Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2023 i Writer's Digest

Place The gaily dressed men and women barely filled half of Memorial Stadium’s raked seating, but they sat together, a waterfall of wool suits and polyester neckties, cut-out dresses and ruffled pillbox hats, cascading down toward a bulwark of patriotic bunting. —Love and Other Consolation Prizes, Jamie Ford (historical fiction) Broadway is a street; it is also a neighborhood, an atmosphere. —Summer Crossing, Truman Capote (literary fiction) All the roofs had green shingles. If you climbed into the hills and looked down, it looked like somebody had tossed a handful of green plastic Monopoly houses into the air and let them land where they would. —Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly, Marie Bostwick (women’s fiction) Time As they ran, a brisk sea breeze ballooned out their skirts and sent Kitty’s hat tumbling…

Your writer’s dream has finally come true. Your book has made the bestseller list, you’re scheduled to do signings all over the country, and your publicist has even set up media tours in every major city. What more could an author ask for? Before you answer, take a moment to reflect. While the book signings will probably be a piece of cake, how about those TV, radio, podcasts, and print interviews? Are you ready to speak eloquently about almost every imaginable aspect of your book—even the most controversial chapters or characters? How would you respond if an aggressive reporter goes off topic and tries to take you down a rabbit hole by connecting your book to some hot-button issue? Would you be able to maintain your composure even as the…

One of the biggest things writers hear about is the importance of building a platform. Generally, this has been translated as “grow a big social media following.” While “writer lifts” and “follow trains” seem like an easy way to build a platform, it’s not enough. First, inflating follower counts with people who likely aren’t interested in buying your books doesn’t do you any favors. And second, authors who focus exclusively on growing social media followings open themselves to risk—as we’ve seen with the recent upheaval on Twitter. However, platform can also be a strong organic search presence to grow monthly web traffic, which takes time to develop. This is why setting up a website earlier in your writing journey and not relying only on social media is so important. WHY…

Rachel Runya Katz Thank You for Sharing (Romance, September, St. Martin’s Griffin) “A chemistry-filled childhood friends to enemies to lovers debut romance about two people forced to confront their pasts to save both their relationship and careers.” WRITES FROM: Currently, Seattle, but I wrote TYFS while living in Durham, N.C. PRE-TYFS: In college, I took some creative writing classes, but I mostly wrote short stories. TYFS is the first full-length novel I’ve ever written, and the idea for the first scene popped into my head when I was deep in a contemporary romance novel binge in early 2021. TIME FRAME: I started writing this book in 2021 before the COVID vaccine was available. I do scientific research, which requires me to be at work in person, so my labmates and I…

When I was a wee lad and just getting started on my writing journey, I was enamored with the twist ending.1 Every single story I cranked out as a kid ended with a sort of “Monkey’s Paw” twist I imagined would really knock people for a loop and establish me as one of the greatest provocateurs of modern writing, right up there with O. Henry and Rod Serling.2 Blame it on those afternoon “Twilight Zone” marathons that used to run on local TV. I eventually grew out of the need to make every story a celebration of crazy plot twists—though I still love a good twist, especially if I’m the one who thought of it.3 One reason I grew tired of the trick was how often it failed.4 TWISTS…

Michael W. Bourret Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, LLC | Los Angeles, Calif. GENRES: Picture book, chapter book, middle-grade, young adult, graphic novel, narrative nonfiction, commercial and upmarket adult fiction, literary fiction CLIENTS INCLUDE: A. S. King, Malinda Lo, Lisa McMann, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Sarah Schulman Michael Bourret came to Jane Dystel Literary Management as an intern in January of 2000. “Frankly, I had no idea literary agents existed until I took the job,” he admits. “I learned quickly that being an agent means working at the intersection of art and commerce, helping writers to achieve their artistic goals while also working to ensure they are compensated and protected.” Bourret was immediately hooked and sees every day as a new challenge. Today, he enjoys getting out of the house and finding…

Sayings and quotes abound on the concept of time. • SOCIAL COMMENTARY: “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” (song by the band Chicago, released in 1969 on their debut album, Chicago Transit Authority) • HUMOROUS: “No man goes before his time—unless the boss leaves early.” (Groucho Marx) • ADVICE: “Remember that time is money.” (Benjamin Franklin) Because time is such a ubiquitous part of our lives, it’s easy to overlook ways to use the concept of time to enrich our stories—whether short form, novels, essays, or memoirs. Here are eight ways to apply the concept of time to your writing: 1. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN: If the inciting incident happened on Tuesday, then in the scene that takes place on the following Saturday, avoid writing something like this: Talia’s…

OMINOUS STATEMENT GENERATOR INSTRUCTIONS: Write a story based on the ominous statement you get when you piece together your information. 1. BIRTH MONTH JANUARY: The caves FEBRUARY: The secrets  MARCH: Your enemies APRIL: Your teeth MAY: The trees JUNE: The curses JULY: The graves AUGUST: The eyes SEPTEMBER: The stars OCTOBER: The whispers NOVEMBER: The wedding rings DECEMBER: Your followers 2. FAVORITE PET CAT: are lying in wait. DOG: are plotting the worst. FISH: are not what they seem. BIRD: have almost reached you. REPTILE: are gone when you look away. OTHER: do not know you. 3. FAVORITE TYPE OF SNACK SALTY: Repent: SWEET: Don’t run: SOUR: Sleep well: SAVORY: Step carefully: 4. FAVORITE LITERARY GENRE MYSTERY: They too can bite. ROMANCE: They can see you very well. HORROR: The…

Writing a novel or short story feels a bit like solving a mystery—even if you’re not writing a capital-M genre Mystery. But it’s a mystery you’re creating while trying to solve it, making things infinitely more challenging (or fun). Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, at some point, you have to figure out the solution to your character’s problems, even if the ending leaves something for readers to decide. Before that, though, you need to decide if the mystery that is your story is worth telling. Is this a story that I want to spend time creating? Is this a story I want to know the answers to? Would other readers be interested in this story? While the third question only matters if you intend to share your work,…

July 25, 1847. Le Port-Marly, just outside Paris. Alexandre Dumas had sent out a mere 50 invitations to his party—but naturally, some 600 people show up. It’s a testament to his larger-than-life character … and a development the author likely takes in stride (with great pride). Tables dot the lawn. A gratuitous feast is prepared. Dumas’ pet monkeys frolic about. As André Maurois would detail in a biography a century later, “Radiant, Dumas circulates among his guests. His coat glitters with crosses and badges; his brilliant waistcoat is festooned with a heavy chain of massive gold; he kisses the beautiful ladies and tells marvelous stories the whole night. Never has he been happier …” All the while, the incredible castle he now calls home looms over the proceedings. And rightly…

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, publishers would send their authors out on a bookstore tour to publicize their new book. A driver would meet them at the airport and shuttle them to the hotel and bookstore. The authors would speak, maybe do a reading, and then greet their fans and sign copies of their book. Then one day, the dragon publishers began devouring each other. Money became tighter as profits slumped. COVID darkened the land, and people stayed home. Many authors turned to self-publishing, feeling that since they weren’t receiving extra perks (like book tours), at least they could control their own destiny publishing their own works, moving faster than the normal glacial speed of traditional publishing houses. The fairy tale days of the book tour…

I was about a third of the way through my second novel when the pandemic started, but I didn’t know it. I knew I had no plot, just a series of scenes and interludes, and that I also had a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old at home, no childcare, and nowhere safe to take them. For several months, the thousands of words I had accumulated of the project sat dark on my laptop. I couldn’t bring myself to address them, even in those precious moments when the children were occupied, because I didn’t know The Story. I’d approached my first novel as a mysterious thing to be wrested out of my consciousness, guided only by a vague idea of a place and feeling I wanted to describe, and a notion that…

There’s a lot to consider before querying, including researching which literary agents are right for you, hunting down their querying preferences, and making sure your submission materials are at their most polished. This roundup aims to make things easier by finding agents open to submissions and getting the details you need to see if they’d be a good fit for you. The agents listed here represent a variety of genres in both fiction and nonfiction, have a wide variety of experience, and have different agenting styles, so you can consider who might work best with you. This year, we asked the agents to demystify something about the publishing industry or what it’s like to work with an agent. Even if you don’t find your dream agent in this roundup, these…

Send up the red flare from the dense, dark forest if you too beat yourself up when you should be writing because sometimes you become so mired in the muck of drafting—even if you’ve been writing for years—and what pours onto the page from the thick scrub is ugly. Or hazy. Or banal. Or all three. My hands are raised high (in relentless beseeching) with you. You’re not alone. Recently, a reader asked how I steep the propulsive storylines of my novels with such poetry. How do I keep readers turning the page while turning potent phrases and engrossing meditations along the way? In answer to their question, I reminded myself what it takes to blend evocative, chilling prose with a propulsive plotline. GET LOST FIRST We have to get…

The D-list actress wasn’t getting any younger, said Brett the agent, and reports of older women getting hot roles were grossly overstated. Plus, she was no Dame Judi Dench. Then they rode in silence from the Guadalajara airport. They stepped out of the Escalade, the heat hitting them like a slap. Brett mopped his forehead with a salmon-tinted pocket square. He’d been down here several times, but this was the D-list actress’s first trip. Pleasantries were exchanged in the terra-cotta tiled foyer while a waiter in a stiff uniform served sweating glasses of lemonade—iced water for the D-list actress. Then Faustina ushered them into the library. They sat at a blocky table, Brett and the D-list actress on one side, Faustina and the lawyer in glasses on the other. Brett…

The art and craft of writing nonfiction. Making a living as a freelance writer can be challenging. I know because I’ve faced every obstacle the job can throw at a writer, from uncooperative sources and unresponsive editors to uncompromising deadlines and fly-by-night markets that publish then refuse to pay. It can be frustrating and sometimes a little soul-crushing, yet we soldier on because, at the end of the day, being a freelance writer is still the best job in the world. One unique obstacle faced by many aspiring freelance writers is figuring out what to write about, an issue I encountered numerous times when I taught a course on freelance writing through a local community college. Students would come to class with general topics they were interested in exploring (“I…

Frontlist She Started It by Sian Gilbert (William Morrow, Thriller, June 2023) SYNOPSIS: When Annabel, Chloe, Tanya, and Esther receive invitations to the exclusive private-island bachelorette party of their high school classmate Poppy, whom they haven’t seen or talked to in 10 years, they’re more than a little confused. But, why turn down an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas? Because things could—and do—go very, very wrong. Poppy has changed since their time in school. She’s more confident, less of a pushover, and much more conniving than they remembered—and now they’re trapped on an island with her. As they participate in the games she’s created for the party, Poppy turns them against each other, and things turn deadly. Eventually they stop wondering why Poppy lured them there and instead focus on getting…

JENNIFER GIVHAN (JenniferGivhan.com) is a Chicana writer from the Southwestern desert and the recipient of the Southwest Book Award and fellowships from the NEA and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices. Her third novel, River Woman, River Demon, appeared on Amazon’s Book Club and “CBS Mornings” and was featured as a national Together We Read library pick. Her writing has appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, POETRY, TriQuarterly, Boston Review, The Rumpus, Salon, and many others. You can follow her on Instagram @jenngivhan, Facebook at Jenn Givhan, and Twitter @givhanjenn for inspiration, prompts, and real talk about the publishing world and life as a mama writer. LYDIAKIESLING is the author of The Golden State, a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree, and a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist…

3 POETIC PUZZLE PIECES FOR PROMPTING POEMS In my last column, I focused on how to create and play with structure in poetry—and shared the evolution of a poem that changed structure from one collection to the next. However, structure is only one piece in the puzzle of putting together a poem. There are quite a few more puzzle pieces available, and the fun (or frustrating) thing about poetry is that sometimes they fit—except when they don’t. Rhyme Many people think of rhyme (or the repetition of same vowel sounds) when they think of poetry. I’ve probably used the words moon, June, and swoon more times in first drafts than is healthy. But there’s a reason why poets and readers of poetry gravitate toward rhyme. The echoing sounds are pleasing.…

Pay to Play; Greedy Givers; FBI Myths and Misconceptions; FBI Word Search Puzzles (Police procedurals and FBI nonfiction reference; Money Pit Press) WHY SELF-PUBLISH? Initially, traditional publishing was the goal for my debut FBI crime novel, Pay to Play. A literary agent with Curtis Brown, Ltd., who I met at a pitch fest session, offered me representation. However, I was devastated when he couldn’t sell the novel. My agent and I still believed in my gritty and raw story about a flawed female FBI agent investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry. When he suggested the literary agency assist me in self-publishing it, I agreed. I refused to bury the manuscript in a drawer. The story had a redemption theme, so I wrote a sequel to complete my main character’s…

Dani Segelbaum was born and raised in Minneapolis and has been a voracious reader for as long as she can remember. Studying journalism and political science, Segelbaum graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication and began her publishing career as an editorial assistant at HarperCollins Publishers, focusing primarily on highly designed nonfiction titles. Prior to joining Carol Mann Agency in 2021, she got a taste for agenting as a literary assistant at New Leaf Literary & Media, working with established and debut authors. “I love collaborating and working with authors to achieve their dreams,” Segelbaum says. “In both fiction and nonfiction, my goal is to always work with authors from diverse backgrounds. I’m drawn to writing that is voice-driven, highly transporting, and features unique perspectives and marginalized voices.” You can…

Secrets, surprises, and twists are powerful narrative tools. They can conjure questions and mystery in readers’ minds that raise suspense, stakes, and reader investment, and knowing how to use them effectively can create some of the most memorable moments in your story. Stories with a shocking reveal often get widely read and talked about. They keep readers hooked throughout, not knowing what comes next, eagerly turning pages to find out. But pulling off a successful reveal is a tricky tightrope act between giving readers enough information to feel invested and keeping back enough to keep them hooked. It’s the striptease of literature: show too much and you lose all the excitement and buildup. Too little and nobody cares. Balancing these considerations often relies on three key elements: knowing what and…

Meet the Master of Disaster—from foreshadowing pandemics to dreaming up demon apples, author Chuck Wendig juggles multiple genres like a seasoned carny. Step right up for some tasty urban fantasy, a side-show of horror, a sci-fi circus, or middle-grade with plenty of thrills and chills. He’s got all amusements covered. This year, Wendig published Gentle Writing Advice in June, and his forthcoming supernatural thriller Black River Orchard about an orchard of trees that possess dark magic, publishes in September. With New York Times and USA Today bestsellers to his name, Wendig shines across numerous readerships. How does he balance all his acts? In a candid conversation, he shares insights on writing productivity, finding your voice, and embracing process over product. We discuss how the real world always impacts fiction, especially…

Publishing a book is really a simple process. After all, a publisher just needs to compile some content (text, images, etc.), send it to a printer, and wait for the books to arrive in the mail. Publishing only gets complicated when someone tries to do it well or sell a lot of copies (or even sell a moderate number of copies). Unlocking the secret to a successful book typically involves a team that focuses on nearly flawless writing, sure, but also marketing, publicity, design, sales, production, distribution, and hours and hours of meetings. “As a foreigner and as a novice writer, I had no idea that the publication of a book was such a long process in the U.S.,” says Mirinae Lee, author of 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster.…

Writing and publishing advice for picture books, middle-grade, and young adult storytelling. The act of writing is already a deeply personal endeavor. We sit at our desks or on our couches, at kitchen tables or back patios, and we pour out of us the stories we hope will resonate with readers. For young readers, they’re often looking for answers to a world in which they’re actively becoming themselves. Being a kid, in many ways, is a mystery. How do you interpret how it feels to grow up, the changing dynamics within one’s own family, the fear that accompanies adolescence and the unknown? For middle grade authors, gaining a readers’ trust is paramount. But how do you do that when the story’s purpose is a mystery even to the main character?…

NEW JERSEY 30TH ANNUAL WINTER POETRY & PROSE GETAWAY, presented by Murphy Writing of Stockton University. January 12–15, 2024 at Seaview Hotel, Atlantic City area, N.J. Advance your craft and energize your writing with inspiring workshops in fiction, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, and playwriting. Learn from our award-winning faculty in classes for both beginning and advanced writers. Scholarships available. Register early and save: Stockton.edu/wintergetaway Contact: Murphy Writing of Stockton University Ph: 609/626-3594 info@wintergetaway.com NEW YORK WRITER’S DIGEST ANNUAL CONFERENCE, presented by Writer’s Digest. August 17–20, 2023 at the Hilton Midtown in New York City. Thank you for a great 2023 conference! Each year, the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference offers everything you need to advance your writing creatively and professionally. You’ll gain invaluable tips to improve your craft, explore publishing options, and learn how to…