Writer's Digest July/August 2017 Digital Edition

Writer's Digest, July/August 2017, Volume 97. No. 5

Characters are the lifeblood of fiction. Without them, readers wouldn't have reason to care about your carefully woven plot, your beautifully described setting, your poignant themes. It's your characters who give your readers something to root for.

The July/August CREATING CHARACTERS issue is dedicated to the heroes, villains and sidekicks who make your story matter.

You'll Learn:
• 10 Fun & Easy Techniques for Making Characters More Riveting
• How to Use Perspective to Twist Your Plots
• What Makes Compelling Conflict: Protagonists, Antagonists & Everyone in Between
• How Many Is Too Many: When to Combine Characters or Kill Your Darlings
FEATURES: Creating Characters
The Perception Gap Your characters' views of the world can do much more than simply define who they are. Here's how to use perspective to propel your plot. By Jane K. Cleland
10 Sly Techniques For Adding Dimension to Characters Even the most carefully crafted characters can feel flat on the page. Indulge in these cunningly creative exercises to shade in your protagonist. By Deb Norton
Sinners, Saviors & Sympathetic Heavies The secret to compelling conflicts. Avoid type-casting your heroes and villains. Use these approaches to find a better way. By David Corbett
Kill Your Darlings If your plot isn't working, there may be too many cooks in the proverbial kitchen. Here's how to make all your characters count,even if it means bidding some of them adieu. By Jeff Somers
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The WD Interview: Heather Graham From full-time mother to famously prolific author, this bestseller turned an appetite for reading everything into the ability to write anything. By Tyler Moss
Naming the Baby Never underestimate the great power of a great title. By Jacquelyn Mitchard
The Theory of Everything The winner of the 17th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition evoked a bleak medical procedure to reflect on humanity in “The Removal." Plus: A complete list of winners. By Karen Krumpak
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WRITER'S WORKBOOK: Niche Writing
Travel Writing With Style By L. Peat O'Neil
Writing for Children's Magazines Edited By Michelle Ruberg
Tickling the Funny Bone By Mark Schatz with Mel Helitzer
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INKWELL
You've Got Mail: In the crowded world of social media, an e-newsletter gives writers a direct line to readers. By Dinsa Sachan
Plus:
• 5-Minute Memoir: Rewriting My Own History
• Jeff Guinn: Walking the Grounds
• The Winners of the 2016 WD Poetry Awards
• A Writer's Guide to Iowa City (of Literature)

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COLUMNS
MEET THE AGENT: Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron & Associates. By Kara Gebhart Uhl
BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight. By Baihley Grandson
FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK Asking the Right Questions of Potential Agents. By Barbara Poelle
YOUR STORY: “The Bay Window Affair." By Cassandra Goolsby
STANDOUT MARKETS: The Rumpus; Callaloo; Afar; Homebound Publications. By Tyler Moss
CONFERENCE SCENE: Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers; Killer Nashville; Midwest Writers. By Don Vaughan
PLATFORMS OF YORE: George Orwell