Writer's Digest February 2018

1 Outside the Margins The latest from bestselling The Nightingale author Kristin Hannah (WD Interview, Page 44) transports readers to remote 1970s Alaska. In these outtakes, Hannah discusses the real-life influences that inspired The Great Alone, and preaches the power of a tight-knit writing circle. 2 For the Love of Writing With the hashtag #WhyWeWrite, we asked you to share the motivations behind your wondrous words. From hundreds of heartfelt responses, we sprinkled some throughout this issue (Pages 25, 33, 35)—but saved even more to share online! 3 Love Letters After learning how to spark romance in a story without ever writing the “L” word (“More Than Words,” Page 34), see how the masters make it seem natural in these five examples from classic favorites and modern bestsellers. To find…

ORDINARY HEROES We think of heroes as being forged in the throes of a crisis. But what makes them tick when disaster isn’t imminent? Lt. Col. John Mangan shares how to scratch beyond the valiant veneer. bit.ly/ordinaryheroesWD OPEN ARMS Even in fiction, preventing your personal life from influencing your writing is pretty much impossible. So what’s a writer to do? Author Danielle M. Wong offers a novel notion: Embrace it. bit.ly/embracingimpactWD SCREEN TEST So you sold your book to Hollywood, and subsequently adapted a screenplay. Congrats! The next hurdle: Understanding your role in the movie’s production process. Die Hard 2 and Bad Boys writer Doug Richardson provides an inside look. bit.ly/screentestWD…

Love Stories When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? Maybe it was while reading Charlotte’s Web to your daughter before bed, seeing her hang on every word. Or as a kid at summer camp, when a creepy tale you told in the dark made your cabin mates wet their bunks. Perhaps it was in college, when you took a professor’s critique of your flash fiction as a personal challenge, or decades later, on the brink of retirement, when a well-meaning colleague asked what you planned to do with all your free time. Chances are it was a touch of this and a stroke of that—a mosaic of moments provoking a fondness for story craft. That’s how my own memories manifest: I’m 6, stapling scribbled pages…

JANE K. CLELAND (“Whisper Sweet Somethings,” Page 26) writes the award-winning, bestselling Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series, published by Minotaur Books and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Jane’s bestseller about the craft of writing, Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot, from WD Books, won the Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction. Her forthcoming title Mastering Plot Twists, also from WD Books, releases in 2018. Find her online at janecleland.com. DAVID CORBETT (“I Just Didn’t Fall in Love,” Page 30) is the award-winning author of the writing guide The Art of Character (“A writer’s bible,” says Elizabeth Brundage) and six novels, including The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday (September 2018). His short fiction has been selected twice for “Best American Mystery Stories,” and his nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, Narrative,…

Readers know what they like and don’t like, but sometimes struggle to explain why. If you delve into those reviews, you’ll notice moments of real insight. If you write stories with the goal of publishing them, you must consider your readers. Some write purely to satisfy an insatiable itch to tell a tale, and that’s fine. But if your goal is to publish, then your audience’s reaction to your work must be a consideration throughout the process: when first formulating your plot, in the throes of writing and editing and even after the book is released. Allow me to explain. While some writers insist they don’t read reviews of their work, most of us do scroll through them, cringing at each criticism or lamenting the overall lack of feedback. However,…

I once asked Sebastian Junger’s publisher about the headshot on The Perfect Storm book jacket. Is it true Junger’s cheekbones sold the book? Far from being offended, he clutched my arm and told me that Junger’s first book tour was like a rock concert, full of fans eager to meet the handsome author. Author photos matter. “The author’s headshot is the equivalent of that handshake you make when you meet someone and say, ‘Nice to meet you,’” photographer Sharona Jacobs says. You don’t need to look like a model to sell a book, but readers want a sense of the person they’ll be spending so much time with. Does the writer look like she has a sense of humor? Is he approachable? Jacobs has found a niche taking portraits of…