| First off, thanks to the good folks at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop in Dayton for showing me a good time and hosting a great event. I met a wealth of talented writers looking to either break in or take their careers to the next level. I also moderated panels of agents who tackled some of the most important questions facing writers in today's publishing world. Conferences are an excellent way to learn so much, meet agents and network with not only industry professionals, but also other writers. I highly recommend attending one. And, if you're free this August, join us at the Writer's Digest Annual Conference in NYC.
Second, we've just launched our April premium kit of the month and it's trending to sell out much faster than expected. It's our Writing a Successful Novel for Today's Market where you get nine amazing resources for one heavily discounted price. Inside the bundle you'll get 100 book and magazine markets for writers, two of our bestselling Novel Writing craft-focused bookazines, our webinar on Publishing Your First Novel and more. Click here to order it now before they sell out.
Finally, I just want to take a moment to thank you, my readers. At the conference over the weekend I was remind just how wonderful of a community we have. I had dozens and dozens of writers come up to me and say hello. One person even even came up to me after a session and said, "Your smile is always so welcoming each week in my inbox and your collection of writing tips have helped me become a better writer." I almost teared up (no joke!). I just want to let all of you know how much I appreciate you welcoming me into your email (and writing life) every Tuesday. I'm humbled to be able to be serving the best community of people there is.
Take care of yourself and your writing,
Brian A. Klems
Senior Online Editor, Writer's Digest
Author, Oh Boy, You're Having a Girl: A Dad's Survival Guide to Raising Daughters
Twitter: @BrianKlems
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|  | Dana Elmendorf
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6 Hard Truths Every Writer Should Accept
From a person who never dreamed of writing a book to published author, I've learned some things along the way. There are a few hard truths I feel every writer should accept. The sooner you accept them, the sooner you'll stop obsessing about them and the sooner you can do the work to get yourself published. Yes, there are exceptions along the way; examples of authors who have defied the odds and made publishing look easy. This isn't for them. It's for you. Here's a little tough love.
Knowing these will help you be a better writer ...
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 Amazon Keywords Guide:
Learn the easy way to harness the power of search terms to help readers find and buy your eBook with BookBaby's Amazon Keywords guide.
Download your free guide. |
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|  | Lee Eisenberg
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What Every Writer Needs to Know about Keeping a Personal Diary
I'd never thought much about diaries until I was well into researching my latest book: The Point Is: Making Sense of Birth, Death, and Everything in Between. The book's about how each of us, beginning a young age, begins collecting memories. And how, as if by magic, we build a story out of them-the story of our life, the narrative we carry in our heads. Just like a written story, it's got a beginning, a middle, and eventually an end. Some chapters are happy, others we'd delete if we could. There are any number of turning points along the way.
Here's what you can learn from keeping a journal ...
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| |  | Lori Galvin
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New Literary Agent Alert: Lori Galvin of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth
New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Lori Galvin of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list.
Lori is seeking writers who write ...
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 | Jane K. Cleland
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How to Use Surprise to Build Suspense
In 1962, Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut discussed their work during a marathon lasting fifty hours over five days. The two great directors and their French/English interpreter barely paused for meals. It was during this conversation that Hitchcock gave his famous surprise versus suspense example-the bomb planted in the café. He used this example to demonstrate that contrary to popular belief, suspense is far more engaging than surprise.
The difference between surprise and suspense is ...
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 | Self-Publishing Competition
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WD's 24st Annual Self-Published Book Awards - Deadline May 2
Whether you're a professional writer, a part-time freelancer or a self-starting student, here's your chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer's Digest hosts the 24th annual self-published competition-the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition, co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC spotlights today's self-published works and honors self-published authors. Early bird pricing ends Friday, April 1.
Enter now for a chance to win ...
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 | Kurt Dinan
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How to Write for Teens Without Sounding Like an Adult Writing for Teens
Ask any agent and they'll tell you the trick to nailing young adult writing is in the voice. And even though I spend my workdays with teens, I heard it countless times when I was looking for representation for my failed first YA novel. So when I finally buried that novel for good and moved on to what became DON'T GET CAUGHT, I was determined to make sure the voice was right. It took more than eight drafts and constant revisions, but ultimately I signed with an agent who sold the book in a little over a month. The trick, I've found, is first to get yourself back to thinking like a teenager again, and once there, writing your novel as a teenager would.
Here are 10 practical tips on how to do just that ...
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| Your Weekly Writing Prompt
Dear Me: Opening up your lunch box, you expect to find your normal mixture of baby carrots, a slightly-mushed sandwich and a clementine. But today's different. Instead of the food you swore you had packed that morning, there's a mysterious note signed by-yourself? What does it say, and why can't you remember writing it? Perhaps most important, what will you eat for lunch?
Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.
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