Writer's Digest newsletters

With details of upcoming Writer's Digest University courses, the conference, the Self-Published Book Awards and more:

 

Last Chance to Register!   Writer's Digest is proud to offer our Copyediting Certificate Program. This workshop will provide training for aspiring copy editors in order to give them practical and marketable workplace skills. As a student in this certification course, you will progress from the fundamentals of grammar, form, and composition to advanced copyediting skills. This certification course incorporates critiqued writing assignments and tools to communicate directly with your instructor and fellow students to make sure that you are grasping the content. You will also have quizzes to check yourself along the way and a comprehensive test at the end of the course. Students who complete all the assignments and pass the comprehensive test will receive documentation from Writer's Digest of their completion of the Copyediting Certificate Program. The lessons run for ten weeks, and there are an additional two weeks in which students have the chance to pass the final test.   Fundamentals of punctuation and grammar Guidelines for form and composition How to write using style guides How to put grammar rules into action! and much more!     Course Starts Thursday! February 4 - April 15   SIGN UP NOW!     Instructor: Kelly Boyer Sagert   Kelly Boyer Sagert, a member of the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), has sold thousands of pieces of her writing to magazines, newspapers, online sites, encyclopedias and literary journals. Sagert has written fourteen books and contributed material to more than one dozen other books. Her most recent release is Hidden History of Lorain County (History Press, 2018). She has taught writing classes for Writers Digest University since the program’s inception in 2000. Sagert currently works fulltime as a writer, editor, and speaker. She writes biographical and educational material for encyclopedias and other anthologies, including publications put out by Macmillan and Gale Group, Charles Scribner’s Sons, ME Sharpe, Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, University of Indiana Press and Facts on File.     Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA . This week, we're exploring how to overcome adversity to finish a project and some tips and tricks to help you upgrade your writing. Flat on My Back and Writing in My Head: On Writing My Book After a Stroke (and Believing I Was Sherlock Holmes) A funny thing happened to me on the way to my first novel, The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle. Just before I signed the contract, I was hit by a stroke and went into a coma. (First of all, I should assure you this is not a tragic tale. My recovery has been nearly complete. In some ways, I’m even better than before.) Nevertheless, I woke up, five weeks later, a little fuzzy in the brain. I had the strange impression that I was really Sherlock Holmes and that Sherlock Holmes was actually me, and there would be hell to pay when someone found out. Luckily, I was sensible enough not to tell anyone, though I was sure it was bound to come out. And luckily, that delusion faded. I am not, nor have I ever been, Sherlock Holmes. Read the full article... Write Well On Writing Dysfunctional Families Author Stephanie Wrobel explains how you can use the natural tension of familial relationships to upgrade your story. Read More... Syed M. Masood: Let Your Characters Surprise You Author Syed M. Masood shares how his latest novel, The Bad Muslim Discount, was inspired by the country's political climate and what works (and doesn't) for his no-outline writing style. Read More... Phobia Writer's Digest Weekly Writing Prompt Write a scene or story that includes a character who has a phobia. What do they fear? How does this phobia affect their life? Read More... Mastering Amazon for Authors Course Starts February 25 Enroll in one of the most popular courses at WDU! Mastering Amazon for Authors is the premiere online course designed to help you maximize book sales at the world’s largest retailer. Learn inside secrets from Rob Eagar, one of the most accomplished book marketing experts in America. Learn More... Coming Back Home: Script’s New Editor, Sadie Dean A Script Magazine Feature Meet Script’s new editor, Sadie Dean. Read More... Copyediting Certificate Program Course Starts Thursday! 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. Learn More... Moriah Richard Moriah Richard is an editor at Writer’s Digest with a particular interest in discussing craft and genre. As a reader, she’s most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook. Find Moriah on Twitter @MoriahRichard93. Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA     This Week's Featured Course Copyediting Certificate Program 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. Starts Thursday! February 4 - April 15   REGISTER NOW! Special Offer   Extra $10 off The "Show" Don't "Tell" Collection Today Only! Use Code SHOW10 This kit is designed to break down the aspects of "showing" vs. "telling" so that you can create a convincing and believable world for your readers to explore. $210.94 $39.99 $29.99 SAVE NOW!   Upcoming Webinar Writing Romance in Today's Market In this live webinar, Kimberly Brower will provide an overview of today's romance market, tips on making your novel the best it can be, and information on the best ways to submit to agents. February 11, 2021   SIGN UP NOW! Upcoming Boot Camp   First 10 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. February 25-28, 2021 HURRY, SEATING IS LIMITED!   Explore More Resources   Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA     Sign Up Now, Webinar is Next Week!   The number of romance authors out there is growing, as is the market, so standing out amongst the masses is incredibly important. In addition to writing an amazing story, there are also many other decisions you must make—what avenue of publishing you should explore, what publishers are looking for, and whether you need an agent, and if so, how to get one. In this live webinar, literary agent Kimberly Brower will go over many things an author should consider no matter where they are in their career. She'll give insight on what to think about while writing your novel, how to query literary agents in a way that will grab their attention, and once you have their attention, what questions you should ask to ensure you have found “the right one” for you.   What You'll Learn:  An overview of today’s romance market Tips on making your romance novel the best it can be A look at traditional publishing vs. self-publishing Tips for making your query letter stand out to an agent Querying Dos and Don'ts The importance of the agent/author relationship and much more!     February 11, 1:00 PM ET   SIGN UP NOW!   Instructor: Kimberly Brower   Kimberly Brower fell in love with reading when she picked up her first Babysitter’s Club book at the age of seven and hasn’t been able to get her nose out of a book since. She holds a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge and received her JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. After spending a decade in the business world, it was kismet that she found herself in publishing. She takes great pride in her client list, from the debut authors to #1 NYT bestsellers, and likes to consider them all her favorite authors. She previously worked for over two years at a boutique literary agency before starting her own. After spending 14 years in California, she is thrilled to be back on the east coast.     Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA       Join the February Flash Fiction Challenge   I'm so excited to announce our first ever February Flash Fiction Challenge that will provide a prompt each morning encouraging writers to write a piece of flash fiction each day throughout the month. Maybe you'll end up with 28 short short stories, or maybe you'll end up with 28 great scenes.   (What Is Flash Fiction?)   Starting today, we'll meet on the WritersDigest.com home page every day in February to draft short short stories with editor Moriah Richards and writers from around the world. It's fun; it's free; and it's a great way to get another first draft!   Read the full article...     Grist’s solutions lab, Fix is launching a short story contest, Imagine 2200: Climate fiction for future ancestors. Submissions close April 12. Imagine 2200 calls for stories (3,000–5,000 words) that envision a just, and regenerative future. Winners will be awarded $3000, $2000, and $1000 respectively, and nine additional finalists will each receive a $300 honorarium. Winners and finalists will be published in Grist Magazine. Judges include Adrienne Maree Brown, Kiese Laymon, and Morgan Jerkins. Submit here.     Plot Twist Story Prompts: Let Go   For today's prompt, have a character let go. They can let go of an assumption or prejudice. Or they can let go of a relationship or a dream. Your character can also let go of their good behavior, an employee, or a job.   (Letting go to find writing success.)   Often, a let go moment can feel like something that's coming out of nowhere for other characters, but it's usually a moment that's been building up over time. However, the character that lets go may need an experience or interaction that sets them on their way to what they've been thinking about for a while. Read More...   This Week in Writing   2/1—Mary Shelley died 1851 (Mary Shelley quotes for writers.) 2/1—Langston Hughes born 1902 2/1—Wislawa Szymborska died 2012 2/2—James Joyce born 1882 2/2—Ayn Rand born 1905 2/2—James Dickey born 1923 2/3—Gertrude Stein born 1874 2/3—James Michener born 1907 2/5—William S. Burroughs born 1914 (What does it mean to be a cult writer?) 2/6—Christopher Marlowe born 1564 2/7—Charles Dickens born 1812 2/7—Sheridan Le Fanu died 1873 2/7—Sinclair Lewis born 1885 2/7—Kazuo Ishiguro knighted 2019 (Lessons learned from Never Let Me Go.)   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     Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA       Active Interest Media, 5710 Flatiron Parkway, Suite A, Boulder, Colorado 80301, USA   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:    Copyediting Certificate Program Instructor: Kelly Boyer Sagert 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.   Getting Started in Writing Instructor: Gloria Kempton Have you always wanted to be a writer? Don't let doubt or fear get the best of you—take a chance and learn how to start writing a book, novel, short story, memoir, or essay. When you take this online writing workshop, you'll discover your voice, learn the basics of grammar, and examine the different types of writing.   Increase Your Online Reach with The Magic of 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.   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.   Business Writing Instructor: Kelly Boyer Sagert If you aspire to be a professional writer, you must know the basics of communication. When you take this business writing workshop, you'll develop the skills necessary to survive in the business world as a writer.   Focus on the Short Story Instructor: Mark Spencer When you take this online workshop, you will learn how to write short stories that will delight and entertain your readers. By the end, you’ll improve your creative writing skills and write two complete short stories. Don’t delay, start writing your short story today!   Upcoming Webinars: Writing Romance in Today's Market with Kimberly Brower February 11, 1:00 PM EST The number of romance authors out there is growing, as is the market, so standing out amongst the masses is incredibly important. In addition to writing an amazing story, there are also many other decisions you must make. In this live webinar, Kimberly will provide an overview of today's romance market, tips on making your novel the best it can be, and information on the best ways to submit to agents.   Blogging Strategies That Work in 2021 with Jane Friedman March 11, 1:00 PM EST There are a lot of mixed messages out there about blogging. When pursued with knowledge of the craft, blogging can be one of the straightforward paths to build and engage a readership over the long term for authors. In this 90-minute webinar, Jane Friedman will teach you the principles of strategic blogging for authors and the best practices she’s learned since she started blogging consistently in 2008.   Featured Course:   Mastering Amazon for Authors Instructor: Rob Eagar February 25 - April 22 Enroll in one of the most popular courses at WDU! Mastering Amazon for Authors is the premiere online course designed to help you maximize book sales at the world’s largest retailer. Learn inside secrets from Rob Eagar, one of the most accomplished book marketing experts in America. Rob removes the guesswork from publishing and promoting your books on Amazon.   Upcoming Boot Camp: Agent One-on-One: First 10 Pages Boot Camp with Talcott Notch Literary Services February 25-28, 2021 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.    Hate being tied to a schedule? Check out our affordable, Self-Paced Courses >>   EXPERT INSTRUCTORS | CONVENIENT ACCESS INVALUABLE FEEDBACK   Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA Writer’s Digest Annual Conference 2021 registration is now open!  The Writer’s Digest Annual Conference—July 22 - 25, 2021 in New York City—is your chance to acknowledge the importance of writing in your life. And whether writing is your passion or profession, a trip to the conference is a perfect—and purposeful—affirmation of your goals as you begin the New Year.  Writer's Digest Annual Conference is hopeful we will be able to meet in-person this July. There is still a lot of COVID-related uncertainty in 2021 and WD wants to take the proper steps to ensure all of our speakers, attendees, exhibitors, and staff are as safe as possible. In addition to planning a virtual back-up plan, we will extend the same flexible cancellation policy for 2021 as we did in 2020, allowing attendees to cancel, if needed, once they’ve registered for a full refund. We are monitoring vaccination rates and state/federal travel guidelines very closely and will post updates on our website and via email.  Until then, registration is now open and we are working on some exciting programming for 2021! Be on the lookout for announcements starting in February and in the months to follow. Register today for the best price.  Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA     Writer's Digest is focusing on #StartWrite in January! Whether it's goal-setting, organization, or motivation, we're here to help you start 2021 productively.   8 Reasons Every Book Needs a Business Plan to Achieve Success   No matter your genre or how you want to publish, having a business plan for your book before you start writing may be the key to help your project find ultimate success. Known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach, author Nina Amir gives you the inside scoop.   Nina Amir, WritersDigest.com March 2014 Although self-published authors don’t need a formal book proposal, because they alone make the decision to publish their work, they do need business plans. As the publishers of their own books, they alone must determine if their books are viable business propositions. Traditionally published authors rely on agents, and, ultimately, acquisitions editors, to make this determination, and these publishing professionals do so, at least initially, using the book proposal prepared by the author. That document then becomes the business plan for the book. More and more often, writers in all genres, even fiction, who seek traditional publishing deals are asked to turn in a proposal akin to a nonfiction book proposal.   Take the Proven Route to Well-Paid Writing…   Download The Definitive Blueprint for Making Good Money as a Freelance Writer from AWAI. This free guide, assembled by working writers and industry experts, walks you step-by-step through everything you need to understand about making a comfortable, secure living as a professional writer.   Learn where the best opportunities are, how to rapidly break into top markets, and how to turn one-off projects into steady work.   Grab your free guide now!     I contend that no matter how you want to publish, and whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you should produce a business plan for each and every book you write and publish—before writing a word of your manuscript. Let me offer you eight good reasons why I believe this is an important practice if you want to achieve success as an author.   1. A business plan helps you hone your message or story into a viable product. You don’t want to discover after you finish your manuscript that it isn’t marketable. That means no one will buy it—not readers or a publisher. It’s much better to ensure you create a marketable book idea from the start, and then write that book. A business plan forces you to create a focused book pitch, something difficult to do if you don’t know what you are writing about. That pitch offers you, and, ultimately, readers, a clear statement about your book’s benefits, why someone would want to read your book rather than someone else’s book on the same topic or with a similar story. It ensures you provide value to readers in your category and market. If you can’t provide value in the marketplace, you don’t have a viable product.   Read the full article on our website...   Moriah Richard Moriah Richard is an editor at Writer’s Digest with a particular interest in discussing craft and genre. As a reader, she’s most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook. Find Moriah on Twitter @MoriahRichard93     Mastering Amazon for Authors with Rob Eagar Enroll in one of the most popular courses at WDU! Mastering Amazon for Authors is the premiere online course designed to help you maximize book sales at the world’s largest retailer. Learn inside secrets from Rob Eagar, one of the most accomplished book marketing experts in America. Rob removes the guesswork from publishing and promoting your books on Amazon. Learn more...   Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA   In this issue, learn 15 things a writer should never do, the 1st February Flash Fiction Challenge, why relying on perfect conditions to write might not be perfect, and more!  15 Things a Writer Should Never Do Based on interviews with authors over the years, conferences, editing dozens of issues of Writer’s Digest, and my own occasional literary forays and flails, here are some points of consensus and observations: 15 of them, things anyone who lives by the pen (or seeks to) might consider. Read the full article... Craft & Business of Writing 2021 February Flash Fiction Challenge In just a few days, we'll start meeting on the site every day to draft short short stories with writers from around the world. Writers will be provided with a new writing prompt every morning and be challenged to write a piece of flash fiction throughout the month of February. Read More... Relying on the Perfect Conditions to Write In 2019, a year that seems so-far away now, I’d organized my life into a neat routine. I worked Monday–Friday, looking forward to Saturday mornings when I’d head to my favorite coffee shop, order a big breakfast and a pot of tea, then consume my feast beside my Macbook, typing away at whatever essay ideas came to my mind throughout the week. Read More... Flat on My Back and Writing in My Head LA funny thing happened to me on the way to my first novel, The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle. Just before I signed the contract, I was hit by a stroke and went into a coma. 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. Gain a critique of your manuscript, query letter, synopsis, and more! Click here to learn more >> The No Man's Land Between Genres "This entire book was really a surprise. I grew up in Moscow, reading 19th-century Russian classics, and when, still as a teenager, I declared I would be a writer, I imagined myself writing only 'serious,' weighty books. In the early years of my career, I did not see fantasy as a respectable genre at all. But if I have learned anything in my subsequent decades of reading and writing, it is that genre divisions are arbitrary and literature is literature wherever it is found." 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 Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA You received this email because you are subscribed to Writer's Digest Newsletter. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive.     Publish Your Book, Enter Our Competition, Launch Your Career. It’s time that self-published authors earn the respect they deserve. All that time you spent writing and rewriting, editing, and making your own choices about covers, layout, and distribution shouldn’t go unnoticed! That’s why Writer’s Digest has been honoring self-publishing writers for 29 years with the Self-Published Book Awards. Here’s the scoop: Submit your self-published, printed and bound book in one of eight categories (mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction/reference, inspirational, life stories, early reader/children’s picture books, middle-grade/young adult, poetry) for a chance at: A Grand Prize package that includes $8,000, a trip to New York City for the Annual Writer’s Digest Conference and a feature article about you and your book in the March/April 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. One of eight First Place prize packages that include $1,000 in each respective category and promotion in the March/April 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. Every entrant will also receive a brief commentary from one of our qualified readers—all who have experience in their respective categories and/or the publishing world. Ready to earn the recognition you deserve? Send us your book, which must have been published between 2016 and now, and we’ll take care of the rest. You’ll be well on your way! The best deal on entering will expire on April 1, so enter now! LEARN MORE Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA       This week, we're diving into the writer's psyche to discover what can best set up your writing for success.   The Writer, The Inner Critic, & The Slacker   One of the greatest fears that writers share is a worry that the writing won’t be good enough. We fear our poems and stories will be boring and we’re not meant to be writers because our work, to put it simply, will suck. To help overcome this fear, I suggest we think of our writing selves as three distinct roommates who share an apartment—The Writer, The Inner Critic, and The Slacker. Unfortunately, these roommates don’t get along. The Writer hates The Inner Critic. The Inner Critic wages a quiet battle against The Writer. And The Slacker annoys both by watching TV too loudly and sleeping all day. To solve the problem it’s best to separate the three personalities so we might learn the benefits that each can bring to our writing home. Read the full article...     Building Better Worlds   When Cultures Collide: 3 Ways to Create Tension in Worldbuilding in a Novel   Worldbuilding is more than just drawing up a map and traveling from one place to another. In this post, Greta Kelly shows three ways to create tension in worldbuilding, especially as it relates to the various cultures of the world in your novel. Read More...   Making Magic, Part 2: Structuring Your Unique System   In the last of this article mini-series, WD editor Moriah Richard explains the key components to a hard magic system and gives you some tips on building your own. Read More...     Planting the Seed   Writer's Digest Weekly Writing Prompt   Did you ever hear the myth that if you swallowed a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow in your stomach? If Jack had swallowed the magic beans instead of planting them, could he have gained magical powers?   Write a scene or story in which a character swallows a seed. Read More...   Querying for Success with Carlisle Webber   Last Chance to Register!   In this live webinar, instructor and literary agent Carlisle Webber will show you how to grab an agent's attention with your query letter. A critique of your query letter comes with your registration and the final part of the webinar will include a live, anonymous query critique. Sign Up Now...     The Cultural Foundations of Screenwriting: Abrahamism, Part 2   A Script Magazine Feature   In the continuation of his exploration into Western culture, Dimitri Vorontzov lays out some methods for interpreting Abrahamism in mainstream screenwriting and what that can mean for your story. Read More...   Copyediting Certificate Program   Writer's Digest University   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. Learn More...   Moriah Richard Moriah Richard is an editor at Writer’s Digest with a particular interest in discussing craft and genre. As a reader, she’s most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook. Find Moriah on Twitter @MoriahRichard93.       Active Interest Media 5710 Flatiron Parkway Suite A Boulder, Colorado, 80301 USA