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Writing for a Warming World - Imagining the overwhelming, the ubiquitous, the world-shattering.
Climate change is one of those topics that can throw novelists—and everyone else—into a fearful and cowering silence. When the earth is losing its familiar shapes and consolations, changing drastically and in unpredictable ways beneath our feet, how can we summon our creative resources to engage in the imaginative world-building required to write a novel that takes on these threats in compelling ways? And how to avoid writing fiction that addresses irreversible climate change without letting our prose get too preachy, overly prescriptive, saturated with despair?
Kids' Author Meg Medina Inspires Readers
WD chats with the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
The Horrors of Grief
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
The Mystery of Growing Up
New York Times-bestselling author Jasmine Warga tackles a new genre with her signature blend of empathy for her readers, agency for her characters, and the belief that art is the great connector.
Education
Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.
A Do-Over Romance
Karin Patton, the first-place winner of the 24th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards, shares a funny story about secondchance love and a brief Q&A.
Everyday Wonder
How to mine awe from the mundane
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Unveil the hidden beauty in the facts and transform your nonfiction with the power of wonder.
Childhood: Our Touchstone for Wonder
How to get in touch with Little You and create big new work for today.
Agent Roundup
22 agents share details, about what kind of writing will pique their interest and offer tips for querying writers...
Frontlist/ Backlist - Working For Justice - In this edition of Frontlist/ Backlist, we'll be looking at the first two books in a series by Robert Justice
In this edition of Frontlist/ Backlist, we'll be looking at the first two books in a series by Robert Justice. As such, the order will be reversed (Backlist/Frontlist), but I'll be sure to avoid any spoilers.
A Tale of Two Mice
Novelist Simon Van Booy tells the touching true story of how his pet mice inspired his newest novel, Sipsworth.
A New Perspective Goes a Long Way
How exploring different perspectives in the drafting phase story's unique angle.
Steven Rowley
The New York Timesbestselling author discusses reconnecting with old characters, balancing humor and heart, and his new release, The Guncle Abroad.
Searching for Answers in Faith, Poetry, and the Empty Forest
Calloway Song, winner of the 18th Annual Writer's Digest Poetry Awards, shares the story behind his winning poem, \"Songs of Gideon.\"
A Funny Thing Happened When I Fell From the Sky
Using magical realism and surrealism in your writing.
Choosing Violence
The secret to writing animal characters.
The Ecology of the Family
Build and leverage a family ecosystem to develop and deepen your fiction.
The Art of People-Watching
Advice for how observation can help you put people on the page.
Acting Against Their Nature
Four ways to create effective uncharacteristic behavior in your characters.
How Nature Journaling Can Help Your Writing
As writers, we want to transport our readers to the world we are describing or creating on the page.
Writers on writing
When I wrote Daughters of Shandong, my biggest challenge was finding a way to convey, in full force, the gravity of what my characters overcame.
Writing a Great Retelling
When I say retelling, it's Sherlock Holmes who comes to mind. Just in recent film and TV, Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumber-batch stand out for their interpretations of Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved character.
Conflict Avoidance
Setting expectations early in the author-editor relationship can prevent conflict and help manage emotions when the edits come in.
Out to Sea
THE CHALLENGE: Write a drabble-a short story of exactly 100 words-based on the photo prompt below.
Alyssa Cole
In Alyssa Cole's newest thriller, One of Us Knows, the lead character Kenetria Nash is the host of what's known as a \"system,\" a group of personalities that inhabit the same body.
Escalate Conflict to Keep Readers Turning Pages
Draw readers in through physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual conflict.
Better Story Structure Through Musicals and Kung Fu Movies
Build emotion and conflict for your characters and readers by taking a note from the structure of two popular storytelling forms.
The 26" Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers
Creating this list is a yearlong project that involves an overwhelming number of bookmarked sites on our browsers. Th ere are so many great websites for writers—with more popping up practically daily—it’s no wonder this is still one of our most popular features aft er 25 years.
BREAKINGIN
Debut authors: How they did it, what they learned, and why you can do it, too.