WD Presents: Writer’s Digest Conference Announcements and More!
This week, we’re excited to announce that our 2021 Annual Conference will be virtual, registration is open for our 2021 in-person Novel Conference, and more!
There's always so much happening in the Writer's Digest universe that even staff members have trouble keeping up. As a result, we decided to start collecting what's on the horizon to make it easier for everyone to know what's happening and when.
This week, we’re excited to announce that our 2021 Annual Conference will be virtual, registration is open for our 2021 in-person Novel Conference, and more!
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Conference Announcements
Annual Conference Will Be Virtual
July 23-24, 2021
Writer's Digest Annual Conference will be going virtual! Please read our latest conference update here.
Writer's Digest Annual Conference offers everything you need to advance your writing career creatively and professionally. Gain invaluable tips to improve your craft, explore publishing options and learn how to establish a sustainable career—all while being inspired by successful authors and your fellow attendees. It’s all brought to you by Writer’s Digest, the experts at nurturing and developing writers at every stage of their career for over 100 years.
Novel Conference Registration Now Open!
October 21-24, 2021
Imagine dedicating an entire extended weekend to your novel?
Writer's Digest Novel Writing Conference is hopeful we will be able to meet in person this October. There is still a lot of COVID-related uncertainty in 2021 and WD wants to take the proper steps to ensure all of our speakers, attendees, exhibitors, and staff are as safe as possible. That includes creating and thinking about a contingency plan to our in-person event. Be sure to check our website for the latest information.
Hone your craft, refine your characters, explore the future of publishing, and get the tools you need to advance your career as a successful novelist.
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MFA Workbook Call for Submissions
Beginning with the March/April 2021 issue, the Writer’s Workbook column became the MFA Workbook. Rather than sharing excerpts from WD books, this column is written by a different MFA student or teacher each issue. These articles should be about 1,600 words and will serve a few purposes: 1) to provide an opportunity for MFA candidates to get bylines in a national publication, 2) to offer MFA-type instruction/tips to writers who may not be able to afford that degree, and 3) to offer a glimpse at the type of education someone might receive at your MFA program. Some accepted articles have been about switching genres, the benefits of writing book reviews, how to give helpful feedback, and finding point of view in memoir.
Generally craft-focused with an emphasis on writing exercises, this column may occasionally include a business-based column if it’s connected to what’s learned in an MFA program (for example, successful networking). For submission guidelines, please review this section of our website: https://www.writersdigest.com/resources/submission-guidelines
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Get the May/June Issue of Writer’s Digest!
A new issue of Writer’s Digest is getting ready to hit the shelves, but it’s not too late to pick up the May/June issue!
When you get down to it, most writing begins with curiosity, whether the source is a spark of interest in the mind of the person writing or whether a writer is answering the calls of curious readers. In the May/June 2021 issue of Writer’s Digest, we aim to do both as well: answer questions about topics that pique writers’ curiosity and provide resources that will enable curiosity to be a force of inspiration for your work.
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Upcoming Webinars!
Publishing Your Children's Book: How to Write and Pitch Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Book Manuscripts
June 22-25, 2021
In this Writer's Digest Boot Camp starting June 22, the agents of P.S. Literary Agency will show you how to make your submission stand out. How do you write a children's book with commercial appeal? How do you decide what category and genre your book belongs in? How do you find agents and publishers to submit your manuscript to? How can you attract both child and adult readers (and buyers)? The agent instructors will answer these questions—and more! They will also critique your work and answer any questions you have about writing and selling books for children.
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Upcoming Science Fiction & Fantasy Virtual Conference!
Writer’s Digest University is pleased to present a one-of-a-kind online event for science fiction and fantasy writers! On August 28 and 29, our WDU Annual Science Fiction & Fantasy Virtual Conference will provide expert insights from SIX award-winning and bestselling authors on the finer points of how to write within the science fiction and fantasy genres. Spend the weekend learning techniques for honing your craft from six different published authors*, then (if you choose) pitch your novel via query letter to a literary agent specifically looking for material in these genres. The agent will provide you with a personalized critique of your query—and maybe ask to see more.
Experience the education, camaraderie, and opportunities provided by a live writing conference without ever having to leave your home!
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Seven Online Writing Courses Start This Week
Seven new online writing courses start this week, including Creative Writing 101, Form and Composition, and more. Click here to check out the Writer's Digest University calendar.
Advanced Novel Writing
Push yourself beyond your comfort zone and take your writing to new heights with this novel writing workshop, designed specifically for novelists who are looking for detailed feedback on their work. When you take this online workshop, you won't have weekly reading assignments or lectures. Instead, you'll get to focus solely on completing your novel.
Creative Writing 101
Creative Writing 101 combines teaching the key elements of storytelling with developing the protagonist. Once you understand who this character is and how to make sure you’ve included the key story elements, you are well on your way to writing that book you have been squelching.
Fearless Writing
If you love to write and have a story you want to tell, the only thing that can stand between you and the success you’re seeking isn’t craft, or a good agent, or enough Facebook friends and Twitter followers, but fear. Fear that you aren’t good enough, or fear the market is too crowded, or fear no one wants to hear from you. Fortunately, you can’t write while being in the flow and be afraid simultaneously. The question is whether you will write fearlessly.
Fundamentals of Fiction
Have an amazing story idea, but need to learn the basics of how to write a book? Creating a story that is dynamic and engaging takes a lot more than just setting aside an hour every day to write.
This workshop will take you through all of the basics of writing a novel, including how important it is to choose a great setting, how to build characters, what point of view you should choose, how to write great dialogue, and more.
Learn the ins and outs of how to write a book with our workshop and get your story to jump off the page!
Form and Composition
Proper grammar, punctuation, and mechanics make your writing correct. In order to truly write well, you must also master the art of form and composition. From sentence structure to polishing your prose, this workshop will enhance your writing, no matter what type of writing you do.
Writing the Picture Book
Picture books are one of the most delightful—and important—genres in all of literature.
In this course, you'll learn how to write a winning picture book narrative, envision it with illustrations, and put together a picture package that a publisher will really notice.
Plus, you'll receive feedback on each assignment from your instructor and have the chance to participate in the peer critique section of the workshop with other classmates.
Writing the Personal Essay 101: Fundamentals
This course guides beginning and intermediate writers through elements of how to write a personal essay, helping them identify values expressed in their stories and bring readers into the experiences described. Writers learn how to avoid the dreaded responses of “so what?" and “I guess you had to be there" by utilizing sensory details, learning to trust their writing intuitions, and developing a skilled internal editor to help with revision.
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Upcoming Competition Deadlines
Self-Published E-book Awards
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: August 16, 2021
Writer’s Digest’s 9th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards honors the best self-published e-book(s) in eight of the most popular categories with $5,000 in cash, a featured interview in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York City.
In addition to $13,000 in total cash prizes, all entrants will receive a brief review of their book from one of Writer’s Digest’s competition readers.
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Your Story Column
Your Story #111: Vote Now!
Out of nearly 200 entries, WD editors chose the following 5 finalists. Vote for your favorite story using the poll at the bottom of the page. The winning story will be published in the November/December 2021 issue of WD.
Your Story #112: Enter Today!
DEADLINE: June 28, 2021
Write the opening line to a story based on the photo prompt in this article for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of Writer’s Digest. (One sentence only.) You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.
