November/December 2013 Issue
November/December Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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Overcoming Writer’s Block
Every writer suffers from it to one degree or another. Look here and you’ll find ideas, exercises, and advice for overcoming writer’s block. And maybe you’ll find a few new story ideas as well.
The Ideas that Inspired The Hobbit, Animal Farm & 8 Other Famous Books
Ideas often percolate and simmer over time, but every once in a while lightning strikes—and a sudden flash of creativity can alter a writer’s career forever. Take, for example, these 10 famous works inspired by unexpected bolts of inspiration. Read more
3 Steps For Overcoming Writer’s Block
This writing tip addresses overcoming writer’s block and is excerpted from You Don’t Have to Be Famous by Steve Zousmer. Being stuck at the start creates a special kind of frustration. Before … Read more
How to Overcome Writer’s Block Like a Bestselling Author
Writers everywhere have or will lack writing inspiration. Whether you need help to overcome writer’s block, or are simply looking for inspiration for writing, read our today’s tip, taken from Write Great … Read more
Why Julia Cameron Plays By Her Own Writing Rules
Alcoholism. A turbulent Hollywood marriage. Writer’s Block. For the author of The Artist’s Way, the path of the writer has never been a walk in the park. Read more
6 Simple Ways to Reboot Your Writing Routine
Abandoned manuscripts, dwindling writing time, stubborn computers—sometimes your writing life can feel like it’s lost the plot. It’s time to recenter and refocus—and start 2012 off right. Read more
4 Ways Inspiration Helps You Beat Writer’s Block
Battling writer’s block? Relax. Research suggests inspiration will find you. Read more
How to Prepare for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
November is known by most literati as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. How it works: Start writing a 50,000-word novel on November 1 and finish by midnight on November 30th. I’ve participated in the event twice. First, let me share these three important takeaways from my experience. Read more
Writer’s Workout Exclusive
Download a free motivational poster to keep you moving as your build your writing career. Read an Excerpt! Learn how to cultivate clarity, inventory ideas, write richly, and serve up words. About … Read more
Writer’s Workout Excerpt
Excerpt from The Writer’s Workout by Christina Katz CULTIVATE CLARITY When you write something needlessly prolix and convoluted, there’s a reason for it, and that reason is usually a lack of clarity … Read more
Writer’s Workout
The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques from Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-179-0 ISBN-10: 1-59963-179-2 $19.99 paperback, 384 pages Buy the Book! Read … Read more
It’s Time for #StoryFriday
Two years ago on a hot Friday morning I was feeling burnout and was desperately looking for a fun boost. Scrabble just wasn’t going to cut it, I was tired of losing The New Yorker Caption contest, and HR apparently frowns upon booze in the office (I know, I know, silly office rules). I glanced at the rest of the WD staff and they seemed to be in a funk too. Or they turned into zombies. Either way, I figured it was bad. So I suggested a story-building exercise we could all participate in. Read more
The Q: Do You Have Writer Envy?
All I’ve ever wanted to be one of the most clever writers in the world and, thanks to Facebook status updates, I’m not even sure I’m the most clever writer in my house. Not a day goes by where I don’t read an article, short story, book or tweet and think to myself, Oh man, that’s so good. I wish I’d have written that. The disease is called Writer Envy and I have it. BIG TIME. Read more
Reject a Hit: Marley & Me
Let’s step once again into the mind of the unconvinced, perhaps even curmudgeonly or fool-hearted editor: What harsh rejection letters might the authors of some of our favorite hit books have had to endure?
This time we take on John Grogan of Marley & Me fame.
6 Steps to Jump-Start Your Story
Sooner or later, we all get stranded in the middle of our manuscripts. Use these 6 steps to jump-start your story so you can keep on driving.
by John Dufresne
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Reject a Hit: J.K. Rowling
Let’s step once again into the role of the unconvinced, perhaps even curmudgeonly or fool-hearted editor: What harsh rejection letters might the authors of some of our favorite hit books have had to endure? This time we take on J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame.
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10 Ways to Fuel Your Writing
It takes a lot of energy to write a book and stay with it through drafts, revisions, submissions, rejections, sales and marketing. Many writers find the energy in the sheer joy of … Read more
Creating 3-Dimensional Scenes
Strengthen a weak scene in your novel in just 30 minutes by trying this writing exercise.
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Bestselling Author Nicholas Sparks Explains the Creative Process
For Nicholas Sparks, the secret to success on both bookshelves and the big screen is as simple as knowing that a good story just isn’t enough. It has to be memorable, too.
by Jessica Strawser
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10 Creative Ways to Beat Writer’s Block Fast
Following are 10 exercises that will help you take a fresh look at your work-in-progress by giving you a mental break.
by Fred White
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The 10 Best Places for Writers to Live
Humor writer Bob Woodiwiss, author of The Serfitt & Cloye Gift Catalog: Just Enough of Too Much, takes a funny look what places around the country are conducive to the writer-life. Read more
Exercise: Defining Personal Stakes
Without personal stakes, even the highest-voltage thriller can read like an empty plot exercise. Raise the personal stakes, and we will all care what happens in your story, whether the plot is boiling or not. Read more
How to Build Tension and Heighten the Stakes
The stakes in fiction matter because stakes create tension. Here’s how to up the stakes so your audience will stay with you until the end of your novel.
by Jessica Page Morrell
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Exercise: Capturing the Moment of Irrevocable Commitment
Is there a moment of ultimate stakes in your current manuscript? If not, you need to fix it on the page to ensure that your hero’s testing and eventual commitment will be fixed in your readers’ minds for a long time to come. Read more
Exercise: Raising Public Stakes
How far do the public stakes in your novel-in-progress rise? How deep do they cut? How bad do they get? Take them higher and deeper. Make them worse—much worse. Your novel can only get better. Read more