RACHEL MENARD (RachelMenard.com) earned her degree in marketing from Arizona State University, during which time her work was printed in the university paper and in her own, self-published punk zine, Chelsea. Her short fiction has been featured in th

In her two New York Times bestselling novels, Yangsze Choo’s historical fiction about colonial Malaya is suffused with local legends, superstitions, and customs, a magical realism seamlessly interwoven with unusual plots involving mysterious murders,

At the outset of any story, most characters find themselves beset by the following motivational factors: • A state of LACK: Something is missing from his life. • This lack speaks to an unfulfilled YEARNING, or dream of life: the kind of person the ch

After the euphoric moment of typing “FADE OUT” on a first draft, your story simmers in a drawer while you take a much-needed break to sort piles of dirty laundry. Now, it’s time to dive back in and explore what story elements work and where your stor

The viator is a form invented by poet Robin Skelton, author of The Shapes of Our Singing. Here are the basic rules: • The first line is a refrain.• The refrain appears as the second line of the second stanza, third line of the third stanza, and so on

For about two years before I became an editor, I was an English composition instructor for first-year college students. (I was not good at it.) During that time, one of the most important things I tried to drive home to the students was: Know your au

My husband jokes with me that my midlife crisis was having my now 11-year-old daughter in my 40s. I started my career in publishing as Associate Beauty Editor at Woman’s World magazine in the late ’90s. Then I was a magazine editor-in-chief for five

As an academic, I have been conducting research and writing scholarly work for more than a decade. And while my first novel, His Only Wife, was published just this year, I have been writing fiction for even longer. When I was about 10, I started writ

A writer friend posted on Twitter: “So I’m reading scary stuff like if your book doesn’t have at least 10 reviews by the end of the first week, it will disappear into a black hole, never to return. Is this true?” This was my response: “As long as you

CALIFORNIA CREATIVE WRITERS CONFERENCE™ WITH GENRE-LA™ 2021, produced by West Coast Writers Conferences. February 26–March 6, depending on health and safety regulations at the time. Writers of all genres and disciplines will benefit from this educati

The Cyborg Tinkerer (Steampunk/space opera, November, iWriterly LLC) “A circus competition. A tinkerer tasked with removing the losing cyborgs’ implants. Who is she to protect when she falls for both the handsome ringleader and the beautiful acrobat?

The world of the feature film is booming and you are gushing with ideas. TEN WEEKS TO YOUR FEATURE FILM will give you the tools to get the ideas out of your head and into a completed screenplay by introducing you to the methods that professional scre

A division of WD WRITER'S DIGEST 5 TIPS TO TURN YOUR SCRIPT INTO A HIGH CONCEPT IDEA Studios know high concept films put people in the seats. They want a twist on an idea, something that will make it more commercial and compelling. Check out this FRE

It’s that time again, the beginning of a new year. A time for saying good riddance to the disappointments and frustrations of the previous year, and the ushering in of all the potential goodness the next 365 days can bring. While this particular new

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amy Jones SENIOR EDITORS Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, Robert Lee Brewer MANAGING EDITOR Cassandra Lipp EDITOR Moriah Richard ART DIRECTOR Wendy Dunning ILLUSTRATOR Danielle Lowery EDITORS-AT-LARGE Ericka McIntyre Tyler Moss Jessica Stra

I have been querying agents for my debut and have had zero requests for the manuscript. But when my critique group read my novel, they said things like “This deserves to be published.” And “This was one of the best books I’ve read all year.” I figure