Writer's Digest

from our readers

“Fiction would become stale if it was limited to each author’s tiny orbit. Most creative people are explorers and can’t be confined within set boundaries. We’re curious about the world and its inhabitants—past, present, and imaginary. The nature of the trade is to ask unusual questions and, like actors, try on various identities. So, of course writers should mine our experiences and use what we know; but all the better if we can ask a question we don’t know the answer to and write in search of it. “The most rewarding writing (and reading) experiences, for me, begin with the unknown. Restricting ourselves to only what we already know, or who we are, ends that journey before it can begin. It limits who we can become.” —J.M. Elliott “Writing a short story is…

how do i love this issue?

Let me count the ways. I love thee for the depth and breadth with which this issue interprets the theme: Getting Personal. With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for that awful attempt at cleverness, the sentiment is true. This isn’t just an issue about writing your memoir—it also delves into the way all writing gets personal and how the business of writing involves personal choices. Before we talk about that, I want to share exciting changes you’ll see in WD issues beginning with this one. While you may be disappointed to hear we’re moving from eight to six issues per year, each issue will be larger, meaning more space to cover the topics you’re most interested in. Our IndieLab column has been expanded, three new columns have been added, and the Writer’s…

contributors

LESLYE PENELOPE (LPenelope.com) has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Her novel Song of Blood & Stone was chosen as one of TIME magazine’s top fantasy books of 2018. She started a web development studio in 2003 and is also an award-winning independent filmmaker, co-founded a literary magazine, and sometimes dreams in HTML. Her podcast, “My Imaginary Friends,” is a weekly journal of her publishing life, perfect for readers and writers alike. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents. SHARON SHORT (SharonShort.com) is the author of 12 published novels, most recently in her Kinship Historical Mystery series, which she writes under her pen name Jess…

mr. successful

Sometime in the 1960s, a young boy named Adam Hargreaves asked his father, Roger, what a tickle looked like. Roger responded by drawing Mr. Tickle, a round orange man with extraordinarily long arms that could stretch to tickle anyone, anywhere. He developed a simple story around the character, and in 1971 published Mr. Tickle—the first title in what would become his enormously popular Mr. Men Little Miss series. Featuring amusing storylines, bold illustrations, and colorful, one-dimensional personalities (such as Mr. Bump, Mr. Cool, and Little Miss Whoops), the books have entertained families worldwide for 50 years. More than 350 Mr. Men Little Miss titles have been published in 17 languages, with new titles added each year, and 250 million copies have sold since the series’ launch. When Roger Hargreaves passed away suddenly…

columns: the pillars of every periodical

Even if you’re great at landing pitches for feature stories, wouldn’t it be sweet if one pitch turned into a contract for six stories? Or 12, or 18? Sound impossible? Not if you’re pitching a column that would appear in every issue of a magazine for the next two or three years. Editors at local publications and websites are also hungry for columnists. In the last century, I had columns in three local newspapers. In this century, I’ve had multi-year columns in five national magazines and one website: Horticulture, Urban Farm, Paleo, Chickens, Hobby Farms, and CommunityChickens.com. Right now, I have columns in the last three outlets. But I’m always banking against losing a column—which happens when I run out of things to say or when a periodical runs out of money—by…

anonymous fame

“William Shatner Appalled.” 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. I pulled my bathrobe more tightly around me and scrolled further down, picking at the scab. “Thanks to Lame Leaked Star Trek Parody, IRS Definitely Not Getting Into Its Local Comedy Troupe.” And several more quoting William Shatner’s dismay. Somehow these hurt the most, me being a lifelong Trekkie—or Trekker, as us Trekkies like to say. And now my beloved Captain Kirk was appalled. Ouch. It’d been just another assignment at the day job, another…