As a first-time attendee of Writer’s Digest Conference, I was thrilled to spend three days learning about the craft and business of writing. And with presentations offered on a wide range of topics including genre studies, writing techniques, and marketing strategies, I made sure to dabble in each. What I didn’t expect was that even… Read more »
Wouldn’t it be cool if instead of sending out dozens (or hundreds) of queries, writers could post their pitches in one spot for editors and agents to browse? A place where agents and editors could come shop for writers instead of writers shopping for them? Oh wait, it exists. It’s pitching on Twitter. It’s how… Read more »
It’s fall now, writers, and that means the Writer Igniter Con is just around the corner. October 24-25, ya’ll. It’s coming faster than you think. I’m so excited to be a part of it, building from my social media strategy posts to cover a ton of great info for anyone trying to tweet and like… Read more »
Hashtags are nothing new anymore. But using them can still be awkward or even confusing for many, especially if you’re just getting your feet wet in a new network. Even if you’ve already got the basics down, are they actually growing your following? There’s a big difference between the occasional hashtag #justbecause and one that… Read more »
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could channel creativity anytime we want? Simply close our eyes, chant an “ohm” or twitch our noses like Samantha in Bewitched to summon our creative powers? Unfortunately, there’s no such magic (that I know of…) but it is possible to cultivate an atmosphere and lifestyle in which creativity can… Read more »
The 2015 Writer’s Digest Conference may have been a few weeks ago, but I still keep thinking about it. That’s how incredible it was. Three days of learning about the craft and business of writing, and being surrounded not only by literary agents, editors, and published authors, but hundreds of other writers who share your… Read more »
It’s impossible to sum up the 2015 Writer’s Digest Conference in a few words. This three-day event in New York City was jam-packed with presentations, panels, networking opportunities, and the sold-out Pitch Slam. The range of topics was staggering as well: character development, genre literature, query letters, publishing industry insights… In short, you’re guaranteed an… Read more »
Some people imagine writing for kids and immediately picture Dr. Suess or baby board books. But the good news is you don’t have to use simple words to write for elementary kids if that’s not your style. Go ahead and use rich, succulent vocabulary and varied sentence structure—please! There are plenty of kids who are… Read more »
Military history is often an underappreciated genre supposedly filled with stuffy biographies, or a litany of dates and battle names. When I took on the project of writing Flying Colors, even I approached the genre with the same perspective. As I would with any new project, I began with exploring possibilities and took to reading…. Read more »
Character development was widely (if unsurprisingly) regarded as one of the foundational pillars of writing a good story among the many top-selling authors present at this year’s ThrillerFest. In fact, “character” was the first of Steve Berry’s “6 C’s of Story Structure.” As Dale Brown said, “What is character? The motivations that drive the story …… Read more »
