The “bad vs. worse” set-up discussed in the article “No More Mr. Nice Guys” in the September 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest—all about unlikable but fascinating protagonists—lies at the heart of a form of moral argument known ...
Jonathan French’s approach to self-publishing played an important role in how editors and agents perceived his book, and persuaded French to reevaluate his perspective on how authors can, and should, break into print. author photo credit:...
by Michael Kardos Ever since I was a little kid I’ve loved magic. The first Broadway show I ever saw, at age seven, was The Magic Show starring the great Doug Henning. In eighth grade, I started studying sleight-of-hand with a teacher at...
For the new author, it can be a big (and confusing) decision to decide between traditional publishing and self-publishing. But doubly confusing are the choices faced once you settle on the self-publishing path. There is growing complexity i...
These underhanded character development techniques are designed to relax your “thinky” brain and to draw instead on your curiosity, intuition and slightly devious sense of play in order to help your characters reveal their own inner wor...
By Dustin Grinnell images from Project Gutenberg’s edition of The Lost World (1912) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Lost World (1912) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a fantasy-adventure novel filled with danger, mystery and intrigue. The sto...
This just in. The University of Ottawa Faculty of Law is launching two courses on cannabis law. The Canadian cannabis scene is changing, and one school is trying to lead the way. If you or your parents can see past years of stigmatization a...
We’re now 4 days into this challenge, which means we’re developing a routine. Let’s keep the momentum going. For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Case (blank);” replace the blank with a word or phrase; make the new phrase the ti...
I’ve decided to keep working on the current chapter, because the scenes I’m currently writing won’t be affected much by any of the changes I’m planning to make. But after that I’ll have to focus on research and...
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Writer’s Digest magazine. Check out the latest issue here or subscribe. Your first book was well received—hooray! But how can you ensure success when writing sequels? These 7 secrets will ...