26TH ANNUAL 101 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS WRITER'S DIGEST WRITERS HELPING WRITERS SINCE 1920 EXPLORING EMOTION & CONFLICT Escalate Conflict to WRITE PAGE-TURNING FICTION WRITING BIG FEELINGS (Minus the Maudlin) CREATE EMOTIONAL STRUCTURE Using Musicals and Kung Fu Movies WD Self-Published E-book Award Winner BEA NORTHWICK WD Personal Essay Award Winner KATIE LOVE SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE AUTHOR/EDITOR RELATIONSHIPS Eee acy eds Ng Alyssa Cole THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO THE ROLE OF CONFLICT IN STORIES AND CREATING THE COMPLEX CHARACTERS IN HER NEWEST THRILLER ALYSSA COLE MAY/JUNE 2024 WritersDigest.comNy MiasterWriter Why struggle to find the right word when you can have all the possibilities in an instant? MasterWriter is a powerful collection of writing tools and reference assembled in one easy to use program. included are Word Families, a one-of-a-kind dictionary, that will open a new world of possibilities for descriptive words, Phrases, Synonyms, Rhymes, Definitions, Metaphors, Similes, Idioms, Onomatopoeia, Oxymorons, Allusions, Alliterations, a Pop Culture dictionary, a searchable Bible, and Intensifiers (a unique collection of intense descriptive words). While a computer program cannot compete with the mind and imagination of a writer, the mind cannot compete with the word choices that MasterWriter will give you in an instant. When the two work together, great things happen... masterwriter.comWRITER'S DIGEST EARLY-BIRD DEADLINE: DEADLINE: [fey Vaile) MAY 6, 2024 JUNE 3, 2024 93° ANNUAL _ erm WRITING ! (\\ COMPETITION Write to win: $5,000, a trip to the WD Annual Writing Conference, & more! our 93 Annual Writing Competition! 1 \ Enter up to 9 categories to win big in ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE: + $5,000 cash + An interview in Writer's Di + A paid trip to the Writer's Digest Annual Conference, including a coveted Pitch Slam slot PREC eee EC een Cog pee ete CATEGORIES: + Genre Short Story + Nonfiction Essay or Humor + Mainstream/Literary Article + Rhyming Poetry Short Story + Memoir/Personal Essay. Non-Rhyming Poetry + Children's/Young + Inspirational/Spiritual Adult Fiction Siial READY TO WRITE YOUR SUCCESS? IT ALL STARTS WHEN YOU ENTER TODAY! WritersDigest.com/AWCFEATURES EXPLORING EMOTION & CONFLICT 26 The 26" Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers BY AMY JONES, MORIAH RICHARD, AND MICHAEL WOODSON 40 Better Story Structure Through Musicals and Kung Fu Movies Build emotion and conflict for your characters and readers by taking a note from the structure of two popular storytelling forms BY ROB HART ON THE COVER Kung Fa Movies Bea Northwick 12. WD Personal Essay Award Winner Katie Love {63 Successfully Navigate Author/Editor Relationships ‘54 WD Interview: Alyssa Cale 2 | WRITER'S DIGEST | Mey/une 2024 26 26% Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers 44 Escalate Conflict to Write Page-Turning Fiction 48 Writing Big Feelings (Minus the Maun) 40 Create Emotional Structure Using Musicals and 52 WD Self Published E-book Award Winner Aly Escalate Conflict to Keep Readers Turning Pages Draw readers in through physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual conflict. BY JANE K. CLELAND 48 Writing Big Feelings (Minus the Maudlin) Six tips for writing the hardest emotions without falling victim to clichés and crying, 8Y PETER MOUNTFORDWRITER'S DIGEST MAYAIUNE | VOLUME 108 | NO. 3 INKWELL 8 SEPTET AS MEMOIR o BY WAYNE LEE 10 PLUS: Worth a Thousand Words + Hilarity With a a 7 Side of Heartbreak + Poetic Asides + Write It Out | give me all my yeses.” Bea Northwick, winner of the 11% Annual WD Self jublished & book Aware, tallsipay na) 16 INDIELAB: Don't Let the Machines Win homage to gothic classics and the power of ee choosing indie publishing, COLUMNS 19 INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Daniel Willeocks BY AMY JONES BY AMY JONES. 20 WD 101: A Long-Haul Writer's Lament BY DON VAUGHAN 22 WRITERS ON WRITING: Eve J. Chung 23. MEET THE AGENT: Jennifer March Soloway « Andrea Brown Literary Agency BY KARA GEBHART UHL 24 BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight BY MORIAH RICHARD 60 YOUR STORY: Out to Sea #126 66 AGENT ALCOVE: You Got The Offer—Should You Sign? BY CARYN WISEMAN, 68 ON NONFICTION: Rewriting the Story of Your Life BY WILLIAM KENOWER 70 PUBLISHING INSIGHTS: 6 Political Magazines Open to Submissions BY ROBERT LEE BREWER THE WD INTERVIEW: 72 LEVEL UP YOUR WRITING (LIFE): Sneaking Alyssa Cole in Description The award-winning author takes a deep dive BY SHARON SHORT into the role of conflict in stories and creating | 74 BUILDING BETTER WORLDS: Writing a the complex characters in her newest thriller. Great Retelling BY JERA BROWN. BY MORIAH RICHARD 76 FOR ALL AGES: Parents as Publishers CEL BY CHELSEA TORNETTO 63 CONFLICT AVOIDANCE 78 FRONTLIST/BACKLIST: Over the Moon BY KAREN KRUMPAK BY AMY JONES Plus: 4 Learn by Example § Editor's Letter 6 Contributors 88 Creative Quill Wr ie SF 47908449 0 Cen Aan e E : tra Meh Mam ae Spee wl ea! WietosDigor.am | 3LEARNBYEXAMPLE Characterizing Through Relationships COMPILED BY JESSICA STRAWSER fol) Fie MISSED rs cra a4 relied Peas pe true . §=YOU ‘Today is her forty-fifth birthday. She finds it hard to believe. Once shed been young and shel thought forty-five would come slow and. impossible. Shell thought forty-five would be another world, But it came fast and its not what she thought it would be. She glances at Walter, at the fading glory of him, and she wonders how different things would be if she hadn't met him. —None of This Is True, Lisa Jewel thrill) ‘Two words ended the fight, one on ‘each side. Brett called Sunna jeal- ous, and Sunna called Brett fake, and though both women had used many worse words than those throughout the course of the fight, those were the ones that rang in the air like gunshots, As the saying goes, the truth hurts, Sorry I Missed You, Suzy Krause (book club fition) ‘The way Henry talks about him isa physical feat, drifting up in the cor- ners with fondness but sagging in the middle under the weight. —Red, White & Reyal Blue, Casey McQuiston (romance) ‘Mama always said the way to keep peace with white folks was to be avail- able and invisible at the same time. Yellow Wife, Sadeqa Johnson (historical fetion) [felt betrayed, the way you do when you discover that your cat has a secret secondary life and is being fed by neighbors who call him some- thing stupid like Calypso, Worse is that he loves them as much as he loves you, which is to say not at all, really. The entire relationship has been your own invention. Calypso, David Sedaris (essay collection) ‘ianlate J Good marriages are never as inter- estingas bad affairs. Ann Patchett —Tom Lake, ‘Ann Patchett {literary fiction) Thave no idea what a healthy marriage is. My parents did noth- ing but argue until the day my dad had a heart attack and dropped dead at the din- ner table. Mid-fight, of course, My grandma said, “He died doing what he loved. Eating baked ziti and yell- ing at your mother” —"Model Home, J Courtney Sullivan (short fiction) Her whole life, Ricki’ sisters had roasted her for being too flighty, too messy, too much—and she pre- tended not to care. But it secretly stung. It plagued her, the fear that her personality would test the patience of everyone she knew. —A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, Tia Wiliams (contemporary fiction) Ashe read, [fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. —The Fouttin Our ‘Stars, John Green (young adult fiction) Jessica Strawser(JessicaStrawsercom) is editor-at large for WD and the author of popular book club novels, including the Book of the Month selection Not That | Could Tell and the People magazine pick The Next Thing You Know. Her sith novel, The Last Caretaker, just released in December from Lake Union, 4-1 WRITER'S DIGEST | Moy/June 2024WRITER'S DIGEST [AN ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA PUBLICATION. EDITORAN-CHIEF SENIOR EDITOR Robert tee Brewer MANAGING EDITOR errors Sede Dean Micheal Waodon EDITORIAL INTERN Harnsh Speer [ART DIRECTOR ‘Wendy Dunning EDITORS.AT-LARGE Tiler Moss Jdessice Stowser ‘CONTRIBUTING EDITORS dane K Cleland, Bob Ecksten, Estelle Erasmus, Jane Friedman, Sharon Short Elaabsth Sms, Jf Somers, Kara Gebhar Uhl Ryan . Van Cleave, ‘Don Vaughan, Ran Walker MARKETING DESIGNER ‘Somantha Weyer COMPETITIONS MANAGER Tra Jobson VP GENERAL MANAGER Tayior Stor WRITER’s DIGEST EDITORIAL OFFICES PO. Box 42534 Cincinnat, Oia 45242 [ADVERTISING [NATIONAL ACCOUNT SALES MANAGER ‘Apa Krueger (75) 318-0996 ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR “ule Dillon 71) 287-6028, fase (715) 997-3663 Idilon@simmedia com ‘CUSTOMER SERVICE 2143 Grand ve, Des Moines, ow 50312 subseriptions@aimmedia.com ‘real (000) 333-0133 PRIVACY STATEMENT ‘ied. com/iecy-poliy COPYRIGHT: 2028 by Active Interest Media HoldCo, ine, Des Mines, low This pblieation may nat be reproduced, thor nhl cpa in any form witha ‘itten permicslon fam the pbliaher EDITOR’SLETTER The Heart of the Matter Tam conflict-averse, and I hate confrontation. Generally, I try to avoid both at all costs. That’s probably not the best way to live life, and its cer- tainly not the best way to write a book. Oris it? At first glance, it would seem that a book without conflict wouldn't really have much going on, atleast not in the way of keeping a reader’ attention. But the more I think about it it’ the characters who go out of their way to avoid conflict that find themselves in the thick of a conflict that needn't have happened. to begin with. Of course, its not really the conflict they’e trying to avoids it’s the negative emotions that go along with it. Take romance novels: Two people start to have feelings for each other, but a misunderstanding of some sort ‘occurs, and rather than deal with it outright and risk being hurt, one of the characters makes an assumption (that the person doesn't actually like them, that the person intentionally hurt them, etc). Spoiler alert: That assumption is always wrong. It isnt until a well-meaning friend or family member talks, sense into the character that they risk the negative feelings and force a con- frontation. At this point, all is made well. Hello, HEA. In these stories, its the emotional avoidance that leads to conflict. That's why we've paired these two topics together: It’s practically impossible to have ‘one without the other. In this issue, Peter Mountford demonstrates how to write the hardest emotions without falling prey to over-sentimentality. Rob Hart examines the structure of Kung Fu movies and musicals to show how you can heighten and lower reader emotions for ultimate impact, Plus, Jane K. Cleland rounds up advice from nine bestselling authors on how they use conflict to keep readers turning pages. ‘This issues cover interview features Alyssa Cole, the award-winning New York Times bestselling novelist who has found success writing historical fic~ tion, romance, and thrillers. Her newest thriller, One of Us Knows, is a mas- terclass on how to manage writing both internal and external conflict that occurs simultaneously. “The editors of WD would like to offer our congratulations to two WD. competition winners. Bea Northwick won the 11° Annual WD Self-Published E-book Awards for her gothic romance The Cruel Dark. And, Katie Love won the 4" Annual WD Personal Essay Awards for her essay “Killer Punchline: ‘Comedy-Tragedy in the Dating World” Asalways, no May/June issue of WD would be complete without the Annual 101 Best Websites for Writers. This year, we've included 12 new web- sites to help you or inspire you in your writing practice Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a months-old conflict waiting in the wings that I need to tend to Yours in Writing, WietosDigorsam | 5CONTRIBUTORS EVE J. CHUNG is a Taiwanese American human rights lawyer focusing on gender equality and women’ rights. ‘She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs. ROB HART (RobWHart.com) is the author of Assassins Anonymous, as well as The Paradox Hotel, which was nominated fora Lambda Literary Award, and The Warehouse, which was published in more than 20 countries. He also wrote the Ash McKenna series, the short story collection Take-Out, the novella Scott Free with James Patterson, and the comic book Blood ‘Oath with Alex Segura. He is currently a writing mentor in Seton Hill University’s MEA program, CHELSEA TORNETTO (ChelseaTornetto com) isa former teacher turned author. Her first book, Conquering Content Vocabulary, was published by Scholastic in 2018, but now her passion is picture books. She is the author of Gardens Are for Growing (Familius, 2022) and Gad Made You ‘Too (WorthyKids, 2022), with more titles on the . ‘way, When she ist working on her own stories, she helps others follow their dreams of weiting for children as. freelance editor and author coach for At Home Author: Chelsea lives in Jackson, Mo, with her husband, ‘Mike, and her two kids, Tessa and Milo, She loves snow days, lattes, and Target. She hates spiders, her sinuses, and laundry. WAYNE LEE (WayneLeePoet.com) lives in Santa Fe, NM. Lee's poems have appeared in Pontoon, Slipstream, ‘The New Guard, The Lowestoft Chronicle, and other journals and anthologies. He was awarded the 2012 Fischer Prize and has been nominated for 1 Pushcart Prize and three Best of the Net Awards, Hiscollection The Underside of Light was a finalist for the 2014 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award. His collection Dining on Salt: Four Seasons of Septets will be published in 2025 by Cornerstone Press. 6 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2024 ™» ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA ‘Andrew W. Churman em Znbai I CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Brian Van Hewerswyn CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Baar Siri (CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Gary DeSancti SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING ‘Amanda Prlips VICE PRESIDENT, CIRCULATION Paige Nordmeyer ‘SALES OPERATIONS LICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS “hb VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Ashley MacDonale VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGY & RESEARCH DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES ‘eott Roeder DinecroR, PRODUCTION Phi Grahame RETAIL SALES: DIRECTOR, INFORMATION ‘TECHNOLOGY Andie Stuck oN HOME GROUP [ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT Rob Yagil DIRECTOR, SALES OPERATIONSGrand Prize AiMArob ita aye) Aetcoe eB oe ‘cot SNR aer ea etassa cll a ctSeptet as Memoir Poet Wayne Lee set out on a journey to write nothing but septets for a year—not knowing it would help him grapple with one of the most emotionally challenging years of his life. BY WAYNE LEE nold poet friend commem- orated his 60" birthday by publishing a chapbook of sestets. I liked the idea, so in 2018, when I started my 70" year on this planet, I decided to write a collec tion of septets. I took my friend’s idea ‘a couple steps further, though, by imposing upon myself the rather dra conian discipline of writing nothing but septets for the entire year. When I started my septetathon, there was no way I could have fore sseen what a dramatic—and trau- matic—12 months it would prove to be. Some things were known. I had been a caregiver for my dis- abled wife for 20 years, and I was burned out. Alice had a terminal, genetic, neurological condition called Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, and her health had deteriorated to the point where we had to put her in an assisted living facility in Portland, Oregon. I was renting a room in a farmhouse 23 miles away, driv- ing back and forth to care for her. It had been a long, exhausting ordeal 8 | WRITERS DIGEST | May/June 2024 watching my life partner and fellow poet lose so many of her gifts and abilities, Still, I thought we had at leasta few more years together. ‘Then, one afternoon three months into my project, the unknown hap- pened when Alice swallowed enough pills to end her life—without telling me. I spent the next nine months try- ing to cope with the shock of that Joss, stumbling through my grieving process and doing my best to recreate iy life as a widower. Capturing the upheaval of that year in seven-line capsules was a challenge. It forced me to crystalize my thoughts and feelingsand, in the process, helped me digest them in bite-sized bits rather than choking on the enormity of it all. It didn't take long before I became ‘enamored of the power and poten- tial of the many septet variations. ‘Their compact size struck a balance between the mini satori of the haiku and the classical architecture of the sonnet, At first, I wrote all my drafts in free verse. Then I began research. ing traditional, seven-line forms to see how other writers had worked with them, I discovered a rich body of literature dating back more than 800 years. Let me offer a brief history les- son. Thirteenth-century Italian and French writers preferred the rime royal (seven iambic pentameter lines rhyming ababbec) for cer- emonies, especially those celebrat- ing the arrival of royals into cities, as well as for mock ceremonies at guild festivals. Influenced by them, Geoffrey Chaucer used the form his 8,239-line epic poem “Troilus and Criseyde” He also employed the form in four of his “Canterbury Tales” Over time, poets began experi- ‘menting with variations. Lord Byron, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. and even. J.R.R. Tolkien employed or coined new heptastichs. ‘The seven-line format has enjoyed a modest renaissance in the late 20" and early 21* centuries. Anna Akhmatova, Richard Garcia, Sherman ‘Alexie, and other contemporary poets, have dabbled in some of those forms, particularly the evening, As [unearthed more and more of the forms, I gained great respect for the precision and restraint required to work within their tight strictures, When the turbulent 12 months ‘of my discipline came to an end, 1 culled the 275 and compiled 79 of them into a col- lection I called Dining on Salt: Four Seasons of Septets (to be published by Cornerstone Press in April 2025). Among those poems are examples of 20 of the 40 traditional and contem- porary forms I discovered. My manu- script also includes two indexes, “A Brief History of the Septet” and “A Compendium of Seven-Line Forms” Heres a Spanish septet from the collection: What Lies Within Before | open my eyes, peer into hers to see if can share her dream, Deep inside the Earth 1 gemstone glstens on @ moonless night Beneath the waves, a blind fish finds its way. In the darkness we merge and what we cannot see disappears Dining on Salt isa memoir- in-verse,a fairly straightforward, chronological sequence of poems that chronicle one year of my life. [have also included 14 of those heptastichs in Service Husband: A Caregiver's Journey Through Disability, Suicide and Recovery, a memoit-with-verse I started writing six months after Alice died. Incorporating short poems a standard memoir is not nearly as straightforward as building a memoir with nothing but poems. Its abit like including Polaroids in an exhibition of large-format photographs: the sub- ject matter might be the same, but the size and scope are radically different. ‘The prose depicts the big picture, like standing in the center of the gallery and following the narrative by moving from one piece to the next around the room, The poems invite the visitor to step closer to individual images, creat- ing a more personal relationship with them and affording a new perspective on the exhibition asa whole. Let me give you a few examples. About two-thirds of the way through the story, at the point where Alice has moved to assisted liv- ing because her caregiving needs exceeded what I could handle alone, I write this: Our nightly routine was for me to wheel her into the bathroom around 10 or 10:30, change her pullup and help her into her pa- jamas, then help her into bed. | would read to her until she drift- ed off, then kiss her goodnight. Had [ended the chapter right there, it wouldn't have had nearly the impact it has by adding this septet: Reading to My Wife Will you read to me? she asks when she can't sleep. Will you read from Peter Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh? So sit by her bed rail and narrate again the tales she knows so well, until the meds kick in, until she closes her eyes, clutching her fevorite bear. ‘That pre-bedtime bathroom ritual is recalled again a few chapters later. This, time, Im visitng AliceS apartment the day after she has taken her ite: | fick on the bathroom light. The pill bottle still sits by the sink, white pills still lying on the floor. Itsmells like piss. Rosa has peed outside the catbox again. | tear up, remembering a tender mo- ment Alice and shared in the bathroom a few months earlier. ‘The “tender moment” is amplified by ending the chapter with a poem that harkens back to our early days and WiitesDigertcom 19inkwell provides a dramatic contrast between that first blush of love and the first wave of grief following Alice’ death. What a Wonderful World I hold your waist as you transfer from wheelchair to toilet seat, pull down your wet pullup and pajama bottom, replace them with a cry diaper and clean cotton pants. We stand lke that for one siveet moment, your forehead pressed against my chest, swaying to that frst slow dance in the park. Then, toward the end of the mem- oor, loverhear Alice as she speaks about me from beyond. The chapter, “Alice in the Bardo? ends like this: “hope he keeps talking to me. | like hearing from him. | like the sound of his voice. | still need his love and I'm not ready to let him 40 yet. So Ill sign off for now, but I'l be here next time Wayne calls, myname.” Kumbhaka (Sanskrit for “the retention of the breath in the hatha yoga practice of pranayama”) In that scant pause between breaths, after you push the air from your lungs land before you pull it in again— ‘that is when the miracle occurs, ‘We die so many deaths on our path, but always we are reborn. spent a billion years in the bardo learning to turn stone toflesh. “In my spare time, I write reviews on Goodreads.” Bob Ecket isa New York Times bestseling author and a cartoonist. His new book is Footnotes From the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments From People Who Love Museums. 10 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2028 Concluding the chapter with this poem allows meas memoirist to use the metaphor of the “pause between breaths” to allude to my spiritual experience in a way that transcends rational thought or lived experience. Sure, Service Husband would work asa straight memoir, sans verse. But Alice and I were partners in poetry. ‘We wrote together, did readings together, edited each other's work. ‘The essence of who we were could only be captured by including poems by both of us. The challenge was to use those poems sparingly and place them strategically so as to enhance, not interrupt the narrative flow. Septets proved to be the ideal poetic form to accomplish that feat, brief enough to not disrupt the pace, yet powerful enough to heighten the impact ofthe storytelling If Shakespeare had built his son- nets as a duodora, using two sep- tets instead of three quatrains anda couplet, perhaps heptastichs would have remained as popular as son- nets, villanelles, imericks, and other line-count forms. It is my hope that Dining on Salt and Service Husband ‘might reinvigorate interest in this dynamic, concise family of poems, May it inspire other poets to try their hand at the many existing variations, and perhaps even create their own new inventions. Wayne Leo WayneLeePost.com) lives in Santa Fe, NM. Lee's poems have appeared in Pontoon, Slipstream, The New Guard, The Lowestoft Chronicle, and other jour nals and anthologies. He was awarded the 2012 Fischer Prize and has been nominated for a Pusheart Prize and three Best ofthe Net Awards. His collection The Underside of Light wasa finalist for the 2014 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award. His collection Dining on Salt: Four Seasons of Septets will be published in 2025 by Cornerstone PressWRITER'S DIGEST OMPETITIONS May 31, 2024 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Win $10,000 in cash, national acclaim, and a trip to the Writer's Digest Conference! GRAND PRIZE: ENTER IN ONE (OR MORE!) $10,000 in cash OF OUR CATEGORIES: A feature article about you and your sy Early ReaderiChildrene care Booka Cao cay + Middle-Grade/ Young Adult Books A paid tip to the Writer's Dig cena eae Estero erry edo + Inspirational/Self- Help Plus an additional $10,000 in cash + Memoirs/Life Stories and prizes for category winners! + Nonfiction/Reference Books Ser mee eens otis en eaten eee em eee eer WritersDigest.com/SPBAenkuell Hilarity With a Side of Heartbreak Katie Love, first place winner of WD's 2023 Personal Essay Awards, shares how she walks the line between comedy and tragedy in her writing. BY MORIAH RICHARD ‘man and woman meet on a dating app. They see each. other for a few months. “Then an argument over politics reveals that the man is a convicted felon who served 24 years for murder. Youll think it were fiction ifit wasnit entered in a personal essay ‘competition. And more surprising than the plot twist is that the essay— titled “Killer Punchline: Comedy: ‘Tragedy in the Dating World” —is funny. A lifelong writer, Katie Loves résumé features a good many years as a corporate copywriter and freelance journalist, as well asa screenwriter and memoirist. She has explored the ins and outs of storytelling from ‘every angle and has a feel for when. something will reach out and grip an audience with both hands. So, a year after that ill-fated romance ended and Katie found herself bursting into tears retelling the story to a fellow comedy writer, she thought, Maybe there’s sonte- thing here. “When I think about my very early writings, from English class in, you know, seventh grade, the hero always won, but wow, did they have a tough time!” Love says, * written froma place of comedy- tragedy. Those two balls are always in the air” so T've always 12 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2028 She acknowledges that there's a delicate balance between writing a funny essay about a disastrous rela tionship and honoring the fact that this man is a real person with a real past, no matter how complicated, and that there was a very real victim. She discusses how she overcame her fear of upsetting those she was writing about while she drafted her memoir, Two Tickets to Paradise: From Cult to Comedy. “You have to be extremely careful about writing from a narrative place that would live inside someone elses heart, someone else's experience, someone else's mindset” she says. “You don't even really want to narrate ‘or comment on your own narration. You want to present what happened, and everything is through your lens And when you do that, it Keeps it clean, and you lose the feat.” Perhaps the most poignant ‘moment of “Killer Punchline” is when Love finds herself grappling with the reality of her casual ex- paramour’ past. But even then, she anchors the essay firmly in her point of view.The more | tried to articulate my feelings, the more my mind filled with imagery. | pictured the fam- ily of the slain victim, gathering around on the day of the shoot ing, holding on to each other, and holding on to the hope that maybe one day they could make sense of this terrible thing, this life interrupted and perhaps find forgiveness. Or not. | imagined him getting on a bus the day of his release, disoriented, knowing no one, no longer a hopeful col- lege student, but a man, broken, calloused, regretful, unsure of the next turn, white-knuckling the steadying pole as the bus round- ed another corner to his new-old life. The harsh angles of the prison yard fading in the distance, t00 foreign against a sweet sum- ‘mer sky. | saw him looking out the window at terrain he hadn't seen in 24 years. How the landscape must have changed, how houses must have sprung up, been torn down, and rebuilt. | imagined the spirit of his victim sitting next to him on that bus, looking out the window at an empty, open road, its forks remaining unexplored “In this essay, I tick a lot of boxes. it really is a multi-pronged issue. Isittrue that we are who we attract? ‘Well, I'm not a murderer, so no, But what about him attracted me? ... And will there ever be enough time to compensate for the loss of a life? He served his time, and he was very remorseful. Does that matter? Does it ‘matter to the victim’ family? I don't know. But these are the questions that I want the reader to answer for themselves” Stll, the essay ends with a humor- ‘ous note, a hug from a loved one after stumbling offan emotional rollercoaster: “Sweetie, it’s not like you dated murderer on purpose,” my comedy colleague offered. "Why all the shame? I mean, it’s not ike you put your profile up on E-Felony and now you'll only date people in orange jumpsuits. Ser ‘ously. You saw a photo you liked. You swiped right. You went out for tacos, How is this your fault?” No—of course it wasn’t my fault, l reasoned, but | hadn't been able to define that while ‘caught up in the concept of "we are who we attract.” Had | heard that in a life coach sermon or read itin a romance guide? | couldn't remember, but | knew | would need to unhinge that sidecar of shame to move forward. | had also experienced a seismic shake- up of my romantic identity. The bawdy comedienne with a surplus of dating stories and supposed prowess had just discovered that her heart was not as casual as she had once believed. “Wait,” said, brushing a tear from my cheek. "Did you just say E-Felony? That's funny!" “Tve always had a hard time not finding the funny? Love admits. “I finally embraced it; I saw that it was an asset instead of something that I needed to resist” Love's first place win netted her $2,500, a paid trip to the Writer's Digest Annual Conference, and more. But, funny enough, she entered the competition on a whim. After writ- ing the essay, Love approached a few media outlets to publ felt it was a good fit for one reason or another. The essay sat, waiting, for a few years, it, but never “Lwas reading through my emails when I saw the personal essay con- test deadline, and I was just like, “If ever you wanted to win a contest, this ‘would be it. Yeah. I've got the submis- sion fee, I'm just going to do it!” For any aspiring essayists out there, she offers these words of advice: “Don't worry so much about the end result, and who's going to be your reader, and where will it get published, and how much will I get paid, ... Just ask yourself, What's the most important thing I want my reader to know from reading this piece? What must they walk away ‘with? And it takes down the chatter and calms your mind” THE WINNERS 41. “Killer Punchline: Comedy- Tragedy in the Dating World” by Katie Love 2. “Life According to the Saffi- Simpson Wind Scale” by Wendy Hawkes 3. “My Secret Year” by Deb Lehman 4. "Your Rings and Your Wallet” by Mary Reed 5. “AHand to Hate or Hold” by Nikki Compo. 6. “Bar Mitzvah Boy" by Gerald Marsh 7. "Button and Blue" by Dorothy Wills Raftery 8. “Counting to Four” by Anne Falkowski 9. “Heavy Like the Moon” by Madeline Miles 10."Partner in Progress” by Me Verbout ‘Moriah Richard isthe managing editor of WD. WiitesDigortcom 113COMBINING POEMS AND EMOTION Writing poetry is very helpful for processing emotions. Fall head over heels in love? Write a poem. Tumble down the stairs of a broken heart? Write a poem. Get in a heated argu- ment? Write a poem. Dealing with the aftermath of a tragic event? Write a poem. Personally, because Tim a human being, I've faced all these situ- ations (and more) at one point or another, and yes, I've written poems while processing each. Writing poems—drafts that will never see the light of day—has ben- ‘fitted my mental health a great deal over the years. On the page of a journal or in a Google doe, I can rant, rave, praise, and confront all the ‘emotions swirling within myself as they overtake me. There is nothing \wrong with this; rather, everything is right with processing your emo- tions and excavating those feelings. But you don't share a rough gem with the world; you cut it and polish it first. So, how do we write poems that touch others? ‘There are many ways to begin writing a poem: You could start with ‘an image, or a bit of language that is sonically pleasing, But for the pur- poses of this exercise, we're going to dive into emotion first—using Robert Los No matter what you write, a bit of poetic license can be a valuable asset to any writer's arsenal. BY ROBERT LEE BREWER ‘examples of going from emotion to a bit of poetry. Emotion #1: I'm in love. How's it feel? I feel so alive and ‘ant stop thinking about the person. In my initial poetry journal, might set off writing lines that explicitly say who T'm in love with and describe her various features and qualities and that I think about her on the bus, in meetings, and on walks. That’ all very interesting to me but nothing too poetic for others. So, I take the feeling I have and try to «give it an image, something like the following: | wait beside the tree on the edge of the field as cherry blossoms bloom in the wild spring air ‘and her face in the clouds asks me what | will do While this is not an entire poem, this now gives me an image to use as 1 springboard into a poem. Or mayb this is how I end the poem, wonder- ing what I will do. The main point is that I've gone from saying “I love (blank)” and listing features to show- ing how I feel. Emotion #2: I'm depressed, How's it feel? I feel so empty inside, fewer ie senior editor of WD and author of The Complete Guide of Poste Forms. Depression hits everyone in ‘unique ways, and for me, its usu- ally just this overwhelming force that feels like it wor't stop pushing down on me. And I can write that in my poetry journal, but its very abstract. So, after trying to find an image to describe this feeling, I might land on: the river collects every fallen leaf ‘and carries them downstream toa new port oF maybe to be submerged in the cold, murky water swirling over stone smoothed by the relentless pressure of gallon upon gallon of water, ike worry, ‘always threatening to run past the bank Again, this is nota finished poem, ig place of capturing that overwhelming, abstract feel- ing and giving it a form, From this spot, Ican now add and subtract and continue the work of crafting a poem that will not only help me process my emotions but maybe touch someone else as wel. ‘As an exercise, take an emo- tion you're currently feeling or have recently felt and try finding an image that captures but it isa start ‘SHARE YOUR POETIC VOICE: If you'd like to 2ee your poem in the pages of Writer's Digest, check out the Poetic Asides blog (WrtersDigest.com/writs-better-postry/postry-prompts) and search for the most recent WD Postic Form Challenge 14 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2028Wrete 2t-Crct- Writing prompts to boost your creativity BY AMY JONES ne of the things articles in this issue challenge writ- ers to do is to express a character's emotions without specifi cally naming the emotion (i.e, not writing: “He was angry”). Write a sbout each image that will show readers what emotion your character or the people in the images could be feeling by describing things like physiological responses, body language, gestures, etc. WD BY I mh few sentence i ‘Amy Jones is editor.in-chi of WD. WiitesDigortcom 115INDIELAB New rules. New strategies. New paths to success. BY JEFF SOMERS Don’t Let the Machines Win How to Handle Al-Related Depression have been engaged in a years- Jong war with Grammarly over the phrase “in order to’ occasionally use the grammar- checking site in my freelance writing work as a kind of “super spellcheck?” and every time it highlights the phrase and suggests, pretty sternly, that I reduce it down to “to” And just about every time, I refuse. Is “in order to” a clunky phrase? Sure. But I'm a rhythm-focused writer? and sometimes the extra syllables work best. Does this constant struggle against a robot copyeditor occasionally spiral ‘me into an existential depression where I question not just my ability to write well but also my fashion sense, interior design taste, and overall riz? Yes, And its not just Grammarly—there is an endless list of writing tools out there, ranging from spelling and grammar checks intelligence (AI) generative tools ChatGPT. ‘These tools can't replace human writers and editors—just ask all the companies that have suffered PR disasters when AI-written dreck hits their content channels. But it can be very helpful, pointing out mistakes, highlighting areas for improvement, and doing basic research. But they can be detrimental to your confi- dence when they endlessly com- plain about your work. To use them without losing all your confidence or producing work that reads like a competent robot drafted it, you need to approach these tools in the right way. YOU DOING YOU Sometimes you encounter people who think of writing like source code—they believe that every linguistic situation has the same will always redline the same grammar or vocabulary choice and insist itis a mistake instead of a choice, no matter the context, But your, et, exotic grammar ideas,* affection for oddball SAT words, or resistance to the so-called “rules” of writing is the very DNA of your style and voice—what makes your work unique. ‘This is why I stand on a lonely hill named In Order To and rage against Grammarly. These tools try very hard to corral your writ- ing tics and smooth your writing into a grammatically correct haze that reads exactly like everyone elses writing—and makes you feel like a loser who can't put together « proper sentence This is an even bigger problem when it comes to Large Language Models (LLM) like ChatGPT or Bard. Yes, itisamazing that these tools can write an original to the slightly creepy artificial solution. These are the folks who article in seconds that is coherent 1._-Aleo the term Somersian, which tsilinsss ent thing ro matter how often lenplin the concept 2. youare right now imagining me dancing madly, furiously typing tothe beat, you are my kindof people 3. Since this was recently selected as fers word ofthe year, ee ike t'sne longer a cool buzzword and thus safe for aman of my vintage to use with aarnight 4 Iwi diecon ths hilt Em dashes are alays appropriato—and the more of them the beter. 5. Asmy wife, The Duchess, wil tell you, have more unearned confidence than most human beings, but even I start to question my biiance when a robot redines every other sentence nan ate | wrote 16 | WRITERS DIGEST | May/June 2028and even possibly useful—and that has prompted more than one writer to wonder if its time to reskill or st off that résumé for an office job. But reading AI-generated text is ultimately numbing because there are none of the stylistic variations, innovations, or crazy affectations that make human writing so darn interesting’ ‘The stuff these tools complain about in your writing may very well be what makes your writing great in the first place, Blindly following all that robotic advice about eliminat- ing wordy phrases or split infinitives will lead to work that could have been written by that robot, making you feel like afailure—and build- ing a case that a robot could do what you do. To avoid having your spirit crushed by that cold, unemotional (and unrelenting) criticism—and avoid turning your work into an eas- ily replaced lowest common denom- inator—the key is to use these tools with authority USE THOUGHTFULLY [didn't use the word authority randomly. When using any AI tool for your writing, you have to approach it as an expert, because ‘you're the one getting paid to write something, No matter how smart an Al tool might seem, it’s an illusion, a simulacrum of true intelligen fundamentally, it’s just a tool, and you have to use it the same way a carpenter uses a saw. This comes down to four basic principles: + DON'T DEFAULT To Al. The difference between a tool and a crutch is intentionality. If you over-rely on AI tools, your writing will have all of its interesting corners sanded off. There’ nothing wrong with using AI to augment your work—just dont turn it into a ‘magical text-generating box that does all the work for you. USE Al FOR THE BORING STUFF. Unless you fell into a writing career completely by accident and you're one of those writers who actually hates writing, keep the fun stuff for yourself: Use Al solely for the tasks you find tedious, like checking grammar, coming up with titles or dig- ging up references."° NEVER SPIN. Spinning is plagiarismis slightly fuzzier cousin—it’s rewording someone else text just enough to make itappear unique. It can happen 50, 50 easily when AI cheerfully offers you a fully formed and perfectly cromulent" sentence or paragraph to cut and paste, You should obviously never spin someone else's work, but {5 Ofcourse, aemy editors like to remind me ona routine bss, the line between interesting writing and torble ring is wafer thin 7. Thank goodness no one is researching how te buld robots that crnk whiskey and complain Zarcastcaly al the time od be in real ouble 8. Thisis something lknow about, 35 The Duchess wil toll you that have n pretending toknow things whi essential knowing nothing my entire fe 19. am famously terrible at coming up with Am Frou Yellow, fr roscone tat now My origina ile fortis article, for example, was incoherent 10, Although t's prebably a good idea to double check these references were not themselves ‘nvorted by an Al teetering on the edge of madness and system collapse 11. mean, wll Al obnoxiouslyineertthe word comulant into avery single exsay just because its a hilarious word? Ofcourse not. spinning AI text will just result bland, functional writing that will inspire your client or editor to wonder why they don’t just ay ChatGPT to do that workin the first place. DON'T BE AFRAID TO DISAGREE. Just because AI represents @ supercomputer trained on all of the world’ knowledge doesn’t mean it can't make a mis- take—or that it knows anything about writing. Ifan AI tool flags something and suggests a “cor- rection,’ take a breath and ask ‘yourself fits really a mistake, or if your unique, crunchy prose style has simply confused a humorless, brainless machine that judges everything via algo- rithms designed by folks who have never written a sentence in their lives. Artificial intelligence is here to stay and can be of great use in your writing. Ifit starts to make you feel depressed about your writing or your ability to make a living with it, just remember that your imperfections are what make your writing interesting—and that you're in charge, Jeff Somers (etfreySomers.com) mas ‘bom in Jersey City, New Jersey, and regrets nothing. He's published nine novels, dozens of short stories (most recently "The Little Birds,” published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine), ‘and isa full-time feelance writer dancing (figuratively for nickels tossed by oligarchs He's a contibuting editor with White's Digest and works this fact into every conversation no matter how inappropriate WietoDigortsom | 17INDIELAB | WORKSHEET 2. Do you feel comfortable using Al services for basic help with grammar and spelling (services like Grammarly or spell check)? If not, why not? If you've used them, are there sticking points you've noticed (e.g., “in order to")? 3. What tools or resources are at your disposal to use instead of Al tools? Are there grammar topics you need to brush up on to ensure program “suggestions” don't get the better of you? 4, Are there any tedious tasks that you might use Al tools for, to help you either save time or cre- ative energy (or both)? List them here. 18 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2024When Winter Comes; The Self- Publishing Blueprint (Nonfiction books for authors, horror, and sus pense fiction; Activated Authors [nonfiction}; Devil's Rock Publishing Ifction) WHY SELF-PUBLISH? In the begin- ning, I was just interested in learn- ing how books were made. I didn't just want to write stories, I wanted to understand the full process of creating a book (from paper types, to page sizes, to formatting, and covers). When I finally released my first book, I found that I loved the sense of control that came with self publishing, ... Ican build a career that centers itself on pleasing my readers and not having to worry about jumping over hurdles for gate- keeping publishers. HAD YOU CONSIDERED TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING? ‘Traditional publish ing never crossed my mind in the beginning. I wanted to write the sto: ries I wanted to write, and my focus wasn't on money or iences. Now, 10 years into my writing career, 'm exploring opportunities with more traditional channels (short story ‘markets, smaller genre publishers) 5a means to reach new readers and explore other publishing options. ... NDIELAB | AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT BY AMY JONES Daniel Willcocks WHEN WINTER COMES ike being able to approach pub- lishers on my terms and know that, even if my work portfolio, there are still plenty of options for my stories. st suited for their WISH I'D KNOWN: ‘The success of your first book does not dictate your success or value as a writer To build a successful self publishing career is to keep on writ- ing, keep on releasing, and keep on finding new readers, While tra- ditional publishing benefits from massive marketing budgets, we are smaller fish in the pond, biding our time, eating our kibble, and slowly growing bigger over time. The key to becoming a successful writer (no matter how you publish) is to embrace the path of perpetual learn- and keep ing, improve your crat writing. PUBLISHING ADVICE: It was from the moment that I stopped “trying” to be an author, and I started being my genuine, authentic self, that my career kicked off, In the beginning, ‘we writers spend a lot of time learn- ing and growing. We emulate other authors and “fake it until we make it? not understanding that the easi- est way to build a sustainable author career is to embrace who we really are, Once you can be your authen- tic selfin your books, and in com- municating with your readers, you find that marketing becomes easier, building your brand becomes easier, publishing strategies become easier, because you're building a career based on you. MARKETING STRATEGY: My main marketing strategies focus on build- ing my mailing list and sharing audiences with fellow authors. I have found services like StoryOrigin and BookFunnel a great way to get involved in group promotions, and I reach out regularly to podcasts and YouTube channels to meet other genre enthusiasts and find new readers. [also ensure that my books follow a pricing strategy that lures in new readers without sacrificing sales on later books (eg., 99p for a first in-series, then higher for the rest of the series). DON'T SKIMP ON: Do not skimp con the cover. The old adage states “Dont judge a book by its cover”— but that’s what the book cover is for. It doesn't matter how good your book is if potential readers aren't lured in by the cover. You don't even have to spend loads of money for a good cover. Ive spent any- where from £50 to £400 for covers, depending on the artist. WEBSITES: ActivatedAuthors.com DanielWillcocks.com WD ‘Amy Jones is editorin-chief of WD. WiterDigertsom 119|| WD101 Making sense of the publishing word. | BY DON VAUGHAN A Long-Haul Writer’s Lament Advice for Those at the Start got my start asa full-time Terre ye old—so long ago that I penned iy first articles with a goose quill ‘on parchment—and over the ensu- ing decades, I learned a thing or two about both the good and the bad of freelance writing, ‘When talking with writers who are new to the game, I try to accentuate the positive aspects ofthe job, such as the freedom to write on topics of personal interest and the satisfaction ‘of helping others through our work. But there are very real aspects of freelancing that can be frustrating and demoralizing, and sometimes make tus question why we stick with it. I don't like to focus on the nega- tive, but I feel it’s important to make new freelancers aware of what they're getting into, My intention is not to scare them off, but to open their eyes to the scammers and cheats and other bad actors who prey on inexperience. Hard lessons all, but hard lessons learned, and. lessons I would like to share. Foremost, its important to acknowledge that the profession of freelance writing today is evolving at a frenetic pace and that writers 20 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2024 entering now are doing so at the best of times and the worst of times. One illustrative aspect is the broad array of technology available to writers today. Certain platforms and tools can be extremely useful, but an equal number are designed only to separate you from your money. Examples include the many writing platforms that purport to make you rich via ad clicks and post views and subscription-based tools that claim to fine-tune your grammar and eliminate spelling errors. In addition, the recent advent of Al has added another layer of complexity to an already compli cated field, often forcing publishers, editors, and writers to react with little guidance. The influence of Al has grown so strong in such a short period of time that many publi- cations, including Encyclopedia Britannica, Writer’s Digest, have instituted strict rules against the use of Alin the writing of their content; it all must be human-generated. Rampant technological change is larkesworld, and just one challenge facing freelanc- ers new to the game. Once you have your foot in the door, be wary of scams and bad players. For example, you may be approached with writ- ing-related products and services that seem too good to be true— usually because they are. Before reaching for your credit card, do your due diligence. Look into the history of a company and those involved, and seek reviews online. Are customers satisfied or angry? In addition, disreputable editors may encourage you to work for free for the exposure; others will hap- pily publish your work but never pay you. I encourage my students never to work for free; ifan editor is being compensated, so should their contributors. To avoid nonpayment, I suggest working only for publica tions that have been around for at least a year and have a good repu- tation, If you're unsure, search the publication's name plus reviews to find out how well it treats its writers. Here are additional steps writers can take to ensure they are paid promptly: + At the time of assignment, ask your editor about the publica- tion's payment schedule, Some pay upon submission, others i a iupon acceptance, and others still upon publication. + Always submit an invoice when you deliver your article + Follow up with your editor immediately if your payment is late. In the majority of cases, a late payment is merely an accounting oversight. + Ifit appears that a publication intentionally trying to stiff you, fight with everything you have, Continue to demand your money until you receive it or the publication goes out of business. | speak from experience on this issue. Many years ago, a small start-up publication decided it wasn't going to pay me the $250 it owed me, and fed me continu- ous lies in the hope T would walk away. Instead, I became such a pest to the editor that she finally ‘wrote me a check from her per- sonal account to get rid of me. ‘Taking a problematic publication to small claims court is always an “option, but you have to ask your- selfif the amount due is worth the time and expense; usually its not. Another aspect of freelance ‘writing that has changed dramatically in recent years is the writer/editor relationship. It used to be that a professionally written query always received a yes-or-no response from an editor, but no longer. Increasingly, editors respond to a pitch only if they are interested, leaving writers who never receive a response to wonder if their proposals were received at all. 'm sympathetic to the fact that ‘many publications today are short staffed and underfunded, but I still find a lack of response to a proposal ‘unprofessional and disrespectful. It takes only a few seconds for an editor to let a prospective writer know they are not interested. But are they truly uninterested, or is our query simply buried in a huge pile along with all the others? Overworked editors typically review unsolicited pitches during their free time, sometimes leaving proposals unanswered for weeks or longer. My “personal best” is one year between submitting a pitch and receiving the assignment. ‘To ensure your proposal hasnt ‘merely been misplaced, send the edi- tor abrief follow-up inquiring about its status three to four weeks after first submission. When I do this, remind the editor ofthe essence ofthe pitch and offer to resend it if necessary. One ‘may asstime that an initial nonre- sponse automatically means the editor isnot interested, but Ihave received ‘many assignments after sending a follow-up email, Of course, if you receive no response to your follow-up, itstime to move on, Its important to go into free- Jance writing with eyes open, but dont let the negative aspects ofthe job keep you from finding success. ‘There are far more positive things about freelancing today compared to ‘when I first started, foremost being a dramatic increase in opportunities {for previously marginalized writers, including those of color, with disabili- ties, and with nontraditional gender identities. Almost daly, I receive blasts from print and online publications soliciting pitches from writers ofall backgrounds, eager for their unique voices and perspectives on the world. In fact, there are greater oppor- tunities today for everyone. Online ‘markets abound, but contrary to popular belief, print is far from dead. Established print markets continue to thrive and new print publications rely on freelance contributors to fill their pages, but remember my advice about letting a publication establish itself before pitching. When a new market goes under, it’s the freelance contributors who usually take the it. Successful freelance writers are driven to write, aflicted by a cre- ative urge nonwriters simply can- not understand, We see great ideas all around us, and are passionate about pursuing them, Every free lance writer enters the profession with their own dreams and goals, but you should never hesitate to ask for help along the way. Many established writers are eager to assist those at the start, and their advice and insight, honed by years of experience, can help new writers avoid common obstacles, pitfalls, and scams. So, how might an aspiring writer connect with a prospective mentor ora community of fellow writers? ‘Mentoring relationships commonly start at writing conferences, book signings, and other events where writ- ersmeet and mingle. Takeadvan- tage ofall offers of assistance because you will benefit from an established writer’ expertise and perspective. ‘What are the best ways to approach an editor? What are the most benefi- cial writing tools fora freelancer at the start? Will writers who develop expertise ina particular subject area be in higher demand? The answers to these and other pertinent ques- tions will help guide you toa sucvess- ful career, at which point perhaps you will become the mentor. WD Don Vaughan is afreclance writer based in Raleigh, N.C. His work has appeared in ‘The Saturday Evening Post, Scout Life, WD, Encyclopedia Britannica, and MAD ‘Magazine, He's the founder of Triangle Association of Freelancers (TAFNC.con WirsrsDigrtsom | 21WRITERSONWRITING Eve J. Chung hen I wrote Daughters of Shandong, my biggest challenge was finding a ‘way to convey, in full force, the grav- ity of what my characters overcame. In that sense, I was terrified of fail- ing to do them justice. Writing is not something I'm accustomed to think- {ng about—it’s impulsive, a gravita- tional pull like rolling down the hill ‘Words spill out. They arent neces- sarily good, in fact early on theyre awful, but that first layer of frenzied sentences is akin to an ugly slab of lay. Once its down, I ean mold it have litle formal training in creative writing, but I have spent years of my life trying to use words to generate action. Asa human rights lawyer, I write every day. However, I usually must do so in a ‘way that focuses on facts. Human rights issues are politically sensitive, so it’s important to be precise and. accurate with accusations, with- ‘out exaggeration or inflammatory speech. This precaution often takes the emotion out of writing. My first drafts of Daughters of Shandong were, compared to my professional writing, emotionally charged. I was, therefore, surprised ‘when multiple people told me that there wasn't enough emotion! One beta reader said she didn't feel sorry for my main character, despite the fact that the girl was being tortured. Honest beta readers have been among my most valuable assets, because even though I wallowed in those critiques, I eventually worked 22 | WRITER'S DIGEST | May/June 2024 up the willpower to make major revisions. consulted with other writ- ers and realized that I tended to describe what was physically hap- pening to my characters without revealing their emotions—that my protagonists were devastated when they were left behind, for example, ‘That they were frightened when they were evicted. That they were heartbroken when their family didn’t want them back. One great piece of advice I got was to add perspective on what the characters ‘were thinking—that they won- dered whether the soldiers would Kill them, for example. That they suspected their family had forgotten them. ‘That they were certain escape ‘was impossible In addition to these techni- cal components, there was, for ‘me, an added element of make believe. There are some hardships iy characters faced which Thave also experienced, such as feelings of unworthiness for not being a son and disappointment with loved ones who perpetuate harmful gender norms, However, there are many types of suffering I am lucky enough to be ignorant of. In those cases, | tried to imagine myself going through that particular situation, How would I feel if | was on trial for my father’s crimes? And what would I say if got the chance to confront someone who had left me to die? Ultimately, I am someone who writes out of compulsion—there isa story that must be told, or someone who must be brought Awriter aa of fiction isa vessel that gives voice to those who otherwise would not have one. In that regard, its not so different from human rights work. To write, I converse with my characters throughout the day. In the grocery store for example, I consider what they might shop for. How would they handle being cut in line? What would they prioritize? As I get to know each character intimately, predicting their emo- tions becomes second nature. That is where my slab of clay comes from. It isa foundation, and with the right literary tools, [can manipulate my raw babbling into something that can be proud of—something that can evoke emotions, and something that might be recognized as art. Daughters of Shandong is a work from my heart, but it took con- scious effort for that to come across in my writing. Tam both grateful and excited to share it in its final form, shiny and glazed, with readers everywhere. WD 3 A Ban Eve J. Chung isa Teiwanese American human rights lawyer focusing on gender equality and women’s rights. She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs.MEETTHEAGENT BY KARA GEBHART UHL. Jennifer March Soloway ANDREA BROWN LITERARY AGENCY J ennifer March Soloway (she/her/hers) is a senior agent ABOUT ME “In addition to reading, | watch alot of horror movies. I love ‘the rush of feeling scared.” “My preferred mode of transportation is my bicycle. | Fide all over San Francisco,” with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Previously, she worked in marketing and public relations in a variety of industries, including financial services, healthcare, and toys. She has an MFA in creative writing and English from Mills College in Oakland and lives in San Francisco with her hus- band, their two sons, and a bulldog. “Tove to champion others? March Soloway says. “As an agent, I get to help people pursue their dreams. Ifs thrilling to FAVORITE call a client to let them know their project is going to get pub- BLOG: “Lately, 've been DRINK: “latte, ished, especially if weve been trying a while without luck One | reading and enjoying hot, no sugar" lished, especially if we've been trying a while without luck. Or reas client and Thad been on submission for two years. We came Foe etn ica! QUOTE: “Revision close several times, but something always seemed to fall apart. junkie)” fs magicall’ Yet my client never gave up. Together, we worked on countless revisions and kept trying new editors. When we got an offer, ‘we both broke down and wept with joy. ‘The offering editor was exactly the right person to champion the book. They under- lisence , CLIENTS WRITING TIPS stood the project and knew how to best postion it. Landing ‘vith them was worth our hard work and the long wait” Aten Tors, autor | “Shae you work th fou can fin rch Soloway at AndreaBrownLit.com an palate = ara et aarp aaa 4 | (Swoon Reads, 2020) | their feedback, especially ‘on X (Iitter) @marchsoloway their questions: Heed only the advice that resonates." kim Johnson, author of This Is My America (Rendom House "Save a few readers for Children’s, 2020) subsequent drafts, so they can have fresh eyes to catch anything you SEEKING “1 would love to find some more exciting adult literary thrillers and horrors. Throw in a dash of (bad) Jamison Shea, author romance, make me fall in love (or lust), and | will stay up all of | Feed Her tothe | ‘0 catch anything you night reading. lam also hungry for VA novels in any genre Beast and the SS voles (horror, thrillers, gothic, humor), but most of al, | would like to Beast Is Me cue find literary stories about ordinary teens dealing with lfe, family, relationships, sexuality, mental health, or recovery. The pandemic has been really hard on all of us but especially kids and teens. | think young readers are going to need to see their experience reflected on the page to know they're not alone and to see how someone else navigates the challenges of growing up.” (Holt, 2023) PITCH TIPS "The goal ofthe pitch isto raise @ question—or better yet, two more deeply compelling questions. Don't be afraid to include an early reveal; it will raise even more questions, (| promise you're not giving anything away,” IT WILL BE OK—TRULY! "It’s OK if you accidentally include the wrong sample. Feel free to withdraw the query with a quick explanation ‘Create a positioning statement, comparing your and then query me again with the right one... 'm happy to book to published books, aka ‘comp titles.” Look Sroregard the fat ond and tend the naw ques! for stories that have similar elements... The best comps will have large fan bases of readers that will be “Ws even OK if you query me too early with a project that needs | tracted to and want to read your novel ‘more polish... Fyou rewrite the opening pages and then send ime a terrific revision, | am going to be impressed with your “Add a line to your bio that connects you to your revising skills and your perseverance. And if like the new draft, | story that reflects the tone of the piece. will offer representation.” Kara Gebart Uhl is 2 writer, editor, and author of Cadi & the Cursed Oak (Lost Art Press WcersDigsteom | 23