WRITER’S DIGEST Yearbook Presents YOUR ULTIMATE CRAFT AND TECHNIQUE GUIDE WORKBOOK Secrets of Successful Fiction Writers • SMART WAYS TO DRIVE CHARACTERS & CONFLICT BESTSELLERS ON FINDING YOUR VOICE— AND USING IT: • FIX ANY PLOT PROBLEM: ESSENTIAL TOOLS • STRENGTHEN YOUR THEME, SCENE BY SCENE Keys to Page-Turning Suspense Nonfiction That Sells • WHAT EDITORS REALLY WANT • WHY EVERY WRITER SHOULD PEN PERSONAL ESSAYS • HOW TO TACKLE HARD TRUTHS IN YOUR MEMOIR Steps to Better Blogging JOJO MOYES (ME BEFORE YOU) & JHUMPA LAHIRI (INTERPRETER OF MALADIES) INCL UDES: WORKS H E ET S , Q U IC K TI P S , PR O M P TS E X E RC I SES & M , ORE! WD2016 Build a better book from the ground up! 4(84'*7 Ƴƽ14&3,*1* ;-um_o|oruo71;-ঞ]_|Ѵ1u-[;7mo;Ѵ|_-|Ľv -v1olr;ѴѴbm]|o-];m|v-m7;7b|ouv-vb|bv|ou;-7;uvĺ )b|_|u-1hv7;7b1-|;7|o1u-[ķ1_-u-1|;uķv|ou|;ѴѴbm]ķ];mu;v|7b;vķ ];মm]-m-];m|ķ];মm]r0Ѵbv_;7-m7u;bvbomķo1-m0bѴ7|_; r;u=;1|;;h;m7Ō-m7|_;r;u=;1|mo;Ѵĺ Featuring New York Times bestselling authors: GARTH STEIN JANE SMILEY Credit: Susan Doupé Photography Credit: Derek Shapton A Sudden Light; The Art of Racing in the Rain Some Luck; Early Warning; Golden Age; A Thousand Acres CHRISTOPHER RICE Credit: Cathryn Farnsworth A Density of Souls; The Heavens Rise; The Vines Register today to save! 34:*1;7.8*7).,*8(43+*7*3(*(42 ;)3;( events WORKBOOK Essentials of the Craft Nonfiction Techniques 32 TEACH THE CHILDREN WELL MAKE (MORE) TIME FOR WRITING Carving out the time and space you need for your muse to lourish can be a challenge—but these writerapproved tips can help BY AMY SUE NATHAN 10 MUSICAL MUSES Draw inspiration from music to add rhythm and low to your narrative voice BY SCOTT PRESTON 12 WORD PICTURES he best descriptions ofer just the right amount of sensory detail while enticing readers to imagine the rest Use these tips to strike the right balance BY BARBARA BAIG 15 MURDER YOUR DARLINGS Your goal is to convey meaning precisely and concisely, without wasted words or superluous phrases Here’s how to make every word count BY STEPHEN WILBERS 18 LIGHT YOUR FIRE Writing takes work, but we can’t forget that inspiration is the fuel that keeps the ire burning Here are reasons it’s important to keep your woodpile stocked— complete with tips for fanning the lames BY FRED D WHITE 22 JOURNALING, UNBOXED A daily writing habit doesn’t have to follow the rules— and a little open-ended creativity can be just what your writing needs BY HEATHER SELLERS 25 WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS he market for children’s noniction is booming Here’s what you need to know to tap into this lucrative niche BY TRACEY BAPTISTE 37 STEPS TO BLOGGING SUCCESS Grow your readership, platform and proitability with these simple strategies BY ROBERT LEE BREWER 41 GET PERSONAL Follow these steps to crat the kind of striking personal essays that could land you a big byline BY SUSAN SHAPIRO 45 JHUMPA LAHIRI, BRIDGING THE GAP In her irst foray into noniction, the Pulitzer Prize– winner and Princeton University iction professor highlights the importance of language—and the love of words that we all share BY BAIHLEY GRANDISON 50 WRITING STANDOUT SAMPLE CHAPTERS In your book proposal, the sample chapters you include are your opportunity to prove you have the talent and know-how to follow through on the project Here’s how to show of your savvy BY RYAN G VAN CLEAVE 52 AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER Inevitably, when writing memoir, your relationships play out on the page Learn how to portray spouses, exes and friends with a balance of caution and candor BY KERRY COHEN 56 HEIGHTEN YOUR SENSES When struggling to picture your story, sometimes the inspiration you need is visual Incorporate descriptions evoking all senses into your memoir writing, and you’ll immerse your readers even more deeply in your story BY DONNA BAIER STEIN BY RICHARD CAMPBELL & CHERYL SVENSSON 27 STORY STARTERS 61 IDEATION INCARNATION How you springboard from idea to inished manuscript? Let these exercises, insights and tips be your guide When it comes to freelance writing, ideas are currency Follow these 14 strategies to impress magazine editors with your well-crated story pitches BY TYLER MOSS BY ZACHARY PETIT I WRITER’S WORKBOOK I 2016 WRITER’S DIGEST PRESENTS WRITER’S WORKBOOK Fiction Techniques EDITORS Baihley Grandison and Tyler Moss ART DIRECTOR Claudean Wheeler 66 THEME WEAVERS heme is the thread that runs through your story Here’s how to use key storytelling elements—imagery, dialogue, voice and more—to stitch it in one scene at a time BY MARTHA ALDERSON & JORDAN ROSENFELD WRITER’S DIGEST STAFF EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jessica Strawser ART DIRECTOR Claudean Wheeler MANAGING EDITOR Tyler Moss ASSISTANT EDITOR Baihley Grandison 72 TAKE TWO Tighten your grasp on these two simple tools, and you’ll be equipped to ix any kink in your story’s machinery ONLINE EDITOR Brian A Klems VICE PRESIDENT / GROUP PUBLISHER Phil Sexton WRITER’S DIGEST EDITORIAL OFFICES BY ELIZABETH SIMS 10151 Carver Road, Ste 200, Cincinnati, OH 45242 76 WRITE YOURSELF OUT OF A CORNER Fear not: Getting “stuck” can be the best way to set your story free BY STEVEN JAMES (513)531-2690 writers.digest@fwcommunity.com F+W, A CONTENT + ECOMMERCE COMPANY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 80 NOW YOU’RE TALKING Thomas F.X Beusse Strong dialogue is a key component of any engaging novel Here’s how to pen conversations that will have readers hanging on your every word CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER James L Ogle CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER BY ELIZABETH SIMS 86 CRAFTING CONUNDRUMS Joe Seibert SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Phil Graham he secret to page-turning iction? Stick your characters between a rock and a hard place BY STEVEN JAMES 91 CHARACTER EVOLUTION If your protagonist doesn’t move forward, neither will your story hese key moments of insight will challenge your character to change and grow BY DAVID CORBETT ADVERTISING ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE Jill Ruesch (800)726-9966, ext 13223; fax: (715)445-4087; jill.ruesch@fwcommunity.com ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Julie Dillon (800)726-9966, ext 13311; fax: (715)445-4612; julie.dillon@fwcommunity.com NEWSSTAND SALES 97 FORTIFY YOUR THRILLER Give your story a powerful boost with these essential C’s BY JAMES SCOTT BELL Scott T Hill; scott.hill@procirc.com ATTENTION RETAILERS To carry Writer’s Digest in your store, please contact: Curtis Circulation Co., 730 River Road, New Milford, NJ 07646 101 JOJO MOYES, FROM THE HEART Her smash hit Me Before You topped he New York Times bestseller list, was made into a feature-length movie, and spurred a sequel But Moyes’ “overnight success” was years in the making—and yields fascinating lessons about how and why we can learn as we go BY JESSICA STRAWSER Via phone: (201)634-7400; via fax: (201)634-7499 PRIVACY PROMISE Occasionally we make portions of our customer list available to other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may be of interest to you If you prefer we withhold your name, simply send a note with the magazine name to: List Manager, F+W, 10151 Carver Road, Ste 200, Endnotes Cincinnati, OH 45242 112 WHY NOT GIVE THEM A GOOD READ? If you’re drawn to put words to paper, don’t let anyone tell you that you should otherwise BY MICHELLE HAUSER COPYRIGHT © 2016 BY F+W, A CONTENT + ECOMMERCE COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WRITER’S DIGEST MAGAZINE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF F+W WritersDigest.com I CALLING ALL POETS! 4VCNJUZPVSQPFNTUPUIF 11 t h A n n u a l Poetry AWARDS he prestigious prizes for top winners include: r 6Q UP JO DBTI r :PVS QPFN QVCMJTIFE JO Writer’s Digest BOE UP B XPSMEXJEF SFBEFSTIJQ PO 8SJUFST%JHFTUDPN r " NJOVUF DPOTVMUBUJPO XJUI Poet’s Market &EJUPS 3PCFSU #SFXFS r " DPQZ PG UIF 2017 Poet’s Market &OUFS BOZ QPFN MJOFT PS GFXFS BOE ZPV DPVME SFDFJWF BMM UIF SFDPHOJUJPO UIBU DPNFT XJUI 8%T POMZ DPNQFUJUJPO exclusively for poets! -FBSONPSFBU XXXXSJUFSTEJHFTUDPNXSJUFSTEJHFTUDPNQFUJUJPOTQPFUSZBXBSET EARLYBIRD DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: OCTOBER 3, 2016 REGULAR DEADLINE: NOVEMBER Essentials of the Craft Whether you write thrillers, fantasy, nonfiction or anything in-between, master these skills and you’ll take your prose to the next level “When you’re a writer, you’re never quite like other people—you’re doing a job that other people don’t know you’re doing and you can’t talk about it, really, and you’re just always finding your way in the secret world and then you’re doing something else in the ‘normal’ world.” —ALICE MUNRO I ESSEN TIAL S OF T HE C RA FT Make (More) Time for Writing Carving out the time and space you need for your muse to flourish can be a challenge—but these writer-approved tips can help BY AMY SUE NATHAN I WRITER’S WORKBOOK I 2016 W riting is done in the time we make, not the time we ind I know this because I’ve tried it both ways Years ago I searched for writing time and waited for it to reveal itself I yearned for a magical chasm to appear in my day, my week or my weekend, complete with thought bubbles, maybe even a harp So, for a long time I didn’t write at all Not only was I not writing, I wasn’t doing anything creative I grew idgety and discontent Some might have said cranky I had to make the time to start writing again— even under the weight of raising two kids as a single mom, and through mourning the loss of their dad, managing a household and corralling three dogs Eventually I began freelancing essays and newspaper columns part-time while I worked at a preschool hen, I also started dabbling in iction and reading for literary agents Within a few years I was writing novels, editing iction and continuing to land bylines—all in the time, and with the energy, I created within my already overlowing life his probably doesn’t sound unusual or extraordinary hat’s because writers are a determined lot, carving out niches and commandeering cubicles every single day We clear our calendars and plug our ears But what if what we already have isn’t enough? What if we want or need more room in our lives for writing? How we go about reconiguring more space and creating additional time when we’re already overwhelmed and overbooked? We know it’s not a matter of being needy, it’s a matter of meeting our needs I thought I had the time and space I needed until recently, when life and work rearranged itself without my consent I was up against three writing deadlines in the same week (freelance writing, freelance editing, novel) that coincided with family plans and overlapped with my part-time job at a friend’s restaurant Normally, I like having some balance and variety in my writing life Ater a few years of writing and editing exclusively, I discovered that doing some work outside the house is, for me, a good thing In addition to steady income, it provides contact with live people (nothing against my online and texting friends), and thankfully, writer attire (i.e., pajamas) is discouraged hese things are good for my psyche, which is good for my writing Usually But the overlapping deadlines lustered me My time and space felt compressed and insuicient I let phone calls unanswered I let the mail and the laundry pile up (OK, that’s not unusual, but it did peak that week) I went of to the restaurant having already clocked an hour or two of editing I came home, took a break (knowing when you need one is key) and then went into my oice and shut the door until it was time to feed the dogs or myself And then I went back to deadline crushing here were things that didn’t get done that week, but all the deadlines were met With every new writing challenge, I learn new lessons about creating time and commanding space It’s not a science It’s not precise But it is necessary Without knowing how I best manage my writing time, I’d likely have spun out of control—I mean, spun more out of control So I reached out to fellow writers and asked them this: How you make more time and space for writing in your home, in your head and in your life? hey agreed that an important irst step is to … Stake your writer’s claim When we make something our own, we can then own it Even if it’s just for an hour Even if it’s just for 15 minutes Even if it’s just once Maybe it’s the spot with good lighting, an outlet, pens and notepads Maybe it’s the spot behind a locked door “I always make a space, no matter where I live, for my desk, which is the only place I write,” says Robert K Lewis, author of the Mark Mallen trilogy Even if you’re not a desk person (personally, I use my desk for editing, but don’t ind it conducive to writing), having a designated writing space of any sort increases the likelihood that you will actually use that area for writing And once you have a routine of settling in there, the very spot can help signal to your muse that it’s writing time Walk into my family room, and to you, it might just look like I’m sitting on the couch, but to me, that spot I ESSEN TIAL S OF THE C RA FT is mine (he dogs get the other half.) his is where I’ve written my new novel, this article, my latest blog post here’s an invisible shingle I hang up so that there’s no misunderstanding, with myself or anyone else Some writers have a writing room on-the-go, where just having the laptop or notebook along is enough signal to the brain that there’s work to be done. “I’m oten typing away at my children’s taekwondo classes or basketball games,” says Amy E Reichert, author of he Coincidence of Coconut Cake The good news is that making more room for writing in our lives doesn’t necessarily mean making ourselves even busier It just means we need to be more mindful of how we spend the time we have But sometimes, no matter how hard we try, the walls, whether real or imagined, start closing in here are houseguests, someone’s sick, or a repairman is in the kitchen for hours on the day you have a deadline Maybe soccer season ends, or there’s a leak in the roof, or your favorite cofee shop closes hat’s when it’s time to … Think outside your writing box It’s cliche, but it’s true I recently joked with my 23-year-old son that I needed a change of scenery in order to continue writing my third novel I told him I was seriously contemplating a big move—from one side of the family room to the other From the sofa to the chair! I’d be facing another direction, changing my view and perhaps my motivation And you know what? It worked! Now I have two writingworthy spaces in the same room “Strictly speaking, I have an ‘oice’—which functions as a guest room/den,” Sally Koslow, author of he Widow Waltz, says “But I’ve abandoned it in favor of my dining I WRITER’S WORKBOOK I 2016 room, which is far sunnier I’ve found that it’s important to be in a bright, cheerful place.” Sometimes it’s as simple as knowing what you need Like Koslow, I love to write near a window I also know that I am easily distracted, so that window better have blinds or curtains Lisa Barr, author of Fugitive Colors, shares that she’s been writing for 18 years, and considers herself very disciplined “I have a beautiful oice—large picture windows, a desk illed with meaningful photos, a beautiful bookcase—everything around me is conducive to writing and inspiring However, I have to get out of my house to write in the mornings, usually parking my laptop at my local Starbucks If I’m at home there is always the laundry, the mess, the dogs, life in motion, all the to-dos glaring at me.” Of course, it’s not always up to us when or where we write Kate Moretti, he New York Times bestselling author of hought I Knew You, knows this too well “I steal time on my lunch break at work, even booking myself a conference room.” We need to accept that there will be times when even the best of us can’t make So remember to … Give yourself a break We hold ourselves to high standards with word counts and deadlines and critiques But letting ourselves of the hook—just a bit—can open up room for writing I was convinced that if I didn’t start writing in the morning, I wouldn’t write at all that day hen I started working at the restaurant—you guessed it—during my morning writing time And I love the job! I forgave myself for forsaking my writing time and forced myself to block out an hour at my keyboard in the late aternoons I found it wasn’t a good time for drating or rewriting, but it was a good time for outlining, editing and planning my next full writing day Yvonne Lieblein, author of he Wheelhouse Café, also had her head and heart set on writing in the mornings until she couldn’t it anymore “My creative faucet lows with ierce force before a.m., and for years (OK, decades) I fretted over my inability to designate that as sacred writing time because of family and business obligations I would wake up earlier and earlier, which seemed to work at irst and then I started walking into walls by late aternoon.” JoJo Moyes, From the Heart Her smash hit Me Before You topped The New York Times bestseller list, was made into a feature-length movie, and spurred a sequel But Moyes’ “overnight success” was years in the making—and yields fascinating lessons about how and why we can learn as we go PHOTO © STINE HEILMANN BY JESSICA STRAWSER I 101 F I CTION TECH N IQ U E S I t’s always come down to two things for Jojo Moyes: writing and motherhood he London native worked as a journalist for 10 years, including time at South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and he Independent in the U.K But once she and her husband started a family, she aimed for a more manageable work-life balance and decided to try her hand at a diferent kind of writing In 2002 her irst novel hit U.K bookshelves, and for almost a decade she made a rather quiet, sustainable living writing books marketed largely to romance readers She started drawing more notice—and more mainstream iction audiences on both sides of the pond—with 2011’s he Last Letter From Your Lover, an intricately plotted tale of parallel romances spanning decades And then, she struck a nerve Me Before You was the surprise smash of 2013 It tells the story of plucky, working-class Louisa “Lou” Clark, hired in spite of her total lack of experience to care for Will Traynor, a handsome, adventure-seeking executive paralyzed in a freak accident As an unlikely bond develops, Lou discovers that what Will wants most in the world is something that will shatter hers He wants to die And he wants her help Transcending the hot-button right-to-die debate, the book has sold more than million copies worldwide In June, it also became a feature ilm, for which Moyes wrote the screenplay and worked grueling days on set to adapt the script scene by scene Her subsequent novels, he Girl You Let Behind (featuring parallel love stories, set during WWI and in the present, that have a piece of stolen artwork in common) and One Plus One (following an ensemble cast on a road trip) have been immediate international bestsellers, and much of her backlist has now been released in the U.S But it’s still Me Before You that draws overwhelming volumes of reader mail And Moyes—now 47 and living on a farm in Essex with her husband, a writer for he Guardian, and their three children, ages 11, 15 and 18— still personally answers every letter “Sometimes people are sending you a page of very emotional stuf about their lives, and you can’t just say, ‘Oh, thanks for reading the book!’ You have to answer them properly,” she tells Writer's Digest “And I suppose because I was a fairly unsuccessful author for so long, I also feel an obligation because, you know, there’s always a part of me thinking, hank you for buying my book!” 102 I WRITER’S WORKBOOK I 2016 Moyes has gited those fans with something more: a sequel Ater You meets Lou a couple of years ater Me Before You leaves of Here, Moyes talks about navigating career turns with grace, relearning to write a novel with every story, and nurturing her books and children above all else In a letter to your readers you explain why you wrote this sequel Why did you feel that an author’s note was necessary in this case? I don’t know if it was necessary—it’s just that over the last few years I feel like I’ve developed such a dialogue with the people who read my books that it seemed to make sense to speak to them directly I wrote eight books before I wrote [Me Before You], and the thing that has really marked this book out for me is the fact that people felt compelled to talk to me about it—and that’s been extraordinary I get emails every week, I get tweets, I get Facebook messages, [all] from people who want to talk about their own lives, or about Lou, or how she reflected something in their life, and that’s never happened to me before People had such a fundamentally personal reaction to it that [a letter to readers] felt like a nice way to it, I guess There were readers who voiced some really strong opinions online at just the news of you writing a sequel—ranging from jumping-up-and-down excitement to “You’d better not mess this up!” hat’s been terrifying I have to say, once I committed to the idea of writing a sequel, I thought it was going to be easy I thought it was just going to be me revisiting these characters that I knew and loved And what turned out to happen was the absolute opposite of that Because you’re constantly asking yourself, Is this interesting enough? Does this match up to Me Before You enough? But also you’re conscious that readers have really strong opinions about these characters he flip side of people feeling very invested in your characters is that they’re going to have very strong opinions about what you with them I had to reach a point where I just reconciled myself to the fact that, hopefully a lot of people will love what I did with the book, but there’s quite possibly going to be a lot of people who disagree hat doesn’t trouble me What does bug me is people who get upset with the idea of writing it and try to persuade other people not to read it Because you just think, I don’t care if you read it and hate it, that’s absolutely your prerogative, but don’t give me one star because you don’t like the idea of it! hat’s not on! [Laughs.] At any point in writing After You did you start thinking, I don’t know if this story is going to come together? Oh, sure I wrote the irst three chapters again and again over a period of several months Originally Lou was a paramedic But the tone of the book went missing—it felt like I was writing a medical drama rather than Lou’s story And I had to reach a point where I gave up on the idea of her having that job, and once I did, and once I hit on the idea of [her working at] the airport, her life suddenly made sense to me again Frequently I will write chapters that I end up having to ditch And they might be beautifully crated, they might contain things I’m really proud of, but you have to be ruthless here comes a point when you know in your gut something just isn’t working, or isn’t as good as it should be What I’ve found over the years is that I’ve never regretted anything I’ve ditched—I’ve only regretted stuf I’ve let in I think some people assume that once you’re multipublished the manuscripts just flow out of you No—I think it gets harder You know, when I wrote Me Before You, I was between contracts I had a small, loyal readership, but I’d never troubled the bestseller charts I don’t think anyone would have really jumped over themselves to see what I wrote—and that actually was quite liberating Because I could write the exact story that I wanted to write I didn’t think about how anybody would receive it My husband and I used to joke that Me Before You was going to be the book that inished my career entirely because of the [controversial] subject matter And I just wrote the book that I wanted to write What happened with Ater You was I kept feeling the weight of expectation And that was new for me How much of the plot you know before you begin? I outline I’m always amazed by these people who say that they just start and see where the story takes them hat makes me actually kind of [shake] with fear—I couldn’t it So yeah, when I say I ripped up three chapters, I ripped up three chapters of written work, but then I had to replot the entire book, because I had to work out who she was if she wasn’t a paramedic I ripped up an entire book For anybody who thinks that you can just suddenly work out HOW TO WRITE, in capital letters, and get on with it: Every time I start a book, I think, I have no idea how I did this the last time No idea All you can is rely on your tricks I always say to myself, “I’ll write the irst chapter, and I’ll probably get rid of it at some point, but at least it will get me writing.” Because sometimes you don’t know your characters until you’re a third of the way into the book, or two-thirds in, and then you have to rejig the existing book But I have conidence tricks that I play on myself just to get me going And sometimes you have to that his time my editor and my agent got quite irm with me at one point because I was so worried about it I think my editor’s phrase was, “Stop thinking and get writing.” So what is your process? If you diverge from your outline, you stop and reoutline, or keep going? It varies, but in general I have a vague outline, a rough plot, and then I have themes that I want to look at within that plot, so my subplots and possibly even the main plot will be informed by what I think the book is actually about Oten I’ll tape the phrase “What is this really about?” over the top of the monitor so that I don’t lose sight of that So I try to keep those two things in my head all the time, and the reason I think for quite a long time before I start work is because they oten won’t marry Ater You, for example, yes it’s about Lou moving on with her life, and whether she’ll ind love with someone else, and how much responsibility she shows to somebody linked to Will’s past, but it also is about the cost of individual decisions In a world where we’re told to follow our dream and what we want to fulill ourselves, what is the impact on the people let to cope with that decision, whether it’s the children of divorcing parents, or a mother who had done nothing but look ater her family for 40 years and suddenly decides that she’d like to try something else? Although they may seem like disparate plot points, I try to make sure there is a current running through them It seems fortunate if a writer can hit on concepts from which to grow a story rather than one single plot idea, or even a character, because there are so many ways you can approach them It’s interesting to me that my books only really took of once I started to view them in that way And maybe I 103 F I CTION TECH N IQ U E S I’m somebody that just had to teach herself as she went along But [he Last Letter From Your Lover was] the irst book where I really started to look at that And since I’ve really been thinking it through in that way—and quite a calculated way—before I start, either my books have really improved or people have just responded better to them, I’m not sure to it before sending it of Because you see the holes in a way that you just can’t see when you’re up close to it In fact, it’s one of the reasons why I ind it very hard to read the books that I’ve written, because all I can see is the faults—they become so clear to me that I just want to howl and say, “Why did anybody let that through? It’s just awful!” How does your background as a journalist influence your fiction writing? So what is your revision process, exactly? I think the irst thing is the ability to see stories You learn to use your antennae I can see stories pretty much everywhere I just think it gives you that way of looking at the world he other thing is it teaches you to work everywhere—you’re not precious about waiting for a muse I work on train station platforms, departure lounges, you name it I’m happy to just get my laptop out and hunch over and get to work But also I’m quite good at meeting deadlines I have a very high work ethic, because I love what I’m doing, so it makes it easy How you think you’ve grown as a writer? I hope I’ve gotten better I think I’ve gotten better at analyzing what is working and what is not working I have a litmus test where, for example, if I’m writing a very emotional scene, I know that if I’m not laughing or crying at my own work, the reader isn’t going to I’ve tested this by asking people—Where did you laugh? Where did you cry?—and it’s always the pages where I did And, I’m pretty ruthless about stripping stuf out I’ve only started using humor in my books since Me Before You, but I think I’ve discovered that I like using humor and that it’s a useful foil to the more depressing aspects of a book So, I don’t know really But it’s nice to get bigger sales inally! [Laughs.] It took a long time Are there any secrets you’ve discovered to writing humor in a way that adds warmth to a tough scene? I feel like I’m still learning that one It can be really hard I think part of it’s your mood My biggest tip for writing is: If you get stuck, move forward to a scene that you’re looking forward to working, and that just tends to give you your joy back And then oten you’ll ind that the space between them is actually a lot smaller than you thought it was, and maybe a kind of easier way to work it he thing I’ve really learned is the importance of leaving time between inishing your book and then going back 104 I WRITER’S WORKBOOK I 2016 Well, I don’t have an exact one—I just revise all the time I might write 1,000 words one day and delete 999 the next I’m not somebody who can crat a perfect sentence I try to hit on the emotional truth of a scene, and then ater that I’ll just keep polishing until the language feels right Earlier in your career you talked a lot about the challenges of juggling raising kids with your writing time Has that balance changed at all in recent years? It’s a constant struggle, and it’s one that I never feel I quite get right I’ve grown to accept maternal guilt as something that comes with success, and what I try to is make sure that I carve out enough time and special little events with the kids so they feel there are some advantages to me doing what I and not just disadvantages I have a really supportive husband, I have help at home I heard a saying awhile ago—I can’t remember who said it, but it was somebody I admired, and she said, “If you have children, you can only one other thing well.” hat stuck with me So, I try to write well And I am unapologetic about contracting stuf out I hate this pretense that women can it all, because you can’t Or you can, but you end up tearing your hair out, and that’s no good for anybody Work out what you want to most, other than work For me it was literally sitting on the sofa giving my kids a cuddle I felt like there were two years where all I said to them was, “In a minute,” “I just have to this,” “I just have to something else,” and I hated the sound of my own voice And I thought, What are they going to remember from this? hat Mom was always working? No So I don’t the other stuf anymore And that’s one of the beneits of success WW Jessica Strawser (jessicastrawser.com) is the editorial director of Writer’s Digest Her debut novel, Almost Missed You, is forthcoming from St Martin’s Press in March 2017 SAVE UP TO 65% on Great Writing Books! • DEEP EVERYDAY DISCOUNTS on hundreds of books, magazines, CDs and downloads • FREE SHIPPING on all U.S orders (use code WORKBOOK16) • SAVE AN EXTRA 10% with our VIP program Save With Writer’s Digest Shop! EASY ORDER OPTIONS For fastest service, best selection and the deepest discounts, order online at WritersDigestShop.com Be sure to enter OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 in the website Shopping Cart to activate free shipping on any U.S order This offer code expires on Nov 7, 2016 Call us at (800)258-0929 Monday through Friday, a.m to p.m Central Time Outside the U.S call (715)445-2214 Please mention Offer Code WORKBOOK16 when calling NEW LOWER PRICES! Save even more with our new lower online prices! No need to search around for the best prices on writing books—you’ll find fantastic discounts at WritersDigestShop.com FREE STANDARD SHIPPING! For all orders placed by Nov 7, 2016, using Offer Code WORKBOOK16 (U.S addresses with U.S Postal delivery only) SAVE 10% ON YOUR ORDERS FOR A FULL YEAR JOIN THE WRITER’S DIGEST VIP PROGRAM FIND OVER 700 PRODUCTS ONLINE AT For a full year, you can receive an additional 10% discount off all orders through our shop, plus receive 1-year subscriptions to Writer’s Digest magazine and WritersMarket.com For more info, visit WritersDigestShop.com/writers-vip-us AND LOOK FOR US ON: Your One-Stop Shop for Great Books, Magazines, Downloads & More at Incredible Savings! Find great tips, networking and advice by following @writersdigest Become a fan of our page: facebook.com/writersdigest USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM 105 Don’t Miss the Latest from WD Books! by Sage Cohen Veteran author and writing guide Sage Cohen believes that ferocity is your best compass for inding your true way forward In Fierce on the Page, she shows you how to transform your attitude and practices so you can unleash your creativity, cultivate your strengths, overcome resistance and fear, deine success on your own terms, move intentionally toward your goals and become unstoppable in your evolution as a writer DIY MFA by Gabriela Pereira DIY MFA is the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing By combining the three main components of a traditional MFA—writing, reading and community—you’ll learn how to set customized goals for writing and learning, generate ideas on demand, outline your book from beginning to end, read with a “writer’s eye” to emulate the technique of others, and more Crafting Dynamic Dialogue by he Editors of Writer’s Digest Exceptional dialogue isn’t just important when writing iction—it’s essential Each section of Crating Dynamic Dialogue is packed with advice from such bestselling authors and instructors as Nancy Kress, Steven James, Deborah Halverson, James Scott Bell, Donald Maass and many others who show you how to set the pace and tone, bend rules to create a speciic efect, use dialect and jargon, reveal character background, utilize internal dialogue and more Just Write by James Scott Bell So many writers ind their careers stuck in neutral he solution is simple: Just write Write yourself past fears, doubts and setbacks, using your desire for writing excellence to deeply immerse yourself in the crat In Just Write, you’ll learn how to master the nuances of iction, discover what readers really want, and persevere through the challenges of getting started, conquering writer’s block and dealing with rejection #S5309 $16.99 YOUR PRICE: $13.51* ITEM RETAIL: #T7995 $19.99 YOUR PRICE: $15.22* ITEM RETAIL: #S8316 $18.99 YOUR PRICE: $15.99* ITEM RETAIL: #T8829 $17.99 YOUR PRICE: $10.99* ITEM RETAIL: *Sales prices listed were current at the time of publication and may luctuate slightly Visit the WD Shop for current sale prices 106 USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM ADVERTISEMENT Fierce on the Page Improve the Essentials of Your Craft Spellbinding Sentences by Barbara Baig Great writing requires more than an original idea, compelling characters or a scintillating plot: It also requires a mastery of the power of the English language In Spellbinding Sentences, you’ll analyze sentences from your favorite writers, practice proven techniques and develop your skills one step at a time—so you can keep readers spellbound, page ater page Mastering the Craft of Writing by Stephen Wilbers To be remembered for your words, you need to write with skill and style Mastering the Crat of Writing presents 52 techniques to improve your prose Spend a week with each technique for a yearlong workshop, or use this book as a go-to reference as needed Either way, you’ll have the tools to enliven your writing and delight your readers by writing with economy, emphasis and distinction With Mastering the Crat of Writing, you’ll learn to make every word matter Writing Deep Scenes by Martha Alderson & Jordan Rosenfeld Whether you’re planning your irst novel or have written a drat, Writing Deep Scenes will teach you how to write strong, engaging scenes—the secret to page-turning plots It’s illed with practical tools for building layers and nuance into your scenes, and developing a profound understanding of how plot and scene intertwine Writing With Quiet Hands by Paula Munier To write with quiet hands is to embrace the journey all writers must take: from seeking inspiration and shaping raw material to cultivating a personal support network, navigating the pathways to publication and committing to a lifelong practice In Writing With Quiet Hands, author and literary agent Paula Munier helps you build well-crated stories and balance this work with the realities and challenges of the publishing world #T6431 $19.99 YOUR PRICE: $12.84* ITEM RETAIL: #U8149 $19.99 YOUR PRICE: $13.99* ITEM RETAIL: #T3697 $17.99 YOUR PRICE: $11.64* ITEM RETAIL: #T6630 $17.99 YOUR PRICE: $16.99* ITEM RETAIL: *Sales prices listed were current at the time of publication and may luctuate slightly Visit the WD Shop for current sale prices USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM 107 Focus on Your Nonfiction by Zachary Petit So you want to be a freelance writer Great! But now you’re faced with a laundry list of questions: Should you write for magazines or online markets? How you dream up and pitch the perfect article idea? his great guide answers all of these questions and more Filled with insider secrets, candid advice, humor and blunt honesty, this vital book will teach you how to truly thrive in freelancing The Truth of Memoir by Kerry Cohen he Truth Of Memoir is the irst book of its kind to tackle the popular but infrequently discussed topic of writing about others in memoir It contains insight, advice and recounts from 30 memoirists on the topic of writing about others, from family members and friends to ex-lovers and children How to Write a Book Proposal, 4th Edition by Michael Larsen With timeless advice and cutting-edge updates on a changing industry, this newly revised edition is a must-have for every noniction writer From your book’s hook, to your outline and sample chapters, to your promotional plan and author bio, veteran literary agent Michael Larsen shows you how to create, polish and submit a proposal that stands out Writing Your Legacy by Richard Campbell & Dr Cheryl Svensson Memoir writing is an equally rewarding and challenging endeavor Writing Your Legacy introduces readers to the Guided Autobiography process and parses out the key diferences between writing memoirs, autobiographies and life stories, providing step-by-step instructions to help writers determine what path they’re on and how to get to that inal page #T5514 $16.99 YOUR PRICE: $8.99* ITEM RETAIL: #U9392 $17.99 YOUR PRICE: $12.99* ITEM RETAIL: #Z5261 $19.99 YOUR PRICE: $11.99* ITEM RETAIL: #T2800 $16.99 YOUR PRICE: $11.67* ITEM RETAIL: *Sales prices listed were current at the time of publication and may luctuate slightly Visit the WD Shop for current sale prices 108 USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM ADVERTISEMENT The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing Featured Online Workshops Creativity & Expression weeks TUITION: $279.99 Are you a beginning writer? Do you put pen to paper but have a case of writer’s block? In this workshop you’ll learn creative writing techniques to launch your writing past any inspiration roadblocks and transform ideas into your next story With the help of Rebecca McClanahan’s Word Painting, you’ll explore creative writing topics, stretch your imagination and learn how descriptive writing can breathe life into your characters, setting and plot WORKSHOP LENGTH: The Art of Storytelling 101: Story Mapping and Pacing WORKSHOP LENGTH: weeks TUITION: $399.99 Discover how seven core competencies of storytelling— concept, character, voice, plot, theme, scene construction and style—combine to create a compelling narrative By understanding the engineering and design of a story, and using Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering and Nancy Dodd’s he Writer’s Compass, you’ll learn how to quickly and efectively get your story out of your head and onto the page Blogging 101 WORKSHOP LENGTH: weeks TUITION: $249.99 An online presence is a must for any writer—and blogging is a major way to share your expertise and establish your platform Don’t know how to start a blog? Not sure what to focus on? his workshop will guide you through the entire blogging process You’ll learn how to attract readers and market your writing Start a successful blog today, and get noticed by editors and publishers Writing the Personal Essay 101: Fundamentals weeks TUITION: $329.99 his course guides beginning and intermediate writers through the elements of writing a personal essay, helping you identify values expressed in your stories and to bring readers into the experiences described Writers learn how to avoid the dreaded responses of “So what?” and “I guess you had to be there” by utilizing sensory details, learning to trust their writing intuitions, and developing a skilled internal editor to help with revision WORKSHOP LENGTH: Learn More About All Available Courses! WWW.WRITERSONLINEWORKSHOPS.COM/CATALOG USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM 109 2016 Writer’s Market Series: THE MOST TRUSTED GUIDES TO GETTING PUBLISHED Now with these exciting features: • A one-year subscription to the Writer’s Market online market listing database • Original how-to articles by industry leaders • New interviews with bestselling and award-winning writers • Up-to-date listings for contests, conferences, workshops and professional organizations #R1509**; 896 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $20.99* ITEM #R1510; 896 pages RETAIL: $49.99 YOUR PRICE: $33.99* ITEM #R1511; 512 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $23.99* ITEM ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE NOW *Sale prices listed were correct at the time of publication but may luctuate slightly Visit the WD Shop for current discount prices **One-year subscription to online database not included with this edition #R1512; 336 pages $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $23.99* ITEM RETAIL: COMING SOON: 2017 Market Books available soon, check writersdigestshop.com #T8337; 480 pages $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $20.99* ITEM RETAIL: #T18339; 416 pages $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $23.99* ITEM RETAIL: #T1879**; 336 pages $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $20.99* ITEM RETAIL: 110 USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM Use WritersMarket.com to help you get published and get paid for your writing! publishing and marketing knowledge from our Q&As with industry experts • Search more than 9,000 listings for book publishers, magazines, contests, literary agents, greeting card publishers, screenwriting markets, playwriting markets, conferences, newspapers, online publications, syndicates and organizations WritersMarket.com includes listings from Writer’s Market, Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, Guide to Literary Agents, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market and Poet’s Market • Learn how much to charge for your freelance writing projects with our “How Much Should I Charge?” rate chart • Find information tailored to your writing needs—whether you’re interested in iction, noniction, poetry, children’s, scriptwriting or agents—with our niche-speciic pages • Stay abreast of the latest publishing news with editor Robert Lee Brewer’s Market Watch updates • Take your submission strategy to a new level with the ability to save searches, print reports and more • Organize your favorite publishing • Gain advanced opportunities into personalized folders • Manage your submissions with our easy-to-use record-keeping tool Subscribe Now for one year (just $3.33 a month!), and remember: One sale of your work should more than pay for the service! You will receive your WritersMarket.com activation code via email in 1–2 business days Use it to create a new account with one year of access This subscription will not auto-renew writersdigestshop.com/writers-market1year-subscription USE OFFER CODE WORKBOOK16 WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER BY PHONE OR ONLINE AT WRITERSDIGESTSHOP.COM 111 EN D N OTES Why Not Give Them a Good Read? BY MICHELLE HAUSER P eople would say, “You should write!” and then they’d turn to me and reiterate, “Really! Your sister should be a writer.” I’d smile at my sister, all the while seething with envy She was the athletic one and now she was going to be a writer, too Some people have all the luck here was no arguing the point about the talent that was simmering in her, though Kim expressed ideas in a way that few others did: She was ierce yet vulnerable, and beyond-her-years witty Even during her preadolescent Victorian phase, when she wore high-necked blouses with mutton sleeves, there was an uncanny cosmopolitan air to her—a Nora Ephron-esque spirit just below the surface, waiting to pop out in a black cashmere turtleneck Where my sister was innately ironic, I was irrepressibly hopeful and shamelessly precocious I used to hold court on my mother’s pink velvet couch and give her friends relationship advice heir startled expressions at my clearheadedness gave me a higher opinion of myself than I ought to have had Even so, no one ever mistook me for a scribe in the making “You should be a lawyer!” or “You should be a therapist!” they’d say, and those were the labels that stuck, as labels tend to I did write one memorable piece of creative noniction back then he story itself wasn’t remarkable, but I’d been dabbling with what came most naturally—a confessional style—and it rankled my mother, who found it uncomfortably revealing So I surrendered my pen I was happy enough to be a young barrister/therapist with a bright future whose sister was a writer Happy, of course, until about 20 years later when I overheard my boss at the Art Gallery of Ontario discussing a piece of my writing with a colleague: “Who in the hell wrote this?” he moment lives in my mind’s eye as a three-panel cartoon strip, complete with speech bubbles His reaction to the page in front of him was terrifyingly ambiguous 112 I WRITER’S WORKBOOK I 2016 My job at the time, as advertised, was “Executive Assistant,” but in practice it was more like gopher-in-a-suit (so much for law or psychotherapy) I spent much of my time running through the streets of Toronto in stilettos, illing exotic food and beverage orders for international celebrities hat day, I’d been helping to troubleshoot a situation with a VIP, and was asked to ind out everything possible about the donor and write a brieing on the ly here hadn’t been much time for editing I wasn’t sure if it was to be strictly informative, so I snuck in a few entertaining bits, thinking, Why not give him a good read? I never did ind out if he liked the report But, good or bad, my ability to communicate through the written word had caught his attention As a practitioner of extravagant hope, I iled it away as a glass-is-half-full experience hen, one day, I brought a can of tuna to my humble office only to discover that the can opener had disappeared from the staf kitchen—for which I was also responsible, so low was my position on the food chain Instead of sending out yet another gallery-wide email excoriation (“Return the can opener or die!”), I decided to go in a diferent direction and wrote a satirical mock review of a contemporary art exhibition of a can of tuna, complete with a make-believe interview with me—the artist—about the greater social and political statements I was making by exhibiting the can on its own with no opener Having announced that the limited-run exhibition would be installed in the director’s office until the can opener could be found, I set the canned ish on the edge of my desk and waited for visitors About an hour later, a VIP who shall remain nameless stopped by my desk and said: “You should write!” Out of force of habit I glanced over my shoulder to look for my sister, but she was nowhere to be seen Yeah, I thought I should probably give it a try WW Michelle Hauser is the author of “Laugh Lines,” a popular syndicated humour column in Canada Her work includes contributions to CBC Radio, Chicken Soup for the Soul and more Your story is part of our story Welcome to the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, a challenging and inspiring environment in which to hone your craft WE ARE THE WRITERS WE ARE TELLING STORIES WE ARE CREATING CHARACTERS WE ARE DEVELOPING PLOTS UCLA EXTENSION WRITERS’ PROGRAM, START THE NEXT CHAPTER OF YOUR STORY The Writers’ Program is the largest open enrollment creative writing and screenwriting program in the nation, with 400 annual courses, certificate programs, scholarships, competitions, and one-on-one mentorships and consultations Courses available online and on site Find out more at writers.uclaextension.edu Enroll now at uclaextension.edu 'MHUDVVL5HVLGHQW$UWLVWV3URJUDP:RUNVKRS5HWUHDWV ,QWLPDWH SDUWLFLSDQWV