Writer's Digest July/August 2010 (PDF)
Write & Sell Your Memoir
The Market for Memoirs
Top literary agents get real about what you need to know to break in,and what you need to do to break out.
COMPILED BY JESSICA STRAWSER
A Hook for Every Book
Here's how to find the focus that can turn your own story into a marketable memoir.
BY PAULA BALZER
Elements of an Effective Arc
Build your story around this foolproof framework to keep your memoir afloat.
BY ADAIR LARA
Full Disclosure
If you're driven to tell your story, you may need to relive things you'd rather forget. Here's why it's important not to gloss over the tough stuff.
BY LAURIE ROSIN
Not Just Your Story
Chances are, you're not the only character in your book. Here's what every memoir writer needs to know about invasion of privacy, defamation and the law.
BY AMY COOK
THE WD INTERVIEW: Yann Martel
In Life of Pi, Yann Martel all but reinvented storytelling. With a new novel on shelves and the whole world watching, can he do it again?
BY JESSICA STRAWSER
In Her Blood
After 20 years of publishing, Charlaine Harris wrote the book she'd always wanted to write,and hit a vein with readers everywhere. Here's the author behind "True Blood" on happy accidents, near misses and writing, above all, for fun.
BY ZACHARY PETIT
Building a Gripping Story
The winner of the WD Popular Fiction Awards assembled a powerful thriller,one piece at a time.
BY MELISSA HILL
COLUMNS/DEPARTMENTS
QUESTIONS & QUANDARIES:
Imminent Answers; Underage Writing; Letting Well Enough Alone
BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
ASK THE PRO: Cherry Weiner, Agent
BY KARA GEBHART UHL
BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight
BY CHUCK SAMBUCHINO
MFA INSIDER: Emerging as a Writer
BY CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI
YOUR STORY: A Working Professional
BY MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEON
STANDOUT MARKETS: Soho Press; Electric Literature
BY VANESSA WIELAND
CONFERENCE SCENE: Nonfiction Events
BY LINDA FORMICHELLI
WRITER'S WORKBOOK: Raising the Stakes
Understanding the Key Types of Stakes
BY DONALD MAASS
Building Tension to Heighten the Stakes
BY JESSICA PAGE MORRELL
Upping the Ante: Three Strategies
BY VICTORIA LYNN SCHMIDT
INKWELL
EDITED BY ZACHARY PETIT
PLUS:
The Market for Memoirs
Top literary agents get real about what you need to know to break in,and what you need to do to break out.
COMPILED BY JESSICA STRAWSER
A Hook for Every Book
Here's how to find the focus that can turn your own story into a marketable memoir.
BY PAULA BALZER
Elements of an Effective Arc
Build your story around this foolproof framework to keep your memoir afloat.
BY ADAIR LARA
Full Disclosure
If you're driven to tell your story, you may need to relive things you'd rather forget. Here's why it's important not to gloss over the tough stuff.
BY LAURIE ROSIN
Not Just Your Story
Chances are, you're not the only character in your book. Here's what every memoir writer needs to know about invasion of privacy, defamation and the law.
BY AMY COOK
THE WD INTERVIEW: Yann Martel
In Life of Pi, Yann Martel all but reinvented storytelling. With a new novel on shelves and the whole world watching, can he do it again?
BY JESSICA STRAWSER
In Her Blood
After 20 years of publishing, Charlaine Harris wrote the book she'd always wanted to write,and hit a vein with readers everywhere. Here's the author behind "True Blood" on happy accidents, near misses and writing, above all, for fun.
BY ZACHARY PETIT
Building a Gripping Story
The winner of the WD Popular Fiction Awards assembled a powerful thriller,one piece at a time.
BY MELISSA HILL
COLUMNS/DEPARTMENTS
QUESTIONS & QUANDARIES:
Imminent Answers; Underage Writing; Letting Well Enough Alone
BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
ASK THE PRO: Cherry Weiner, Agent
BY KARA GEBHART UHL
BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight
BY CHUCK SAMBUCHINO
MFA INSIDER: Emerging as a Writer
BY CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI
YOUR STORY: A Working Professional
BY MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEON
STANDOUT MARKETS: Soho Press; Electric Literature
BY VANESSA WIELAND
CONFERENCE SCENE: Nonfiction Events
BY LINDA FORMICHELLI
WRITER'S WORKBOOK: Raising the Stakes
Understanding the Key Types of Stakes
BY DONALD MAASS
Building Tension to Heighten the Stakes
BY JESSICA PAGE MORRELL
Upping the Ante: Three Strategies
BY VICTORIA LYNN SCHMIDT
INKWELL
EDITED BY ZACHARY PETIT
- Based on a True Story
- Bob, The Column
- Cracking Into Comics
- You Are What You Read
- Poetic Asides
- Annual Poetry Contest • Reject a Hit
PLUS:
- CONTRIBUTORS
- EDITOR'S LETTER
- ONLINE EXCLUSIVES
- READER MAIL
