Petit tries to
uncover the secret of the question, How does Erik Larson do
it? Featuring
exclusive photos of Larson in his workspace. By
Zac Petit
- Also included is a bonus interview
with Nick Laird and Zadie Smith, 100 Ways to Buff Your Book, 100
Years of Writing Inspiration, and much,
much more!
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Active Interest Media
5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA
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As many writers
know, agents and editors won't give your work more than ten pages or so
to make an impact. Make sure you've got the kind of opening they're
looking for! In this invaluable event, you'll get to work with an agent
online to review and refine the first ten pages of your novel.
Work directly with
an agent from the comfort of your home!
Your
Registration Includes:
- 60-minute
online tutorial presented by agent and editor Paula Munier
- Online
Q&A session hosted by Talcott Notch Literary Services
- Networking
opportunities with your peers
- Feedback
from an agent on your first ten pages
Get personalized
feedback from agents with the Talcott Notch Literary Agency!
If your submission shows promise, they may ask you for additional
pages.
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In this issue, look at how to write the
perfect query letter, peruse 39 successful query
letters, discover a new market spotlight and new agent
alert, and so much more!
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How to Write
the Perfect Query Letter
One of the easiest
ways to learn what makes a good, standard query letter
is simply to see an example of one that does its job
well. If you write fiction or narrative nonfiction, a
query letter is your first (and often, your only)
chance to get an agent interested in reading (and, with
hope, signing) your work. You should put just as much
care and attention into crafting and polishing your
query as you did into your manuscript. After all, if
your pitch doesn’t hit its mark, your book will never
leave your desktop.
(39
successful query letters in multiple genres.)
Following is a successful query for a
middle-grade novel that led to me first requesting this
full manuscript and later signing on to represent the
author, Dianna Dorisi Winget. Read the full article...
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Craft & Business of Writing
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Cardinal Rule
Press: Market Spotlight
The editors say,
"We are a traditional publishing company located
in southeast Michigan that produces a select number of
books each year; all of which make a difference in the
world while reflecting modern-day diversity. Cardinal
Rule Press leads the way in providing messages that
empower families, schools and communities through
inspirational children's books and educational programs
and events that support our books' powerful themes." Read More...
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New Agent
Alert: Crystal Orazu
What moves Crystal
above all else is simple, open, and honest writing true
to an author's wild imagination or lived experience.
Anything that brings equal measures of humor,
introspection, or feelings of second-hand embarrassment
appeals to her. She loves both sweet meandering stories
as well as more fraught and thrilling narratives in
both YA and adult fiction. Perspectives that make her
question the way that she or others move in the world,
as well as her assumptions/opinions of societies and
systems (à la Black Mirror), are also welcome in her
inbox. Read More...
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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 >>
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The Parenting
Break From Writing
In 2015, just a year
after my second novel, The Art of Floating,
was published, I turned in my good literary citizen
card and, for the most part, dropped out of sight. I
didn’t plan this sabbatical. I loved teaching,
blogging, speaking at literary conferences, hosting
reading series, engaging in bookish conversations,
mentoring emerging writers, and bellowing from the
social media mountaintops about beloved books and authors.
But with a seven-year-old and a newly adopted
two-year-old, I found myself unable to connect beyond
that all-consuming triad. Every ounce of energy was
funneled into parenting.
For the next few years, I limited myself
to two things: parenting and writing. As the years
ticked by, my kids grew, my new novel Agatha Arch Is
Afraid of Everything sold to Alcove
Press, a bit of space opened in my life and mind, and
I, once again, began to long for that deep connection
with the literary community. I needed to reconnect with
writers and readers around the world, to teach and
share and uplift, and to be an integral part of this
very special something. But how?
Read More...
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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
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