Books published by publisher Writer's Digest Books

The Must-Have Guide for SongwritersWriting Better Lyrics has been a staple for songwriters for nearly two decades. Now this revised and updated 2nd Edition provides effective tools for everything from generating ideas, to understanding the form and function of a song, to fine-tuning lyrics.Perfect for new and experienced songwriters alike, this time-tested classic covers the basics in addition to more advanced techniques.Songwriters will discover: • How to use sense-bound imagery to enhance a song's emotional impact on listeners • Techniques for avoiding clichés and creating imaginative metaphors and similes • Ways to use repetition as an asset • How to successfully manipulate meter • Instruction for matching lyrics with music • Ways to build on ideas and generate effective titles • Advice for working with a co-writer • And much moreFeaturing updated and expanded chapters, 50 fun songwriting exercises, and examples from more than 20 chart-toppings songs, Writing Better Lyrics gives you all of the professional and creative insight you need to write powerful lyrics and put your songs in the spotlight where they belong.

Master the Art of Writing Enthralling Tales for the Youngest pre-and emerging readers! Fully updated and thoroughly revised, Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition is the go-to resource for writers crafting stories for children ages two to eight. You'll learn the unique set of skills it takes to bring your story to life by using tightly focused text and leaving room for the illustrator to be creative. Award-winning author Ann Whitford Paul helps you develop the skills you need by walking you through techniques and exercises specifically for picture book writers. You'll find: • Instruction on generating ideas, creating characters, point-of-view, beginnings and endings, plotting, word count, rhyme, and more • Unique methods for using poetic techniques to enrich your writing • Hands-on revision exercises (get out your scissors, tape, and highlighters) to help identify problems and improve your picture book manuscripts • Updated tips for researching the changing picture book market, approaching publishers, working with an agent, and developing a platform • All new quizzes and examples from picture books throughout • New chapters cover issues such as page turns, agents, and self-publishingWhether you're just starting out as a picture book writer or have tried unsuccessfully to get your work published, Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition is just what you need to craft picture books that will appeal to young children and parents, and agents and editors.

The Must-Have Guide for SongwritersWriting Better Lyrics has been a staple for songwriters for nearly two decades. Now this revised and updated 2nd Edition provides effective tools for everything from generating ideas, to understanding the form and function of a song, to fine-tuning lyrics.Perfect for new and experienced songwriters alike, this time-tested classic covers the basics in addition to more advanced techniques.Songwriters will discover: • How to use sense-bound imagery to enhance a song's emotional impact on listeners • Techniques for avoiding clichés and creating imaginative metaphors and similes • Ways to use repetition as an asset • How to successfully manipulate meter • Instruction for matching lyrics with music • Ways to build on ideas and generate effective titles • Advice for working with a co-writer • And much moreFeaturing updated and expanded chapters, 50 fun songwriting exercises, and examples from more than 20 chart-toppings songs, Writing Better Lyrics gives you all of the professional and creative insight you need to write powerful lyrics and put your songs in the spotlight where they belong.

In this revised and expanded 2nd edition, Children's Writer's Word Book helps you immediately determine if you're using the right vocabulary and language for your audience. With its intuitive organization, you'll easily find appropriate words for children of various ages, and discover substitute words that might work even better.This comprehensive resource keeps you in touch with reading levels for today's kids, and saves you valuable research time by putting all the information you need in one volume. You'll find: • Lists of specific words that are introduced at seven key reading levels (kindergarten through sixth grade) • A thesaurus of those words with synonyms, annotated with reading levels • Detailed guidelines for sentence length, word usage, and themes at each reading level • A thorough explanation of guidelines for national standards on reading This new edition also addresses important timely topics of the day, such as disability issues and sensitivity to race, religion, and culture. Other new additions relate to divorce, the concept of death, space exploration, the internet, fantasy and science fiction, ethnic and cultural pride, and much more.With Children's Writer's Word Book, 2nd edition, you can rest assured you'll be able to address your young audience with a vocabulary and style they'll understand and enjoy—and improve your chances with children's publishers.

Hook Your Audience with Unforgettable Storytelling! What do Luke Skywalker, John McClane, an da lonely dog on Ho'okipa Beach have in common? Simply put, we care about them. Great storytelling is making readers care about your characters, the choices they make, and what happens to them. It's making your audience feel the tension and emotion of a situation right alongside your protagonist. And to tell a damn fine story, you need to understand why and how that caring happens. Using a mix of personal stories, pop fiction examples, and traditional storytelling terms, New York Times best-selling author Chuck Wendig will help you internalize the feel of powerful storytelling. In Damn Fine Story, you'll explore: • Fretytag's Pyramid for visualizing story structure--and when to break away from traditional storytelling forms • Character relationships and interactions as the basis of every strong plot—no matter the form or genre • Rising and falling tension that pulls the audience through to the climax and conclusion of the story • Developing themes as a way to craft characters with depthWhether you're writing a novel, screenplay, video game, comic, or even if you just like to tell stories to your friends and family over dinner, this funny and informative guide is chock-full of examples about the art and craft of storytelling--and how to write a damn fine story of your own.

Your Essential Reference for Writing for Magazines! In The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing, accomplished freelance writer, author, and instructor Kerrie Flanagan demystifies the idea that writing for magazines is a difficult process meant only for those with journalism degrees. Drawing from her 20 years as a freelance writer and instructor, Flanagan takes you step-by-step through the entire process, sharing her knowledge and experiences in a friendly, conversational way. With more than a dozen sample articles, expert advice from magazine editors and successful freelance writers, practical tips on researching potential publications and instructions on crafting compelling query letters, you'll find the tools needed to write and publish magazine articles. In this book you'll learn how to: • Find and target ideas for the right magazine. • Develop effective query letters to catch the attention of editors and land more assignments. • Organize your writing life using the checklists and tools throughout the book. • Understand and negotiate contracts. • Write and sell personal essays to consumer, niche and trade magazines.Whether your goal is to get your first byline or make the switch from part-time freelancer to full-time writer, The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing is your go-to resource for writing success.

THE MOST TRUSTED GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING If you're a writer or an illustrator for young readers and your goal is to get published, Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market 2019 is the resource you need. The 31st edition of CWIM is the definitive and trusted guide for anyone who seeks to write or illustrate for kids and young adults. In this book, you'll find more than 500 listings for children's book markets, including publishers, literary agents, magazines, contests, and more. These listings include a point of contact, how to properly submit your work, and what categories each market accepts. This edition also features:Interviews with accomplished authors, such as Melissa de la Cruz, Leigh Bardugo, E. Lockhart, and more.More than a dozen debut authors of picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult fiction explain their personal paths to success and publication.Advice on how to navigate social media, blogging, and more to enhance your chances at writing success.A one-year subscription to the children's publishing content on WritersMarket.com (NOTE: the subscription comes with the print version ONLY).+Includes exclusive access to the webinar "Creating Characters You Can't Forget" from bestselling author Debbie Dadey

Hook Your Audience with Unforgettable Storytelling! What do Luke Skywalker, John McClane, an da lonely dog on Ho'okipa Beach have in common? Simply put, we care about them. Great storytelling is making readers care about your characters, the choices they make, and what happens to them. It's making your audience feel the tension and emotion of a situation right alongside your protagonist. And to tell a damn fine story, you need to understand why and how that caring happens. Using a mix of personal stories, pop fiction examples, and traditional storytelling terms, New York Times best-selling author Chuck Wendig will help you internalize the feel of powerful storytelling. In Damn Fine Story, you'll explore: • Fretytag's Pyramid for visualizing story structure--and when to break away from traditional storytelling forms • Character relationships and interactions as the basis of every strong plot—no matter the form or genre • Rising and falling tension that pulls the audience through to the climax and conclusion of the story • Developing themes as a way to craft characters with depthWhether you're writing a novel, screenplay, video game, comic, or even if you just like to tell stories to your friends and family over dinner, this funny and informative guide is chock-full of examples about the art and craft of storytelling--and how to write a damn fine story of your own.

Your Essential Reference for Writing for Magazines! In The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing, accomplished freelance writer, author, and instructor Kerrie Flanagan demystifies the idea that writing for magazines is a difficult process meant only for those with journalism degrees. Drawing from her 20 years as a freelance writer and instructor, Flanagan takes you step-by-step through the entire process, sharing her knowledge and experiences in a friendly, conversational way. With more than a dozen sample articles, expert advice from magazine editors and successful freelance writers, practical tips on researching potential publications and instructions on crafting compelling query letters, you'll find the tools needed to write and publish magazine articles. In this book you'll learn how to: • Find and target ideas for the right magazine. • Develop effective query letters to catch the attention of editors and land more assignments. • Organize your writing life using the checklists and tools throughout the book. • Understand and negotiate contracts. • Write and sell personal essays to consumer, niche and trade magazines.Whether your goal is to get your first byline or make the switch from part-time freelancer to full-time writer, The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing is your go-to resource for writing success.

Learn to write science fiction and fantasy from a masterYou've always dreamed of writing science fiction and fantasy tales that pull readers into extraordinary new worlds and fantastic conflicts. Best-selling author Orson Scott Card shows you how it's done, distilling years of writing experience and publishing success into concise, no-nonsense advice. You'll learn how to: • utilize story elements that define the science fiction and fantasy genres • build, populate, and dramatize a credible, inviting world your readers will want to explore • develop the "rules" of time, space and magic that affect your world and its inhabitants • construct a compelling story by developing ideas, characters, and events that keep readers turning pages • find the markets for speculative fiction, reach them, and get published • submit queries, write cover letters, find an agent, and live the life of a writerThe boundaries of your imagination are infinite. Explore them with Orson Scott Card and create fiction that casts a spell over agents, publishers, and readers from every world.

Paint Masterful Descriptions on the Page!Writing strong descriptions is an art form, one that you need to carefully develop and practice. The words you choose to describe your characters, scenes, settings, and ideas--in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction--need to precisely illustrate the vision you want to convey. Word Painting Revised Edition shows you how to color your canvas with descriptions that captivate readers. Inside, you'll learn how to: • Develop your powers of observation to uncover rich, evocative descriptions. • Discover and craft original and imaginative metaphors and similes. • Effectively and accurately describe characters and settings. • Weave description seamlessly through your stories, essays, and poems. You'll also find dozens of descriptive passages from master authors and poets--as well as more than one hundred exercises--to illuminate the process. Whether you are writing a novel or a poem, a memoir or an essay, Word Painting Revised Edition will guide you in the creation of your own literary masterpiece.

Take your fiction to the next level!Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists.Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share - regardless of genre - then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace.You'll learn to: • establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place • weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story • create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page • explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers • sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish • develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competitionThen, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors - including novelist Anne Perry - Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You'll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.