Writer's Digest September 2017 Digital Edition
Writer's Digest, September 2017, Volume 97. No. 6
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 Creativity Issue is the writer's perfect companion for lazy afternoons in a hammock or vacations with a travel journal in hand. What better time to recharge, to refill our wells and breathe a little fresh air and sunshine into our words?
This issue is brimming with tips, exercises and ideas, including:
- 7 Simple Ways to Get Story-Worthy Ideas
- Fun Experiments for Your Fiction Lab
- Mixing Metaphors: 6 Steps to Artful Language
- How to Train Your Eye for Better Writing
- Tips for Taming the Inner Critic
- Your World-Building Workbook
- And More!
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FEATURES: The Creativity Issue
Train Your Eye for Better Writing Add color to the canvas of your manuscripts with these 3 techniques adapted from the visual arts.By Tess Callahan
Taming the Inner Critic When the voice inside you starts to doubt your abilities, these techniques will help you find the strength to answer back. By David Corbett?
7 Up These 7 simple exercises will build core strength in your creative muscles. By Gabriela Pereira
Fiction Lab Every great story invention starts with an experiment. Awaken your inner scientist with these 8 steps. By Elizabeth Sims
The Metaphor Machine Follow this simple 6-step process, and you'll add richness and texture to your language, no matter what you write. By Jane K. Cleland
Creative Rations If you have a creative day job, sustaining stamina for your off-hours writing can be a struggle. Here's how to beat burnout. By Catherine J. Campbell
The WD Interview: Roxane Gay With hundreds of bylines and a growing bookshelf to her name, Roxane Gay has become a mainstay in our written cultural conversation. Learn how she found her voice across genres and forms,and her best advice for pursuing access on your own terms. By Sharon Short
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WRITER'S WORKBOOK: World-Building
Making Any World Authentic By Juliet Marillier
Conjuring a Magical World By Allan Maurer & Renee Wright
Setting the Rules in Science Fiction By Orson Scott Card
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INKWELL
Good Vibrations: You get as good as you give, as the saying goes. Here are 11 ways to pay it forward to fellow writer,many of whom will return the favor. By Susan Shapiro
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Plus:
- 5-Minute Memoir: A Maverick Guide to Persistence By Robert W. Bone
- On the (Reading) Record
- Top Shelf
- The Real Comic Book Superheroes By Donald Vaughan
- Worth a Thousand Words By Bob Eckstein
- Poetic Asides: Landay By Robert Lee Brewer
- The Lowdown on Libel By Richard D. Bank
COLUMNS
MEET THE AGENT: Connor Goldsmith, Fuse Literary By Kara Gebhart Uhl
BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight. By Baihley Grandson
FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK Knowing the Time to Query; Walking Back Missteps By Barbara Poelle
YOUR STORY: Contest #80, First Things First
STANDOUT MARKETS: Ecotone; BuzzFeed READER; Catholic Digest; Turner Publishing By Tyler Moss
CONFERENCE SCENE: Broadleaf Writers; Triangle Book and Writer; Oregon Christian Writers By Don Vaughan
PLATFORMS OF YORE: John Steinbeck