21 Most Popular Writing Posts of 2021
We share a lot of writing-related posts throughout the year on the Writer’s Digest website. In this post, we’ve collected the 21 most popular writing posts of 2021.
We share a lot of writing-related posts throughout the year on this site, including writing prompts, author interviews, grammar rules, writing challenges, how-to craft pieces, how-to business pieces, and more. So it only makes sense to highlight the most popular writing posts of 2021.
Each post below was originally published in 2021, and yes, I've included more than 21, because a few of these can be categorized together. And I just like sharing all our coolest posts from this year. So here we go.
21 Most Popular Writing Posts of 2021
- Grammar Rules posts. There were three new Grammar Rules posts that made the cut this year: Myriad vs. Myriad Of; When Do You Capitalize President?; and Real vs. Reel.
- New Agent Alerts. Four agent alerts made the list this year: Zeynep Sen of WordLink Literary Agency; Tasneem Motala of The Rights Factory; Pete Ford of Credo Communications; and Isabel Kaufman of Fox Literary.
- Frequently Asked Questions, by the Writer's Digest Staff. Another popular category, there were two FAQs that were viewed more than the others in 2021: Who Are the Inaugural Poets for United States Presidents? and What Is Flash Fiction?
- 3 Do's and Don'ts of World-Building, by Moriah Richard. In this post, WD Editor Moriah Richard shares three important do's and don'ts of world-building.
- Writing Prompts. We love writing prompts at WD and apparently writers do too, because these three prompt posts made the cut: Childhood Treats (creative writing prompt); 28 Writing Prompts From the 2021 February Flash Fiction Challenge (flash fiction prompts); and 2021 April PAD Challenge: Day 1 (poetry prompt).
- 14 Common Writing Mistakes Writers Make, by the Writer's Digest Staff. We started this new series on January 1, 2021 with another top performing post: Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Waiting for Inspiration to Strike.
- 4 Tips on Writing Dialogue, by Emily Henry. Author Emily Henry shares her top four tips on writing engaging dialogue in novels.
- When Is My Novel Ready to Read: 7 Self-Editing Processes for Writers, by Kris Spisak. Fiction editor and author Spisak shares her seven self-editing processes for getting a novel ready with links to a more in-depth post on each of the processes.
- Funny You Should Ask: What Is Going to Be the Next Big Trend in Fiction?, by Barbara Poelle. Literary agent Poelle answers a commonly asked question by writers at conferences and on message boards.
- Who Says You Need an Agent? 8 Tips for Finding an Independent Publisher, by Louise Marburg. Author Marburg shares her eight tips for finding the right independent publisher for you.
- 7 Tips for Writing Crime Fiction, by Dana Stabenow. Bestselling author Stabenow shares her seven tips for writing compelling crime fiction.
- 23 Authors Share Tips on Writing Mystery and Thriller Novels That Readers Love, by Robert Lee Brewer. This post collects the advice of more than 20 authors on how to write mysteries and thrillers that readers love.
- How to Write a Character Who Is Single: 4 Cliches and Tropes to Avoid When Writing Single Characters, by Craig Wynne. Dr. Wynne shares strategies for writing single characters in fiction who are strong, healthy, and fulfilled.
- 8 Ways to Add Suspense to Your Novel, by Mark and Connor Sullivan. Authors Mark and Connor Sullivan show writers eight ways to add suspense to their novels.
- When Cultures Collide: 3 Ways to Create Tension in Worldbuilding in a Novel, by Greta Kelly. Author Kelly shares three ways to create tension in your fiction, especially as it relates to different cultures interacting.
- 5 Pieces of Common Writing Advice You Should Absolutely Ignore, by Stefanie London. Bestselling author London provides five pieces of common writing advice that writers should absolutely ignore.
- Late to the Party: On Being a "Mature" Debut Author, by Shawn Nocher. It's never too late to start your writing career; Nocher adds her testimony.
- 5 Tips for Evoking Emotion in Writing, by Rebecca Yarros. Bestselling author Yarros coaches writers on how to create believable emotion in this article.
- 4 Tips on Writing Epic Fantasy That's Also a Page Turner, by Sarah Beth Durst. Award-winning fantasy author Durst shares four tips on writing epic fantasy that keeps the pages turning from beginning to end.
- 5 Features for Writing Psychological Thrillers: A Checklist for Writers, by Sebastian Fitzek. Bestselling thriller author Fitzek identifies five key features for writing psychological thrillers readers will love.
- 3 (In-Depth) Tips for Writing Authentic Characters, by S.K. Ali. Award-winning author Ali shares three tips for crafting compelling characters.
So there you have it. Now don't forget to share what you'd like to see in 2022 and beyond in the comments below. And check our home page regularly, because we're constantly sharing great new writing posts.
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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
