Writer’s Digest Presents

When you tackle historical nonfiction, you're offering doing more than simply putting to paper the events of the past. In author and journalist Robert Fieseler's experience, it meant hunting down sealed documents from a state that never wanted this history exposed, and it meant uncovering hundreds of names redacted from records and conducting countless hours of interviews—all before the actual writing takes place. In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor Michael Woodson sits down with Robert to discuss his new book American Scare: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives (on sale today), his process as a writer, how and if he employs fiction craft in his writing, and more. Buy the book here: Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/14625/9780593183953 Amazon: https://amzn.to/4e83Wt9

How do you write what you know? By writing fiction based on your life. This doesn't mean writing memoir or simply changing the names of the people in your life: It could be a passing comment you hear at the bus stop, or someone's missing shoe you notice in the street, or it could even just be a feeling from a time in your life..the list goes on and on! In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor Michael Woodson sits down with author and literary agent Jessica Berg about how to write fiction based on your life, how you can find inspiration everywhere, how to mine your life for story ideas in real time, and more.

Writer's Digest is heading to England! From September 12-20, you can join managing editor Moriah Richard and literary agent Amy Collins in London and Bath for the writing retreat of a lifetime! Listen here as they are in conversation with editor-in-chief Amy Jones about what to expect on the retreat, what they're most looking forward to, and more!

The first job of a writer is to actually write their book. The next is to promote it. But getting in front of a camera or microphone and talking to a live audience isn't as easy at it may sound, and authors who are used to having thousands of words in a book to lean on may need to come up with just a few minutes of sound bites to help them get their point across.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," content editor Michael Woodson chats with media coach and author Paula Rizzo about why it's important for writers to learn to be media-savvy, the different kinds of media that can help them promote their work, and how to have every possible answer ready in their back pocket.

In publishing, we spend a lot of time talking about genre, and a lot of authors know exactly what genre they're interested in writing in. But what about writers who have story ideas that don't easily fit into any one genre category? Should they shift the story to better fit a marketing mold, or should they just keep writing and faith that their unique story will find the right home?

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," content editor Michael Woodson chats with author Hilary Leichter, author of Temporary and Terrace Story, about ignoring craft rules, not thinking about your readers, and when to ask yourself what you're afraid of.

Screenwriting is a completely different animal than novel writing—there are different rules, there are different ways to get feedback, there are different expectations...but understanding screenwriting can help you navigate your own stories whether or not you're interested in filmmaking. In the first episode of season four of the "Writer's Digest Presents" podcast, content editor Michael Woodson sits down with Script magazine's editor-in-chief Sadie Dean to help writers get started in screenwriting.

Check out these screenwriting resources from Sadie:

Script Magazine: https://scriptmag.com/

Script University: https://writersdigestuniversity.mykajabi.com/store

SimplyScripts: https://www.simplyscripts.com/

Script Reader Pro: https://www.scriptreaderpro.com/

The Internet Movie Script Database: https://www.imdb.com/

Sometimes, our own personal family history where elements of it make for the perfect story—but what do you do if the history itself works best in a totally different era, or a dog makes more sense to be a cat, or winter works better than summer when it really happens? This is where personal history and historical fiction collide.

In the final episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson chat with author Sharon Short about her new novel, Trouble Island, how she fictionalizes real events, her love of weather in fiction, and more.

Fight scenes in fiction aren't just physical—they can be psychological, emotional, and often setting our characters up for any kind of fight helps us understand them better. Why they walk the way they do, what guards they have up, their weaknesses, their strengths.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," trained fighter and author Carla Hoch shares all of her knowledge about writing fight scenes, why writing fight scenes is a good writing skill to have, and more.

In 2021, author Zenda Walker won grand prize in Writer's Digest's 29th Annual Self-Published Book Awards for her picture book, Zara's Wash Day. Since then, she landed a two-book traditional book deal, republishing her award-winning book with a new foreword from Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, plus a follow-up book, Zion's Crown.

Editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down with Zenda to discuss transitioning from self-publishing author to traditionally published author, what she has coming up next, and more!

The prevalence of book influencers on social media has taken the publishing industry by storm. What is the role of a Bookstagrammer or BookToker? Has is their influence impacting publishing? And should writers and authors build relationships and friendships with these social media influencers?

Content editor Michael Woodson sits down to chat with three book influencers about the work they do, the pros and cons of social media influencing, and more!

Writer's Digest is headed to Italy! Join editor-in-chief Amy Jones and senior editor Robert Lee Brewer this September 26 – October 3, 2024, for an Italian getaway to inspire your stories, learn from writers, and finish that manuscript!

Listen as Amy and Robert discuss the itinerary, what to expect, what to look forward to, and more!

You've heard the old adage: Don't judge a book by its cover. Well, we all know that a gorgeous cover is hard to pass by, and those of us in the publishing industry know that a good book cover can be the difference between a reader picking it up or leaving it behind.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson are joined by designer Charlotte Strick and writer Zachary Petit to discuss all things book design and book covers!

When you think of "emotion" with regards to your writing, what comes to mind? Is it your own emotion when you're writing, the emotional quality of the work itself, or is it the emotion you hope readers feel as they read? In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," content editor Michael Woodson leads a roundtable with editor-in-chief Amy Jones, managing editor Moriah Richard, and senior editor Robert Lee Brewer about emotion and conflict in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—plus stick around for book recommendations at the end of the episode!

In Waubgeshig Rice's series of novels Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves, the author sets up a world in the midst of the apocalypse and more than a decade after the end. But readers are left with the lingering question: What exactly happened? Editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down for a chat with the author about his journey with these stories, the speculative quality of unanswered questions, and more.

In March 2022, managing editor Moriah Richard held a roundtable with three debut authors in our debut authors episode—one of those authors was Mazey Eddings. Now, Eddings is set to publish Late Bloomer, her fifth book in two years; an impressive feat for any author!

Here, editor-in-chief Amy Jones and managing editor Moriah Richard catch up with Eddings two years into her publishing career to discuss how her writing has changed, how her perspective on publishing has changed, and her advice for other authors!

More than half of what we see in the theaters or watch on TV are adapted from books, graphic novels, video games, and more. Which begs the question: What makes an adaptation good? Is it being 100% faithful to the source material? Is it making necessary updates to literary classics? Is it including the author in the adapting process?

In this episode, WD's editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down for a chat with Script magazine's editor-in-chief Sadie Dean about what makes a good adaptation, what makes a bad one, and the times when the adaptation was better than the book.

New year, new goals! With the start of the new year, people across the world have stated new resolutions and goals for themselves. Writers are no different, and often we set lofty goals at the start of the year in the hopes that they come to fruition by the end of the year. We want to help you on the right track by looking back at some of the best writing advice we received from authors, editors, and publishing experts last year.

How to write a dramedy is more than simply mixing jokes with the tear-jerking moments. Combining comedy and drama is a tight-rope act that, if done wrong, can lead to tonal disparity within your story. But done right and you'll have your readers going from crying to laughing (and crying laughing) page after page.

Editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down with bestselling author Byron Lane (A Star Is Bored, Big Gay Wedding) to chat all about how to write a dramedy.

Do you know how to self-edit your novel? If your answer is "no," you're not alone. While creative writers know a thing or two about building worlds and imagination, self-editing our work—and editing in general—is an art form we don't spend enough time understanding.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," content editor Michael Woodson sits down with professional editor, author, and instructor Tiffany Yates Martin to discuss self-editing, how to self-editing your novel, when to seek outside advice, and more.

Writers: curious about how to combine genres? Want to know what it's like to incorporate elements of mystery, science fiction, espionage, and romance? Look no further than the curious mind of author Rob Hart. In this interview with Writer's Digest, editor-in-chief Amy Jones and content editor Michael Woodson sit down with Rob to discuss his newest novel, The Paradox Hotel, why combining genres means you get to break all the rules, and more.