Writer's Digest Presents Archives - Writer's Digest

The Benefits of a Writing Retreat

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000

With the new year right around the corner, it might be time to start thinking about your creativity in 2026. For writers, writing retreats offer uninterrupted time to focus on your craft, build your writerly community, and receive feedback from publishing experts.

(Turning Your Career Into a Book (with Alexandra Gater))

In the season finale of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” editor-in-chief Amy Jones and literary agent Jessica Berg talk about why writers should consider writing retreats, what you can expect from the Writer’s Digest Writing Retreat in Tuscany this spring, and more. Scroll to the bottom of this page for more information on the retreat.

Listen or Watch Here

About the Writer’s Digest Writing Retreat: Tuscany 2026

Escape to the peaceful Tuscan countryside to spend a week dedicated to making time for writing, improving your craft, and learning from publishing professionals, all while enjoying a taste of Italy!

Tour Dates

April 7 – April 14, 2026

Tour Includes

2 nights in Florence
5 nights on a nature reserve in the hills of Tuscany, an 1,100-acre organic farm, Tenuta di Spannocchia
All breakfasts, 5 dinners, and 5 lunches
Coach transportation to and from Spannocchia
Farm tour, a pasta making class, and a day trip to Siena
Friendly and knowledgeable local tour guide
Dedicated writing time, instruction, and 1-1 coaching in the scenic Tuscan countryside

Click here to learn more and to register today.

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Turning Your Career Into a Book (with Alexandra Gater)

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Publishing has long been the answer to the “how” question of our hobbies, but writing about what you do for a living is a very different task than doing what you do for a living.

(The Craft of Writing Horror (with Carson Faust))

In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” Michael Woodson chats with interior designer and author Alexandra Gater about the process of writing her how-to book, Own Your Space, where she offers advice for other professionals looking to write their own books, the importance of the proposal in nonfiction writing, her literary agent experience, and more.

About the Author

Alexandra Gater

Alexandra Gater is a stylist and home decor expert, connecting with millions through her home makeover videos on YouTube. She makes design accessible for renters and homeowners alike and believes everyone deserves to live in a beautiful space that feels like home, no matter their budget. Alexandra started her career as the Home Editor for Canada’s iconic lifestyle magazine Chatelaine, and her work has been featured in Apartment Therapy, Clever by Architectural Digest, and Domino Magazine. She lives in Toronto.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

From the Episode

On Following The Proposal

“The hardest thing for me was—it was all in my head, and I was like, How do I get this down on paper? And Paige, my agent, really helped me with that initial proposal, and to be honest, putting in all that work for the proposal made writing the book so much easier. I followed that proposal section by section, so I did a lot of the heavy lifting prior. It’s actually how I approached essays in university—I would think a lot about my essay, and then I would write it in a condensed amount of time.”

On Literary Agent Green Flags

“My biggest green flag was honestly just the vibes were it. Her initial email to me was … it was so clear that she was a viewer of my content, that she understood my brand. She wasn’t like, ‘You should write a book!’ she was like, ‘Have you ever considered writing a book?’ And then when I got on a call with her, she was just so warm, so lovely. I could tell she really knew her stuff. And I think green flags are just feeling like that person has your back and understands the industry much more than you do.”

On Believing In Herself

“I think it can be really easy to feel super disheartened in any industry having someone tell you, no. I think for me, I’ve always been like, No I can do it. I think that belief in myself has gotten me pretty far. Some would say it might be delusional, but I’m truly like, ‘I can do this, and I really want to do it.’ Writing a book, if you don’t have any interest in that, would not recommend, because you gotta be in it.”

Watch or Listen Here

The post Turning Your Career Into a Book (with Alexandra Gater) appeared first on Writer's Digest.

The Craft of Writing Horror (with Carson Faust)

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000

If blood and violence aren’t your thing, but you love a palpable atmosphere and aren’t afraid of a few ghosts, gothic fiction is right for you. The gothic and southern gothic horror sub-genres exemplify the notion that no matter what kind of reader you are, you can always find a great book in any genre.

(Keeping Young Readers Engaged with Alyssa Colman)

In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” we’re chatting with author Carson Faust about writing southern gothic fiction, his debut novel If the Dead Belong Here, how to perfect styles of writing you admire as a reader, and more.

About Carson Faust

Carson Faust

Carson Faust is two-spirit and an enrolled member of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina. He is the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the Jerome Foundation. His fiction has appeared in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. He lives in Minnesota. Learn more at CarsonFaust.com, and follow him on Instagram.

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[WD uses affiliate links.]

From The Episode

“Horror is a way to bring the past directly to the page. “

“I’m interested in survival as a collective action more than the hyper individualistic, ‘one person will survive’ aspect. I think the characters that are most successful in getting closer to what they want are the ones who find one another, support one another, and build on each other’s knowledge. None of them [the characters] agree, which is actually their strength. None of them are exactly the same in how they think of the world, but it’s all of those perspectives coming together that allow for some version of—as close to success as one can get in this incredibly flawed world that we have.”

“Craft is not something that happens when you shut the word out and you emerge from your chrysalis a savant. It happens when you engage meaningfully with the world in whatever way feels more correct to you.”

Watch or Listen Below

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Keeping Young Readers Engaged with Alyssa Colman

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Fall is upon us and a new school year has begun. Kids are lining hallways and rushing to class, clutching their school work, and new books to read. Between independent reading and required reading, keeping young readers engaged with reading helps build lifelong readers from the start.

(Meet Cutes, Miscommunication, and Queer Romance with Chip Pons)

In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” middle-grade author Alyssa Colman sits down to discuss how to keep young readers engaged, how writing what she wanted to know more about kept her engaged, and her new historical fiction, Where Only Storms Grow, now available.

About the Author

Alyssa Colman | Photo by Christina Gandolfo

Alyssa Colman is the author of Where Only Storms Grow, The Tarnished Garden, and The Gilded Girl, which won the 2021 Northern Lights Book Award for middle grade fantasy. Publishers Weekly called the story “a thoughtful and imaginative exploration of friendship, internal change, and perseverance” in a starred review. Alyssa lives in northern Virginia with her family.

From the Episode

“I do not like drafting. I make terrible noises when I’m drafting. I whine as I’m typing, I just want it to be over. For me, the magic of writing is in rewriting.”

“I think that encouraging writing as a living, breathing thing is the best we can do for kids. Because when they have to write stories and essays, it often feels like, ‘Why do we have to do this?’ But then you realize how many people make a living doing that, and being able to express your ideas in a coherent, well-written form is so important.”

“The best advice I can offer writers is—you’re going to hear a lot of people say ‘read,’ but what you should really do is reread. Once you’ve read something for a story, and you’ve fallen in love with it, go back and read it again, and figure out how the author made you care. Read just the dialogue on a page to see how the conversation connects.”

Listen Or Watch Here

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Meet Cutes, Miscommunication, and Queer Romance with Chip Pons

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:05:51 +0000

The conversation around publishing journeys is often binary: You either try traditional publishing or choose self-publishing. But the reality for many authors is a combination of both. Author Chips Pons self-published his debut novel, You & I, Rewritten, in 2022. Now, he returns to bookshelves with her second novel, and first traditionally published, Winging It with You.

(Writing Literary Nonfiction With Robert Fieseler)

In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” we chat with Chip about all things romance, from writing the will-they-won’t-they scenes to infusing genuine miscommunication that everyone can relate to.

About the Author

Chip Pons

Chip Pons grew up in a small lake town in Northern Michigan before eventually traveling the world as a photojournalist in the US Air Force, where he met and worked alongside his dream of a husband and better half. He’s spent his entire life swooning over the love stories filling up his shelves until one day, he was brave—or delusional—enough to write his own. He currently lives in the heart of Washington, DC. and when he is not writing or chasing his pup, Margot, around, he can be found daydreaming of untold happily ever afters or on Bookstagram shouting about the books he loves. And snacking, like, all the time.

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[WD uses affiliate links.]

From the Episode

“I’ve been in a relationship where I feel like I dove head first into someone else’s life and made myself be the perfect partner for that person instead of the perfect person for myself.”

“I think the miscommunication trope is the most relatable to everyone because our lives are filled with actual miscommunications every single day. Romanticizing communication between adults almost does a disservice to honest communication.”

“My military chapter is probably the chapter of my life that I’m most proud of. Was it the best? Absolutely not. I was outed, my entire life blew up, but I also met my husband. I was able to do incredible things in the military. I was an air force photojournalist. I got to travel all over the place and tell the air force story through my lens, and interview men and women all across the country who face more adversity and display more resilience than I could ever dream of. So, it’s easy for me to put myself in a position of, I have respect for the men and women who serve, I have respect for those institutions because I understand why they exist, but at the same time, it’s an exceptionally flawed institution. It’s so easy to fall into, oh look how much progress we’ve made. I don’t want to go down a political rabbit hole, but we’re in 2025 and look where we are now. I think you can have respect and honor and appreciation for things while also calling out a false sense of progress.”

“At the end of the day, I’m writing gay romances for gay men. I recognize that my platform is primarily women, and that’s OK. But at the end of the day, I want gay men to see themselves in these characters and I want them to feel seen, accepted, and celebrated. Being who you are is worthy of being in a cheesy rom-com. You get that happily ever after, and it’s relatable and funny and tender and sexy and cute, and it truly is a universal experience, and I feel like it needs to be on the page.”

Listen Or Watch the Episode Now

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Expert Advice on Writing Romantasy

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0000

On July 19, our brand new Romantasy Writing Virtual Conference will provide expert insights from four romantasy authors.

Experience the education, camaraderie, and opportunities provided by a live writing conference without ever having to leave your home!

Writer’s Digest University is pleased to present a one-of-a-kind online event for romantasy writers! On July 19, 2025, our WDU Romantasy Writing Virtual Conference will provide expert insights from romantasy authors. Spend the day learning techniques for honing your craft from four different published romantasy authors

Click to continue.

Your Story #136: Now Open For Entries!

Write the opening line to a story based on this photo prompt. You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.

Click here to submit your story.

Join Us In England!

Writer’s Digest is heading across the pond to England with literary agent, Amy Collins this September! This unique trip is part literary tour and part retreat with an experienced literary agent and Writer’s Digest editor. Get inspired in the land of literary giants like Shakespeare and Dickens, Austen and the Brontës, Smith and Ishiguro. Pack your bags and favorite writing notebook for a trip of a lifetime. Space is limited.

Click to continue.

Catch Up On the “Writer’s Digest Presents” Podcast!

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Writing Fiction Based On Your Life: A Chat With Jessica Berg

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 20 May 2025 18:00:00 +0000

How do you write what you know? By writing fiction based on your life. This doesn’t mean writing memoir or simply changing the names of the people in your life: It could be a passing comment you hear at the bus stop, or someone’s missing shoe you notice in the street, or it could even just be a feeling from a time in your life..the list goes on and on.

(How To Be More Media-Savvy: A Chat With Paula Rizzo)

In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” editor Michael Woodson sits down with author and literary agent Jessica Berg about how to write fiction based on your life, how you can find inspiration everywhere, how to mine your life for story ideas in real time, and more.

About Jessica Berg

Jessica Berg

Jessica Berg is a literary agent, author, and the founder of Rosecliff Literary, where she champions bold, emotionally resonant fiction with unforgettable characters, strong stakes, and a sense of urgency.

She is especially drawn to literary, upmarket, historical, and supernatural suspense, with a soft spot for haunting atmosphere, richly layered relationships, and characters who carry deep emotional wounds.

A multi-nominated writer with an MFA from Spalding University, Jessica brings a sharp editorial eye and a hands-on, strategic approach to agenting. She is a member of AALA and EFA and provides developmental feedback for Writer’s Digest. Represented by Amy Collins at Talcott Notch, she splits her time between crafting her own stories and guiding her clients through every stage of their publishing careers.

From The Episode

On How Much Fiction to Put Into Our Life On the Page: “I think part of what we do as authors is cathartic. We’re working through our own Big-T Trauma, little-t trauma, to understand why we act the way we do. So, how much do we put in? I think we take the juiciest bits and then we twist them and we fictionalize them and dramatize them so that they feel familiar because they’re lived experiences, but they’re not so thinly veiled that our friends and family will be able to say, ‘Oh actually, I remember it differently.'” – Jessica Berg

On Having Enough Curiosity to Find Story Everywhere: “I was on a girl’s trip with a bunch of author and publishing pals. We’re on the train, and we see one shoe. It’s a group of four women, and we see one shoe, and we all are in publishing and writing in some way, and immediately we start telling a story. ‘Oh well this happened and then this happened,’ right? Because that’s what we do as humans. Now, the person who lost the shoe, they’re probably like, ‘Oh, I lost a shoe.’ It’s not a most significant moment, but to us it was this really fun experience to say, ‘What happened and how did it happen?’ and we were able to construct narrative around it. So, when we look at how our lives might not be ‘dramatic enough’ or full enough or have experiences worth telling, I have to say that’s not true. Because that example reinforced to me the fact that all you need is a little bit of curiosity, and then you can talk about anything.” – Jessica Berg

On A Feeling Being A Truth From Life for Our Fiction: “The concept of something can also be truth from our lives. I was asked to write a story about the coming out experience. I was then interviewed about it, and they asked, ‘Is this true? Did this actually happen?’ And no. Nothing in this story happened, but the feeling that this gives me is true. I decided to run with no event in my life, but the feeling of all of these things—melancholy or nostalgia or something—bring up a truth in me that then was so much easier to fictionalize and put into scenes. I think authors understandably are like, ‘I don’t have a lived experience that I can pull from.’ But how did this thing make you feel? Fictionalize the truth of that feeling.” – Michael Woodson

Listen to “Writing Fiction Based On Your Life” Here

Watch “Writing Fiction Based On Your Life” Here

The post Writing Fiction Based On Your Life: A Chat With Jessica Berg appeared first on Writer's Digest.

How To Be More Media-Savvy: A Chat With Paula Rizzo

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 23:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to be a media-savvy author? It means being prepared to be interviewed on live television, podcasts, radio, panels, and presentations about your area of expertise: your story.

(The Art of Writing Whatever You Want: A Chat With Hilary Leichter)

The first job of a writer is to actually write their book. The next is to promote it. But getting in front of a camera or microphone and talking to a live audience isn’t as easy at it may sound, and authors who are used to having thousands of words in a book to lean on may need to come up with just a few minutes of sound bites to help them get their point across.

In this episode of “Writer’s Digest Presents,” content editor Michael Woodson chats with media coach and author Paula Rizzo about why it’s important for writers to learn to be media-savvy, the different kinds of media that can help them promote their work, and how to have every possible answer ready in their back pocket.

About Paula Rizzo

Paula Rizzo is an Emmy Award-winning television producer, bestselling author of Listful Thinking & Listful Living, media-training coach, speaker, LinkedIn Learning Instructor, host of the live-stream show “Inside Scoop,” and creator of the popular online training Media-Ready Author. Grab Paula’s free guide, 10 Media Questions Every Author Needs to Answer, to create buzz for your book.

Listen Now

In this two-week bootcamp, Emmy Award–winning media strategist and bestselling author Paula Rizzo will help you assess your current author platform, imagine what’s possible, and develop a plan that fits your life and goals.

Click to continue.

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Anatomy of a Mystery: Crafting Better Crime Fiction

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 15:00:00 +0000

What makes for a bestselling suspense? What elements go into a top box office thriller? How do you craft a crowd-pleasing TV crime drama?

In this live webinar you’ll learn foundational principles of crime and mystery writing that will help you ramp up the intrigue, suspense, and thrill of your next project – whether short story, novel, film, or other media! This webinar focuses primarily structure, creating better tension, deeper character development, and building successful and suspenseful evidence trails. Suggested prerequisite viewing: Prisoners & Stranger Things

Click to continue.

If you want more online education, see the full list of WDU courses here.

Catch Up On “Writer’s Digest Presents” Before the Next Episode!

Join Writer’s Digest In England!

Tour Dates

September 12-20, 2025

Tour Includes

4-star hotels
All breakfasts and dinners, 1 lunch
Coach transportation from London to Bath and back to the London
Admission to all museums and gardens performance at Globe Theatre
Friendly and knowledgeable local tour guide
Dedicated writing time in a scenic English manor house with your Writer’s Digest hosts

Itinerary

At A Glance

Friday, September 12: Arrive in London and the Hotel RIU Plaza London Victoria. Group Dinner.
Saturday, September 13: British Library, Blue Circle walking tour in Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia. Group dinner.
Sunday, September 14: Sherlock Holmes Museum, tour of Regent’s Park plus writing time. Group dinner and evening performance at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Monday, September 15: Westminster Abbey tour (including Poet’s Corner). Trafalgar Square with tour of the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. Time to explore Cecil Court (aka Bookseller’s Lane). Group dinner.
Tuesday, September 16: Travel to Chawton for a tour of the Jane Austen House Museum and Chawton House Library. Picnic lunch in Chawton House Garden. Continue to town of Bath and Bailbrook House Hotel. Group dinner.
Wednesday, September 17: Tour of Jane Austen Centre. Dedicated writing time at Bailbrook House. Group dinner.
Thursday, September 18: Dedicated writing time at Bailbrook House. Group dinner.
Friday, September 19: Free time to explore and/or write in Bath. Travel to London and Hotel RIU Plaza London. Group dinner.
Saturday, September 20: Travel to airport on your own and departure, or continue your travels on your own.

Click here to learn more and to register today.

The post Anatomy of a Mystery: Crafting Better Crime Fiction appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Getting Started In Screenwriting: A Chat With Script Magazine’s Sadie Dean

The Editors of Writer’s Digest — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Screenwriting is a completely different animal than novel writing—there are different rules, there are different ways to get feedback, there are different expectations…but understanding screenwriting can help you navigate your own stories whether or not you’re interested in filmmaking.

(The Intersection of Personal History and Historical Fiction: A Chat With Sharon Short)

In the first episode of season four of the “Writer’s Digest Presents” podcast, content editor Michael Woodson sits down with Script magazine’s editor-in-chief Sadie Dean to help writers get started in screenwriting.

Listen to Podcast Here

Watch the Podcast Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcFEGu7Nhe0

Other Resources For Screenwriting

The Internet Movie Script Database

This live webinar will cover the adaptation process of turning a book into a screenplay from both the perspectives of screenwriters seeking to find books to adapt, and also authors not only wishing to adapt their own books, but also who aim to understand the adaptation process.

The post Getting Started In Screenwriting: A Chat With Script Magazine’s Sadie Dean appeared first on Writer's Digest.