Writer's Digest

Writer's Digest magazine is a comprehensive source of writing instruction for writers. Each issue provides advice and insider tips on writing and selling fiction, nonfiction, poetry and scripts.

FROM OUR READERS • We posed the question to readers on our blog: “Describe a time when you found the courage to write.” Readers responded:

Writer’s Digest

EDITOR’S LETTER

CONTRIBUTORS

Appease the Spirit • Kat Chow explores themes of memory, loss, grief, and identity in her memoir Seeing Ghosts.

Worth a Thousand Words

Writing After Trauma • Returning to writing after a traumatic event, whether physical or emotional, can be difficult. One writer shares what she learned about perseverance and being gentle with yourself.

Poetic Asides • No matter what you write, a bit of poetic license can be a valuable asset to any writer’s arsenal.

Rejection with a Suggestion

Catherine Coleman Flowers • Listening and Writing for Social Justice

Tricia Skinner

Description • Advice and tips to boost your writing skills.

Success by Design • Thinking Critically About Book Covers

Pitch vs. Query vs. Proposal • Making sense of the publishing world.

BREAKINGIN • Debut authors: How they did it, what they learned, and why you can do it, too.

THE QUEST FOR THE EDGE • The writer’s life is full of potentially uncomfortable choices. Here are nine tips for how to face the tough stuff with nerve and zest.

TIGHTROPE WEITER • In the high-wire act of writing potentially controversial fiction, Syed Masood offers advice for staying true to the story, the characters, and yourself.

WRITING TO CHANGE THE WORLD • Multiple award-winning crime fiction author David Heska Wanbli Weiden reveals his strategies for talking about social justice in fiction.

AUTHORING CHANGE ONE BOOK AT A TIME • Founder of the Nonfiction Writers’ University, Nina Amir, breaks down the elements you need to write a nonfiction book that makes a positive and meaningful difference.

WRITING THROUGH THE LENS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE • WD Editor-at-Large Tyler Moss makes the case for reporting on issues of social justice in freelance writing—no matter the topic.

GET EMOTIONAL WITH YOUR CHARACTERS • Emotions are a crucial building block to successful writing. Here’s how to evoke emotion in every scene.

Jasmine Guillory • The New York Times bestselling romance novelist talks about the intertwined world of her books and writing her newest novel, While We Were Dating, in the midst of the pandemic.

Whale of a Poem • The winner of the 2020 Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards discusses the inspiration behind her first-place poem, “The Loneliest Whale.”

FUNNYYOU SHOULDASK • A literary agent’s mostly serious answers to your mostly serious questions.

ALL ABOUT THE PITCH • Covering the tips, tricks, and tactics for capturing the attention of an assigning editor so you don’t get ghosted.

Killer Car • THE CHALLENGE: Write a short story of 650 words or fewer based on the photo below.

THE ART OF FEEDBACK-GIVING FOR WRITERS

Do I Need a Writing Partner? • Lessons from the world of screenwriting to inform, inspire, and incite action!

Five Regional Magazines for Freelancers

CONFERENCE SCENE • Events to advance your craft, connections, and career.

Top Eight Things Writers Want in a Post-COVID World

CONFERENCE GUIDE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

POTPOURRI FOR THE PEN • An aromatic blend of writerly diversions.