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Editor's Note After a weekend filled with fireworks, fun and way-too-much food, it's time to get back at it--it's time to focus on improving your novel. Today's newsletter includes resources that focus on elements like dialogue and plotting. I also made sure to share a piece that has 12 agents who are looking for science fiction writers. So if you write sci-fi, be sure to check it out.
Also, we just announced an all-new Boot camp: Your Submission Tools: How to Write Excellent Queries, Opening Pages, and Synopses. This 4-day online event is designed to get you inside information from agents on what they want and help prepare you to sell your book. You'll get one-on-one feedback on your work. It all takes place starting July 19. Sign up now!
And finally, in celebrations of the upcoming Writer's Digest Conference in NYC, we had a great Twitter chat last week with literary agent Jessica Sinsheimer, publishing expert Porter Anderson and me, where we answered tons of great questions about pitching at a writer's conference (what it's like, what to expect, dos and don'ts). It's worth a look back on the #WDC16 thread to pick up some great tips.
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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Amazon eBook: Sell more books on Amazon with this free eBook from BookBaby. Learn how to optimize your Amazon book page as author Shelley Hitz walks you through detailed steps you can apply today. Download your free eBook. |
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| | Rewriting the 7 Rules of Dialogue
Most of us have heard the typical advice about writing dialogue-make sure your characters don't all sound the same, include only what's essential, opt for the word said over other dialogue tags, and so on. While these blanket suggestions can get you headed in the right direction, they don't take into account the subtleties of subtext, characterization, digressions, placement of speaker attributions, and the potentially detrimental effect of "proper" punctuation.
So, let's delve into the well-intentioned advice you'll most commonly hear, and what you need to know instead.
Read more... |
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Save the Date: Central Coast Writers Conference is Sept 29-Oct 1, 2016! Expanded two-day conference, over 60 workshops, book and author fair. Early-bird pricing of $199 through July 31st.
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| | How to Blog Meaningfully and Grow Your Audience
This live webinar covers the best practices of worthwhile blogging and how it can make a difference to the growth of your author career. You'll learn the secrets of shareable & spreadable content, the best ways to get new readers, and how to attract more opportunities (and improve your writing skills!) by posting great content. It's also critical to understand how online writing is different from print-based writing, so you'll get a crash course in how to write blog posts that are online-reader and SEO-friendly (optimized for search engines), to increase your blog's discoverability and traffic over time.
Here's how to register ... |
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| | 12 Literary Agents Seeking Science Fiction NOW
Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint which agents are open to submissions at any given time. So with that in mind, I'm creating some new vertical lists of agents seeking queries right now, as of summer 2016. This list is for science fiction.
All the agents listed below personally confirmed to me as of July 2016 that they are actively seeking science fiction submissions NOW. Some gave personal notes about their tastes while some did not. Good luck querying!
Read more... |
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| | A Plotter's Roadmap to NaNoWriMo
I envy pantsers, I really do. Pansters are those people who can sit down open a word document or pick up a pencil and through some form of sorcery let the words just flow out of them. They get the words on the page without any prep work. No planning, no outline, no world building or created a new dwarfish language, and yet they manage to get it done.
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| | How to DIY Your MFA
I still remember the exact moment when then idea for DIY MFA came to me. I was sitting in a hot, un-air-conditioned church for our graduation ceremony. I was giddy and half expected the skies to part, for angel choirs to sing and a beam of light to stream down and anoint me "writer."
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| | Pitch Agents Live at the Writer's Digest Annual Conference in NYC
We're only a few weeks away from the Writer's Digest Annual Conference. We've got a lot waiting for you in New York that you won't want to miss. Some of the hottest sessions people are talking about include Dirty Little Secrets: Learn How the Publishing Industry Really Works in Order to Become a More Successful Author, Hot Sheet Live: Which Industry Issues Are Your Business, and You Spin Me Right Round: New Opportunities for Writers. Join us! But you need to sign up now to get the best price available.
Sign up here ... |
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| Mary Bly
(aka Eloisa James)
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| Love Between the Covers: Inside the World of Romance Writing
By day, Mary Bly is a tenured professor of Shakespearean literature. But millions of readers may know her better by her nom de plume-Eloisa James, bestselling author of more than 25 romance novels.
Bly is one of the subjects of the new documentary Love Between the Covers (view trailer here)-a positive, stirring and ultimately uplifting film that peels away viewer's preconceived notions about the romance genre, providing a candid look at the writers who pen these love stories and the passionate readers who consume them.
Read more... |
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| | Your Weekly Writing Prompt
Moral Dilemmas: It's Sunday morning. You're ready for a relaxing day at home but you realize that you're all out of coffee. You take a quick trip to the grocery store, and while you're in line to check out, someone comes up behind you and points a gun at the cashier. "Stop what you're doing. Give me all the money in the register." What do you do? Do you run or do you stop the robber?
Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments here .... |
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| | Writer's Market Podcast
Have you been listening to the Writer's Market podcast? If not, get with the program; it's free and available to all. Click to continue.
Each episode is hosted by WritersMarket.com editor Robert Lee Brewer and WritersDigest.com editor Brian A. Klems and features interviews with publishing and media professionals who are hand-selected for their ability to provide freelance writers with advice to find more success with their writing and freelancing goals.
Here's a recap of the first four episodes:
Grants for Writers with C. Hope Clark. The founder of Funds for Writers shares advice on finding often overlooked money available for writers, tips on overcoming anxiety at conferences, and how to break into the conference circuit. Tax Tips for Writers with CPA Carol Topp. Learn about the best way to handle taxes, make deductions, and decide upon a business structure-for your freelance business-by listening to the advice from CPA Carol Topp. Building a Freelance Writing Career with Carol Tice. Super successful freelance writer Carol Tice shares her best advice for writers on how to break into new markets, make more money, and more! How to Start Freelance Writing with Zachary Petit. Learn tips on how to have successful interviews, make pitches, and more-from the author of The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing. Oprah Book Club's First Author Gives Writing & Publishing Advice. Learn tips from someone who is both a writer and an acquisitions editor (and also the very first author chosen by Oprah for her book club). Look for one to two new podcast episodes each month. |
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