Tabla de contenidos para September/October 2022 en Writer's Digest

Ursula Vernon is a unique hybrid author who writes science fiction and fantasy with equal ease for both young people and adults. Her stories, regardless of audience, tend to be quirky, wonderfully engaging, and hilariously, organically funny. Even her darkest stories have a thread of humor, because Vernon simply can’t help it. Born into a military family, Vernon traveled frequently as a child. Throughout, she dreamed of being a writer, a dream encouraged by her grandmother, who gifted Vernon with a subscription to Writer’s Digest. (“I read it religiously,” she says.) But it was as an artist that Vernon first found success, selling prints and hand-painted shirts at conventions. This led to her Hugo Award-winning webcomic Digger (2003–2011), which she wrote and illustrated. In 2008, Vernon published her first children’s…

You are an egg waiting at an El train stop.” I’ve never been an egg before, so I wasn’t sure how to respond. Am I scrambled or sunny side up? If I am vertical, I must be hard-boiled. Another student volleyed the suggestion in the improv class. Saying that I was taking an improv class was enough to make me laugh. I am a planner, not known for spontaneity, a writer, not an actor. Still, here I was, at the urging of a friend. The Player’s Workshop of The Second City, the famous Chicago venue, was where we were intent on shattering our creative limitations. Early in our careers, we were restless to stir up our inventiveness. “It will be fun!” my friend encouraged, then only showed up half the…

If you’ve been writing a manuscript of any kind—whether it’s a novel, nonfiction book, article, or screenplay—at some point, you need to start thinking about copy editing. You may have heard of copy editing but only have a vague sense of what it is. This article will arm you with the information you need to not only understand why copy editing is essential but also what to look for and expect when hiring a copy editor. THE EDITORIAL PROCESS To understand copy editing, you must be aware of its role within the editorial process. Copy editing is just one cog in the publication machine. It all starts with a manuscript. It might be a full-length novel, a newspaper article, or a blog post. The manuscript is not complete when the…

Tracey Lien All That’s Left Unsaid (Literary fiction, September, William Morrow) “When a 17-year-old Vietnamese-Australian is murdered inside a busy restaurant, his older sister takes it upon herself to track down each witness to find out what they saw and why they refuse to speak.” WRITES FROM: Brooklyn, N.Y. PRE-UNSAID: I was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. TIME FRAME: It took two years, including a false start in which I thought I was writing a short story collection. As it turns out, I was not! ENTER THE AGENT: Authors usually thank their literary agents in the acknowledgments section of their books, so I picked out some novels that I loved, flipped to the back, made a list of names, sent personalized query letters, and crossed my fingers. I ultimately went…

We have once again reached that time of year where pumpkins bear their toothy grins and scarecrows threaten to step down from their perches. We can hear the torturous buzzing of chainsaws in the distance, but we know there are no trees being cut down. We also notice the local radio station has subtly placed Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” into its daily rotation. Some of us might even be watching more horror movies or television shows on the plethora of cable channels and streaming services out there. For readers, many of us are looking at those horror books on our shelves, the ones that we have been promising ourselves that we would eventually read, and thinking that this would be the perfect month to finally…

Bluebird By Emmett Knowlton On his 5th birthday, his grandfather gives him a book about birds. He likes books and he likes birds and unlike his brother who is 9 he does not like sports and he does not like climbing trees. Last summer when he was 4 he fell out of a tree and hurt himself so badly that he had to spend two nights in the hospital. But now he is 5 and after he blows out the candles his grandfather tells him to memorize the names of all the birds in the book because doing so will bring him good luck. He doesn’t know how to read but he loves his grandfather, so he promises him that he will. One day after school he finds a dead…

Dear FYSA, An agent requested my full manuscript, and their website says to nudge them if they haven’t responded in five weeks. I waited six weeks and then sent the nudge email. It’s been a week since then and I still haven’t heard anything. Other agents’ sites say that no response means a rejection, but this agent’s doesn’t. I don’t want to annoy them with more emails, but I’m also unsure what the protocol is here! Please help! An Anxious Author Hey Anxious, Yeah. I get it. Response times are catastrophic these days. Time ceased to exist in an accessible measurement somewhere around March of 2020. It’s not like it is “slower” or “faster” or “sideways,” it is “pickles” and “canoes” and “the letter K.” And we keep hoping we’ll…

Dialogue for Multiple Characters Confession: When I wrote my first few short stories and a full novel draft, I constructed my scenes so that they’d have only two characters each. I was terrified to write dialogue for more than two characters. As hard as it was for me to write realistic dialogue between two people, I just couldn’t imagine scenes in which more people talked with each other. I had so many questions. How could I keep track of three or more characters? If I, as the writer, had trouble doing so, how would my readers keep track? I knew that, eventually, I’d have to figure out how to write multiple character scenes—including dialogue—if I wanted to create realistic fiction. Here are seven techniques I learned through trial and error…

What to do—and not do—when writing picture books. If you’re like most picture book readers, running across a terrific rhyme is awesome. So, how is it that most picture book agents and editors say they don’t want to see rhyming manuscripts? If pressed for an explanation, they typically offer a variation of this: 98 percent of rhyming manuscripts get an immediate pass because they’re not done well enough. Since nearly all the clients I work with as The Picture Book Whisperer yearn to get rhymetastic, I spend a lot of time in the world of rhyme. (See what I did there?) To help you bypass industry bias and create a rhyming picture book manuscript that soars above the rest, here are some of my best tips if you want to…

MENACING MUST-READS The editors of WD recommend these books with seriously sinister situations and tones. Published in 1935, this is widely considered to be the first great collection of African American folktales. This 1946 novel is a landmark text in Latin American literature and explores the nature of dictatorship and its effects on society. Published in 1952, this profound example of existentialism tackles both the larger racial issues in American society and the struggle of the individual. This highly praised 1962 publication blends myth, suspense, and existentialism as a lens through which to critique Japanese society. Through the allegory of Dante’s Inferno, this novel takes an unflinching look at the American Dream and its consequences. First published in 1985. Attica Locke’s 2012 novel attempts to solve two murders, which occur…

I slowly stepped up the last creaky stair and flipped the light switch off. There was just enough twilight left in the room as I approached the window, stepping around the boxes strewn about the centuries-old hardwood floor. I hovered close enough to the attic window to look down on the nearly deserted main street below, but far enough away that anyone walking down the sidewalk might question what they saw … I was 15 and pretending to be a ghost. Growing up in the most haunted town in Ohio—at least according to Chris Woodyard, author of the Haunted Ohio series—and, for a short time, working in one of the haunted buildings, the story above is both inevitable and, I’m embarrassed to say, true. Woodyard’s books and R. L. Stine’s…

What happens to your books when you die? If you create a solid estate plan, they can live forever. If you don’t, then your books will die with you. No one likes to think about death. It’s not easy to face your mortality, but it’s painfully necessary. As writers, we are so busy building our careers that we forget about the legacies we’re building also. And let’s not forget our families. They are likely to be overwhelmed at the prospect of managing an author estate. If we don’t prepare them, we are setting them up to fail. I’d like to share five actionable steps you can take today to get your affairs in order and leave a legacy for your family. They will thank you for taking these steps. Nothing…

I’m often amazed that I write horror. It shouldn’t be in my wheelhouse. I was absolutely terrified as a kid. I had to turn on the lights whenever I entered a room. The sight of a scary movie cover in the local rental store (remember those?) could give me nightmares for weeks. And I still remember my dad telling me that if I wasn’t brave enough to go upstairs alone, I probably shouldn’t watch The Nightmare Before Christmas (which I really wanted to do). I was a certifiable coward. And yet. My friends and I spooked each other with Bloody Mary and built haunted houses in my basement. I checked out Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark more than anyone else in my school and read Stephen King ……

Finding a literary agent can be hard. Finding one who fits your needs and who is open to submissions when you’re ready to query is even harder. WD has gotten a jump start on the process to make your search a little easier. We’ve found 20+ literary agents whose interests range from picture books, middle-grade, and YA to genre fiction for adults, from literary fiction to historical nonfiction, true crime, and cookbooks. In addition to the wide variety of writing they’re looking for, the agents themselves represent a diversity of experience from veteran agents at boutique agencies to up-and-comers at established agencies. Don’t discount either—both offer their own benefits, as you’ll read in many of the tips offered by the agents. You just need to know what your priorities are.…

Back in my misspent youth, I published a zine—a DIY magazine I photocopied and mailed out to the misguided folks who signed up for my mailing list.1 For the zine, I adopted a persona I referred to as Zine Elvis. Zine Elvis was a bloated supervillain with a vast global network of spies and minions. He drank too much and got himself into outlandish situations,2 and he often espoused some seriously sketchy opinions. And not a day went by without someone—usually a distant cousin or old grammar-school teacher—writing me a concerned email about my lifestyle choices.3 For a while, I tried explaining to all these folks that Zine Elvis was a persona, a character, a fictional version of myself. This … never worked. People found it impossible to believe that…

1 Gold Rush Writers Conference Debuting in 2005, this intimate boutique conference fits the budget and offers great opportunities for networking and writer camaraderie. WHEN: Oct. 7–9, 2022. WHERE: Hotel Leger, Mokelumne Hill, Calif. PRICE: $240. Includes your selection of four workshops (first-come, first-served); Friday poolside picnic; open mic for all genres and poetry readings; Saturday dinner; and Sunday brunch. Rooms are available at the host and local hotels for a separate fee. WHAT MAKES THIS CONFERENCE UNIQUE: “This is hands-on with writing and sharing, instruction in memoir, fiction, marketing, literary instruction, novel writing, nonfiction, cultural experiences, and more,” says Founding Director Antoinette May. “Writing craft and technique is at the heart of the event, and it’s geared toward learning and refreshing skills.” Aimed at all levels, many look forward to…

ALEX R. KAHLER is a former circus artist and life-long nomad living in the PNW. Under his real name, he writes immersive fantasy for adults and teens. As K. R. Alexander, he writes creepy tales for brave kids that have inspired millions of readers around the world. In all his writing, his focus is on positive LGBTQ+ representation, as he firmly believes that everyone should get to see themselves as a hero. He can be found at ARKahler.com and on Instagram @Alex_Inverted. KIM CATANZARITE (AuthorKimCatanzarite.com) is a developmental editor and copy editor for publishing companies and self-publishing authors, and she teaches courses for Writer’s Digest University. She is also the award-winning author of The Jovian Duology, a sci-fi thriller, and has a blog that features all things writing craft and self-publishing.…

POETIC FORM: KIMO The kimo is an Israeli variant of the popular three-line haiku form. Here are the guidelines: • Three lines• No rhymes• 10 syllables in first line• Seven syllables in the second line• Six syllables in the third line No rules on cutting or seasonal words (as with haiku), but most kimo are focused on a single frozen image. As a result, it’s uncommon to have much movement in kimo poems. While the examples by Poetic Asides readers here are single stanzas, it is possible to write kimo with multiple linked tercets—usually broken into individual images that somehow complement or juxtapose each other. “Iris,” by Julie A. Sellers While kimo tend to focus on one image, this example uses the title to set the image (of an iris)…

The Hockey Player’s Heart (co-written with my husband Will Knauss); Keeping Kyle; Somewhere on Mackinac; Dancing for Him; the Codename: Winger YA thriller series. (Gay romance, young adult with LGBTQ+ characters, Big Gay Media) WHY SELF-PUBLISH? I’d been a hybrid author since 2015 when I self-published a novella so I could learn the process. In 2020, I went all-in on self-publishing after a bad experience with a small publisher. As I took all my rights back, I released the books myself. HAD YOU CONSIDERED TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING? I started with a micro publisher with my first novels and had a great experience. Moving to the larger—but still small—publisher was good for a time as well. I’d consider working with a publisher again, and I’d like to think I know more now about…

Karen Brailsford spent more than two decades covering arts and culture, Hollywood, fashion, beauty, and human interest as a staff writer and editor with Newsweek, Elle, People, In Touch Weekly, and E! Entertainment. Her writing has also appeared in other publications, including The New York Times Book Review, Interview, and Unity. Today, Brailsford resides in Los Angeles and is a licensed spiritual practitioner with the Agape International Spiritual Center. She’s also the author of Sacred Landscapes of the Soul: Aligning With the Divine Wherever You Are (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2020). She joined Aevitas Creative Management as an agent in 2020. “Becoming an agent seemed a natural way to tie these career threads and passions together,” Brailsford says. “In each of these roles, I get to practice connecting, honoring, and serving, which…

So, you’ve finished the manuscript, congratulations! You may think the hard part is over, but there are some challenges ahead—including not falling for a scam … and in the process, losing energy, momentum, and money. There are a number of reasons writers might fall for a scam. Many writers love the writing process but know little about the business of publishing. Knowing industry standards goes a long way toward not being taken. Misinformation and conflicting advice abounds. Scammers use flattery. People may feel desperation after numerous rejections. Let’s make sure you don’t fall into any of these categories. Publishing a book is much more than creating content. It involves editing, design, cover art, printing or electronic formatting, publicity, and so on. And there are people—some honest, some not—waiting to provide…

If you’ve ever read a novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, you’ll know one thing: She’s a master of the plot twist. Whether it’s the did-she-or-didn’t-she of her debut, Allegedly, or the thrilling Is the house really haunted? question of her 2021 release White Smoke, readers never really know what the ending will hold until they see it on the page. How does she approach writing suspense? “By making sure I give enough kernels of information throughout the text,” she says. “It’s kind of like appetizers, right? A book is very much a three-course meal. You wanna give appetizers … you maybe get to a salad before the dinner, which is typically the climax, and then you have the dessert, which is the end. I think knowing how hungry I get,…

For many people, sports are a big part of life—whether it’s something they do daily, seasonally, or perhaps even just once a year (like running a 5K or taking an annual fishing trip). The nice thing about sports is that it can provide an escape from the daily grind while also recharging the body and mind—some sports perhaps weighted more to one than the other. Luckily for freelance writers, sports are also an opportunity to get paid and make a byline at the same time. In fact, sports is a great market for writers who also develop professional photography skills in particular, because many sports magazines combine compelling writing with incredible action shots—and pay for both. There are a plethora of sports magazines covering everything from swimming, dancing, and hiking…

CONFERENCE GUIDE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 • Keep in mind that there may be more than one workshop in each of the listings.• These workshops are listed alpha betically by state, country, or continent.• Unless otherwise indicated, rates include tuition (T) only. Sometimes the rates also include airfare (AF), some or all meals (M), accommoda tions (AC), ground transportation (GT), materials (MT), or fees (F).• When you find workshops that inter est you, be sure to call, email, or check the website of the instructor or organization for additional infor mation.• All listings are paid advertisements. CALIFORNIA WRITER’S DIGEST NOVEL WRITING CONFERENCE, presented by Writer’s Digest. Writer’s Digest returns in-person to the West Coast on October 20–23, 2022 with many of publishing’s most respected and knowledgeable writers, agents, and editors to guide you…