Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2024 i Writer's Digest

He waits, and I’m not stupid enough to fill the silence. That trick only works on people who don’t use it themselves. —A Good Day to Pie, Misha Popp (cozy mystery) I am not one of those bullshit macho guys who thinks he can go on Survivor and then cracks two days in because he’s out of hair gel. I need my hair gel. Specifically, I need my Dirt from Jonathan Antin. —At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream, Wade Rouse (memoir) If I were to uncoil my trumpet, I’d have four and a half feet of brass pipe. This fact was on repeat in my head at last night’s football game, because I was seriously considering dismantling my instrument so that I could wrap it around…

You deck the halls. You fill the stockings. You bake the snowman-shaped sugar cookies. You even write a witty yearin-review to tuck inside cards after addressing and stuffing countless envelopes. Eventually, you catch your breath, scratch your head, and wonder why the very best of the season seemed to fly by. There must be a better way to slow down and invite the unique beauty and magic of Christmas into our homes and lives, right? Welcome, bookworms, to what may soon become one of your most beloved holiday celebrations. Not long ago, my better half caught wind of an intriguing Icelandic tradition called Jólabókaflóðið (pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot), which roughly translates into “Christmas Book Flood,” and suggested our family try it. In short, it involves swapping books with loved ones and reading…

6 WAYS TO WRITE COZY POEMS Over the years, I’ve learned I’m an emotional poet. I enjoy writing poems that evoke emotions and reading poems that provoke emotions. Some of my favorite poems—both to read and to write—have been cozy poems, which to me isn’t a genre so much as a feeling. For me, that feeling is one of comfort even if there’s a bit of tension in the poem. Here are six ways to write cozy poems. Think Seasons One great thing about seasonal poems is that they occur throughout the year. Another is that people tend to have strong emotional connections with each season. For many, spring may be about a reawakening of the natural world, though some may view it through the prism of insects and allergies.…

Scones and Scofflaws, A Blind Eye (Cozy mystery, traditional mystery; Blue Eagle Press) WHY SELF-PUBLISH? When I started writing professionally, I didn’t know that indie publishing was an option. After years perfecting the first book I wanted published, I spent two more years on the pitching circuit. It was hard, but a few good things came out of it. First, I got some helpful feedback from the agents who asked to read the manuscript. Second, I used that time to get to work on the next book in the series. Interestingly, after hearing about the second book, one agent who expressed interest recommended I switch the order around. These were the Adam Kaminski mysteries, and the first book is set in Warsaw while the second book is in Washington, D.C.…

Pam Gruber (she/her) grew up outside Philadelphia, a self-described insatiable childhood reader whose first “published” book could be found in her school’s library when she was in the third grade. At the New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Gruber designed her own major around the concept of storytelling. She interned at the Junior Library Guild and Houghton Mifflin (now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). “I got my start in the industry as an editor, working for over a decade at Hachette Book Group and serving as the editorial director at children’s media startup Rebel Girls before shifting gears,” Gruber says. “I eventually became a literary agent when I realized my favorite part of the publishing business was working closely with authors and artists, helping them to shape not only their…

Cozy mystery covers make it clear what type of story readers can expect. The punny titles, the lovely scenes you wish you could step into and, in most cases, an adorable pet of some sort, head often cocked in question. While it might be easy to write off the pets as mere fluff, animal characters play a variety of critical roles in these stories. CLUE FINDERS The natural curiosity of cats makes them both a metaphor for inquisitiveness and the perfect companion for their nosy human counterparts in cozy mysteries. Being close to the ground and infinitely flexible, cats can shimmy under furniture, bushes, or buildings. Strong legs and sharp claws enable them to climb bookcases, trees, or roofs. Endowed with these feline superpowers, cats are skilled investigators who see…

It’s not your imagination—building a writing career is getting tougher. Recent statistics estimate that two million new books a year are offered on Amazon. Competition grows stronger, the market grows more crowded, advances are decreasing, and more and more authors are competing for eyeballs—including against an onslaught of AI-generated books. Increasingly, publishing houses focus on debut authors, the tradition of nurturing and building an author’s career over years and multiple books seemingly a relic. If a single title’s sales don’t measure up to expectations, you may not get a shot at a second one—and yet much marketing and publicity is, more than ever, up to most authors to shoulder. Regardless of their publishing path, authors assume ever more costs associated with publishing, as well as ever more of the risks.…

For Matt Strempel, creativity has always been part of his life, but the bug for writing didn’t really take hold until he started working with his grandmother. She was “becoming frail in her wrists. And I said to her, ‘You can either teach yourself how to type … Or I can type up your handwritten notes, and anything I can’t read, you just tell me.’ We skipped the handwritten notes, and she just went straight to dictating. I realized that at first, I was typing out her stories, and then I was sort of trying to help. I saw an opportunity to make something better, or just to spitball ideas with her. And I was like, this is so fun!” Strempel never looked back. Now, he uses his twice-weekly commutes…

Every day, my inbox has submissions labeled as picture book projects that are actually written in short story form and aren’t suited to today’s picture book market. There isn’t a simple and clear way to define the difference, but I hope this article helps children’s picture book writers. I will be using excerpts of actual submissions, changing specifics to protect identity, but keeping features like sentence construction, general vocabulary, etc. to illustrate points. There are exceptions, and not all agents and editors would agree with everything I’m pointing out that, as I’m reading submissions, say “short story!” So, what are these features? 1. There’s a different kind of flow to sentences in a short story. 2. The writing is in a loosely conversational style. 3. It lacks the “chiseled and polished”…

You may have seen advertisements geared at writers for T-shirts with a saying along the lines of Be careful, or I’ll put you in my next book. Amusing, but it leads to a serious question: How much of your life, as a writer, do you want to put into your novel? Or your memoir? It’s impossible to write anything without including something of yourself, the writer. After all, the idea, the impetus for your work comes from … you. Your brain. Your imagination. Your creativity. But you might protest … I’ve obviously never lived on Mars in the year 3057, or time-traveled, or lived in 1850s Europe, or been a detective, or a trapeze artist, or a photojournalist. I’m just making up my story! It’s not about me! Well, your…

Frontlist Trouble Island by Sharon Short (Minotaur Books, Suspense, December 2024) SYNOPSIS: It’s the start of winter, 1932, and Aurelia Escalante is preparing to hunker down on Trouble Island in the middle of Lake Erie where she can keep a low profile in her position as maid to lady of the manor, Rosita McGee. But Aurelia isn’t who she seems to be—she’s the wife of a murdered gangster—so taking care of Rosita, who is mourning the loss of her young son and refusing to take visitors, offers the perfect hideout. Perfect until the boat of Rosita’s husband, notorious prohibition gangster Eddie McGee, appears without warning, carrying a doctor, Rosita’s cousin, a down-on-his-luck famous actor, Eddie’s right-handman, and another gangster who Rosita believes killed her son—all trying to get Rosita to…

Winter is not my favorite time of year. It tries my patience for any number of reasons that seem entirely trivial now, but in the moment make me irritable. Give me the warmth and bright colors of spring year-round, please! That said, my absolute favorite thing to do is curl up in my reading chair with a stack of books, a cozy blanket, and a pile of purring cats to keep me warm as I read for hours, my favorite mug full of steaming black coffee by my side. Even better if the weather gives me a built-in excuse for not leaving the house. Of course, sitting on the end table is a notebook or two and my computer for jotting down ideas as they come to me. There’s something…

Many freelance writers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, tend to place almost all of their professional focus on one specific component: craft. They work extra hard to master the basics of effective nonfiction writing because they understand how important they are to success in this very competitive field. And they’re right. A mastery of Craft is a key component to success as a freelance writer. But it is not the only one; equally important are the Art and Business of freelance writing. Together, these components are as stable as a three-legged stool. But ignore one or more, and instability is sure to follow. A: NONFICTION AS ART Art is a subjective term, and sometimes difficult to define. In writing, works of literary fiction are most commonly designated…

Katie Coleman Too Young for Cancer (Memoir, November, Alcove Press) “Too Young for Cancer highlights best and worst in healthcare and uncovers the silver linings and beauty of humanity filling the space in between as a young woman battles for a diagnosis and a fighting chance.” WRITES FROM: Austin, Texas PRE-YOUNG: I decided to write [this book] because when I was initially diagnosed with stage IV cancer at 29 … I wanted to shed light on the mental battle, which is often twice as challenging as the physical fight against cancer, share how important it is to advocate for yourself, and to highlight how empathy in the face of uncertainty helped reshape my damaged relationship with the medical system. TIME FRAME: It took me about 7–9 months to get through…

Every once in a while, I encounter an author whose writing style vibes with my own, and I feel a deep, almost spiritual connection with that author. A few years ago, I was reading a novel by Michael Crichton and found myself really connecting with his writing style. One night while writing my novel, I came to a tricky cliffhanger. I wondered what Crichton would have thought about it and how he would’ve handled it. Later that night, while reading, I encountered a similar cliffhanger in his novel that was almost identical to the one in my novel, and it answered my question! Crichton handled the situation gracefully, with a technique that I wouldn’t have thought to use. The experience taught me that mega-bestselling authors operate on a completely different…

One way or another, everybody thinks about food every day: eating food, cooking food, shopping for food, going out for food. If you’re an aspiring cookbook author, then you have plenty of opportunities to build your platform, ranging from writing culinary newsletters to teaching cooking classes. You can join groups that overlap with your food focus, like a mycological group if you’re writing about mushrooms or a gardening club if you’re writing a book centered on farmer’s market finds. “If you’re the food expert creating that kind of content in an adjacent group, then you’re not competing against your colleagues—you’re standing out as the expert,” says Sally Ekus, president and lead agent of The Ekus Group, a literary agency specializing in cookbooks and culinary works. Agents, publishers, and readers all…

Character development can feel like quite a bear, but it doesn’t have to be. You’d be surprised how little information readers need to flesh out your characters. Just think about the brevity of personal ads, and how a few words can conjure up a whole personality. Believe it or not, Writer’s Digest was once a quasi-dating service, publishing a Personal Ads section. Imagine if the magazine reintroduced this feature for today’s writers. For Your Eyes Only Looking for a near-sighted under-40 man who is easy on the eyes. I got my reading glasses and just need you. Copyeditor Seeks a Clean Copy Is your idea of a wild evening critiquing Grammarly’s suggestions? Does a perfectly placed Oxford comma make your heart race? Let’s grab our red pens and create an…

LISA HOWARD (TheCulturedCook.com) is a multilingual lifestyle writer and freelance editor who works with magazines, culinary marketing firms, publishers, and individuals. She’s also the author of two cookbooks, Healthier Gluten-Free and The Big Book of Healthy Cooking Oils, and she serves as leadership within the International Association of Culinary Professionals and her local chamber of commerce. As a health speaker and cooking instructor, she helps her fellow eaters understand where to find delicious ingredients, why those ingredients are just as nutritious as they are delicious, and how to prepare them. When she’s not cooking, she enjoys Latin dancing, traveling, and making use of her language skills. DIANE KELLY (DianeKelly.com) writes funny mysteries featuring feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed sidekicks. Diane is the author of more than three dozen novels…

I met a student during my travels. He attended a school in a small, rural town that was 6th – 12th grade, all in one building. I had been asked to come to this school to speak with the students about my books, my advocacy. I used the word queer a few times. That word is important to me. It reflects who I am. I had that word flung at me in anger and disgust more than a few times in my life, but at some point, I refused to let it have any negative power over me and reclaimed it for myself. After the talk I gave in which I used the word queer, I was told by the librarian who had invited me that some of the school…

Some cozy mysteries are playful and humorous (despite a corpse or two). Others are erudite and resolute. Wherever your cozy falls on the spectrum of light-hearted to serious, all successful cozies are laden with charm. While the concept of charm is intangible, and thus hard to define, we know it when we see it because of how it makes us feel. Charm is soothing and homey. Reading a cozy mystery is as comforting as wearing a favorite old sweater on a cold winter day. Of the five factors that successful cozy mysteries share, three are clear-cut. While not necessarily easy to execute, the parameters are unambiguous. The other two, though, require deft handling. Here are the three that are straightforward: • A wholesome tone with no graphic anything—no onstage violence,…

Writing instruction on demand! More than 400 videos from industry professionals on everything from improving your craft to getting published. SUBSCRIBE NOW! TUTORIALS.WRITERSDIGEST.COM VIDEOS INCLUDE: 5 TYPES OF SHORT FICTION TO TRY - RAN WALKER 6 UNIQUE EDITING IDEAS YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER TRIED - AUDREY WICK WRITING A PITCH VS. WRITING A SYNOPSIS - AMY COLLINS HOW TO GET STARTED AS A FREELANCE WRITER - C. HOPE CLARK HOW TO GET STARTED (OR RE-STARTED) IN WRITING - SHARON SHORT…

Recently, I was scrolling online, and I saw a reader pose an interesting question: “Where is the history in my historical romances?” Vanessa Riley is one author for whom her readers never have to ask this question. Although she writes in several historical subgenres—romance, mystery, and biographical fiction—each story feels both grounded in the time and full of imagination. “The reason I love the Regency is because I’ve read over 10,000 books in that era, written in that era, written by modern people for that era. I love it all,” she said. “And there’s room for so much more storytelling.” Riley has become an expert in the Regency, compiling research on everything from weapons to drugs and medications to furniture and fashion—and that’s not even touching the complex social and…

With all things cozy on my mind, I want to explore health and wellness markets open to freelance writers. After all, there are few things more comforting than the thought of a healthy mind and body, and the following markets endeavor to help their audiences navigate both health and wellness, whether through personal experiences, medical experts and studies, reviews of products and services, or just the latest news and techniques. What was once a robust print magazine market—even just a few years ago—is shifting into a more digital experience. There is still an audience for reading advice, but many people also like to consume their health and wellness content via podcasts and videos, which opens new opportunities for writers willing to adapt to the changing landscape. Here are four health…

For many of us, the name “Henry Winkler” is synonymous with The Fonz, the character from the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days,” who showed us what cool was—ayyyy. What you may not know is that Winkler has severe dyslexia. But he also has superpowers: improvisation and imagination. In fact, that’s what cinched the deal for him when “Happy Days” was being created. During the audition for the show, he made it through about six lines of dialogue when he forgot the rest. Henry being Henry, he improvised, taking a step back, turning his palms up, and saying “ayyyy.” Then he went home. A few days later, on his birthday, he got the call that he secured the role. His life was about to change. Arthur Fonzarelli was originally a secondary character.…