Expanding a Short Story Into a Novel
Les Edgerton How to recirculate short stories into novels—that’s what I did with Hard Times—combined two of my short stories, “Hard Times” with “The Mockingbird Café”, and took that combination in another direction to come up with a novel. A lot of writers have short fiction that has seemingly died, but in reality, is still …
Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Oversimplified Characters
Moriah Richard Everyone makes mistakes—even writers—but that’s okay because each mistake is a great learning opportunity. The Writer’s Digest team has witnessed many mistakes over the years, so we’re starting this series to help identify them early in the process. Note: The mistakes in this series aren’t focused on grammar rules, though we offer help …
A Very Brief History of Reading
Senjuti Patra The history of reading is a topic that probably interests all readers. Reading what someone else has written brings with it a sense of continuity and solidarity. This sense of solidarity is strengthened when we get to know how others read. What we read and how it affects us can reflect our personalities …
Using Neuroscience to Understand Reading Slumps
Joshua C. Craig I wanted to write this article because neuroscience intrigues me. I spent a year as an undergraduate student studying the subject. But eventually I realized that I couldn’t spend my life in a lab, and I dove back into writing and literature full time. I thought writing this article would be a …
5 Tips for Building a House or Setting That Comes Alive for Readers
Author D.M. Pulley shares her five tips for building a house or setting that comes alive for readers based off her experience working as a structural engineer. D.M. Pulley Author D.M. Pulley shares her five tips for building a house or setting that comes alive for readers based off her experience working as a structural …
Beyond the Five Senses: Six Powerful Tricks to Enhance a Sense of Place
In this article, author Jonelle Patrick shares her expertise on how to create settings that will bring your reader in and make your characters shine. Jonelle Patrick Creating a sense of place can be so much more than a painterly description of the sea, or the comforting smell of coffee in the kitchen. Places aren’t …
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