WD Editors

Plot, character, scene. Any seasoned writer knows how to handle them. But what about the finer aspects of the craft that transform a novel or short story into a timeless masterpiece? With Between the Lines, author Jessica Page Morrell provides you with an unparalleled reference that includes:

• Step-by-step instructions focusing on the most difficult elements of fiction, including transitions, prologues, subtext, revelations, misdirection, and balance
• Strategies on blending these unique components seamlessly throughout a work
• Techniques for creating a cohesive and layered work that will turn casual readers into raving fans

Click here to view or download an excerpt from Chapter 2: Backstory, in PDF form.

Jessica Morrell will be teaching three workshops at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference (www.siwc.ca) in Surrey, British Columbia, this October. The workshops are:

• October 20 — Whispers: Theme and Premise in Fiction
• October 21 — The Sizzle: Suspense and Tension in Fiction
• October 22 — Secondary Characters: Love ‘em or Leave ‘em

John Hiatt is one of the outstanding songwriters interviewed in the upcoming Writer’s Digest book, Song: The world’s best songwriters on creating the music that moves us, edited by J. Douglas Waterman of American Songwriter magazine.

Hiatt has been writing songs for over thirty years and his songs have been covered by the likes of Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, Paula Abdul, B.B. King, and Jewel. Below is a short excerpt of Paul Zollo’s interview with John Hiatt. He’s truly a songwriter’s songwriter.

Check out the book on its homepage, and take a look at the 99 other fantastic songwriters featured in the book. It’s due out in December, and also available for pre-order on Amazon.

In addition, John Hiatt will be performing at Cincinnati’s Tall Stacks festival on Friday, October 6th.

Here are a few questions selected from the book.

Is songwriting for you more a sense of following where a song goes, or leading it?
Following it, totally. It’s like a trip. I don’t ever know what it’s going to be about. We make this shit up [laughs]. At least I do. It’s as much a surprise to me as anybody else when I’m done with it. It’s not like I have a strategy and have it mapped out. That’s what keeps me coming back.

You’re great at writing beautiful melodies. Any idea what makes a melody work?
No. It’s a mystery to me. I know there’s something about when I’m writing on acoustic guitar, something happens. There’s a resonance about the chords and the way my voice resonates, rubbing up against the chords, and the way it sounds in my head. I also like the way the back of the acoustic guitar actually feels up against me. This is part of the reason I’ve never been good at overdubbing my vocals.

You write so much. You’re so prolific.
Not really. People say that about me, but I think these craftsmen around here, in Nashville, my God, they make dates. These songwriters write three or four songs a day, these crazy people. I don’t know how to do that.

But they’re not songs like yours.
Well, it’s a different kind of thing. But, no, over the years I’ve done a little bit of it all. I’ve tried every conceit to try to trap a song, you know? [Laughs] But I’ve quit doing all of that. I just write when it comes.

Unlike a lot of songwriters who never surpass their early work, you’ve continued to keep a high standard.
I don’t really think about that. It’s all about the work in front of me. I get really involved in the process, I get real excited about the making of a record, getting involved with that group of musicians and/or that producer, and seeing what happens with the songs, the interpretations that ensue. I love the total experience. And then going out touring with that record is the culmination, that’s the cherry on top of the whole process, the final thrill. And then there is the end of that particular work. That’s its own reward. So when that’s done, it’s like, “Next!” [Laughs] So that’s kind of how it goes for me. It’s all about, let’s do another thing.

You’ve had a lot of covers of your songs. But when you write, do you write them for yourself?
Oh yeah. I’m just writing for the love of writing. It’s just the thing I do.

This past week, one of our most popular backlist books, Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell, was the best-selling title in the trade through the week ending Sept. 17. Click on the cover to read more about this title.

Lauren Mosko, editor of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, has created a new page dedicated to Breaking Market Updates.

Lauren says, “Few things are more frustrating for me than getting a call from an editor or agent with a crucial update to their listing the week after the new edition of NSSWM goes to press. I’ll use this page to help you keep track of the changes so publishing’s ‘revolving door’ doesn’t make your head spin. Pull out your 2007 edition and your black Sharpie marker …”

We received a few more precious photos from the Midwest Literary Festival. Click here to view them all. The photo above depicts the best literary band ever assembled.

Four Writer’s Digest editors attended the Midwest Literary Festival this past weekend. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Aurora with live music. View the clip below for a taste of the fun. (Joining us for dinner: Stephany Evans of the Imprint Agency, Regina Brooks of the Serendipity Literary Agency, and WDB author Hallie Ephron)

Also: Click here for still shots.

In the just-released Your First Novel, successful novelist Laura Whitcomb and distinguished agent Ann Rittenberg come together to demystify the writing and publishing process.

Throughout the first part of the book, Whitcomb, author of A Certain Slant of Light, examines fiction-writing fundaments such as plot, character, dialogue, and setting. Of subplot, Whitcomb says:

The rule is, if you can cut out a subplot and your main plot doesn’t fall apart, the subplot must go. Never put anything in your novel that’s not essential to your story. A subplot has to add something. And that something can’t just be more pages or characters. Some beginning writers will argue that a certain scene in which nothing vital happens is there because it helps you get to know the characters better. Still not good enough. Combine character-painting with vital plot pieces.

In the second half of the book, Rittenberg, agent to such best-selling authors as Dennis Lehane and Kathleen George, tells you what an agent can do for you, how to get one, and what happens after your book is accepted. Here’s a look at three query letter gaffes:

• Letters that start with a nugget of wisdom: “Every step we take in life moves us in a direction.”
• Letters with faint or very small type. You can assume that just about everyone in publishing suffers from eyestrain.
• Letters that make grandiose claims: “My novel will appeal to women, and since there are 150 million women in the United States, it will sell 150 million copies.”

Click here for online-exclusive chapter-coordinating quick tips and key points to remember!

In our Fall 2006 title Talk the Talk, readers can find the answers, as well as the nuanced meanings, of authentic slang and specialized vocabulary for 65 American subcultures. Organized by subculture, each section introduces the group and its key characteristics, then provides the key phrases and their specific meanings.

Click here to view or download several pages from inside the book, in PDF form!

Curious about our summer bestseller? Click here to view the first spread (starting with the letter “A”) in PDF form.

For the FIFTH (!!) week in a row, The Gilded Tongue by Rod Evans was the best-selling title in the trade through the week ending Sept. 10. Click on the cover to read more about this title.