Writer's Digest December 2007 (PDF)

SPOTLIGHT: CREATIVITY

Meeting of the Minds
by Michael J. Vaughn
Get your bossy, literal-minded left brain in touch with its more creative counterpart. PLUS: Games for getting into your right mind.

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole
by Emily Hanlon
Here's a practical technique to help you open up your mind to the wonderland of your unconscious. PLUS: An exercise in point of view.

Blinded by the Light
by Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant
Don't let your creativity get in the way of your productivity. Here are nine tips for overcoming Too Many Ideas Syndrome.

Mapping Out of a Block
by Greg Korgeski, Ph.D.
Get your words flowing onto the page with this sure-fire procrastination buster.

[FEATURES]

THE WD INTERVIEW: TOM PERROTTA
by Kevin Alexander
Walking the fine line between literary and popular, bestselling novelist Tom Perrotta follows up his breakthrough novel, Little Children, with another modern morality tale.

The Hunt for Deep Background
by Elizabeth Sims
After deciding to set her next novel in Los Angeles, this author learned the value of getting off the net and onto a plane.

Query Madness
by Sharlene Martin
Yes, competition for an agent is stiff, but it's not all stellar. Read these questionable, real-life queries so you'll know what not to do.

The Possibility for Grace by Brian A. Klems
Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition grand-prize winner Eros-Alegra Clarke's evocative memoir explores the murder of a young girl, as well as her childhood attempt to make sense of it all.

[COLUMNS]

Your Story: Reflections
by Rebecca Wilson
The winning entry of contest #7. PLUS: Your Story #9 prompt.

Ask The Pro: Culture Chronicler
by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Even after a corporate buyout, Richard Eoin Nash continues to head up Soft Skull, an alternative imprint that's still breaking new ground.

First Impressions: A Novel Affair
by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
A nonfiction writer builds a historical novel around Frank Lloyd Wright's compelling lover. PLUS: More notable debuts.

This Writer's Life: The Perfect Ending
by Kevin Alexander
Getting to the end is, theoretically, the best part of writing a novel. But how do you choose just one?

On the Edge: Alternative Fare
by Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Has the lesbian and gay fiction market finally arrived? PLUS: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender markets.

Questions & Quandaries
by Brian A. Klems
Learn the ins and outs of using real names in your memoir and how to defeat burnout

The Sentence Sleuth: Diagnosis: Disagreement-Itis
by Bonnie Trenga
Boost your immunity to the illness that kills your credibility: subject-verb inflammatory disease.

Postscript: Rebel Without a Pause
by Debra Garfinkle
Smart writers quickly learn which publishing "rules" to break.

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