Publications / 323 posts found
For Better or Worse: Writing About Influence in Fiction
Some of my favorite stories are stories about influence: the way people can change one another. Lord Henry Wotton—a decadent aesthete—corrupting the innocent titular character of Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. The sophisticated and thoroughly European Madame Merle taking naive American Isabel Archer under her wing in Henry James’ 1881 Portrait of a Lady. In each case, the story of a relationship between two people—one charismatic, one vulnerable—makes it possible to simultaneously explore personal dynamics and wider questions of morality and ideology, how “dangerous” human beings and “dangerous” ideas alike can transform us, or destroy us. […]
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Weakness Becomes Strength
Plot twist story prompts aren’t meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they’re for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike. Each week, I’ll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week’s prompt, Shock to the System, here. Plot Twist Story Prompts: Weakness Becomes Strength For today’s prompt, have a character’s weakness become their strength. Here’s an example: A character is picked on and given a hard time by her stepmother and mean stepsisters, so […]
How To Do Writing Research During a Lockdown
I’ve always been a great believer in hands-on research. This dates from when I was writing my first novel, Living Dangerously. My heroine was a potter, and I asked a friend who was one to help me. She was willing, and we set a time for me to visit her in her working environment. I had imagined I’d stand in the corner of her studio and take notes. She had different ideas. She gave me a lump of clay and told me what to do. (Writing Inspirational Novels With Flawed Characters) The feeling of having the clay in my hands […]
Book Formatting Software: 9 Options to Get the Job Done
Have you ever opened a book and found the formatting to be awkward? Maybe the margins are inconsistent, so the block of text on the page looks like it’s been stamped at an angle. Maybe there are strange inconsistencies with spacing or font size. Maybe it’s in a font that’s hard to read. These kinds of things will feel unprofessional and unpolished to the reader, and this will make them view your story more negatively, too. If you can’t afford to hire a formatter, that’s okay! Fortunately, there are plenty of book formatting softwares on the market. In this article, […]
Simone St. James: On Finishing the Book First
Simone St. James is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Sun Down Motel, The Broken Girls, Lost Among the Living, and The Haunting of Maddy Clare. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school, and spent 20 years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full time. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Simone St. James Photo by Perrywinkle Photography, 2018 In this post, Simone discusses the nonstop learning that happened in writing her new suspense novel, The Book of Cold Cases, why […]
Writer’s Digest Presents: Debut Authors (Podcast, Episode 3)
In this third episode of the Writer’s Digest Presents podcast, Amy, Robert, Moriah, and Michael discuss debut authors, including whether hunt down debut authors specifically, how they discover new voices, and their favorite books by debut authors (see recommended books below). Advice for Debut Authors from the WD editors: “Don’t look at the reviews.” -Amy Jones “Don’t hide your enthusiasm about your writing and what you love. Don’t feel like you have to act like you’ve been there or that you’re too cool. My favorite debut authors that I work with as an editor are the ones who are coming […]
3 Ways To Manage Pitch Panic
“What happens if I forget key parts of my pitch in the room?” “These executives enjoy tormenting writers and love putting them under pressure.” “I’m a good writer, but I don’t have great social skills…” If you’ve had any of these fear-provoking thoughts, you’ve experienced a fear of negative evaluation. Causes of Pitch Panic range from anxiety that you’ll ruin your pitch, to the idea that you’re pitching to horrible people who won’t grasp your prodigious talents. Either way it makes you nervous when you’re going to pitch to them. (Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Correcting Submissions Before You Hear Back) […]
Entertaining With the Past: How To Write Engaging Historical Fiction
You’ve had your light bulb moment and found a riveting story idea set in the past. Maybe it was inspired by an obituary in the newspaper; you have a family story you are burning to share; you’ve read a poem that ignited your emotions; or you believe there is a gap in an account of a famous period in history that has been neglected and you want to embellish an idea or theory you hold dearly. We can’t always know what is true. There are always alternatives to accounts, different perspectives to share … so let your imagination fly. (How […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 604
For today’s prompt, write a spring poem. Regardless of what your local groundhog prognosticated on February 2, the first day of spring is nearly upon us. So it’s a perfect time to write a springtime poem. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don’t require manual approval like […]
Caitlin Barasch: On Curating Our Own Personal Stories
Caitlin Barasch earned her BA from Colorado College and her MFA from New York University. Her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications, including Catapult, Day One, The Forge, and Hobart. A former bookseller, Caitlin currently teaches creative writing at the Writers Circle. She was born and raised in New York and now lives in Brooklyn. A Novel Obsession is her debut novel. Find her on Twitter and Instagram. Caitlin Barasch In this post, Caitlin discusses the collaborative effort of publishing her literary novel, A Novel Obsession, her advice for others writers, and more! Name: Caitlin BaraschLiterary agent: Callie […]