“Be as patient as you possibly can—and then try to be one degree more patient than that. This path is a wonderful one in many ways, but it is long, and will feel long, for just about everyone at one point or another. Taking the time to get the work itself exactly right—to craft the absolute best possible version of this piece of writing that this version of yourself is capable of producing—is something you will never, ever regret.” –Clare Beams, author of The Garden (Doubleday)

“My advice is: Keep going. If you keep writing, you’ll outpace the rejection. Storytelling is as old as humanity—every known civilization has told stories of life as they lived it, passed down legends of how we got here, and created fables or parables to illustrate morals or deliver lessons. Stories are inextricable from existence which means your story has incalculable value. It is needed by someone, somewhere, and if you keep at it, at some point you will connect with that someone.” –Nanu Ekua Brew-Hammond, author of My Parents’ Marriage (Amistad Books)

“Read the best writing you can lay your hands on. Experiment with workshops, writing groups, and teachers. But most of all, let yourself fall headlong into the fictional dream of your characters. Sit in the backseat and notice where they take you. Don’t worry if they are terrible drivers, if they get lost, or total the car. Read David Wagoner’s poem, ‘Lost.’ Lost is where you want to be. Don’t help your characters find their way to safety. Instead, watch them do and say things you would never have dreamed. You’ll know you’ve breathed life into them when they start disobeying you. Buckle your seatbelt and be amazed by where they will take you.” –Tess Callahan, author of Dawnland (Little A)

“Don’t be a poser—it’s fundamentally detrimental to society when artists lie about who they are. Right, I don’t think I’ve ever met an Ivy League Author who didn’t present as though from utter trauma. Um … WTF? How does that even work?” –Brian Allen Carr, author of Bad Foundations (Clash Books)

“Never forget that actually sitting down to write is the fun bit!” –Bridget Collins, author of The Silence Factory (William Morrow)

“Set a schedule for your writing. There’s always something else to be done, so your writing time has to be carved out of an already full day. Create a word-count goal each day, whether it is 200 words or 2,000 words, and do your best to meet it. Single drops of water will eventually fill the well.” –Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of Behind You Is the Sea (HarperVia)

“This may sound silly but … write. That’s it. Just write.” –Hazel Hayes, author of Better by Far (Dutton)

“Every book and every project will be different. Stay open to new processes, new ways of working. Write a personal mission statement that articulates who you are and what you want to accomplish. It will go a long way in helping you say ‘yes’ to what aligns with you are and say ‘no’ to what doesn’t.” –Donna Hemans, author of The House of Plain Truth (Zibby Books)

“Write the book you want to rewrite—because most of writing is revising! Don’t agonize over every word in a first draft; that will only slow you down. Just write the story. Get it onto the page. Drafting is the stage where you capture the idea. Revising is where you figure out how to really tell the story well.” –Beth Kander, author of I Made It Out of Clay (Mira)

“Keep writing. Get to the end of the page, and then the next day start again. Find your community. They will buoy you.” –Crystal Hana Kim, author of The Stone Home (William Morrow)

“At the risk of sounding like the protagonist of my novel, Able God, I’d say: Talent is never enough. Hard work and tenacity are needed too.” –Samuel Kọ´láwọlé, author of The Road to the Salt Sea (Amistad)

“If you’re able to walk or swim or do another body moving activity, then make that a priority when you take breaks! My brain simply ceases to function if I’m sitting in front of a computer all day.” –Brydie Lee-Kennedy, author of Go Lightly (HarperCollins)

“Whatever you are writing, even if it is a story about your own back garden, go out there and do lots of research.” –Christy Lefteri, author of The Book of Fire (Berkley)

“I used to roll my eyes whenever I heard writers or instructors rhapsodize about writing ‘process.’ Write every day, write 500 words a day … to me the fixation on process seemed fetishistic and beside the point. If you’re writing something valuable and of genuine interest to you, I thought, you don’t need to concern yourself with habits and tricks. But after years of flailing and stalling out I finally admitted defeat and instituted a process, and only then did my writing really get off the ground. My process? I write every day, and I write 500 words a day. My former self is rolling his eyes again, but he was wrong!” –Daniel Lefferts, author of Ways and Means (The Overlook Press)

“Always have tabs of great writing you admire open next to your draft on your computer. (Or real books next to your ink-and-paper.) When I feel my flow waning mid-writing, I read a few sentences of someone whose linguistic pyrotechnics set my brain on fire, creating an aesthetic charge that makes me antsy to get back to my own document for a discharge of words that bring a genuine energetic current to the page.” –Aube Rey Lescure, author of River East, River West (William Morrow)

“Write about the hard stuff. Tell the truth.” –Joyce Maynard, author of How the Light Gets In (William Morrow)

“For me, it’s a delicate balance between taking yourself seriously, being disciplined about having a writing routine, but also remembering to have fun and be playful. I do my best writing when it feels completely low stakes, when all I’m trying to do is create a pleasurable, stimulating, absorbing experience for myself. I try to remind myself before I sit down to write that it doesn’t really matter whether the writing fails or succeeds. I’m just here to have fun and see what happens. I find that this approach, combined with taking myself seriously enough to show up at my desk every day, works for me. The other big thing is to try to have a pretty restrained relationship with my phone! If I go on Instagram before writing, it can ruin the whole writing day because it makes my mind so frazzled. I turn my phone off and put it in another room when I write, block all websites for the duration that I’m writing, and generally don’t have social media apps on my phone at all except when I have to re-download them for promotional purposes. I get really addicted to my phone and need to be careful about it because it affects my attention span in a way which is terrible for my writing and well-being.” –Oisín McKenna, author of Evenings and Weekends (Mariner)

“Just switch off whatever it is you need to switch off and write.” –Eliza Moss, author of What It’s Like in Words (Henry Holt)

“I’d say, ‘Don’t listen to anyone, you hot god. Art is freedom. Make the book you want to read.’ But then I’d whisper, ‘Read everything. Read Virginia Tufte. And listen to all the advice, but take only what feels right to you.’ That’s what I’d say, but I’d never say it to anyone because general advice is for boors.” –Brad Neely, author of You, Me, and Ulysses S. Grant (Keylight Book)

“So much of the seemingly uncomplicated advice on writing handed down to us is ableist and exclusionary—write daily, join a group, read voraciously—it all belongs in the bin. The only advice should be find what works for you!” –Tom Newlands, author of Only Here, Only Now (HarperVia)

“Write your first draft without the weight of seeking perfection, but once you’ve written the end, embrace criticism. The ability to receive feedback with an open mind can be transformative. Approach criticism as an opportunity for growth and recognize its potential for enhancing the overall quality of your work.” –Elba Iris Pérez, author of The Things We Didn’t Know (Gallery Books)

“Read and study different authors. Really study them. What they show and what they don’t. How they exercise restraint, how they hold back, so that the reader must feel what is there to feel. How they create atmosphere. Study them, and then try different things, until you find your own voice.” –Deepa Rajagopalan, author of Peacocks of Instagram (House of Anansi Press)

“Download one of those no-nonsense internet blockers for your timed writing sessions. I use one appropriately called ‘Freedom.’ Because if you’re like me, there’s a saboteur that lives within you, and it wants you to check your email again.” –Joselyn Takacs, author of Pearce Oysters (Zibby Books)

“Don’t listen to advice from authors. Figure out what works for you and do it!” –Maggie Thrash, author of Rainbow Black (Harper Perennial)

“To keep going, no matter how daunting it feels!” –Fiona Williams, author of The House of Broken Bricks (Henry Holt)

“Read widely.” –Monica Wood, author of How to Read a Book (Mariner)

“Use your imagination. I find it dispiriting how many young, aspirational fiction writers—including undergraduates, MFA students, and anyone learning the craft—don’t actually want to write fiction. They want to publish their diaries and draw rapturous acclaim. It’s OK to be a poet. Why not call yourself that? It’s totally fine to write nonfiction. Why not own it? Fiction that’s too reliant on autobiography tastes like, to me, milk that’s been left in the fridge past its expiration date. Don’t let your imagination curdle!” –Snowden Wright, author of The Queen City Detective Agency (HarperCollins)

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While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 27 Literary Fiction Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“If you are a younger writer struggling to find work, do not take on more debt by seeking some advanced degree in some writing-related area. It will not make you more money.” –Michael Arceneaux, author of I Finally Bought Some Jordans (HarperOne)

“Don’t count on sticking to your timeline. Give yourself at least double the amount of time you thought it would take! And as part of this, have other sources of income to get you through the process.” –Solomon Brager, author of Heavyweight: A Family Story of Holocaust, Empire, and Memory (William Morrow Paperbacks)

“Make sure you have or develop a rich inner life. That’s the wellspring of creativity.” –Lester Fabian Brathwaite, author of Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant…and Completely Over It (Tiny Reparations)

“Grind, grind, grind! There are so many hurdles and reasons to feel self-doubt that it takes a single-mindedness and ultimately blind faith to push through and do the work day-in, day-out.” –Jonathan Butler, author of Join the Conspiracy: How a Brooklyn Eccentric Got Lost on the Right, Infiltrated the Left, and Brought Down the Biggest Bombing Network in New York (Fordham University Press)

“Keep going. There are so many moments where you come back to what you wrote and just want to tear it all up. You start to think perhaps no one cares what you have to say or maybe it’s all been said before. But there are people waiting for you to write in your tone, with your experience, and we have to almost recite this to ourselves daily as we write. So, show up and let what’s there come to the page—without editing. Editing is for later, in my opinion. In the beginning, our only job is to be in our creative space, and write.” –Yasmine Cheyenne, author of Wisdom of the Path (Harper One)

“There is so much good advice out there already! And often, for whatever reason (Platitude!) (I don’t need advice!) (Please, that advice-giver wants to make a Muppet movie!), I failed to really heed that advice. But anyway, here’s a piece of advice that I think my younger self could have used: Don’t worry about knowing exactly what you want to say. Trust that what you want to say—even if you don’t know what it is—needs to be said, and eventually, inevitably, will be. And trust that you do have something to say. Everyone has something to say. Just keep writing. Just keep writing. As you draft and revise, perhaps for what feels like an eternity (It is an eternity. (An eternity exists in every moment.)), whatever needs to be said, you will eventually say.” –Matthew J. C. Clark, author of Bjarki, Not Bjarki: On Floorboards, Love, and Irreconcilable Differences (University of Iowa Press)

“I’m still pretty new to this, so I will be taking much more advice than I will be giving for a while. But I can say this for sure: Details are what drove me. If you over-report, ask unimportant questions alongside the important ones, jot down seemingly useless observations as often as possible, the story has a way of writing itself.” –Will Cockrell, author of Everest, Inc. (Gallery Books)

“I spent much too much of my life not quite understanding that the people who I admired—writers, filmmakers, musicians, artists, athletes, whomever—were real people. It took me forever (far too long) to realize that a filmmaker was simply someone who made a film; a novelist wasn’t some elevated being, they were a person who’d written a novel. If you want to be a writer, just write. If you want to be a great writer, keep writing.” –Nate DiMeo, author of The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past (Random House)

“I would ask them how they balance what they want to tell people with what the reader is looking for.” –Ronald Drabkin, author of Beverly Hills Spy: The Double-Agent War Hero and Spy Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor (William Morrow)

“Keep writing.” –T.J. English, author of The Last Kilo (William Morrow)

“Don’t be afraid to share your unfinished drafts with trusted loved ones. My wife’s early reads were a gut check on whether I was heading in the right direction. She also flagged sections that dragged or where there wasn’t enough context for the average reader to follow along.” –Mike Hixenbaugh, author of They Came for the Schools: One Town’s Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America’s Classrooms (Mariner Books)

“I have one piece of advice for those interested in writing a biography or a story with a historical background: It is critically important to conduct thorough research. Don’t leave any stone unturned in trying to discover what gems might be hidden in the information you collect. Conduct interviews, read novels from the period, collect pictures, testimonies, and official documents; tour the site of the events and do whatever else you can to shed light on the character, the setting in which she lived, and the central events (public and private) of her life. The more you invest in research, the better the writing process will be.” –Zipora Klein Jacob, author of The Forbidden Daughter (HarperCollins)

“It helps to have a really, really strong ‘want.’ I really wanted to finish and sell my first novel, The Anatomy Book, and I sacrificed a lot for that dream. It didn’t come true, but that blind desire—and the discipline I developed because of it—was so strong it made a lot of other wonderful things happen. Have a specific goal and put everything towards it. I think the universe tends to meet you halfway if you do that.” –Sarah LaBrie, author of No One Gets to Fall Apart (HarperCollins)

“This question is so hard, and I’m afraid my answer is a cliché. But honestly, the thing that has helped me more than anything is just sitting down and making work. I spent so many years not making anything, because I was so scared it would suck. Or making a few things and then obsessively editing them, trying to get one thing exactly ‘right.’ For me, the transformative shift has been to make lots and lots of work, to make enough work that I can figure out what I’m trying to do before I go back and try to revise and refine it.” –Sarah Leavitt, author of Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love (Arsenal Pulp Press)

“Find a writing community. Writing with others has been so helpful to me. Join a writing group and participate in an online community, which I did during COVID. Currently, I’m part of a text chain of authors with books coming out in 2024, and it’s been so helpful to go through the publishing process with others.” –Margaret Juhae Lee, author of Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History (Melville House)

“If an internal voice is nagging at you saying, ‘You must get down to writing!’ ignore it. It has been around all your life, and it is not your friend. It never has been. Don’t worry about publication, praise, or productivity. Relax and find the courage to let go, trust the process, and let yourself enjoy the simple act of writing in each ordinary moment. That’s all there is.” –William Martin, author of The Daily Tao (Hachette Book Group)

“Persevere. If you feel compelled to write a story, it’s probably worth writing. I was often tempted to give up on this project. Writing is work, and I could think of a million reasons not to continue my efforts. In the end, I just couldn’t let it go.” –Cindy Miller, author of The Alterations Lady (Apollo Publishers)

“Dare to be different. As enticing as it might be to write about the same topics as everyone else, don’t be afraid to cover things that aren’t being covered. It may be a lonely road initially, but if you keep writing with force and sincerity, you’ll build a genuine fanbase. The world needs more writers willing to explore the unknown, because those are the stories that need to be told.” –Marcus J. Moore, author of High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul (Dey Street Books)

“Stop talking yourself out of your book dream. Stop asking ‘what if’ and filling in the answer with the worst-case scenarios, like ‘What if I can’t finish this?’ and ‘What if no one wants to publish it?’ Instead, start asking ‘what if’ and filling in the answer with the best possibilities: What if I finish writing this book and it’s great? What if it gets published and readers love it? What if I get the chance to write more books? The former will slow you down and make you doubt yourself; the latter will convince you to keep going.” –Christina Myers, author of Halfway Home: Thoughts from Midlife (House of Anansi)

“Don’t worry about pleasing an unknown child with your story. Write for the child that you once were—or better yet, for the child that you are.” –Yevgenia Nayberg, author of A Party for Florine: Florine Stettheimer and Me (Neal Porter Books)

“With this book, I learned that not only does my writing style grow and change with time, so does my process. I was shocked to discover that what got a book done in my 30s (staying up all night writing for weeks on end) just isn’t doable in my 40s, and it took me a while to accept the fact that I would have to adjust my writing process to fit my needs in the present moment. But the adjustments I eventually made contributed to this being my most personally healthy and rewarding writing project to-date.” –Ijeoma Oluo, author of Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—and How You Can, Too (HarperOne)

“Be open to possible changes to your work amid the publishing process. Hold true to your writerly goals but give new perspectives on your work careful consideration—they may open the door to something grander in the end.” –Theodore Pappas, author of Combing Through the White House: Hair and Its Shocking Impact on the Politics, Private Lives, and Legacies of Presidents (Harper Celebrate)

“To be ever mindful of our power as conscious creators. Worlds are made up of language, words, ideas, thoughts. Through the microcosms we birth in our poems, lyrics, essays, novels, dramas, and screenplays, we can bring forth a just society.” –Deborah G. Plant, author of Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Freedom for All (Amistad)

“Keep the faith. Your ‘last’ submission might be the one that hits the bullseye.” –Evan Rail, author of The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit (Melville House)

“Write the book that will bring about the world in which you want to live. This can be grand, if your book seeks to change our social, cultural, political world, but I also mean it in a smaller sense. Write the book that will reel in the people, the ideas, and the other books that you need in your life. I did end up feeling a bit as if Katharine had mentored me, or at least had drawn women and men into my life who have enormously influenced me. What a gift.” –Amy Reading, author of The World She Edited: Katharine S. White Edits The New Yorker (Mariner Books)

“Persistence! I’d been thinking about this book for nearly a half a decade, my first proposal didn’t sell, and I wrote 14 drafts of the second proposal before my agent felt it was ready to take out. Also: Surround yourself with good people who care about you personally and want to see you succeed.” –Jennifer Romolini, author of Ambition Monster (Atria Books)

“Trust the story to reveal the structure.” –Rosie Schaap, author of The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country (Mariner Books)

“Listen to your inner voice for its creativity, but not its criticism. Creativity is complex, and the inner critic struggles to understand complexity. So, when the critical voice shows up telling you to give up, don’t listen! If it tells you it hates a sentence in chapter 12, maybe go look at it.” –Stacey Simmons, PhD, author of The Queen’s Path: A Revolutionary Guide to Women’s Empowerment and Sovereignty (Hay House)

“That it’s always better to write without thinking than to think without writing. Afterwards, editing and revision exist for a reason.” –Ed Simon, author of Devil’s Contract: The History of the Faustian Bargain (Melville House)

“If you commit yourself to the process and lifestyle of writing, rather than simply the attainment of the end result, you will eventually attain the result.” –Dan Slater, author of The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld (Little, Brown & Co.)

“I think writing about your passion makes the process a dream. I had done the background work before putting pen to paper, so it never felt like a chore. It seems like a daunting process, but you’ll never know if it’s for you unless you try.” –Dr. Richard Smith, author of The World Beneath: The Life and Times of Unknown Sea Creatures and Coral Reefs (Apollo Publishers)

“Find a couple of writers (or other good friends who get it) who make sure you don’t give up when you think you really want to. Send each other your work, your concerns, your pains, your frustrations, and your joys, and just keep each other going.” –Chimene Suleyman, author of The Chain (HarperCollins)

“There are countless forces working against writers, but the writers who manage to overcome them to be successful are not always the writers with the most natural talent. They’re often the ones with the most determination. Never give up.” –Jerald Walker, author of Magically Black and Other Essays (Amistad)

“Write what you love. Write what you need. Let it be a place of joy and soul tending. And don’t forget that we are just one small part of a conversation that has been going on long before we were here and will go on after. Let your words be a part of the conversation.” –Lydia Wylie-Kellermann, author of This Sweet Earth: Walking with our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse (Broadleaf Books)

“Write what you can, to the best of your ability, and believe in the worth of your words—especially when others don’t.” –Kao Kalia Yang, author of Where Rivers Part (Atria Books)

____________________________

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 35 Nonfiction Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“Everyone says, ‘Don’t give up’ and ‘Stay in your chair.’ I agree with those pieces of advice! One thing I would also add is ‘Find your true voice.’ Write about things you truly care about, in a way that sounds right to you. Authentic storytelling is what will finally resonate with readers—not with all of them, but with the ones you’re meant to find and who are meant to find you.” –Ellen Baker, author of The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson (Mariner)

“Be flexible, embrace change. Take your time. And don’t give up.” –Diana R. Chambers, author of The Secret War of Julia Child (Sourcebooks Landmark)

“Write what truly interests you, not what you think the market or other people tell you to. Also, try to finish what you start writing, even if it’s very short. I used to think that writing was mostly creativity, but perseverance is actually very important.” –Yangsze Choo, author of The Fox Wife (Henry Holt)

“Study the craft. If part of your goal in writing is to sell books, then understanding the craft of storytelling is necessary. As I have worked with new writers as a story coach and developmental editor, it’s easy to see that many people have stories to tell, but the key is to tell that story in a way that will cut through the noise of our everyday lives to engage the reader. So, read a lot. Read inside and outside your genre, best sellers and mid-listers. And study story structure. Writing a compelling book is more than being able to write beautiful sentences or create a character. It is a craft that requires attention, understanding, and a lot of perseverance.” –Meagan Church, author of The Girls We Sent Away (Sourcebooks)

“It’s over-said, but not overdone, so I’ll say it again: Find community. Writing friends are the best friends, and even if none of this had ever occurred, I have made the very best friends on this journey, people who have enriched my life and I hope I’ve done the same for them. It’s so wonderful to be able to read my friends’ work and be able to send them mine. It buoys me to be able to chat about what we’re struggling with and, even better, what we’re doing well. I never feel lost or invisible when I’m communicating with my writing friends, be it in-person, on text, or on a Zoom. They really are everything to me.” –Amanda Churchill, author of The Turtle House (Harper Books)

“You can always use fewer words. Also, be lucky enough to find something you love to write or paint or sculpt about, and then make it.” –Oliver Clements, author of The Queen’s Lies (Atria)

“Two crucial points: Persistence is the key, and even so, perfection is unachievable. Don’t tie yourself into a perfectionism straight-jacket.” –Sara Donati, author of The Sweet Blue Distance (Berkley)

“Be patient. I am 60 this year and finally becoming a published author. It’s never too late! Claim your dreams and pursue your passions—because you never know what’s in store for you if you don’t try.” –Rosa Kwon Easton, author of White Mulberry (Lake Union)

“My one piece of advice above all others would be to exercise patience! Publishing is a long game, and there are lots of lengthy periods of no news and everything seemingly being very quiet. This goes not only for the submission process, but during the writing process, editing, and publishing itself. Patience also when you have finished writing your first draft, and although that is very exciting and a huge achievement, I can’t stress enough how every draft needs much rewriting and editing before it is in its best state to send out into the world. It is much better to slow down, put it aside and come back to it with fresh, critical eyes and improve it rather than send it out in a hurry. I’ll sneak in one small extra piece of advice which is hard to do, but essential for happiness in this business: Don’t compare your success to others. It can feel like everyone else (on social media) is doing much better than you (usually they are not). Focus on your own achievements and make sure you celebrate every single one, however small they may be.” –Louise Fein, author of The London Bookshop Affair (William Morrow)

“Don’t waste your time chasing a publishing trend or writing what you think the big publishing houses want to see. Think of the story that you desperately want to read—for yourself, for your own pleasure—and then write it. Above all, live inside this conviction: There is a story out there waiting to be told—a story nobody else on the planet has the capacity to tell—waiting for you to have the courage to tell it.” –Nathan Gower, author of The Act of Disappearing (Mira)

“Write. It’s the most basic advice, but I can’t count the number of aspiring writers I’ve met who have been carrying around an idea for years and have never put anything to page. The only way to figure out whether you can do it is to do it—and remember, it doesn’t have to be good yet. You can make it good later, in the second or fourth draft. But the words on the page can’t be good if the words on the page don’t even exist.” –Monica Hesse, author of The Brightwood Code (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Anything can be fixed. Often when I’m drafting, I’ll be filled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, but it’s important to remember that I feel this way about every book. I’ll pick up something finished that I’m proud of and skim through it, remembering a time when I also wanted to throw it in a dumpster fire, and that will make me feel better. Stories are layered, and novels are written in drafts. What you don’t fix in this version, you can always edit in the next, and whatever problems you can’t deal with now, you can always come back to later. This is your book, and you can continue revising until you’re proud of it.” –Van Hoang, author of The Monstrous Misses Mai (47 North)

“Delusion is the pregame to Success. Also, get an agent who takes a lot of videos and photos.” –Justinian Huang, author The Emperor and the Endless Palace (Mira)

“With just two books published, I’m hardly an expert, but from what I’ve learned, follow your instincts. If you have decisions to make (and sometimes it feels like writing is 95 percent decision-making), go with the choice that makes you feel the most excited. Don’t hold too tightly to what you think you should write. Go, instead, toward what feels right. You’re a writer, but more importantly, you’re a reader, so you probably have an instinct for story. Trust it. And if you’re not sure what your instincts are telling you, ask yourself, What does my protagonist have to do next? Emphasis on have to. Again, not an expert, but in my writing process, asking myself this question is a great way to write a character-driven story—which, all stories are driven by characters, aren’t they? So, who knows, it might work for you too.” –Chelsea Iversen, author of The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt (Sourcebooks Landmark)

“Read widely in all different genres, not only the genre you write in. Great writers are avid readers, and you never know what story will inspire you.” –Meredith Jaeger, author of The Incorrigibles (Dutton)

“Write about something that made you laugh! Think of the funniest thing that ever happened to you—something that made you absolutely lose it with laughter—and share it with your reader. Perhaps have one of your characters experience it—get it on the page! People love to laugh—it feels good, after all. In other parts of your story, you can relate sad or scary or angry thoughts, but do give the reader a gift of laughter wherever it fits. Life is hard enough, and we owe it to each other to pass on any happiness we possibly can.” –Hope Jahren, author of Adventures of Mary Jane (Delacorte Press)

“Honestly, the best piece of advice is to put the butt in the chair. You don’t have to write every day, but if you do, your characters begin to live and breathe in your mind when you aren’t writing, which can significantly impact and improve your stories. Also, even writing as little as 400 words a day (generally easily done in an hour of work) will yield you a book a year. Thinking about it that way makes the task a lot less daunting.” –Crystal King, author of In the Garden of Monsters (MIRA Books)

“I learned my craft in screen, where every moment is carefully planned advance, and I still think it helps to plan the story out before you start on the text. It means you can identify problems early on and, hopefully, save time later. Even if you have to change your map halfway through, as I had to, it’s still important to have one!” –Jenny Lecoat, author of Beyond Summerland (Graydon House)

“My advice is to write without expectations or future. The paths of our fictions are beyond our control. The only thing we can do is make them concrete. I see many people with the desire to write but needing a plan and some prior guarantee. Write. If someone ever reads it, you did what had to be done. By focusing on the activity, it frees the writer from the pressure of performance that limits our art.” –Angélica Lopes, author of The Curse of Flores Women (Amazon Crossing)

“Writing is a relationship, and like any relationship, the most important thing is to show up. I didn’t have much time when I was writing the book, and I was juggling a huge amount of research into things I knew little about, like the telephone. But I found it was better to do a bit each day, even it was just making notes for five minutes or revising a single paragraph, than wait for a block of time to materialize. That way the book was always growing, even if it was doing so in very small, often imperceptible steps.” –Sarah Marsh, author of A Sign of Her Own (Park Row Books)

“Write what you love. You’ll never stick with it otherwise.” –Mimi Matthews, author of The Muse of Maiden Lane (Berkley)

“Finish a draft, don’t stop. Don’t allow fear or feelings of inadequacy or life excuses to stop you. I’ve written four books now and it always comes down to, do I have enough fortitude to keep going until I figure it out? Finishing the first draft is always the hardest part. The inner critic is deafening and problems abound. You just have to keep going. Books are made in revision. Nobody gets it right the first time. You can fix anything. But you can’t fix something that isn’t finished. The feeling of finishing a book? There is nothing on earth that compares.” –Signe Pike, author of The Shadowed Land (Atria)

“Support your fellow authors and take heart in their success—it means it’s possible for you too. Read their books, go to their events, reach out and tell them you like their stuff. Mentor a newbie. Join local writing/beta reading groups, participate(kindly) in online communities … whatever. It’s inspiring and will keep you from getting stuck in your own head.” –Anna Rasche, author of The Stone Witch of Florence (Park Row Books)

“Every time I sit down and write I tell myself, STORY FIRST, TELL THE TRUTH, ROCKS EXPLODE. Story first is the most important thing. If you’re writing a novel, write the blurb even before you start. If you’ve already started, write it now. What I mean by blurb is the one or two paragraphs that say what your story is about—like the paragraphs written on the back covers of books. This blurb will act as your compass. If you can do that—you know the core of your story. You know where to go if you get lost.” –Sofia Robleda, author of Daughter of Fire (Amazon Crossing)

“Tenacity is important. Keep writing and trying.” –Harper St. George, author of The Stranger I Wed (Berkley)

“There is so much advice out there for writers, and I am a first-time author, so I don’t have much to impart other than to stay true to yourself and your story. And keep going. Keep writing, keep creating.” –Rebecca J. Sanford, author of The Disappeared (Blackstone Publishing)

“Write the thing that scares you, that challenges your skills and sensibilities, causes you to push beyond the envelope of your past. Face such situations and limitations head on because they invariably demand and yield your best writing.” –Mark Sullivan, author of All the Glimmering Stars (Lake Union)

“Don’t be afraid to edit your work. Writing is a craft. Write, rewrite, delete and write it again. There is power in the revision process. With each draft, you will expose a better story.” –Sheila Williams, author of No Better Time (Amistad)

“Be patient. Even though the words may flow fast and furiously at times, good writing takes lots of time. I might compare it to cooking. Writing is more akin to making a slow-cooked stew then a quick stir fry. The flavors and nuances need time to meld into something delicious!” –Tracey Enerson Wood, author of Katharine, the Wright Sister (Sourcebooks)

____________________________

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 29 Historical Fiction Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“The transition from writing for yourself to writing professionally can have a lot of moments where things feel out of your hands, and if you’re like me and can become stressed and anxious, then I recommend finding something that can take you out of that. Whether that’s a cozy video game like Stardew Valley, a TV or YouTube show that makes you laugh, or even disappearing into your own world and writing little chapters meant just for you (as I often do), then run with it, and try not to feel guilty about time spent doing it.” –Steven Banbury, author of The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Read. Read good books. Read bad books. Figure out what makes them good or bad. Read books in your genre. Read books outside of your usual reading genres.” –Patricia Briggs, author of Winter Lost (Ace)

“Love your books. Even if it feels like no one else does—trust that what you’ve written has meaning, and that meaning has inherent worth, because it does. As writers, there is no shame in wanting to share our work with others, nothing wrong with thinking about marketability and how best to reach readers, but, in the same breath, if one of your books isn’t picked up, if a story you care about doesn’t reach the audience you hoped it would reach, that doesn’t diminish its value. Keep writing. For the love of writing, for the hope of sharing what you love with others. You know the result if you stop writing, but you don’t know what will happen if you keep going; it’s only when we give up that we fail.” –Lynn Buchanan, author of The Dollmakers (Harper Voyager)

“My advice is the hardest to follow: Trust your voice, even when you’re not sure what it is yet. For me, figuring out my voice depended on (one of the) most unpleasant parts of writing, which is being rejected. Over and over again. And using those rejections to learn trends and pitfalls in your work. When I’m working on a book, I’m also writing and submitting short pieces—mostly humor—to keep my momentum going while giving my brain a shift in perspective. The vast majority of those pieces don’t get accepted. But I learn something new from every single one.” –Audrey Burges, author of A House Like an Accordion (Ace)

“Before you begin writing, know about where you’re starting, and know about where the story is going. What will the end be? If you don’t know where the story is headed, there is no way to keep it on track. Characters and plot will wander into dead ends. Give them a goal and they’ll reach it (though the characters might surprise you with what they do along the way).” –Jack Campbell, author of In Our Stars (Penguin Random House)

“Write fan fiction! It’s the perfect sandbox for perfecting any element of your craft because the characters, voices, and world-building are already there. And the fan fiction community can give you immediate feedback to let you know if your experiments worked.” –Mike Chen, author of A Quantum Love Story (Mira Books)

“This is very cliché, but my advice is to just never give up. Take breaks. Protect your mental health. Step back when you need to. But don’t give up. The world needs your voice, and someone somewhere needs your story. As an immigrant, there are so many books from my childhood that were there for me—that saw me—when I felt out of place. It didn’t matter if they were ‘good’ or even if they hold up today. For the length of time I spent between those pages, I was not alone. Every reader deserves that experience, and you never know what book will give it to them. So, if you can’t keep writing for yourself, keep writing for that future reader. Keep writing.” –Kamilah Cole, author of So Let Them Burn (Little, Brown Young Readers)

“Encourage all your weird ideas and go down those crazy rabbit holes. All of my ‘this will never work’ ideas always end up being my best ones … and they also end up being the most fun to write.” –Ruby Dixon, author of Bull Moon Rising (Ace)

“Don’t give up. Show up. Do the work. If you do those three things, I guarantee you will succeed. There’s a quote from Nora Roberts that I love: ‘There’s no secret, no formula, no magic spell. It’s called writing, regularly, consistently, daily. It’s discipline and drive and desire.'” –Dana Elmendorf, author of In the Hour of Crows (Mira)

“I suggest investing in craft books that break down character arcs and story structure. There are also YouTube channels dedicated to analyzing screenplays and the hidden parts of storytelling I find very useful.” –Tigest Girma, author of Immortal Dark (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Read widely—especially in the genre you’re writing in. Find the books that you love and figure out how the author pulled it off. Do they use certain character archetypes you’re drawn to? At what point in the story do they introduce an antagonist or conflict or plot twist? Try making a beat sheet of a book you think is particularly well done and study their plot. Make your best guess at what you think the character wants and motivations are and write out all the ways the author tortured that character until they finally overcame (or didn’t overcome) their flaw/wound/problem. If your character is stuck in a basement and you don’t know how to get them out, read a good book and see how that author got their character out of their basement. The solution you come up with will ultimately suit your story and be from your own brain, but you’ll gain invaluable inspiration by studying other great stories.” –Amanda Glaze, author of The Lies of Alma Blackwell (Union Square & Co.)

“Write what sets your soul on fire. Write what you’re obsessed with, that you can’t shake. Write for yourself, and pour a little of yourself into the pages.” –Rachel Greenlaw, author of The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells (HarperCollins)

“In terms of navigating the traditional publishing industry, I would advise a mix of surrounding yourself with people who have your career’s best interests at heart and being your own advocate. Ask questions, do your research, and don’t be afraid to walk away if something doesn’t feel right. It can be scary to walk away from an opportunity even if there are red flags, but it’s a long game and you need to work with agents, editors, and publishers who are invested in making your books the best possible versions of themselves. In terms of craft, I’ve learned that in writing there is always room for improvement. I have been writing since I was a child, and I never let myself believe that I’ve mastered it—sometimes I read lines I wrote as recently as the month before and I cringe. It’s a constant process of honing and refining your voice, so keep writing because that’s the only way you’ll get better at it. You will never write your best work—just your best work so far.” –Thea Guanzon, author of A Monsoon Rising (Harper Voyager)

“Your story is new because you are telling it. New writers often get discouraged because they stumble across some book or media that ‘beat them’ to a particular trope, theme, or idea. They get discouraged that they shouldn’t keep pursuing their idea because it’s ‘taken’ or already been done. As if there is a creative quota on the number of ‘X’ stories allowed in the world. I hope retellings like Toto can tell you that this is nonsense. Every story is old, and every story is new again. Your story is unique because you are telling it the way only you can. Comparison is the death of any writer, so don’t shy away from where others have tread instead: Write the most ridiculous, most you story that you can. The things you notice, the things you love, the story you wanted to read, the feelings you thought only you felt. No one else can write that story for you. It’s always worth it.” –A. J. Hackwith, author of Toto (Ace Books Fantasy)

“Try to finish what you start. Everything changed for me—creatively and career-wise—when I made a point to give my projects the endings I felt they deserved when I first started writing them.” –Alexis Henderson, author of An Academy for Liars (Berkley/Ace)

“Anything can be fixed. Often when I’m drafting, I’ll be filled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, but it’s important to remember that I feel this way about every book. I’ll pick up something finished that I’m proud of and skim through it, remembering a time when I also wanted to throw it in a dumpster fire, and that will make me feel better. Stories are layered, and novels are written in drafts. What you don’t fix in this version, you can always edit in the next, and whatever problems you can’t deal with now, you can always come back to later. This is your book, and you can continue revising until you’re proud of it.” –Van Hoang, author of The Monstrous Misses Mai (47 North)

“Delusion is the pregame to Success. Also, get an agent who takes a lot of videos and photos (thank you, Ariele).” –Justinian Huang, author of The Emperor and the Endless Palace (Mira)

“Focus on what you can control. There are so many variables when you mix art with commerce, and publishing is no different. But as a writer, you have the tools to create an excellent story. So do that! Make the best thing you can make. No matter what happens after that, you can be proud, you can stand tall behind your work, and all of the love that you put into crafting the story, readers will certainly be able to feel.” –H.D. Hunter, author of Futureland: The Architect Games (Random House Children’s Books)

“With just two books published, I’m hardly an expert, but from what I’ve learned, follow your instincts. If you have decisions to make (and sometimes it feels like writing is 95 percent decision-making), go with the choice that makes you feel the most excited. Don’t hold too tightly to what you think you should write. Go, instead, toward what feels right. You’re a writer, but more importantly, you’re a reader, so you probably have an instinct for story. Trust it. And if you’re not sure what your instincts are telling you, ask yourself, What does my protagonist have to do next? Emphasis on have to. Again, not an expert, but in my writing process, asking myself this question is a great way to write a character-driven story—which, all stories are driven by characters, aren’t they? So, who knows, it might work for you too.” –Chelsea Iversen, author of The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt (Sourcebooks Landmark)

“Read, read, read! As much as you possibly can, as widely as you can. The Teller of Small Fortunes is the first full-length book I’ve ever tried to write, but I feel like I’d been preparing all my life simply by reading voraciously. Reading isn’t just about observing techniques and other writers’ craft (though that’s helpful, too!)—it also helps you learn the shape and feel of a good book. Whether you notice it or not, you’ll come to pick up on what aspects of a story call to you and make you feel something, and through osmosis, that’ll come through to flavor your own writing, too.” –Julie Leong, author of The Teller of Small Fortunes (Ace/Berkley)

“Know that it’s OK not to produce. As creatives in a creative space, many of us are constantly confronting the successes of others. Which can be inspiring—but can also feel like you’re racing to reach that next goal or announce that next deal. Sometimes it seems like everyone else is being more productive or achieving greater things. But you also need time to rest and just think, and often my best ideas come when I’m not looking for them. A painter is still a painter when they’re not in front of the canvas. You’re still a writer even when you’re not actively putting pen to paper. Now, if I could only get myself to remember that …” –M. K. Lobb, author of Disciples of Chaos (Little, Brown)

“It might be a little cliché, but one thing I learned is that the worst thing you can do is stop writing. Every book you write, even if it does not get published, helps you improve your craft. And this also applies to drafts. Don’t look back when you’re drafting—just keep on writing. Even if you think it’s bad. Skip over scenes if you must, or leave placeholders, but just. Keep. Writing. You can fix everything in the next draft. What matters is you have a blueprint to work from.” –A. B. Poranek, author of Where the Dark Stands Still (Simon & Schuster McElderry)

“Support your fellow authors and take heart in their success—it means it’s possible for you too. Read their books, go to their events, reach out and tell them you like their stuff. Mentor a newbie. Join local writing/beta reading groups, participate(kindly) in online communities … whatever. It’s inspiring and will keep you from getting stuck in your own head.” –Anna Rasche, author of The Stone Witch of Florence (Park Row Books)

“Trust yourself. Trust your story. In my experience, books are far wiser than our minds. They know their twists and themes and secrets. Self-doubt is one of the biggest hurdles we face as artists, but if you feel called to write stories, trust in that. Know and own your value as a creator, for the world will always need more stories. Yours is valuable. Just like your fingerprints, your writing voice is uniquely yours. Write your story with courage and the knowledge that the people who need to hear it most will always find you.” –Alexandria Rogers, author of Spellbound Solstice (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Make the ritual of writing as cozy as possible. Sometimes, in trying to protect our time and reach a certain word count, we can forget that writing is fun, and our bodies start to react against it. A worried feeling grows in the pit of our stomach when we’re confronted with a blank page, and our thoughts start to wander toward worries of not being able to finish the story. What’s helped me the most is weaving all the things I love into my daily writing ritual: a warm cup of spiced tea, a slice of cake, the company of my cats. If you have a favorite scented candle that calms you down with a single indrawn breath, light it as you’re sitting down to write, and you may be surprised by how much of your nervousness goes away by the time you start to type.” –Stacy Sivinski, author of The Crescent Moon Tearoom (Atria Books)

“There’s a quote from the artist Nao Bustamante that I keep saved in my phone: ‘I am not responsible for your experience of my work.’ It’s so hard not to measure our work by external metrics: Did the professor like my short story? Did the literary agent request a full manuscript? Did my novel sell to a publisher, and was it well-received by readers? But I can’t control any of that. All I can do is make work I genuinely love, and I know I’d be doing that whether or not anyone ever paid me to write or published my work ever again. As readers, we bring so much of ourselves to any book we pick up—our own tastes and experiences—and that’s great! That’s how it should be. But as a writer, it’s also kind of none of my business what you’re bringing to the table and how that might affect your read? So, I try to keep my head down and stay focused on my end of the bargain: not to chase market trends (blech) or write for anyone else’s approval, and instead to write something that makes me joyful and proud, to put a story on paper for no other reason than that I’m bursting to tell it. Write what makes you happy—that’s my advice. Write the story that feels the most like you.” –Kate Stayman-London, author of Fang Fiction (Dial Press)

“Distract yourself! I genuinely feel like the hardest part about publishing is all the waiting—as soon as I’m done writing one book, I begin working on the next.” –Tiffany Wang, author of Inferno’s Heir (Bindery Books)

“No writing is ever a waste. Sometimes sections of a book—or entire books—don’t work out. That doesn’t mean you wasted your time or work. You created something and grew as a writer, and that’s always valuable.” –Kiersten White, author of Lucy Undying (Del Rey)

____________________________

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 28 Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“One thing that’s always helped me, even when I’m feeling stuck, is to carry a notebook everywhere. The brain is always working on the story in the background, even if you’re not aware it’s relentlessly trying to fix that plot hole in the second act. The solution might pop into your head at a random time, and you have to be ready to catch it. And here’s a piece of advice I learned from creating the ‘Sophie’ series: If you’re not heading in the right direction, don’t be afraid to change course. Take a moment to plan your new path and start building your own track. It might be scary at first, but you’ll eventually have your own railroad steaming towards your goal.” –Brian Anderson, author of Sophie: Jurassic Bark and Sophie: Frankenstein’s Hound (Marble Press)

“The transition from writing for yourself to writing professionally can have a lot of moments where things feel out of your hands, and if you’re like me and can become stressed and anxious, then I recommend finding something that can take you out of that. Whether that’s a cozy videogame like Stardew Valley, a TV or YouTube show that makes you laugh, or even disappearing into your own world and writing little chapters meant just for you (as I often do), then run with it, and try not to feel guilty about time spent doing it.” –Steven Banbury, author of The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Keep reading, writing, and trusting your instincts. If you believe in something, work hard and will it into existence. Because if you don’t write all those amazing ideas that are bouncing around your head, no one will, and then how will you get any sleep?” –Adam Borba, author of This Again? (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Do it because it’s fun. Life’s too short to do it for any other reason because writing is hard. But it’s also fun!” –Patrick Carman, author of The Terror in Jenny’s Armpit (Blackstone)

“Goodness! I would say that it’s really good to have a notebook where you write your thoughts. I don’t carry a notepad or anything. But I find that writing every day, just putting a timer on and pouring your thoughts into a page for a time, can give you a ton of excellent raw material. Sometimes you write a bunch of whining and complaining and boring stuff. But sometimes a sentence just JUMPS OUT OF THE PAGE! When there is a concept or a thought that makes your body buzz with emotion, I think it’s necessary to listen to it. To feel it and to explore it further. Once, I was struggling to write my second book and I asked fellow author Iain Reid for advice. He told me, “Chase that sense of excitement.” I wrote that on a tiny piece of paper and taped it to my wall so I wouldn’t forget. I think him and I refer to the same feeling. There is magic in some ideas. And if the writer can sense that magic inside, if you can listen to it, respect it and protect it from the elements, it is almost like a force of nature. And the reader will naturally feel it as well.” –Ani Castillo, author of People Are My Favorite Places (Little Brown)

“Outline, but don’t be afraid to ignore your notes when it feels right. The story has a life of its own.” –Bryan Chick, author of Wayfinders (Blackstone)

“Hold on to ALL your notes!” –Gary Clement, author of K Is in Trouble (Little, Brown Ink)

“Write about what you love and why you love it. Write the story that you’ve always wanted to read. And remember to have fun. If you don’t enjoy writing your story, it’s doubtful anyone will enjoy reading it.” –Ernest Cline, author of Bridge to Bat City (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Don’t be afraid to write and rewrite, give yourself a break—come back and take what you like from that previous version into the next. Recognize that you are creative and that creativity can get exhausted. Don’t be too hard on yourself during the process, and be open to trying something new. Add in something goofy, something silly, something only you would laugh at, and you’ll be surprised how people respond. For me it was the moment with the mouse tail I found kind of silly, but I’ve noticed a lot of folks laughing and that made me laugh. We have to be our first fans before others see the work, so have fun and enjoy the process.” –Arihhonni David, author of The Good Game (Holiday House)

“Even if you’re a committed plotter, you really don’t need to have it all worked out before you begin. Trust that ideas will come to you as you write. Enjoy the process of discovery.” –Barbara Dee, author of Unstuck (Aladdin)

“The secret is that there is no secret. I’m sorry, but it’s true. The secret is to work really hard for 10 or 20 years, making mistakes, doing stupid things, going off in all the wrong directions, getting rejected a thousand times, and never giving up. The secret is finally, after all that, discovering the thing that you were meant to do. Maybe it’s not to write children’s books at all. Maybe your calling is to make keys in a hardware store. That’s the thing that you’re good at, the thing that makes you feel confident and fulfilled. The thing that’s fun for you. The thing you can make a living doing. When you do what you love, you’ll love what you do.” –Dan Gutman, author of My Weird School 20th Anniversary (HarperCollins)

“Find a community that supports you. Writing, and subsequently publishing, is such a particular journey that it’s hard to communicate your experience to people outside of the writing community. Find a group of people to both commiserate and celebrate with. I will be forever grateful for my 2024 Debut Group for being this support system for me.” –Nashae Jones, author of Courtesy of Cupid (Aladdin)

“There are no shortcuts; your book only works if you do. Carving out time to write is so important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a half hour in the mornings before work or a three-hour block on the weekends—consistency is key!” –Jordan Kopy, author of Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

“Really lean into the importance of self-care. Growing up, I heard lots of advice on ‘not giving up’ and not enough reminders to take it easy and/or take better care of yourself. As a result, I was often dejected, burned out, and/or really hard on myself as I set impossible goals like ‘be published by 20!’ or ‘become a NYT bestselling author!’ It’s a tough industry! You really need to take care of yourself so you can be in it for the long-haul.” –Lyla Lee, author of Gigi Shin is Not a Nerd (Aladdin)

“Don’t give up as lost that manuscript wasting away in your computer. Even a kernel of writing promise can be crafted into a real-live book, if you just keep rewriting.” –Dionna L. Mann, author of Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings (Margaret Ferguson Books)

“Trust your story. It’s so easy to think you have to follow a certain set of rules—whether they’re the rules of the genre you’re writing or the rules you set for your own series. But if your story is telling you it’s time to break free and do your own thing, trust it. The best scenes and moments always happen when you let go and allow the story to truly come to life.” –Shannon Messenger, author of Unraveled (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

“I think it’s fun to create a space to work that fits the style of books you write. My writing cottage in Gloucestershire is in the middle of a woodland, and looks like a witch’s cottage from a fairy tale. When I was writing this story, a rose briar grew in through the window, and twirled its way around my desk, just like the ones that surrounded Sleeping Beauty’s castle.” –Ben Miller, author of The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale (Simon & Schuster)

“I guess my advice would be for them to find a process that works for them and trust that process. I always start a book a bit uncertain of where this story will take me, but I’ve learned that surprises along the way are part of my process, and one that thrills me every time one appears.” –Claudia Mills, author of The Last Apple Tree (Margaret Ferguson Books)

“It’s old news and it’s true—these things take time! So much work happens in book making before there’s any outside validation. Especially if you’re a working parent, things can go at an excruciatingly slow pace. My advice is to stay with it, in whatever capacity you can. If you stay on the path, eventually there’s a body of work behind you.” –Aya Morton, author of The Days are Long, the Years are Short (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Don’t worry about pleasing an unknown child with your story. Write for the child that you once were—or better yet, for the child that you are.” –Yevgenia Nayberg, author of A Party for Florine: Florine Stettheimer and Me (Neal Porter Book/Holiday House)

“Don’t be overly fixated on one way of telling one story.” –Debbie Ridpath Ohi, author of I Want to Read ALL the Books (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers)

“Watch old movies! Reading is a given. So, you should do that. As much as possible. But I’ve also found that watching older movies puts my creative brain in a different kind of space. Not only am I exposing myself to classic art (yay culture!), but I’m also diversifying the content I’m consuming and opening myself up to different kinds of characters and plots and pacing than have been popular more recently. If that sounds interesting, you could start by looking through the AFI Top 100 list or check out what’s on TCM one night and see if it does the same thing for you.” –Adam Rosenbaum, author of The Ghost Rules (Holiday House)

“Developing your writing craft is not always going to feel like a linear process. If writing Just Shy of Ordinary taught me anything, it’s that each story is different and may present challenges I didn’t encounter writing other stories. As an example, the writing process for my third novel, Camp QUILTBAG was a night-and-day experience compared to writing Just Shy of Ordinary (which is my fourth novel). Camp QUILTBAG was a joy to write. The outline was relatively easy to convert into prose. In comparison to the 17-page letter I got for Shy, Camp’s edit letter was only 2 pages long. At first, this made me feel like I was moving backwards. Shouldn’t each book be easier since I understand the drafting process better and have presumably improved my craft as I go? As I made my way through the editorial process for Shy, I realized I was trying different things with it from my other projects. For the first time ever, I included poetry as part of the story, for one. I was also focusing on my character’s struggles with their mental health, which was emotionally taxing on me and made drafting it more of a challenge. Each project is different and may have different needs. As a result, some projects may feel more difficult than others, even if you’re a seasoned writer. That’s OK. It’s all just part of your writing journey.” –A.J. Sass, author of Just Shy of Ordinary (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“I have two pieces of advice. Read widely. Even though you may write in one genre, reading across multiple genres and age groups are critical and vastly enjoyable. It fuels creativity. Writing is often about self-discovery. To travel deeper into the ideas and thoughts that shape us is enlightening and often scary. Since it is a journey, my advice is don’t be afraid to take a new path, you may come across unexpected vistas.” –Kashmira Sheth, author of I’m from Here Too (Peachtree)

“It’s been said many times, but I think the most important thing after a little planning, plotting, and thinking is to get down a bad first draft—just something that crudely resembles the shape of what you are trying to do. That’ll be much easier to edit and learn from than trying to write something perfectly in one go.” –Gideon Sterer, author of Treehouse Town (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Your creativity doesn’t have to follow anyone’s exact step-by-step process! Some people write detailed outlines before writing, others write straight ahead. I found out after a lot of trial and error that I have to draw my first draft of a graphic novel in really rough sketches rather than writing it in words as a script because that’s just how my brain works—I am apparently very visual. If it works and you get a story out of it – it works!” –Alina Tysoe, author of The Great Puptective (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

“There are stories that you are meant to tell. Sometimes, we talk ourselves out of them because of fear. As a good friend told me, you can’t be brave without fear. Write the story. It may take years. Someone may have the same exact idea. So, what? Only you can tell the story the way you are to tell it. We all come with different backgrounds, traditions, experiences, regrets, and lessons, which will influence the telling. So, if the universe grants you the gift of an idea, then honor it. You’ll grow, and you’ll learn more of yourself. And the bigger picture is, someone is waiting to grow and learn through your story too.” –Alicia D. Williams, author of Mid-Air (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books)

____________________________

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 27 Middle Grade and Picture Book Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“Lead with curiosity, not just passion. Curiosity is often the root of inspiration and it also can be a source of resilience and joy in your career. We often hear writing talked about as a passion, but passion can wane over time; curiosity is infinite. Passion doesn’t always come when we want it to, but a curious mind is an open invitation. Ask questions, not just as the start of the writing process, but throughout—a deep curiosity opens you up to new ideas, it challenges you. One of the very simple ways I’ve tried to lean into this practice is to write down my questions and observations in a physical notebook that I call ‘Seeds.’ Life gets busy and I don’t always have time to go down a research rabbit hole when things pop into my head, but I almost always have thirty seconds to jot down a question. I use this not only for observations I have as I’m walking through my day but as I’m working on my revisions, especially when I receive my edit letter. I read the letter, noting all my questions on the note and then set it aside. These are sometimes questions for my editor, but often are things I want to push myself on as I revise. Your mileage may vary, but I believe that a curious mind may well be one of the most powerful tools in your writing arsenal.” –Samira Ahmed, author of This Book Won’t Burn (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“This is very cliché, but my advice is to just never give up. Take breaks. Protect your mental health. Step back when you need to. But don’t give up. The world needs your voice, and someone somewhere needs your story. As an immigrant, there are so many books from my childhood that were there for me—that saw me—when I felt out of place. It didn’t matter if they were ‘good’ or even if they hold up today. For the length of time I spent between those pages, I was not alone. Every reader deserves that experience, and you never know what book will give it to them. So, if you can’t keep writing for yourself, keep writing for that future reader. Keep writing.” –Kamilah Cole, author of So Let Them Burn (Little, Brown Young Readers)

“The one I use for myself when things look or feel very bleak: I can ‘quit’ today, but I can always come back tomorrow. There is something freeing about that. A way to take control in an industry that can make a writer feel powerless. And because I have that control, every time I ‘quit,’ I come right back. So, writers, you can always quit, but if writing is in your soul, you’ll be right back. And that’s OK.” –Ronni Davis, author of This Night Is Ours (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“I suggest investing in craft books that break down character arcs and story structure. There are also YouTube channels dedicated to analyzing screenplays and the hidden parts of storytelling I find very useful.” –Tigest Girma, author of Immortal Dark (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

“Read widely—especially in the genre you’re writing in. Find the books that you love and figure out how the author pulled it off. Do they use certain character archetypes you’re drawn to? At what point in the story do they introduce an antagonist or conflict or plot twist? Try making a beat sheet of a book you think is particularly well done and study their plot. Make your best guess at what you think the character wants and motivations are and write out all the ways the author tortured that character until they finally overcame (or didn’t overcome) their flaw/wound/problem. If your character is stuck in a basement and you don’t know how to get them out, read a good book and see how that author got their character out of their basement. The solution you come up with will ultimately suit your story and be from your own brain, but you’ll gain invaluable inspiration by studying other great stories.” –Amanda Glaze, author of The Lies of Alma Blackwell (Union Square & Co)

“Find a writing community. Surround yourself with people who take the craft seriously, folks who can talk craft and story with you. Also, having people who understand what you go through is huge. It’s a lonely business, one where you have to be greedy with your time, often to the dismay of friends who don’t’ get that you have to be alone with your characters and spend more time writing on your computer than is healthy.” –Desmond Hall, author of Better Must Come (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books)

“Write about something that made you laugh! Think of the funniest thing that ever happened to you—something that made you absolutely lose it with laughter—and share it with your reader. Perhaps have one of your characters experience it—get it on the page! People love to laugh—it feels good, after all. In other parts of your story, you can relate sad or scary or angry thoughts, but do give the reader a gift of laughter wherever it fits. Life is hard enough, and we owe it to each other to pass on any happiness we possibly can.” –Hope Jahren, author of Adventures of Mary Jane (Delacorte Press)

“No matter what, stick to improving the story. No matter how long it takes to finish your book. Then, follow through and write another book.” –Arlene Klasky, author of Ming & Leopold: A City in the Sky (self-published)

“Know that it’s OK not to produce. As creatives in a creative space, many of us are constantly confronting the successes of others. Which can be inspiring—but can also feel like you’re racing to reach that next goal or announce that next deal. Sometimes it seems like everyone else is being more productive or achieving greater things. But you also need time to rest and just think, and often my best ideas come when I’m not looking for them. A painter is still a painter when they’re not in front of the canvas. You’re still a writer even when you’re not actively putting pen to paper. Now, if I could only get myself to remember that…” –M. K. Lobb, author of Disciples of Chaos (Little, Brown)

“When you’re putting so much of your own life into a story, it won’t always come as naturally as writing pure fiction. That doesn’t mean the story isn’t right or valid or worthy. It’s just a different conversation with yourself, or at least it was for me.” –Bethany Mangle, author of Conditions of a Heart (McElderry Books)

“Don’t be afraid to experiment. Experiment with voice, with plot, with genre. Try writing in first, second, and third person. Set your story in outer space. Make your protagonist 100 years old. Find the characters and stories that unlock something inside of you and don’t worry too much about where it fits or what it means for your career. There is very little you can control in the publishing industry, but you can produce work that is authentic and meaningful for you.” –Joseph Moldover, author of Just Until (Holiday House/Margaret Ferguson Books)

“It might be a little cliché, but one thing I learned is that the worst thing you can do is stop writing. Every book you write, even if it does not get published, helps you improve your craft. And this also applies to drafts. Don’t look back when you’re drafting—just keep on writing. Even if you think it’s bad. Skip over scenes if you must, or leave placeholders, but just. Keep. Writing. You can fix everything in the next draft. What matters is you have a blueprint to work from.” –A.B. Poranek, author of Where the Dark Stands Still (McElderry Books)

“Trying to get a book published is a marathon, not a sprint. So many writers jump the gun with their first manuscript and send it out before it’s ready, and you only get one chance at your debut novel. My advice is to take your time revising your first book and get several pairs of eyes on your work before you share with literary agents—they will be waiting when it’s done!” –Kara Thomas, author of The Champions (Delacorte)

“Distract yourself! I genuinely feel like the hardest part about publishing is all the waiting—as soon as I’m done writing one book, I begin working on the next.” –Tiffany Wang, author of Inferno’s Heir (Bindery Books)

“Read. Write. Be tender and brave. (I read that somewhere and I don’t know who said it, but it’s the best possible combination of virtues.) Think deeply for yourself. Be wary of sloganeering (even from your echo chambers). Don’t lose your sense of humor. Read. Write. Don’t worry about publishing. Repeat.” –Wendy Wunder, author of Mysterious Ways (Wednesday Books)

____________________________

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 15 Young Adult Fiction Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

“That moment where you feel your book is the worst thing a human being has ever written? It’s a completely normal part of the process. Keep going.” –C. J. Cooke, author of A Haunting in the Attic (Berkley)

“(Editors, don’t read this:) It’s totally fine—in fact it’s really fun—to write a book that is absolutely nothing like your previous book!” –Dan Kois, author of Hampton Heights: One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Harper Perennial)

“A lot can be said for being stubborn! This is a tough, but beautiful business. Perfect your craft and don’t give up. Love it more than anything. Believe—foolishly, hopefully, endlessly, passionately. You only lose if you stop trying. I was once asked, after many years and many a rejection, why I didn’t just stop trying. My reply was fervent and fevered: ‘I will never quit. If I have to write 99 novels and do it until I’m 100 years old—I will do that. I will never quit.’ Keep your eyes on your own page and ink your pen. One foot in front of the other. One word before the next. Stories are built one character at a time. You’ve got this.” –Dawn Kurtagich, author of The Madness (Graydon House Books)

“I’m not one for practical writing advice because every writer is different, and what works for me probably won’t work for the next person. My one constant piece of advice is this: Write the next thing. Too many aspiring writers finish one novel then beat it to death, revising and revising, trying to sell it, then revising it again, flogging the proverbial dead horse. Rewriting is vitally important, of course, but it’s also important to keep moving forward. Write the next thing, because it’ll be better than the last, and the one before that, and the one before that, and…” –Stuart Neville, author of Blood Like Mine (Soho Press/Hell’s Hundred)

“Perseverance is key. There is nothing unique about that insight but, in any creative endeavor, it’s 100 percent true. Imagination is a muscle that needs strengthening, and the more regularly I sit down and write, the easier things become.” –Vincent Ralph, author of One House Left (Wednesday Books)

“If writing is what you love, don’t ever give up. Rejections are part of a writer’s life, but instead of viewing them as a reflection of you, remember that they’re a reflection of the subjectivity of the industry. So, keep going, keep improving, keep reading, and most of all, keep writing!” –Del Sandeen, author of This Cursed House (Berkley)

“I would say that if your traumatic events or otherwise very real microaggressions people face, always take a step back to properly assess whether or not also being affected by writing about it. Some things that I had written in We Came to Welcome You were fictionalized accounts of my own life and had to be talked over with a therapist before I felt it was truly necessary to the story. If you have someone you trust that you can talk over your emotions with, I would say to make time to process those emotions with them.” –Vincent Tirado, author of We Came to Welcome You (William Morrow)

____________________________

While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.

Click to continue.

The post One Piece of Advice From 7 Horror Authors in 2024 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Subscribe to future issues of Writer’s Digest here.)

There are probably at least 23 highlighted quotes in each issue of the magazine, because each issue is packed with so much great advice from experienced writers, debut authors, literary agents, editors, and more. And, speaking for myself, highlighting (and even writing out) quotes helps me remember them better.

One of the other editors probably has their own list of 23 other quotes, but this is my favorite 23 writing and publishing quotes from the print magazine in 2023 (and I might’ve even snuck in an extra quote, because I love consistency). When you get a moment, try reading through all the 2023 issues as well and look forward to more great advice in 2024!

January/February 2023: Finding Success “Inside” the Box

“To give my characters depth, I needed to get to know them past who they were in my stories. What I began doing was spending days with my characters in my head. It went beyond simply asking my characters interview questions and delved deep into understanding who they were in their everyday lives. While I still did character-developing exercises—like interviews—what really took my characters beyond the surface was spending time with them and listening to them.” —Aigner Loren Wilson from “How I Punched Up My Fiction to Get Out of the Slush Pile”

“Nobody should feel obliged to put something deeply personal, whether related to their identity or to an event, on the page for public consumption.” —Whitney Hill from “Writing What You Know: Yourself”

“Rather than avoiding tropes, perhaps writers should consider the way many readers love to read them, and instead strive to make their tropes unique, or upend expectations.” —Jordan Rosenfeld from “Tropes and Why We Love Them”

“There’s no shortage of ideas. It’s the execution of the idea that matters. And I think that’s true for almost anything in society. I think ideas may be overrated because you can sit on a couch and have an idea. And then someone else has the idea and makes it happen. … So, for me, it’s not the idea of what I would write about. It’s, ‘Can I execute it in a manner that the reader deserves from me?'” —Neil deGrasse Tyson from “The WD Interview”

(Get the January/February 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

March/April 2023: Exploring Genre Fiction

“Writing can be a lonely journey, so find a group in person or online to join along the way. These communities can help you polish your work, but they can also serve as a sounding board or even support group during those long months of silence.” —Christopher Stollar from “Tips for Transitioning in Publishing”

“You’ll probably always be your own worst critic, but you won’t likely be a fair one—don’t be afraid to seek (and apply) feedback from trusted sources, while remembering that outside of true errors, it’s all subjective. Good or bad, they are all just opinions—ultimately, you have to do what best honors your voice as a writer.” —Christina C. Jones from “IndieLab”

“The design of your website should reflect your book’s genre in some way. It must appeal to your ideal reader. If your genre is science fiction, you’ll want to include the kind of science that relates to your book. Instead of roses and fairy-tale landscapes, you’ll incorporate images of telescopes and nebulas. If you’re a horror writer, you might use a shadowy theme with monsters and streams of blood. If you’re a children’s writer, you can appeal to a more playful mindset using primary colors and child-like fonts.” —Kim Catanzarite from “The Importance of Genre”

“I think that magic is always a metaphor, right? But I think to write fantasy, it has to also be magic. I think the ways it is understood as metaphor are important. Magic is always saying something that’s allowing you to look at something slanted.” —Holly Black from “The WD Interview”

(Get the March/April 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

May/June 2023: Keeping It Short

“Write without worrying about what will sell.” —Ismita Hussain from “Meet the Agent”

“The best advice I can give you when creating your elevator pitch is to learn the difference between describing your plot vs. explaining your plot. A pitch (no matter what kind) needs to leave the audience with an idea of the premise and stakes. That’s it. This isn’t the place for backstory, secret motives, or why you wrote the book.” —Amy Collins from “The Four Elements”

“I believe I have a career as an essayist because of how I have learned to end my stories. This is where you deliver your gift: the clear, emotional destination toward which your essay is moving. This is where you answer the reader’s question: Why have you told me this story?” —William Kenower from “A Good Ending”

“Remember that when you’re writing that first thing, you’re in an incredibly precious time. When you’re writing that book or that early story, write for yourself first and foremost. There’s going to come a time when that won’t be the case anymore, when there are going to be all these people who are involved. So, don’t be in any great hurry to publish or to get it out there into the world. Take your time to hone and craft that first book. Appreciate those early years where you’re writing for yourself because it never is quite the same once you start publishing.” —Brandon Taylor from “The WD Interview”

(Get the May/June 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

July/August 2023: Creating Structure

“Emptying your mind lowers obstacles and frees creative thought. We live in a world where we push ourselves to accomplish so much each day, almost per hour, including writing. Stopping that momentum periodically is medicinal and crumbles walls you may not even know you had.” —C. Hope Clark from “The Right vs. Left Brain Dilemma”

“There’s no need to plan everything out beforehand. Part of the fun is setting up high stakes without knowing the outcome. This way you’ll be right there with your protagonist, struggling to come up with solutions, even as the walls close in deliciously around you.” —Julia Bartz from “Writers on Writing”

“Just because we are aware of the need for the inciting incident doesn’t mean we shouldn’t spend the time carefully crafting how we arrive at this point.” —Ran Walker from “This Changes Everything”

“Let’s face it, there are people who want to be famous. There are people who want to be rich. And I always warn them, neither of those is likely to happen. It could happen, but this is a hard way to do it. You should learn to play guitar and go burn your amps on stage. It can be difficult, but we can’t stop ourselves. When you know someone who cannot not do it, that’s some sacred thing.” —Luis Alberto Urrea from “The WD Interview”

(Get the July/August 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

September/October 2023: Facing the Mysterious

“Landing an agent or book deal is a huge accomplishment but it isn’t a happily ever after thing. It’s the start of a business venture with peaks and valleys. If you continue to grow as a writer, ‘hook’ generator, and entrepreneur, you have a chance at a long career.” —Connor Eck from “Writer’s Digest 2023 Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Not all reveals serve the story best if maintained throughout; sometimes you gain more narrative mileage by spilling the beans sooner, so readers see the aftereffects of the secret and its impact on the characters and story.” —Tiffany Yates Martin from “The Big Reveal”

“We have to get lost in the forests. We have to allow for the ugliness. We have to invite it, even. In the early drafts, your characters may reveal themselves to you in flashes, whispers, or echoes as you chase them through the trees. They might be lost in the mist themselves. It’s OK not to see them yet through the fog. That’s part of the process.” —Jennifer Givhan from “Writing Our Way Into (and out of) Dark Forests”

“I like to read craft books myself and I find value in them. Whether you’re talking Stephen King, Lawrence Block, Anne Lamott … these are books that even if I don’t agree with every piece of, that’s fine. It’s weird that people who don’t agree decide it’s bad advice. It’s just advice that isn’t for you.” —Chuck Wendig from “The WD Interview”

(Get the September/October 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

November/December 2023: Making Readers Laugh

“It helps to think of your first few books as a hobby, not a business. People will spend hundreds on a hobby with no expectation of making it back, but authors think $250 for a book cover is wasting money. Just because you can indie publish for free doesn’t mean you should. Put money into a hobby account while you’re still writing so you can pay for an inexpensive cover and editing when the time comes.” —Roland Denzel from “IndieLab”

“Effective humor has everything to do with your knowledge of the subject—in order to make fun of something effectively, you have to understand it on a fairly deep level. But the other aspect of effective humor is shared knowledge—your audience has to know as much about your subject as you do, or the jokes will fall flat.” —Jeff Somers from “From the Heart”

“There are two reasons I support mistake-making. First, we know that failure means we tried. It also means if the mistake is wrong enough, we can make someone laugh.” —Jorjeana Marie from “The First Laugh”

“When you are revising your work, it’s a long path to go from conception to a finished project. A lot of times, there’s a lot of feedback along the way, or you are not sure how to change it, how to improve it, how to do X, Y, and Z. Once you get a little more professional, people are saying things like, ‘Well, this really has to fit more into the thriller format.’ Sometimes, what they’re telling you actually is right, and you have to be as flexible as you can in hearing the feedback you’re getting. But the thing I always say to writers is that you never should forget the flame that made you want to write this.” —Jean Kwok from “The WD Interview”

(Get the November/December 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

The post 23 Best Writing Quotes From Writer’s Digest Magazine in 2023 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Subscribe to future issues of Writer’s Digest here.)

As a writer, it’s exciting to get advice from actual literary agents and editors, for sure. But as a reader (and well, writer too), I love getting tips, tricks, and insight from the likes of Ian McEwan, Susan Cain, Marlon James, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Tiffany D. Jackson, Ursula Vernon, Sonali Dev, and so many others.

So I decided to share my experience a little bit by highlighting 22 writing and publishing quotes from the print magazine in 2022. When you get a moment, try reading through all the issues as well and look forward to more great advice in 2023!

January/February 2022: Find Success in 2022

“The only way to become a writer is to be a reader first. Read diligently, widely, and voraciously—especially in your genre. The lessons will seep in over time and make you a stronger writer.” —Nita Prose from “Breaking In”

“I’ve had the same habits forever. I write mornings, five days a week. Do that, and every few years, you have enough for a book.” —Andre Dubus III from “Dig In or Cut Yourself Free”

“Writing a novel is like embarking on a road trip. There’s a beginning, middle, end, and—more importantly—a journey occurring all the while.” —E. L. Tenenbaum from “Eyes on the Road!”

“I think the thing that is most helpful to me now at this point in my career is not overthinking things and just putting yourself on the page. Not thinking about the market, and not thinking about the book that you read last week that was really good and why didn’t you write that book, and not thinking about will people think I’m stupid if I say this. There are so many things you can worry about when you’re writing that are all irrelevant. Two people can write the same book and it’d be two completely different books. The important thing is a book that you write is your book and it’s you, and you put yourself into it and don’t listen to any of the interference from anywhere else in the world.” —Lisa Jewell from “The WD Interview”

(Get the January/February 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

March/April 2022: Exploring Point of View

“My agent actually said to me when I first turned this manuscript in: ‘You always know when you’ve really hit it in a manuscript when the people who read it start telling you their own personal stories that they thought about in reaction to your book.’ They’re not talking anymore about the story you’ve told; they’re talking about their own story. There’s something you’ve written that’s made it personal to them.” —Susan Cain from “The Beauty in the Bittersweet”

“Don’t romanticize writing. It’s like exercise. You get better if you do it every day.” —Tanya McKinnon from “Meet the Agent”

“I think what sometimes goes wrong with world-building is that people spend too much time on it. Build to the point of where it’s of use to the character, otherwise you fall into exposition.” —Marlon James from “The WD Interview”

(Get the March/April 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

May/June 2022: Tech for Writers

“Embrace the one-sentence pitch.” —Stephanie Delman from “Meet the Agent”

“Have fun with the writing process. Writing is the only thing you have any control over.” —Adam Oyebanji from “Breaking In”

“You need to give yourself permission to be bad when you are drafting. That reason that’s so important is because a lot of writers, especially when you’re starting out, have that little voice in your head that says, ‘This is so terrible. Why did I think I could write a book? I can’t ever show this to anyone.’ They let that voice get so loud that they don’t end up writing anything. This is where you need to embrace the suck. Let yourself be bad. It’s OK. Everybody’s first drafts are bad. My first drafts are terrible, but once you have a bad first draft down, you can fix it. You can edit it, you can polish it up, but you can’t get anything done if you don’t shut that voice down and get those words out.” —Kate Quinn from “The WD Interview”

(Get the May/June 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

July/August 2022: At a Crossroads

“Book two was the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my professional career, as an author or otherwise. Far worse than getting my first one-star review.” —Heather Chavez from “Lessons From Book Two”

“Remember that publishing is a business. The end goal is to make money. Yes, we write for the love and the art of it all. But love doesn’t pay the bills. Love the art. Work the business.” —Nikesha Elise Williams from “IndieLab | Author Spotlight”

“Spend as much time reading books you hate as books you love. And figure out exactly why you hate them. And I don’t mean thinking, Oh, the characters aren’t fleshed out and moving on. What about the characters aren’t fleshed out … And how would you fix those problems if you were the author? The way I learned to tell stories was by figuring out what I did and didn’t like as a reader and then practicing it in my writing.” —Katalina Gamarra from “Breaking In”

“But it’s important to remember that you have to have metrics of success that are not dependent on the outside world. They have to be more internal things. And by that, I mean, you can’t say, ‘Well, my worth as a human being is determined by the worth of my rate-per-word,’ you know? If I’m worth only 2 cents per word, then I am not very valuable versus if I’m worth a dollar per word. You can’t go that way because that will be just psychologically incredibly damaging.” —Silvia Moreno-Garcia from “The WD Interview”

(Get the July/August 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

September/October 2022: Sinister Stories

“As advice for myself—write the stuff you’re excited by, write the book where you can hear the dialogue in your head, write it down now while it’s still exciting. Write the scenes you know and string them together later. Don’t worry about how well it will sell. Don’t even worry about the end or how it will all hang together. The books you’re excited by rarely let you down.” —Ursula Vernon (aka T. Kingfisher) from “Words Always Come First”

“Children’s horror isn’t truly about scaring kids. It’s about giving them a safe place to explore their own fears and—most importantly—learn how to cope with them.” —Alex R. Kahler (aka K.R. Alexander) from “Writers on Writing”

“As a reporter, if I only wrote whenever I felt inspired, I would have gotten fired. Which is why, when writing this novel, I never waited for inspiration to strike. I wrote a bit every day—sometimes as little as 300 words—and trusted that if I kept showing up, the work would eventually improve.” —Tracey Lien from “Breaking In”

“I don’t walk into books with a message in mind. I typically walk in with the actual problem, the plot itself, and then as we’re going through the motions of the story, the message, honestly, it presents itself.” —Tiffany D. Jackson from “The WD Interview”

(Get the September/October 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

November/December 2022: Writing THE END

“At its very heart, I believe there is only one story arc in the world: There’s a character in an uncomfortable situation and they must find a way to resolve it.” —Sonali Dev from “Writers on Writing”

“Get creative. I love reading queries that blend interesting comps to give me an immediate idea of what their story is like. I am always looking for pitches that feel as exciting and enticing as book jackets.” —Alexandra Weiss from “Meet the Agent”

“Figure out which secrets you want to keep and which you want to slowly unveil to others or just to yourself.” —Su Cho from “Breaking In”

“Short stories are great for throwing off the influence of others and finding your own core. But maybe most important of all, they teach you something about the value of readerly curiosity and how to instill it.” —Ian McEwan from “The WD Interview”

(Get the November/December 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

The post 22 Writing Quotes From Writer’s Digest Magazine in 2022 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

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So I recently took some time to re-read all the Writer’s Digest magazine issues of 2021, and it was an incredible experience. There’s so much advice packed into each issue, but reading them all at once just compounds the advice and reminds me of lessons I’d already learned earlier in the year.

Anyway, I wanted to share my experience a little bit by highlighting some quotes from writers, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals. When you get a moment, try reading through all the issues as well and look forward to more great advice in 2022!

January/February 2021: New Year, New Perspectives

“Empty space is helpful.” —Yangsze Choo from “Yangsze Choo: Memories of Malaya”

“If you don’t quit, you will succeed.” —Don Vaughan from “The Seven Pillars of Freelance Success”

“While I continue to write with specific ideas in mind, I am accepting that it’s not always possible to know what will stick with my readers.” —Peace Adzo Medie from “Discovering the Humor in My Novel”

“There is no rule that says you have to stop promoting your book because everyone else has, or it didn’t have a strong first week of sales, or it only got two reviews. None of that matters.” —Rachel Menard from “IndieLab”

“Give us your characters, the conflict, and sink it with a great line that makes me want to read more.” —Zabé Ellor from “Meet the Agent”

“I wish I’d written more and worried less.”  —Meg LaTorre from “Breaking In”

“Our work can open hearts and minds, build empathy, and spark meaningful conversations. What we create on the page can change the world.” —Nancy Johnson from “Breaking In”

“Don’t live or write in a bubble. My creativity is fueled when I talk with other creative people.” —Melissa Croce from “Breaking In”

“Without enough scene variation, your writing can feel sluggish, even when the actual scene is describing important character epiphanies or intense battle sequences.” —Diana M. Pho from “A New View”

“All the experts agree that the best deals to be found outside of the U.S. are in the German and U.K. markets, and Europe in general, where book buying is still a booming business.” —Jordan Rosenfeld from “Foreign Rights Sales”

“Agents spend about 90 percent of their time pitching.” —Sam Hiyate from “Foreign Rights Sales”

“When you see your cover in a foreign language, it’s so exciting to see what they came up with. I was dancing on the ceiling.” —Stacey Marie Brown from “Foreign Rights Sales”

“Translations are a delicate art.” —Griffin Suber from “Finding the Words”

“Part of the attraction of freelance work is the freedom—the ability to be your own boss, make your own hours, and fire clients at will. But when you have a client that makes up 40, 50, or 60 percent of your income, how can you possibly ever say no to that client?” —Jeff Somers from “Losing the Big One”

“The first sentence has to have a solid punch.” —Steve Berry from “Twisty Business”

“Setting is crucial in providing those heart-stopping moments that come when a reader leaves the safety of her own home and enters the book.” —Sam Boush from “Twisty Business”

“Nobody is perfect, in fiction or real life, and people with problems tend to be more interesting to read and write about.” —Alice Feeney from “Twisty Business”

“These people aren’t trying to save the world, or prevent an assassination, or win a war. They’re fighting for their careers, their marriages, their kids, their lives. These are predicaments we can all relate to, stakes we can imagine as our own, triumphs we can share.” —Chris Pavone from “Twisty Business”

“Figure out what your characters love and need and want, and then methodically take it all away from them.” —Blake Crouch from “Twisty Business”

“I love it when an author plants a question in my mind and keeps me guessing about the answer. … As a writer, I try to lead my readers through the narrative with the same sense of intrigue.” —Ruth Ware from “Twisty Business”

“A good twist should never leave the readers feeling tricked.” —Simon Gervais from “Twisty Business”

“A satisfying ending is not only about that final moment, but the journey to get there.” —Megan Miranda from “Twisty Business”

“Twenty years of rejection and misery and isolation was a terrible experience. But on the positive side of that, I came out focused on the writing, thinking that the writing was what mattered.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen from “The WD Interview: Viet Thanh Nguyen”

“I can never say it enough, but the query can be broken down into: the hook, the book, and the cook.” —Barbara Poelle from “Funny You Should Ask”

“Don’t rush the inciting incident.” —Jeanne Veillette Bowerman from “Take Two”

“If you have a seemingly brilliant idea for a book, knowing that there is an audience for it and who that audience is can not only provide motivation for you to continue writing, but it can also help you organize your book.” —Amy Jones from “Notes From the Margins”

“I’ve had so many people tell me over the years that I didn’t have the qualities needed to be a writer. All of my writer friends and I have one thing in common: We didn’t listen to the naysayers. We kept writing. And eventually we have all been published.” —Devi S. Laskar from “Four Reasons Why This Can Be Your Year to Find Publishing Success”

“Believing in your own voice and your own story is incredibly important for finding success as a writer.” —Robert Lee Brewer from “Four Reasons Why This Can Be Your Year to Find Publishing Success”

“Your readers are out there. You just have to believe and work like hell and never, ever give up. Especially not on yourself. You have to be your story’s greatest champion.” —Jennifer Givhan from “Four Reasons Why This Can Be Your Year to Find Publishing Success”

“Whether you consider yourself a newbie or seasoned writing professional, it’s important to note that relationships should always have a reciprocal element.” —Kristy Stevenson from “Building Community”

(Get the January/February 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

March/April 2021: Getting Personal

“In terms of writing the story, for me it’s about having fun with the topic.” —Adam Hargreaves from “Mr. Successful”

“Being a columnist gives you smooth sailing on the choppy seas of freelance journalism.” —Frank Hyman from “Columns: The Pillars of Every Periodical”

“I stared at the headline on my computer screen, my face flush with embarrassment. It was still dark outside in the predawn of March 29, 2013, the day when my dreams of becoming a well-known writer came true. Indeed, by the time the sun came up, my work had reached millions. And I couldn’t stop crying.” —Barbara Neal Varma from “Anonymous Fame”

“The more I suffered through writing about my experiences—re-triggering myself at every turn—the more I realized that, at least at the moment, I don’t want to tell some of those stories. I’ve always felt as if I was compelled to. Now I’m fairly certain I’m not.” —Sari Botton from “Writers on Writing”

“Know the market, know which books are compatible or comparable with yours, and state the case convincingly for ‘why’ yours.” —Lisa DiMona from “Meet the Agent”

“I like to imagine my inner critics as mini-ogres, with sour faces, crossed arms, and goofy hats labeled ‘fear,’ ‘doubt,’ and ‘meanness.'” —Sharon Short from “Character Motivation”

“With my self-published books, I use an aggregator to simply my record keeping and my life.” —L. Penelope from “IndieLab”

“Here’s a quick thought experiment: You’re offered two writing jobs. Job A pays a dollar a word. Job B pays ten cents a word. Which should you take? Whatever answer you gave is wrong, because you don’t have enough information.” —Jeff Somers from “The Matrix: How to Determine Your Worth as a Freelancer”

“There’s a difference between being a great writer and a great storyteller. Reading helps with both, but craft books and methodology will really help with the latter.” —Ciannon Smart from “Breaking In”

“Historical fiction requires extensive research, and the support of a copy editor is heaven.” —Denny S. Bryce from “Breaking In”

“Be nice to yourself. Celebrate the writing you do. But if you’re stuck or can’t write, who cares? Take breaks to pay attention to the things around you—that’s part of the work. You’ll write when it’s time. You’re still a writer, even if you’re not writing.” —Lisa Summe from “Breaking In”

“Everything that happens to us, every failure and success, every kiss we give or receive, every meal we eat, every trip we take, is potential material.” —William Kenower from “Author vs. Character”

“Isn’t writing your memoir just like writing an extended version of your diary? Actually, it isn’t.” —Sharon McDonnell from “Writing Your Memoir”

“Defamation is an umbrella term for libel (written defamation) and slander (oral). Defamation is a false statement of fact that injures a person’s reputation.” —Amy Cook from “About Us”

“Sex is generally a private encounter. We’re literally naked and we’re doing things we don’t generally do with an audience. In some cultures, we’re even taught to not talk about it or even not do it. Those are the practical reasons why it’s such a hard thing to write about.” —Elizabeth Benedict from “The Words and the Bees”

“Physical order can promote mental and spiritual order. An uncluttered space is an invitation, like a fresh notebook.” —Elizabeth Sims from “The Time and Energy Game”

“In the virtual space, fun matters more than ever.” —Jessica Strawser from “The Art of the Multi-Author Event”

“I decided I wanted to do events with an eclectic group of writers I like and admire, from mega-bestselling commercial authors to literary superstars. I knew they’d be a draw for my audience and that we’d have lots to talk about. And we did.” —Christina Baker Kline from “The Art of the Multi-Author Event”

“A reader may come to hear or see one author and then end up trying out books by all the other authors. I think that happens a lot.” —David Bell from “The Art of the Multi-Author Event”

“Every genre offers different ways of untangling bits of the human experience. Horror is good at figuring out, what are we afraid of? And a good horror story, regardless of how it does it, gets at the heart of some fear or anxiety that we have, or that people have.” —Carmen Maria Machado from “The WD Interview: Carmen Maria Machado”

“Trends, generally speaking, are usually ignited in two specific beats on a publishing timeline: When a novel is shopped and at point of publication.” —Barbara Poelle from “Funny You Should Ask”

“There are two kinds of readers: the ones who read a book all the way through, and the ones who are always in the middle of several.” —Sophie Newman from “On Changing Genres”

“The number-one flaw in any screenplay is an uninteresting and passive protagonist.” —Jeanne Veillette Bowerman from “Take Two”

“There’s a story in everyone; your job is to figure out how to make it meaningful to someone else.” —Robert Lee Brewer from “Six Personal Essay Markets for Writers”

(Get the March/April 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

May/June 2021: Sparking Curiosity

“Writing mentors can have much to offer, but often their greatest gift is years of professional experience.” —Don Vaughan from “The Value of Experience: How Mentors Help Writers”

“I couldn’t get my hands on enough books about how other writers became successful; I was hungry to know their process. As a young writer, I spent a lot of time in the 808 section of the library.” —Donna Gephart from “The Value of Experience: How Mentors Help Writers”

“Often I see better ways of working. As with any serious craft, you should never stop learning.” —Mark Bowden from “The Value of Experience: How Mentors Help Writers”

“Beginning writers are often looking for a secret that will make them rich and famous. That usually means chasing the market and imitating another author. In that case, I don’t know how to help. My advice always starts with: ‘Be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.” —David Morrell from “The Value of Experience: How Mentors Help Writers”

“Although there is no universally accepted joke periodic table, humor writing has structure and formula that anyone can master.” —Mark Shatz from “To Write Funny, You Must Think Funny”

“While I enjoyed my Sunday Funday beer buzz, I was also hyperaware of the fact that I had just spent four hours in a pub. Talking about how I don’t have time to write. In those four hours, the sunny afternoon turned into haunting dusk as I went from sober to buzzed. For the first time, drinking seemed pointless. Alcohol felt like an unnecessary hurdle that I kept putting in my way.” —Tawny Lara from “How Sobriety Made Me a Better Writer”

“One of the things I love most about writing historical fiction is the initial sensation when my curiosity is piqued, when I stumble across a person or event in history and immediately feel an urge to delve into the historical record.” —Chanel Cleeton from “Writers on Writing”

“From my experience in writing in all sorts of settings (about all sorts of settings), I’ve concluded that a good setting for creative writing must be functional, healthful, and inspiring.” —Sharon Short from “Setting”

“One of the many uses of metadata is in helping readers, customers, or information seekers of any kind find what they are looking for.” —L. Penelope from “Minding Your Metadata”

“It’s usually OK to use a portion of someone else’s work for educational purposes or news reporting, as long as you’re taking the smallest amount necessary to make your point. Writers get into trouble when their entire work is based on someone else’s copyrighted work.” —Amy Cook from “Fair Use”

“Keep it short—if you can’t summarize your book in one paragraph, you may not quite know yourself what it’s about.” —Markus Hoffman from “Meet the Agent”

“Find the people who cheer you on, lift you up, help you grow, and provide a safe space to vent. My writing friends have been essential to my success.” —Mia P. Manansala from “Breaking In”

“Read a lot, both in your genre and out of it.” —Brandie June from “Breaking In”

“Figure out the heart of the story after your first draft.” —Brenda Peynado from “Breaking In”

“There is good procrastination and bad procrastination.” —Michael La Ronn from “The Curiously Effective Way to Beat Procrastination”

“Leaving something up to the imagination invites participation from the reader and defies topes of a too-perfect conclusion.” —Jordan Rosenfeld from “Open Endings”

“When thinking about how to nest your character motivations, one thing to consider is how permanent those motivations should be.” —Jeff Somers from “The Russian Nesting Doll Theory of Motivation”

“I am usually three-quarters of way into a book before I know the ending.” —Chris Bohjalian from “The WD Interview: Chris Bohjalian”

“A book review is not a summary. It’s not a report. It’s a conversation.” —Sam Risak from “The Benefits of Writing Book Reviews”

“Liking is not the point. It’s whether the book is successful or not.” —Katherine Coldiron from “The Benefits of Writing Book Reviews”

“If you want to participate in the big conversation of literary criticism, you should be an avid consumer of reviews. It should be part of your oxygen.” —Tom Zoellner from “The Benefits of Writing Book Reviews”

“Reviewing makes me read deeply and think about the writers’ choices.” —Liz Harmer from “The Benefits of Writing Book Reviews”

“I often use theme as my North Star to guide me back to the essence of my story.” —Sadie Dean from “How Do I (Quickly) Write a Screenplay?”

(Get the May/June 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

July/August 2021: Writing for Change

“I don’t want to romanticize being a writer, but sometimes it truly feels as though getting to work on this book felt like an act of reclamation.” —Kat Chow from “Appease the Spirit”

“No one can chart a writer’s individual journey. Each writer must do that respectively.” —Audrey Wick from “Writing After Trauma”

“If you can handle criticism and learn from it, your work will improve.” —Alison Hill from “Rejection With a Suggestion”

“Writing for social justice, one has the charge to not only inspire compassion, but action, and, hopefully, change.” —Catherine Coleman Flowers from “Listening and Writing for Social Justice”

“Stay current on what’s happening in the world and not only on your small portion of it.” —Tricia Skinner from “Meet the Agent”

“I find description to be one of the most challenging writing craft tools because it often leads me to second guess what I’ve written.” —Sharon Short from “Description”

“Let’s face it, books are judged by their covers.” —Whitney Hill from “Success by Design”

“I was suddenly hit with three terms that seemed interchangeable: pitch, query, and proposal.” —Amy Jones from “Pitch vs. Query vs. Proposal”

“I learned that I can fail and still have the strength to try again.” —Elizabeth Gonzalez James from “Breaking In”

“I was enthusiastic about taking feedback from my agent and my editor and doing the work to get my novel into shape.” —Sarah Zachrich Jeng from “Breaking In”

“Be honest and don’t worry about what other people think.” —David Poses from “Breaking In”

“Reaching that point—the edge—and moving past it might well result in a spectacular crash. That, or just maybe a soaring flight to the heights of success, which is what we all hunger for.” —Elizabeth Sims from “The Quest for the Edge”

“Honesty matters when you are telling lies.” —Syed Masood from “Tightrope Writer”

“Remember that the most effective characters are complicated and may have conflicting views about social justice issues.” —David Heska Wanbli Weiden from “Writing to Change the World”

“Inspiration represents the first step to getting readers to do something different. Your book must help readers see new possibilities and get excited about pursuing these aspirations.” —Nina Amir from “Authoring Change, One Book at a Time”

“This is about having an openness to follow the story wherever it takes you—which should be the journalists’ credo anyway.” —Tyler Moss from “Writing Through the Lens of Social Justice”

“Dialogue in writing should always be used strategically. It should convey character details and plot details, not pleasantries and mundane chatter.” —Jordan Rosenfeld from “Get Emotional With Your Characters”

“You don’t have to write every day.” —Jasmine Guillory from “The WD Interview: Jasmine Guillory”

“I started with a sound. I gathered my notebook, sat in the middle of my bed late at night, and listened.” —Deborah Hall from “Whale of a Poem”

“In the moment, writing can feel like a lonely, even isolating activity. But the distance between the lonely act of writing and identity of ‘being a writer’ is the distance between the place where you write and the place where you share what you wrote.” —Mary Mangual from “The Art of Feedback-Giving for Writers”

“A writing partner is a person who will collaborate with you, sharing all responsibilities from idea conception, research, outlining, writing, and re-writing to selling your screenplay.” —Sadie Dean from “Do I Need a Writing Partner?”

(Get the July/August 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

September/October 2021: Standout Storytelling

“Sometimes a story sings to you. It says, ‘I’m next. I want you. You want me. I’ve got the idea. I can do it! Give me a chance!'” —Jane Yolen from “The Queen of Kidlit”

“Most freelance writers wouldn’t have a career without sources—the experts and real-life individuals that make a story come alive.” —Dinsa Sachan from “How to Tackle Tricky Source Situations”

“I’m always surprised at how many people are willing to share their time, experience, and expertise with me.” —Elizabeth Gardner from “How to Tackle Tricky Source Situations”

“Whether you’re a newbie or a grizzled veteran, a fan of fiction or teller of truths, the reminder to trust the process can be a calming notion to revisit now and again.” —Paul Nicolaus from “Like a Good Pair of Jeans, This Writing Advice Only Gets Better With Time”

“As writers, this is part of the work we do, finding ways to express that which may feel impossible to express.” —Anna-Marie McLemore from “Speaking in Magic”

“Find a passion other than writing that gives you contentment.” —Priya Doraswamy from “Meet the Agent”

“If you master pacing, readers will walk, jog, trot, or run alongside you for the duration of your story and not wander off your story’s path out of exhaustion or boredom.” —Sharon Short from “Pacing”

“Reviews are key to getting the word out about your book and building up social proof both before and after launch.” —Whitney Hill from “Read All About It”

“Just as good fences make good neighbors, good contracts make good working relationships.” —Amy Cook from “Contract Tips and Handling Conflict”

“Learn not to take rejection personally, no matter how much it stings.” —Alda P. Dobbs from “Breaking In”

“‘When in doubt, zone out.’ Taking a breather from your writing can work wonders.” —Sifton Tracey Anipare from “Breaking In”

“Failures can lead to the biggest opportunities.” —Meredith Westgate from “Breaking In”

“Don’t give up, ask questions, learn the industry, attend conferences, join support groups, and understand the business the best you can.” —Analieze Cervantes from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Try not to compare yourself to other writers—every writer has a unique path to publication.” —Jennifer Chen Tran from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Get comfortable in that liminal waiting space, because the wheels of publishing turn slowly.” —Erin Clyburn from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel like a perfect fit.” —Margaret Danko from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Think of what you want your book description to read when a reader picks your book up on the shelf or sees it online and write that.” —Jon Michael Darga from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“You will best write what you feel passionate about writing.” —Naomi Davis from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Follow submission guidelines. … Querying is hard enough without disqualifying yourself because of something as simple as following instructions.” —Chelsea Hensley from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Just don’t bore me. Please.” —Kima Jones from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“It’s important for writers to be well-read, have a sense of which books similar to your own have resonated with readers and why, and how your book is different.” —Jody Kahn from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“I see a lot of nicely written and constructed stories that are tough sells on a conceptual level, so it’s worth meditating deeply on that before putting pen to page.” —Kirby Kim from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Be kind! To agents and to yourself.” —Aida Lilly from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Take the time to polish the opening pages to really hook the reader. … The majority of your novel might be brilliant, but if the first 10 pages aren’t working. I’ll never know.” —Jennifer March Soloway from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“It’s OK to slow down.” —Lee O’Brien from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Send your query email to yourself first to see what it looks like!” —Crystal Orazu from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Write what’s natural to you.” —Jas Perry from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“The purpose of a query letter is to explain what your book is about—without going into too much detail or giving too much away.” —Zeynep Sen from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“No one knows your work better than you.” —Stephanie Sinclair from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Invest in your structure.” —Monika Woods from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Don’t write in total isolation; join a cohort of writers with whom you feel comfortable sharing your work and whose opinions you trust.” —Jade Wong-Baxter from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“Consider that the person you are sending your work to has read about six dozen emails that day, and who knows how many queries.” —Ayla Zuraw-Friedland from “The 2021 Writer’s Digest Annual Literary Agent Roundup”

“To reveal backstory effectively, you need to first assess which aspects should be revealed. Then you need to determine how best to share that information.” —Jane K. Cleland from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“Just because you may have thought up an exhaustive backstory for each character doesn’t mean you have to tell it all to us.” —Neil Nyren from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“The way to create suspense is to ask—or imply—a question … and then not answer it until later.” —Lee Child from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“Nothing is worse than over-explaining.” —Meredith Anthony from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“Avoid the backstory dump at all costs. Readers will see it for what it is: laziness and a writer’s being unprepared.” —David Baldacci from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“Too much backstory at the start of a novel can be lethal.” —Hallie Ephron from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“Sprinkling in backstory is a great way to intrigue, tease, and surprise readers.” —Kate White from “The Art of Revealing Backstory”

“Every adventure has a price of admission.” —Sam Boush from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“Character is revealed through action, and the best way to give your character lots of things to do is in the hunt for what they desire most in the world.” —Ken Liu from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“On some level, we all have wants or needs that may not be fulfilled and having that be a primary vector in the plot can be a very strong tool to get readers drawn into it—even if we don’t approve of the specific want or need, we recognize that feeling.” —Aliette de Bodard from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“To cross the threshold into the second act, I plot epic revelations, after which my characters begin to understand the extraordinary magnitude of what is happening, what they’re up against, and the epic stakes for which they’re playing.” —Douglas E. Richards from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“The way I do it is if I start to get bored and/or stuck when I’m writing, I just make something (mostly bad) happen to the protagonist.” —John Scalzi from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“I try to think of my book as a series of escalating episodes instead of three acts, which makes the boundaries a bit more porous. Instead of crossing the threshold, I’m simply moving onto the next episode.” —Victoria “V.E.” Schwab from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“Protagonists gotta protag for the reader to hook onto them and want to follow them, and making choices, even small ones, personal ones, reveal them to us and give them agency, even in chaotic big plot circumstances.” —Tobias Buckell from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“After the fun of the second act, it’s time to buckle down and drive your characters toward the conclusion of the story. At this point, they should either choose or be forced into a course of action that ultimately leads to the book’s climax.” —Andy Weir from “How to Plot a Sci-Fi Novel”

“Having written several novels and novellas, I can honestly say that there is a sense of liberation that comes from not having to think about story structure in the most traditional sense.” —Ran Walker from “10 Reasons to Write a 100-Word Story”

“In a memoir as detective novel, the search for the heart of the story is the story.” —Lilly Dancyger from “Memoir as Detective Novel”

“I get so many questions about mentors and for me, it’s: Look sideways. My mentors have been homies.” —Elizabeth Acevedo from “The WD Interview: Elizabeth Acevedo”

“In the months leading up to publication, we are planning and researching and doing our best to create the most successful outing for your novel.” —Barbara Poelle from “Funny You Should Ask”

“Think about all the roles you play in a day and how differently you reveal yourself, to whom, and in what situations.” —Janet Pocorobba from “Stalking the Self: Finding a Point of View in Memoir”

“To help manage line count, skim your screenplay pages for orphans, which is one lone word that wraps to the next line of the paragraph.” —Sadie Dean from “Less Is More on the Page”

“Once again, I was reminded that the business of publishing is always adapting and changing and that you have to adapt and change along with it.” —Deb Caletti from “The Story of Getting a Book Published”

(Get the September/October 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

November/December 2021: Magical Writing

“Riffing off of mythology in a unique way is not as hard as people think.” —R. F. Kuang from “Wrath of the Gods”

“In my experience, writers tend to be a helpful bunch, but if they’re overly accommodating, they run the risk of derailing their careers.” —Elaine Klonicki from “Healthy Helping”

“But this time, jealousy had put a new but valuable friendship at risk.” —Lillian Yates Duggan from “The Green-Eyed Monster and Me”

“You would think, after almost 30 years of consuming and producing fantasy, I would have a functional beyond-the-dictionary definition of magic, but I totally didn’t.” —Alix E. Harrow from “Writers on Writing”

“Get straight into the plot.” —Rebecca Scherer from “Meet the Agent”

“Revision is most likely where you’ll find your true opening.” —Sharon Short from “Set the Hook With Great Beginnings”

“The more I researched crowdfunding, the more excited I became.” —Christopher Stollar from “How to Crowdfund Your Book”

“Passive income is magic: You do nothing and get paid.” —Jeff Somers from “Royalties: The Long Tail”

“If there was even a slight opening, I put everything I had into it.” —Juhea Kim from “Breaking In”

“Find critique partners who have strengths in areas that aren’t yours.” —Julie Tieu from “Breaking In”

“Be less superstitious. Writers are neurotic. Submit, pitch, and try to engage in less magical thinking about it all. If your work isn’t picked up by one editor, move on to the next without spiraling.” —Rax King from “Breaking In”

“I sometimes wonder how many great novels are sitting in dusty drawers, half-finished, abandoned, perhaps forgotten.” —Grant Faulkner from “The Alchemy Required to Finish a Novel”

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.” —Octavia E. Butler from “The Alchemy Required to Finish a Novel”

“A writer of fiction is an engineer, designer, and manufacturer, all in one. The best are magicians, too, grabbing readers and drawing us into their characters’ triumphs and tribulations.” —Elizabeth Sims from “Behind the Scenes”

“Foreshadowing operates behind a veil, hard to discern and easy to miss, yet satisfyingly evident once whatever has been foreshadowed comes to pass.” —Jane K. Cleland from “Foreshadowing: A Literary Workhorse”

“I believe that every writer who sets out to tell a story engages in the dirty task of world-building, no matter what genre or mode they work in.” —Tobias Buckell from “Building Worlds to Build Better Stories”

“Tropes can be powerful connections, a kind of shared understanding between reader and author from which to build.” —Sarah J. Sover from “Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word”

“The amazing thing about blending genres is that when done cleverly, it can ease the readers of one genre into the waters of another.” —Dan Stout from “Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word”

“Being a contrarian and a redneck, when someone tells me I can’t do something, my first reaction is ‘Oh yeah? Hold my beer.’ Then I go do it.” —John G. Hartness from “Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word”

“A large part of being a good writer, in general, is reading a lot and writing a lot.” —Ran Walker from “Beyond the Twilight Zone”

“I always look for mood first. I want to know how I’m going to make the reader feel.” —Maggie Stiefvater from “The WD Interview: Maggie Stiefvater”

“Sometimes the hardest part of writing is coming to the page.” —Sahalie Angell Martin from “How Surrealism Can Bring a Spark to Your Writing”

“To write a great ending, do your due diligence in crafting sound first and second acts that set up your third act resolution.” —Sadie Dean from “Writing Memorable Cinematic Endings”

(Get the November/December 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest here.)

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