Innehållsförteckning för February 2016 från Writer's Digest

1 Know Your Audience The Day the Crayons Quit author Drew Daywalt dishes about his circuitous path to the children’s bestsellers list in this issue’s WD Interview (Page 44). In our bonus Q&A, he discusses the importance of writing for dual audiences, and why heavy-handed morals can backfire. 2 Diversify Your Assets Weaving diverse characters into the fabric of your novel is undoubtedly important, and for author Kathryn Tanquary it helped pave the way for her Tokyo-based debut (Breaking In, Page 18). In this bonus post, she shows how to avert caricature with authenticity. 3 Build Your Author Brand After looking at what questions authors should be asking their publishers in Phil Sexton’s “Publishing, Decoded” (Page 22), read Sexton’s take on what authors can do to brand themselves—and why having…

OPENING THE OLD DRAWER I’m a writer and longtime subscriber, and I just want to say thank you for the terrific advice in the November/ December issue! The “It’s Never Too Late!” theme really hit home for me: I’m 46 and I’ve had only short pieces published so far, but there is one manuscript in my drawer that came close to getting an agent—a book that’s been on my mind ever since I shut that drawer. Stuart Horwitz’s “Resurrect a Forgotten Manuscript” really made my day—and made me feel like it’s time to open that drawer again. I realized I really do like the town and the folks I wrote about, and that I missed them. I reread my old manuscript, and guess what? The book isn’t so bad. (Yay!)…

POETIC FORM: MINUTE POEM Some poetic forms have a long, exotic history. Some are relatively new, but have a well-known founder. Others just seem to spring out of nowhere, as appears to be the case with the “minute poem”—named such because it contains the same number of syllables as a minute contains seconds. The rules are rather simple. It must be comprised of: • three quatrains (or four-line stanzas) written in iambic meter • eight syllables in the first line of each stanza • four syllables in the remaining lines of each stanza • aabb/ccdd/eeff rhyme scheme. If you do the math, each quatrain has 20 syllables; with three stanzas, that equals 60 syllables. Here is an example by a Poetic Asides reader. “Summons,” by Taylor Graham In each quatrain,…

After graduating from New York University in 2001, Jessica Alvarez got a job as an editorial assistant at Harlequin—a position she expected to be temporary. “I thought it might be a brief layover until I could apply to law school, but I stayed there for seven years,” she says. Law school forgotten, Alvarez left Harlequin in 2008 to work as a freelance editor. “In 2011, I begged Jessica Faust [at BookEnds] to take me on as an agent, and I’ve been doing that ever since.” Her focus remains on romance and other genres of women’s fiction. Find her online at bookendsliterary.com (where the agency blog offers generous doses of advice for writers) and on Twitter @AgentJessicaA. Kara Gebhart Uhl (pleiadesbee.com) writes and edits from Fort Thomas, Ky.…

Writers know writing. In general, we’re more or less helpless at everything else, which is why so many of us settle into a Boo Radley–esque existence by the time we’re adults, sitting in darkened offices and tapping at keyboards, muttering to ourselves as cats multiply around us as if by magic. Ask us to repair a car or explain escrow or perform any sort of useful labor, and we’re likely to disappoint. But writing—writing we know. The most logical way to earn a living, if you’re a writer, is, of course, to write—but especially if your niche is fiction or memoir, the most natural path isn’t always the most profitable one. The reality is that even award-winning practitioners of poetry and prose often find themselves tasked with day jobs—not to…

Dear FYSA, I’ve been with my agent a few years and we‘ve made some modest (and one not so modest!) sales, but lately I feel like the relationship has become stagnant. I don’t have a specific complaint, but just feel like I’m being shuffled to the end of the line, priority-wise. How can you tell when it’s time to move on to new representation? Sincerely, She’s Just Not That Into Me Dear She’s Not Into You, The closest comparable relationship to that of the author/agent is a marriage. I know that sounds cliche, but so does “mommy needs wine” and I just bellowed that across the room, so there is truth in well-trodden words. It is all about feeling mutually respected in the role you play within the system, and…

Go back through your manuscript and look for specific themes that tie the story together. Try to find story elements that hint at themes. In your own manuscript, make a list of the general themes and abstract meanings that have popped up in your story and are reflected throughout. For example, you may find one or several of the following random themes: • justice• honor• honesty• acceptance• courage• alienation• duty• responsibility• freedom• survival• dignity• self-respect• passion• loyalty. Also explore the broad ideas your story themes touch upon. This list might include the following: • hurt that comes with loss• loss of innocence• the empowerment of women• living life with a sense of humor• the power of friendship• overcoming all odds• love conquers all• good versus evil• triumph over adversity• man versus nature• man versus himself.…

It’s often easier to fully assess the themes that run throughout your work once the first draft is completed. As you revise your story, keep these questions in mind: • In what ways does your plot suggest theme?• Which characters represent thematic ideas in your work?• Do you find character statements that point to themes or ideas? What kinds of statements are these—direct or indirect?• Do you make use of literary allusions?• Do you see places where characters’ actions suggest theme?• Do any man-made or natural occurrences point to theme?• How does your title function to suggest theme?• Is your style heavily metaphorical? Do you find that metaphors and similes often point to theme?• Is your style congruent with your theme? If it’s not, will you change style or rethink theme?…

CALIFORNIA THE ANNUAL DIGITAL AUTHOR› AND INDIE PUBLISHING CONFERENCE, produced by West Coast Writers Conferences February 26–28, 2016. Aspiring, Active and Accomplished writers who want to improve their creative skills while learning how to succeed in an increasingly digital world where the publishing giants include Amazon, Apple, Author Solutions, Smashwords, and other digital resources – as well as the "Big Five" – will benefit from this weekend of intensive workshops, digital demonstrations, and educational sessions. Focused on the craft and business of E-Publishing, Audio Books, Indie/Small Press and DIY Publishing, DAISP 2016 will present industry experts, veteran educators, literary agents, digital media, publishing professionals, and successful authors who will demystify the new technologies and marketing methodologies, then show how to make them work for you. Digital World will cover…

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. ITEM #T8333**; 896 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $20.99* ITEM #T8334; 512 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $23.99* ITEM #T8336; 336 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $23.99* ITEM #T8338; 896 pages RETAIL: $49.99 YOUR PRICE: $33.99* ITEM #T8337; 480 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $20.99* ITEM #T18339; 416 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $23.99* ITEM #T1879**; 336 pages RETAIL: $29.99 YOUR PRICE: $20.99* ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE NOW OR AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER *Sale prices listed were correct at the time of publication but may fluctuate slightly. Visit the WD…

June 13, 1935 Dear Ms. Mitchell, Thank you for the recent submission of your manuscript Gone With the Wind. While we were intrigued by the idea of a Civil War novel with a female protagonist, we were greatly troubled by the actual content. Please be aware, Ms. Mitchell, that we are a supportive and liberal publication house—but even we were shocked to read that one of your main plot points is that of your heroine, Scarlett, chasing some woman named Ashley. You may see this as intriguing and humorous, but we don’t believe that the greater Southern masses are ready for such a risque story line. This Scarlett woman of yours is quite the little actress, murderess, and the most unladylike character we’ve ever encountered. Heck, the scoundrel Rhett Butler…

Taking Care of Business I’ve come to believe that part of what makes the writing community so essential is not just our desire but our need to learn from one another. When you’re struggling through a manuscript, you never know what a fellow writer might say—whether at the podium of a conference room, in an article in this magazine, a casual conversation over coffee or even a tweet—that might help things click. Ultimately, though, the words on the page are up to you. But when you come to a pivotal point on the business side of writing—whether choosing a self-publishing platform, launching a website, promoting a book or filing your taxes as a freelancer for the first time? That is when you need help most of all. And yet, as…

If you’re aiming to write for kids and/or teens and you follow the increasingly popular Manuscript Wish List (#mswl) feed on Twitter, you’ve likely noticed some common threads in what agents are currently seeing a demand for. • “Stories with diverse and LGBTQ main characters (PB, MG, YA)!” tweets Christa Heschke, of McIntosh & Otis. • “I still want more LGBT YA. Esp if you have a trans protagonist,” shares Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. • “Would love LGBT YA realistic sports fiction ‘for tween boys’ with gritty, raw and honest depiction of LGBT teen athletes today” tweets agent Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency. When I reached out to Heschke, she said that the demand is not a flash-in-the-pan trend—it’s a shift in thinking.…

Charlie Donlea 1 Summit Lake (suspense, Kensington, January) “The haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.” WRITES FROM: Chicago. PRE-LAKE: I wrote three full-length manuscripts before finally penning Summit Lake. God bless my agent, who stuck with me through years of failure and rejection, and who encouraged me to keep writing when quitting was always an option. TIME FRAME: It took two years to write Summit Lake. ENTER THE AGENT: My agent is Marlene Stringer of The Stringer Literary Agency LLC. I found her on agentquery.com. BIGGEST SURPRISE: Discovering that so many folks inside my publishing house —whom I’ve never met and have never talked with—are pulling for…

Can you really make a successful living doing what you love? Yes, you can—but only if you decide to treat it like a business. What? You’re not a “numbers person”? Your head goes fuzzy when someone starts talking numbers? All the intelligence you exhibit in other areas of your life seems to evaporate? One of the reasons this aspect of your creative life may be confusing is because you likely have not been trained in the financial aspects of business the way a business school graduate has. Which isn’t to say you need a business degree to run what amounts to an independent business. But you do need training and guidance from professionals. Creatives often say, “I’m not good with money” which more than anything is a self-fulfilling prophecy, primarily…

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and Merriam-Webster, among other sources, have consistently attributed the term “red herring” to a centuries-old dog training technique. Hunting dogs need to be able to follow an underlying scent. This is true whether the dogs are hunting for foxes, criminals, cadavers or drugs. They must be able to keep their noses on the job and avoid being distracted by tempting, but irrelevant, aromas. By dragging a smoked fish—a red herring—across the track, the trainer could assess a dog’s readiness for work. If the dog followed the strong—and wrong—scent of a red herring, he wasn’t properly trained. If, however, he didn’t follow the false trail, pursuing the underlying scent instead, he was ready for action. The Oxford English Dictionary now disputes that history, instead attributing…

Our parents never talked about what happens when you leave home. You’ll expect to leave crying but you won’t. You won’t cry until your unpacked bags are put away. In the morning, you’ll wake to someone cooking downstairs. In a bakery you’ll find a man that looks like Father. He’ll laugh with wrinkled eyelids and a smile pulled taut across his face. He’ll serve you a cup of peppermint tea and without knowing his name you’ll feel at home. A mail-order novel will have a bookmark within its pages. Something about the generic lamination will strike you with a thirst for authenticity, and so you’ll bake cookies for the neighbor you’ve never met. She won’t be home when you take them over. Later, she’ll trip over the plate and throw…

Theme must emerge naturally, and the fiction itself must be an experience for your reader, not just an abstract idea you hammer home in didactic fashion. If the theme of your novel is presented like the thesis of a nonfiction work, then the book will be second-rate. Keep in mind what a character says in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: “Art isn’t a matter of ‘what’ but of ‘how’” This is advice every writer should heed. If your work has a clear theme, which fictional elements contribute to it? In a short story, because of its compression, every vein can be loaded with ore, especially when the style is heavily figurative—dense with metaphor and simile. In a novel, of course, you’ll look at the story…

FOR YOUR SHORT STORIES, POETRY & ESSAYS: AGNI THE INSIDE STORY FROM: Sven Birkerts, editor MISSION: “To bring together the freshest work in fiction, nonfiction and poetry by writers working at the front lines of their genre; to reflect facets of our ever-shifting cultural movement through the most vivid expressions. … We see literature and the arts as a cultural conversation that every society needs to remain vibrant and alive.” FOUNDED: 1972. PUBLISHES: Two times a year, with biweekly Web postings of new work. FOCUS: [Serving] discerning readers interested in artistic excellence. CIRCULATION: 3,000. PAYMENT: $20/ page for prose; $40/page for poetry; $300 maximum. KEY TO BREAKING IN: “Our writers and artists provoke perceptions and thoughts that help us understand and respond to our age ” KEY TO SUCCESSFUL…

JANE K. CLELAND (“The Art of Distraction” Page 40) is the award-winning author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series, of which the 11th installment, Glow of Death, is forthcoming in 2016. Her book about the writing craft, Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot, will be published in April by WD Books. Cleland teaches at Lehman College, CUNY, where she is the program director for the Program for Professional Communications. Find her online at janecleland.com. CAROLINE LEAVITT (“Find Your Tribe” Page 14) is TheNew York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow, Pictures of You and eight other novels. Her latest, Cruel Beautiful World, will be published in fall 2016 by Algonquin Books. A book critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and People magazine, Leavitt also teaches writing online at Stanford…

The number 119 stared at me. I’d just finished transferring my poorly organized record of novel submissions into an Excel spreadsheet when I saw it. In the nine months since Id begun this process Id queried 119 agents. Id written several different query letters, enclosed between five and 50 pages of my manuscript in accordance with each agency’s guidelines, and sought representation on both sides of the Atlantic. My partials and fulls were sitting in the digital drawers of people in London, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Yet I wasn’t any closer to the dream of holding my own traditionally published book in my hands. As part of a writing club in Madrid, Spain, I knew other people going through the same process. We got together in a small…

Every writer who secures a publishing contract desires the same thing: a successful book. The exact definition of “success” varies from author to author, but as you might expect, it is most commonly measured by positive critical and commercial performance. (That’s certainly how publishers measure it.) I’m not here to help you earn rave reviews. There are better, more experienced advisors for that. But as a book publisher with 30 years of prior industry experience—including roles as a bookseller, merchandiser, marketing manager and sales director—my goal is to help you understand what happens behind the scenes at a publishing house and make you aware of the questions you should be asking in order to help ensure that the people handling your book—from design to sales to marketing—give it the best…

TAXES What are the things that independent writers most commonly overlook when tax time comes? The IRS has a very special rule specifically for writers that many writers—and, unfortunately, some tax professionals—are not aware of: Writers who are in the profession of writing (and not just as a hobby) can deduct all expenses incurred during the year, whether they sell their work or not. So let’s say you’re writing a book that may take several years to complete and is not guaranteed to sell. During the first year, you incur travel expenses to conduct interviews you hope to include in the text of the book, expenses for meals away from home during these trips, research expenses, telephone expenses, offi ce supplies, a new computer and home office expenses, among others.…

Whether compelling children to squeal with laughter or pushing moviegoers to the brink of terror, Drew Daywalt’s work is driven by an abiding desire to entertain. In fact, he considers comedy and horror to be two equations with the same variables—it’s just that one of the two takes an abrupt turn to provoke giggles instead of screams. Which is why, in 2003, the screenwriter/director sat down to pen a humorous children’s picture book called The Day the Crayons Quit. He quickly landed an agent—Jeff Dwyer of Dwyer & O’Grady Inc. “Friendly, smart, crusty—he reminded me of Quint from Jaws ” Daywalt says. Dwyer said he would work on selling the book, but instructed Daywalt to be patient. It turned out Daywalt’s breed of patience was quite productive. For the next…

Have you ever noticed that stories with strong overarching or underlying ideas resonate long after the last page has been turned? Themes enhance the emotional impact on characters and readers alike, as well as convey a feeling that the plot has greater purpose. When we think theme, we tend to think in loaded words such as loyalty, forgiveness and redemption. But these are just touchstones that carry within them entire galaxies of subthemes and concepts that might relate to the characters and events of your story. Within loyalty, for instance, you may find family, love, truth, honesty and so on. Within redemption you may find threads of betrayal and life purpose. While some writers know their story’s theme long before they set out to write, and others even compose each…

1. Write a scene of about 300 words that puts two characters into conflict with each other. Have either character make a statement that suggests an idea larger, or more general, than the specific conflict they are now embroiled in. (In other words, an abstract idea that many different story conflicts could, in some way, point to.) Rewrite, finding a more indirect way of suggesting the same idea. Which version do you prefer? 2. Begin the same way you did in Exercise 1—write a scene of about 300 words, putting two characters into conflict with each other. Next, find a way to make actions themselves symbolic of ideas larger than the literal. Then write a second version where you change some (or all) of the actions so that they suggest…

1 Asheville Christian Writers Conference–Writers Boot Camp Strengthen your faith-based writing at this novice-friendly conference in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. WHEN: Feb. 19–21, 2016. WHERE: Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, Asheville, N.C. PRICE: $210–$364, depending on accommodations. Meals included. WHAT MAKES THE CONFERENCE UNIQUE: “We keep the conference intimate so writers are able to connect face-to-face with faculty and spend quality time learning the craft” Conference Coordinator Cindy Sproles says. For an additional $30, attendees can get an hour of personal mentoring (mentors include bestselling Crashing Into Love author Yvonne Lehman, three-time Christy winner Ann Tatlock and social media guru Edie Melson), and critique services are available for $15-$35. Other appointments with editors, agents and publishers are free. WHO IT’S PERFECT FOR: Motivated, novice…

The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing  by Zachary Petit So you want to be a freelance writer? Now you’re faced with a laundry list of questions: Should I write for magazines or online markets? How do I find the perfect article ideas? How do I pitch them? Filled with insider secrets, candid advice and humor, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing won’t just help you survive—it will teach you how to truly thrive. ITEM #T5514 RETAIL: $16.99 YOUR PRICE: $11.99* Social Media for Writers  by Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine Social media isn’t a fad—it’s a necessity for today’s writers. But for inexperienced authors, trying to make sense of—much less master—the available platforms can be a frustrating experience. Whether you’re just starting to create an audience or looking to expand…

WRITERSDIGESTUNIVERSITY.COM Blogging 101: How to Start a Blog WORKSHOP LENGTH: 4 WEEKS TUITION: $199.99 An online presence is a must for any writer. Blogging is one way to share your expertise and establish your platform. This online writing 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. writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/blogging-101 Advanced Blogging WORKSHOP LENGTH: 4 WEEKS TUITION: $299.99 It’s easy to start and maintain a blog but most bloggers barely scratch the surface of what’s possible. This course will take you out of your blogging comfort zone. You’ll discover how to monetize your blog, fine-tune your content, improve your visibility in searches and social media, and turn your followers into…