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This week, we look at the Sicilian octave, which is similar to last week's Italian octave. By Robert Lee Brewer 3 hours ago Writing Techniques 5 Elements That All Good Rom-Coms Should Include By Sariah Wilson 16 hours ago Writing Prompts Plot Twist Story Prompts: Release the Monster By Robert Lee Brewer 21 hours ago Writing Techniques Vintage WD: What Kind of Story Are You Telling? By Writers Digest Staff Oct 1, 2020 Interviews Jane Igharo: Exploring Romance Through the Lens of an Immigrant Caught Between Her Culture and Her Heart By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 30, 2020 Writing Techniques Done to Death: How to Avoid Horror Genre Clichés By Tim Waggoner Sep 30, 2020 How to Improve Writing Skills 10 Ways to Start Your Story Better Publishing Insights 20 Literary Agents Actively Seeking Writers and Their Writing Poetic Forms List of 100 Poetic Forms for Poets What's New Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post Character 11 Secrets to Writing an Effective Character Description Subscribe Newsletter Tutorial Recent Articles Wednesday Poetry Prompts Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 542 Every Wednesday, Robert Lee Brewer shares a prompt and an example poem to get things started on the Poetic Asides blog. This week, write an At Blank poem. By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 30, 2020 Writing Techniques When a Memoir Is a Novel: The Thin Line Between Fabricated Fact and Real Fiction Author Heidi McCrary digs into when a memoir is a novel (or at least, when it should be a novel) and examines the thin line between fabricated fact and real fiction by looking at her own novel, Chasing North Star. By Heidi McCrary Sep 29, 2020 Interviews Lee Gutkind: The Godfather Behind Creative Nonfiction Takes on Memoir for the First Time Dubbed the "Godfather behind creative nonfiction" by Vanity Fair Magazine, Lee Gutkind shares his first experience with memoir, what makes it different than his previous books, what writers can't take back, and more! By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 29, 2020 Writing Prompts History Repeated In honor of WD's 100th-anniversary year, this week's writing prompt will be a blast from the past. By Cassandra Lipp Sep 29, 2020 Grammar Homonym vs. Homophone vs. Homograph (Grammar Rules) Learn when you're writing or reading a homonym vs. homophone vs. homograph with Grammar Rules from the editors, including a few examples of each. By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 28, 2020 Interviews Emily Gray Tedrowe: Write the Book You Want to Read Emily Gray Tedrowe shares how a perspective shift improved her latest novel (The Talented Miss Farwell), what she hopes is not a one-time thing, and more! By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 28, 2020 Writing Habits and Practices 7 Ways Kurt Vonnegut Poisoned Readers' Minds With Humanity Kurt Vonnegut once said he wanted his novels to "catch people before they become generals and Senators and Presidents," to "poison their minds with humanity. Encourage them to make a better world." Here are seven ways he lived up to those aspirations. By Dustin Grinnell Sep 28, 2020 Interviews Clare Mackintosh: Permission to Write the Personal and Profound Novel Award-winning and bestselling novelist Clare Mackintosh shares why it took three novels to write her most recent (After the End), what she learned about writing thrillers, and more! By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 26, 2020 The Writer's Life Why Fiction Like Brussels Sprouts Feeds Your Soul YA author Hanna C. Howard shares why she feels fiction is a bit like Brussels sprouts, especially when sautéed with olive oil, salt, and pepper: good for your health and soul. By Hanna C. Howard Sep 25, 2020 Italian Poetic Forms Italian Octave: Poetic Forms Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the Italian octave, also known as the first eight lines of Petrarchan sonnet. By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 25, 2020 Writing Prompts Plot Twist Story Prompts: Divine Act Every good story needs a nice (or not so nice) turn or two to keep it interesting. This week, have something unexpected and uncontrollable happen. By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 24, 2020 Interviews Leticia Sala: Absolute Emotional Commitment to Writing the Piece Author, screenwriter, and lyricist Leticia Sala shares her best advice for fellow writers, what happened on the night of her engagement in Rome (besides getting engaged), her feelings on healthy love, and more! By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 24, 2020 Vintage WD Vintage WD: It Starts With Voice This WD article from 1993 offers an in-depth look at how a writer's voice makes or breaks their work and provides some tips that will help writers of all genres. By Writers Digest Staff Sep 24, 2020 Interviews Karol Hoeffner: Writing Stories When They're Ready to Blossom Novelist and screenwriter Karol Hoeffner shares what inspired her latest novel (Knee Deep), what surprised her the most in writing it, her best piece of advice for other writers who may be feeling writer's block during the pandemic, and more! By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 23, 2020 From the Magazine 101 Best Websites for Writers 2020 Each year, compiles the 101 Best Websites for Writers. See the complete 2020 list here. By Cassandra Lipp Sep 23, 2020 Wednesday Poetry Prompts Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 541 Every Wednesday, Robert Lee Brewer shares a prompt and an example poem to get things started on the Poetic Asides blog. This week, write an autumn poem. By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 23, 2020 Young Adult Agents New Agent Alert: Aria Gmitter of the Whimsy Literary Agency New literary agent alerts (with this spotlight featuring Aria Gmitter of the Whimsy Literary Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 22, 2020 Interviews Robin Wells: Writing About Challenging Situations in Women's Fiction Bestselling romance and women's fiction novelist Robin Wells shares why her latest novel (She Gets That From Me) took longer than normal to complete, how her editor surprised her, what we all deep-down yearn for, and more! By Robert Lee Brewer Sep 22, 2020 Writing Prompts And The Culprit Is... This week's writing prompt can add a big plot twist to any story. By Cassandra Lipp Sep 22, 2020 Competitions Self-Published E-book Awards ENTER NOW Deadline: 10/12/2020 Writer’s Digest’s Self-...