Publications / 323 posts found
2022 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 10
I’m a big fan of love in all forms—familial, friendly, platonic—but as this is February, romance is a little more on the forefront of my mind. However, romance doesn’t always mean chocolate and flowers; everyone has quirks that their partners have to discover to best woo them. For today’s prompt, write something romantic. Remember: As mentioned yesterday, these prompts are just starting points; you have the freedom to go wherever your flash of inspiration takes you. (Note: If you happen to run into any issues posting, please just send me an e-mail at mrichard@aimmedia.com with the subject line: Flash Fiction […]
What Is a Drabble in Writing?
The first time I heard the word drabble, I was on Tumblr. It wasn’t totally surprising; this is back when I was very actively writing fan-fiction, and my mutuals were all fans of the shows and books I was into. If you’re a part of the fic community, you’ll know that sometimes people will write to you and request work based on a prompt, theme, or even something as vague as “angst with a happy ending.” When a writer I really admired announced that they were doing a 30-day drabble challenge, I was confused. They were kind enough to explain […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 599
For today’s prompt, write a round poem. This could be a poem about a something that is circular, for sure, but also play off ideas like “what goes around comes around” or things that are rounded off. Of course, there are also poetic forms with refrains that have the same lines come around multiple times in the 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 […]
Mia P. Manansala: On Savoring Positive Feedback
Mia P. Manansala is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and badass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Mia P. Manansala Photo by Jamilla Yip Photography In this post, Mia discusses how a beta reader helped her rethink the story she wanted to tell in her new cozy mystery novel, Homicide and Halo-Halo, her advice on savoring positive feedback, and more! Name: Mia P. ManansalaLiterary agent: Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary AgencyBook title: Homicide and […]
2022 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 9
I’ve always thought regifting to be an interesting subject; sometimes, something that meant little to you can be very meaningful to someone else. Sometimes, you accidentally give someone something that they’d given you, and it can cause hurt feelings. And if you have hoarders in your life like I do, sometimes the gifts that come your way can be truly wacky. For today’s prompt, let’s write about something being regifted. Remember: As mentioned yesterday, these prompts are just starting points; you have the freedom to go wherever your flash of inspiration takes you. (Note: If you happen to run into […]
Kiare Ladner: On Anticipating False Summits
Kiare Ladner’s short stories have been published in anthologies, broadcast on the radio and shortlisted in competitions, including the BBC National Short Story Award. Nightshift is her first novel, written while studying for a PhD. Prior to that she did a Prose Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. She teaches at various institutions in London and also mentors other writers. You can find her at kiareladner.com and on Instagram. Kiare Ladner Photo by Marcos Campos In this post, Kiare discusses the release of her debut literary novel, Nightshift, in the midst of the pandemic, its revival with a U.S. […]
Research and Storytelling for Successful Historical Fiction
“It must be easy writing historical fiction. You already know what’s happened.” That comment always makes me laugh. When you write historical fiction, you wonder what really happened. According to historian Patrick Collinson, “It is possible for competent historians to come to radically different conclusions on the basis of the same evidence. Because, of course, 99 percent of the evidence, above all, unrecorded speech, is not available to us.” That 99 percent leaves a lot of gray areas. Happily, those gray areas are where historical novelists get to play. That’s where our imagination fills in what might’ve happened behind and […]
Announcing the Winners of the 2021 Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2021 Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards! Read an interview with the First-Place winner Julie Novak-McSweeney in the July/August 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. Want to see your name on this list? Keep checking our competitions page for upcoming competitions. 1. “The Old Ones Julie” by Novak-McSweeney 2. “Watch Repair Eric” by Meub 3. “Lament” by Martha Fox 4. “Solipsism” by Mercer Warriner 5. “Confession” by Gabrielle C. Burton 6. “An Awakening of Girls” by Katherine Cavicchio 7. “THE BURNING” by Carolina Hamilton 8. “My Father’s Grief” by Linda Busby Parker 9. “Equinox” by J. W. […]
3 Practical Book Promotion Strategies For Your New Book
There are many book promotion strategies, but only a few are always practical and effective for a new book. You can spend a lot of time and effort promoting your new book after publishing it. But unless you get the foundations right before you publish, you might end up wasting a lot of time and money. It’s far more effective to plan and start your book promotion well before releasing your book. Book promotion strategies that work By far, the most worthwhile ways to promote your new book need to be in place well before publishing. One of the biggest […]
Kim Fay: On Turning to Friendship in Times of Need
Born in Seattle and raised throughout the Pacific Northwest, Kim Fay lived in Vietnam for four years and still travels to Southeast Asia frequently. A former bookseller, she is the author of Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, winner of the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards’ Best Asian Cuisine Book in the United States, and The Map of Lost Memories, an Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel. She is also the creator/editor of a series of guidebooks on Southeast Asia. Fay now lives in Los Angeles. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. In this post, Kim discusses the hard […]