Writer's Digest November/December 2013

Writer's Digest, November/December 2013, Volume 93, No. 8

FEATURES: Write Better

Improv/e Your Writing
Stage these 10 inventive techniques, and you just might find your creativity,and your writing,soaking up the spotlight.
by Leigh Anne Jasheway

Know Your Place
The best writers of fiction and fact alike know not to underestimate the dramatic potential of setting. Empower your prose with these smart tips.
by Jacob M. Appel

Transform Your Novel Into a Symphony
Get too focused on any one instrument at play in your story, and you might lose sight of the harmony inherent in truly great fiction. Here's how to compose the elements of your novel into a masterpiece.
by Elizabeth Sims

Class Acts
These online writing workshops offer expert instruction paired with peer support, so you can intensify your pursuit of better writing from the best place of all: home. compiled by Priyanka Mehta

The WD Interview: Anne Rice & Christopher Rice
She's the writing legend who gave vampire fiction new life. He's one of today's most promising young thriller authors. In this exclusive dual interview, mother and son discuss the family reunion of sorts where their writing paths are crossing for the first time: the supernatural genre.
by Zachary Petit

WD's Annual Writing Competition: Leaps of Faith
The winner of WD's Annual Writing Competition proves that sometimes taking a creative plunge is the best way to come out on top.
PLUS: The complete winners list.
by Cris Freese

WRITER'S WORKBOOK: Literary Fiction

Understanding the Elements of Literary Fiction
by Jack Smith

Experimenting with Literary Approaches
by Jesse Lee Kercheval

INKWELL

Kickstarting Your Career
Does crowdfunding work for publishing projects,and could it work for yours?
by Jodi Helmer

Plus:

• 5-Minute Memoir: Mad About Parodies
• Top Shelf
• Questions & Quandaries: Technical Writing
• NaNoHelpNow!
• Last Writes
• Poetic Asides: Cinquain

COLUMNS

MEET THE AGENT: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary Agency
by Kara Gebhart Uhl

BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight
by Chuck Sambuchino

FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK: Overdone Topics; Upcoming Trends; Sharing Your Work
by Barbara Poelle

YOUR STORY: First Things First, Contest #50

STANDOUT MARKETS: Charlesbridge Publishing; Entrepreneur; Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
by Tiffany Luckey

CONFERENCE SCENE: Wordcrafters in Eugene; Mad Anthony; Northwest Christian Writers Renewal
by Linda Formichelli

REJECT A HIT: The Hobbit spoof-rejected
by Steve Pantazis