A condensed version of this profile appeared in the July/August 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. Toni Smailagíc Name: Nikesha Elise Williams Books, Genre, Self-Publishing Imprint: Four Women; The Appeal of Ebony Jones; Love Never Fails; Adult; Lessons We Were Never Taught; Beyond Bourbon Street (African-American fiction, women’s fiction, literary fiction, poetry, NEW Reads Publications) Why … Read more
Here are the top creativity websites as identified in the 24th Annual 101 Best Websites from the May/June 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. 1. Electric Literature ElectricLiterature.com Beginning as a quarterly journal in 2009, Electric literature It grew to become a nonprofit digital journal in 2014. In addition to publishing essays, criticism, and literary news, … Read more
Alexander Spatari via Getty Images Prompt: Write a short story of 650 words or fewer based on the photo prompt above. You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; It is, after all, your story. Email your submission to yourstorycontest@aimmedia.com with the subject line “Your Story 119.” No attachments, please. Include your name and mailing address. … Read more
This article was first published in the May/June 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. [Read Part 1 of this series here: Managing Point of View: Mythbusting.] Just how “into” your narrator’s head and heart do you want your readers to be? Do you want them to feel emotionally embedded with your narrator(s)? Or observe your characters’ … Read more
Writers will inevitably hit a crossroads where they have to decide how to move forward, either in the drafting of a work-in-progress or in making choices about their career. Or, perhaps their work is at the intersection of two or more genres. This issue aims to help writers work through the tough parts of writing. … Read more
This cartoon previously appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. Learn to add humor to any type of writing with Bob Eckstein, Leigh Anne Jasheway, Mia P. Manansala, and Regina Barreca in this Writer’s Digest University virtual conference. Learn more here. .
Let’s imagine, for a moment, that we’re meeting at an ice-cream shop. And let’s say I ask you, “What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” Whether you’re consciously aware of it or not, your answer is your point of view, and it’s assimilated from every aspect of your very humanity: your biological wiring, your experiences, your … Read more
It can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to produce a high-quality, self-published book that competes with its traditionally published counterparts. While some authors may be independently wealthy, most of us don’t have those funds lying around to spend on a professional developmental editor, graphic designer, and every other piece of the self-publishing puzzle. Even … Read more
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Writer’s Digest. “Your idea is too cerebral and issue-oriented for today’s romance,” read the polite rejection letter. I came to realize this was high praise indeed. That was 1986. I was a 20-something newlywed living in Hawaii, dreaming of being a romance novelist, … Read more
Listen. We all acknowledge the requisite tools a writer needs: pens/pencils, a computer, notebooks, journals, coffee, tea, self-loathing. But there’s something else you desperately need: a good microphone. You might not produce your own podcast. Nor should you feel you have to because they’re all the rage. But, odds are, as a writer looking to … Read more