(How to Break Into the Military History Market)

First, you must find magazines and websites open to freelance submissions for historical articles. However, some of them might only be open to voluntary contributions. To help you find more genuine potential article markets in the historical niche, these are some paying magazines and websites open to freelance submissions for history articles to check out.

Britain at War

Britain at War is a UK magazine devoted to British military history. It is a magazine that explores all aspects of British history from the 18th century up to modern times. This magazine aims to provide fresh perspectives on Britain’s wars throughout history. Britain at War is open to freelance submissions for Collections Museum profiles, historically related news, and feature pieces.

This magazine offers £50 per page for published articles. Britain at War uses direct bank transfer and PayPal for making remuneration transfers. You can pitch article titles to and ask the Britain at War editor for submission guidelines at john.ash@keypublishing.com.

Naval History

The Naval History magazine explores naval heritage from sail to the nuclear era. This magazine includes historic warships, naval battles (or campaigns), naval news, pictorials, book reviews, and aviation articles. Naval History is open to freelance manuscript submissions for articles that fit those topic categories.

The remuneration Naval History offers ranges from $60 to $150 per published page. It also offers $75 for a book review and $250-$500 for pictorial pieces. There is no minimum length requirement for Naval History articles, but the publication sets a 3,000-word maximum limit. Naval History instructs potential contributors to submit articles through its website portal (for which you’ll need to register on the magazine’s site) without pitching titles first.

Shipping Today and Yesterday

Shipping Today and Yesterday, which has recently merged with Sea Breezes, is a magazine that covers the history of civilian ships alongside present-day vessels. Although Shipping Today and Yesterday does include some navy features, this magazine is more slanted toward merchant shipping (ocean liners and cruise ships) than naval warfare. Shipping Today and Yesterday includes articles about ship history, the evolution of ports, and other maritime heritage stories.

I can confirm that Shipping Today and Yesterday currently offer £50 for articles included that are no longer than 1,000 words. However, pay rates can vary for articles eclipsing that length. This magazine utilizes PayPal for fund transfers. You can pitch article titles to the Shipping Today and Yesterday editor, David Sutherland, at david@shipping-magazine.com.

History of War

The History of War magazine covers military conflicts throughout all historical eras. This magazine includes features about major global conflicts and a Frontline section focused on more specific battles, campaigns, strategies, and equipment. Thus, military history is very much the heart of the History of War magazine.

(8 Tips for Writing Military History Articles)

History of War is open to freelance pitching, but does not accept on-spec article submissions. This magazine typically offers £10 per word (£10 per 100 words) for articles included in it. It accepts proposals for shorter Frontline articles, 800-900 words in length, or longer features between 2,000 and 3,000 words in length. Send your article pitches to Timothy Williamson at timothy.williamson@futurenet.com.

History News Network

History News Network is a website that aims to provide historical perspectives on current events in its regular newsletters. Its newsletters include reflection pieces that connect history with current events. Thus, HNN publishes articles that apply the present-day context to historical topics. History News Network is also open to freelance submissions for explainer, historiographical essay, and reconsideration articles.

The History News Network offers $375 for accepted articles, typically within the 1,000-1,500-word range. This website welcomes pitches and on-spec submissions for completed articles. The email address for sending pitches to HNN is pitch@hnn.org.

Listverse

Listverse is a well-established website based on list articles for a wide variety of subject categories, including history. A listicle article submitted to Listverse can be about any aspect of history, but must include the standard 10 listed things, persons, or events. Also note that Listverse has a preference for more offbeat and novel historical lists.

The Listverse site offers $100 for articles published. You’ll need a PayPal account to receive remuneration transfers from Listverse. Listverse instructs contributors to submit articles via this contact form page without pitching titles first. Read the Listverse author’s guide PDF document before submitting articles.

FlyPast

FlyPast is a leading magazine for aviation history, heritage, and restoration. This magazine provides detailed coverage of historic aircraft, especially those from the world war (1914 to 1945) and the Cold War (1945 to 1989) periods. It also includes museum visit, restoration spotlight, and airshow event coverage.

FlyPast publishes articles from freelance contributors and offers £60 per thousand words, with additional remuneration for original images provided. The articles it includes can vary in length from 600 to 3,500 words. Pitch your article title proposals for FlyPast to the tom.allett@keypublishing.com (Tom Allett) email address.

Cracked

OK, Cracked isn’t strictly a historical website, but it does include a Science and History section for more humorous articles. Cracked has a big appetite for history with a twist articles. This website includes historical nostalgia articles with amusing angles. For example, articles that debunk historical myths or highlight absurd realities from the past are more prevalent on Cracked.

Cracked proudly boasts that it’s one of the best sites for freelance article submissions. This website offers remuneration in a range of $100 to $250, depending on article length. Cracked also invites inexperienced prospective contributors to apply to be more regular columnists by sending samples to write@cracked.com. To propose Cracked article ideas, send your title pitches to workshop@cracked.com.

Ancient History

Ancient History is a magazine that provides broad coverage of the ancient world, typically in the Near East and Europe, such as the Roman, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations. This magazine covers cultural, political, religious, military, and daily life aspects of the ancient world. However, its Ancient Warfare sister magazine is more heavily focused on wars and battles. Ancient History is open to freelance submissions for articles about ancient times that aren’t related to the issues’ primary themes.

The Ancient History magazine offers 10 cents per word for most articles included. Ancient History articles are typically 1,750 to 2,750 words in length. Its submissions page instructs potential contributors to send pitches that include 250-word summaries for proposed articles. Send your article proposals to the editor@ancienthistorymagazine.com.

Strategy & Tactics Press World at War

Strategy & Tactics World at War is a magazine all about World War II. To be more specific, this magazine is about the strategy & tactics of World War II. So, articles submitted to it should discuss the strategic and tactical aspects of World War II battles and campaigns alongside what happened during them.

Strategy & Tactics offers 10 cents per word ($10 per hundred words) for articles published in World at War. This publisher sends credit memos that you can return for checks when your total article compensation exceeds $100. The Strategy & Tactics editorial email address to send World at War pitches is doccummins@decisiongames.com.

Strategy & Tactics Press also has two sister publications open to freelance contributors. The Strategy & Tactics magazine covers broad military history for all eras. Its Modern War magazine is about post-1945 warfare.

The magazines and websites above cover a broad range of history and offer reasonable remuneration for articles included. Some have submission guidelines on their websites (linked above), but there are a few that don’t. You can ask the FlyPast, History of War, Britain at War, and Shipping Today & Yesterday editorials for submission guideline details via email. Although those magazines and websites are currently open to freelance contributors, note that their remuneration rates offered and submission requirements are subject to change.

The post 10 Paying Markets for History Article Submissions appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Writing a Dual Timeline Novel Across Continents.)

Loosely based on the Starbucks, who were one of the founding families of Nantucket, and inspired by historical events—including the maiden voyage of the famous clipper ship, Flying Cloud—The Stargazer of Nantucket is a New England seafaring tale that blends the real with the imagined, bringing to life on the page a vast cast of characters set against the the dramatic, competitive clipper ship era.

How did I approach the seemingly overwhelming task of creating a vivid, realistic world in a time period I never experienced and on a journey I never undertook? And how to convey it all in a way that feels alive to readers? Below are five tips to consider when crafting a historical novel, each framed with a song title, because I love a little whimsy.

People Are People

The number one rule to remember: No matter when you are writing about, you should always prioritize who you are writing about, namely flawed human beings. Individuals with hubris, gratitude, humor, self-interest, naivete, and longing have been around since the beginning of time.

So, whenever I feel stymied by writing about, let’s say a clipper ship captain from 1851 who is hell-bent on winning the world record to San Francisco, I bring him down to earth and give him real personality traits. That vague “clipper ship captain” transforms into Peter Starbuck, a father who is angry at his daughter for disobeying his wishes (been there, done that as a daughter, and seen it in my own husband with my children), who is overextended financially (welcome to my world!) and stressed out by his leadership responsibilities (in over your head much?) and plagued by promises he made to literally everyone (including his exceedingly capable wife, Nell, who I totally relate to).

In that way, I can vividly picture Captain Peter Starbuck yelling at his crew on the deck of the Stargazer, overcompensating for any doubts he might be feeling—and so can my readers.

Let It Go

If you look under my desk, you will find no fewer than 36 books of research that I consulted before and during the two-year process of writing Stargazer. (Speaking of doing research, I just counted those books for you, since accuracy matters!) There are accounts of the clipper ship era, books about the gold rush, books about the history of America’s relationship with China, books about Nantucket’s relationship with China, books about tea, books about ship builders, books about women at sea, and on and on.

I never intended to become a writer of historical novels. I was writing—and failing at—contemporary novels when my second agent suggested I write about Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, something I had pitched to her on a whim. The research seemed daunting, until I reminded myself that I had spent 10 years writing a dissertation. And you know what a dissertation is? Research and writing. Perhaps I had all the skills I needed to be an author of historical novels, but just lacked the confidence to believe in myself.

So, I read and read—and then one day, decided I knew enough background information to begin writing. And you know what you have to do to begin writing a historical novel? Forget the research. Otherwise, you end up teaching history on every page, instead of letting the characters live in a world that shows readers the past. It took a while for me to figure out the right balance of world-building without overdoing it (and whole days lost to Googling topics like, Did Nantucket have street lamps in 1846? Indoor plumbing?) and whenever I found myself “explaining” too much, I hit delete and trusted in both the reader—and in myself.

Grease Is the Word

Speaking of…how to capture the voices of the past? Should an old-fashioned book sound old-fashioned or more modern? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in-between. In Daughters of Nantucket, one of my main characters was a true person from history named Maria Mitchell. Maria was a former Quaker, which means she would have talked in “plain speak,” using “thee” and “thou” when addressing others. But would that work in a novel published today? I didn’t think so, so I nixed the plain speak in favor of dialogue and a cadence that felt more familiar to contemporary readers but (hopefully) still of the time. 

Funny story: One editor added the word “teenagers” to a late draft of Daughters of Nantucket, and the gifted historical novelist, Lynda Loigman, flagged it while reading. We were able to remove the term before going to press. Phew!

Come to Your Senses

What did 1851 smell like? On Nantucket, it would have smelled like whale fat and oil being rendered down into candles, and cod chowder coming from a tavern window and the brine of low tide. And what did life on a clipper ship sound like? The whoosh of sea air and the snap of canvas sails, the ringing of the bell to announce the end of a shift and the jaunty tune of a shanty being sung by 60 men hauling in lines.

An immersive experience relies on using all of one’s senses. As a writer, you may want to listen to music from the time period you are writing about to help you sink into the mood of the setting you are creating. And use all of the senses in your toolbox, not just sight.

Picture It Like a Movie

Even the best, most diligent researcher cannot “go” to the past for research, unless they are a skilled time traveler. Sure, I can go to San Francisco and walk the Mission and the Presidio and Rincon Hill and visit sites where at least 40 ships from the gold rush era now live buried under the streets (and, in one case, through the subway system) of town, but I cannot stand on one of those ships entering the crowded harbor in 1851. I can visit the San Francisco Maritime National Park and climb aboard a docked ship or three, and walk through exhibits and take in images from early photographs of the city.

But, ultimately, I have to recreate a place that no longer exists, relying almost exclusively on my imagination. This requires a huge leap of faith and an understanding that you will not—and cannot—possibly get all of the details correct. So, as long as the past is well-researched and the writing is sensitive to the cultural and political perspectives of today, picture it like your movie and try not to let that inner critic talk you out of your particular vision. Push through that doubt and move ever forward, or, as Captain Starbuck would tell you, via a Latin motto that I created for him, Semper porro!

Check out Julie Gerstenblatt’s The Stargazer of Nantucket here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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The post How to Bring a World to Life in Historical Fiction appeared first on Writer's Digest.

For this week’s prompt, take the phrase “In My (blank),” replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles could include: “In My Room,” “In My Honest Opinion,” “In My Open and Shut Book,” “In My Alternate Universe,” and/or “In My Blood.” Have fun thinking of possible titles and then writing those poems.

Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don’t require manual approval (though I check from time to time for those that do).

*****

Poetic forms are the backbone of a poet’s writing. They are the building blocks for length, rhyme scheme, subject matter, and so much more. In The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms, Writer’s Digest’s resident poetry expert and former poet laureate of the blogosphere Robert Lee Brewer showcases more than 100 poetic forms to serve as both an informative resource and inspiration for new writing.

Click to continue.

*****

Here’s my attempt at an “In My Blank” Poem:

“in my defense,” by Robert Lee Brewer

i have no defense
but i needed a moment
to explore the space
between one idea
& the next

i can’t explain it
or myself
only like a human
do my very best
to muddle through

The post Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 785 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Andrew Forrester is a writer and former English teacher whose work has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and Parents magazine. He holds a PhD in 19th-century British literature and lives in Austin, Texas, with his family. How The Story Goes is his first novel.

Here’s Andrew’s agent’s query to his editor:

Hi Laura:

It is so nice to hear from you! I think our paths have never crossed officially, and I’m glad to know that we both are members of the Jennifer Lynn Barnes-fan club! I’m sorry for the slow reply – your email arrived just as I ducked out for an extra-long weekend.

Your email actually landed in my inbox at the perfect time – I have a talented writer who I’ve been working with on a different middle-grade project, who actually wrote an adult debut novel. We were both very surprised!

The project is A TRUE WONDER by Andrew Forrester, and it will be Andrew’s debut novel. Because adult fiction isn’t my forte, we had the manuscript professionally edited and the revision is now finished and ready to go. I was just getting my act together to send it out.

Here is a quick summary of the project:

Whit Longacre is a mystery novelist who’s trying (and failing) to fulfill his late wife’s dying wish: that he complete the final installment of her mega-hit children’s fantasy series. Merritt Pryor is an MFA dropout, doing all she can to keep from being identified as the inspiration for her ex-boyfriend’s scathing new novel, The Grad Student. When the two of them begin working together to crank out the final book, they each find their way back to writing and their working relationship grows into something else. But Whit’s confusing feelings of grief and Merritt’s desire for independence complicate things, putting the completion of the book in jeopardy and causing both writers to question who they are and what they want. 

Andrew teaches high school English and lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and four kids. He’s terrific and a really good writer.

Would you be interested in getting a first look at the project? If so, I’d be happy to send it to you.

Warmly,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Harding, VP | CURTIS BROWN, LTD.

(she/her)

Check out Andrew Forrester’s How the Story Goes here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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What Laura Schreiber liked about the query:

I absolutely loved how the story felt nostalgic and timely all at once. As a former children’s book editor, I appreciated the focus on a classic children’s book series as a creative endeavor and emotional heart, and I also liked the imperfection inherent in both main characters’ backstories that made me very curious to get to know them. 

Andrew’s thoughts on the publishing process:

I was so pleased for the book to land in the hands of an editor who really got it: the world of the story, its characters, its humor, and the heart behind it. From our first conversation, I knew Laura was going to be a great partner in bringing this story to life. My response to each of her suggested edits was basically, “Well, duh, yes, of course,” and I can’t think of a nicer experience when it comes to revising something you really care about. The whole process was a joy!

_____________________________________________

LAURA SCHREIBER edits a diverse range of fiction at Avon and William Morrow, including romance, mystery, book club, and genre titles. She works with a number of bestselling authors including Stacia Stark, Alta Hensley, and Brooke Fast. Before joining William Morrow in 2024, she edited numerous New York Times bestselling and award-winning novels for adults and young adults. She grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, and attended Barnard College in New York City, where she began her publishing career after graduating.

The post Successful Queries: Laura Schreiber and “How the Story Goes,” by Andrew Forrester appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Spirit is one of those nebulous ideas. What makes someone spirited? Is a spirit a physical manifestation or purely metaphorical? What happens when someone loses their spirit or when spirit is gained?

For today’s prompt, write about what spirit means to you.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

The post Spirit appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Shana discusses learning to trust traditional publishing with her new regency romance, A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord, how she reverse-engineered the novel by first having a title for the entire series, and more.

Name: Shana Galen
Literary agent: Joanna MacKenzie at Nelson Literary Agency
Book title: A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin Random House
Release date: June 9, 2026
Genre/category: historical romance
Previous titles: Over 50 historical romances, including Lord and Lady Spy, When You Give a Duke a Diamond, Earls Just Want to Have Fun, Third Son’s a Charm, and When Dashing Met Danger
Elevator pitch: A down-on-her-luck shop girl and the son of an earl find they have more in common than they thought—including sexual chemistry they can’t resist—in this fresh Regency romance by Shana Galen.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

My agent had been encouraging me to write something we could submit to traditional publishers, which meant it couldn’t be a continuation of a previous series or a niche passion project. For some time, I’d had the series title The Heiress Hunters in the back of my mind. I wanted to come up with a proposal for a book that would have a strong hook, a fresh take on familiar tropes, and a cast of main and secondary characters that I could grow and develop. Once I started writing the novel, I fell in love with the characters and the world, and I really believed readers would as well.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I started the book in March 2024, so it took over two years to go from idea to publication. The core of the book never changed. It was always a story about two people from different worlds who find they have a lot more in common that they anticipate.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I’d been indie publishing for a few years when I sold this book to Berkley, and I was very used to doing everything myself. Like most authors who’ve been writing for any length of time, I’d had some negative experiences with traditional publishers. It took me some time to begin to trust a publisher again, but I’d say after reading the suggestions in my first editorial letter, I realized Esi Sogah and Genni Eccles really wanted to make this the best book it could be, and their recommendations were amazing.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Absolutely! I don’t tend to outline or plot before I start writing, so my characters are always surprising me. Early on in A Shop Girl’s Guide to Wooing a Lord, my characters visit a pawn shop, and I mention a broken mechanical caterpillar on a table. Little did I know that tiny machine would end up being very important to the story and lead me down a rabbit hole of researching all about 19^th-century automaton.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

Firstly, I always hope my readers will be immersed in a story set in the past and be able to forget about their daily chores and modern problems for a few hours. With this story in particular, I hope readers will also see that even the people we think are the most different from us aren’t so dissimilar after all.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

I live by Winston Churchill’s paraphrased words—Never, never, never give up. Keep writing, keep submitting, keep trying.

The post Shana Galen: My Characters Are Always Surprising Me appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How Birding Can Train a Writer’s Attention.)

After five mysteries, I’ve finally nailed down a rhythm. A fair share of my brainstorming is actually research into the history and science that form the backdrop and centerpiece, respectively, of the mystery. I can’t even make it through a cursory outline before I’m researching to make sure the story is scientifically sound.

Some of things I learn are easily notated and incorporated into my writing—things like the symptoms of a poisoning, or the practices of an unfamiliar culture, as seen in the latest volume of Saffron’s adventures, A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery. Saffron ventures to newly formed Turkey to work at an archeological dig site, researching ancient botanicals and their uses, only to be sabotaged at every turn, and eventually accused of a murder for which she and her fiancé must prove her innocence.

Other tidbits of knowledge are harder to seamlessly write into my stories. Saffron is a botanist, so I find myself spending long hours examining botanical illustrations and macro images of poisonous plants. She works at University College London, a real place I explore through Google Maps, historical floor plans, and YouTube videos. The Great War lingers in the background of all of Saffron’s adventures, and so I’ve spent far more time than I ever expected examining photographs of army uniforms, trenches, and those ghastly gas masks.

I use an app called Milanote to organize all my maps, photographs, illustrations, videos, and even sewing patterns. My endless boards have evolved into full-on book bibles. This app—not sponsored, by the way, but Milanote, seriously, call me—is my tried-and-true place to dump and organize all my ideas. With its ability to create documents, save images and links, even create drawings, I can put everything I need into a board and move things around as I like. I’ve created outlines, character profiles, floor plans with dozens of embedded reference images and color palettes, and even my own Save the Cat beat sheet template. It has a Chrome plug-in which allows you to save images directly from webpages to boards, eliminating the need to save them to your computer.

Any time I find a reference image of a WWI cavalry officer’s uniform or the perfect photograph of a Georgian house, I can not only save it to a board with ease, I can also drag it here and there until I’ve found the right place in a group of related images.

Before I used Milanote, I used Pinterest. I still use it, because nobody gets the vibes better than Pinterest. Between moody photographs, alluring landscapes, and as many snaps of vintage high fashion an author could ask for, it’s my destination whenever I need to make a moodboard. And yes, I do need to make moodboards. Not only do they get me excited to bring my vision to life, they help me clarify the vision. Do I want my writing to read in noir shades of black and white, the soft light of candles, or an overstimulating neon glare?

Truth be told, I nearly abandoned Pinterest as a repository for all things visual for my books because of the onslaught of AI slop. They now allow users to opt-out of AI pollution on their feeds. There is still AI-generated nonsense on there, even with the filter, so one must do their due diligence to spot it and avoid it. I avoid AI like the plague it is because, first, I disagree with it morally, but also because it cannot be trusted to provide me with real information on which to base my stories. I could never trust a map served up by ChatGPT because if it cannot easily scrape the desired information off the internet, it will make something up to fill in the blank and not tell me. I’d rather pull my hair out over not being able to locate a map of interwar Turkey than use something I have no means of authenticating.

Authentication is the trick in this AI-beleaguered timeline, but it need not be. Sticking with institutions that continue to be bastions for human knowledge are the antidote. Yes, it might take longer than a quick Google search, but it is worth it to find real information. I like The Met for photographs and even videos of historical objects, art, and clothing. Universities, cities big and small, and libraries are places you can trust to provide detailed, locale-specific information, and I’ve been blessed to find many staff members who are happy to help me find what I need. One such document that I refer to religiously came directly from the librarians at the University College London after a pleading email they were kind enough to respond to.

The final piece of this visual puzzle is bridging the gap between the eye and the page. I find it most effective when authors do this in the voice of the characters narrating the story. I cannot translate every brutal detail or emotional nuance of a character’s battle-scarred face from photographs of pre- and post-corrective surgery visage. And in truth, my characters would not notice every detail. They might focus on his eyes, a twisted bit of scar, or avoid looking at him altogether depending on their personality.

My mysteries are historical and often scientific, but I write for a modern audience. I can’t get too far in the weeds of minutiae. However accurate it might be to describe the broad panicles of a jacaranda flower and go into detail about the purple corolla, even in Saffron’s voice as a botanist, I have to remember that the average person won’t know what any of that means. It ends up as a bit of a running gag: Saffron or her equally nerdy love interest, bacteriologist Alexander Ashton, describing clues using jargon that must be translated into layman’s terms in the narrative. It’s characterization, voice, and information in one.

*****

Alexander continued, “I don’t know what it looked like in the tissue samples from the autopsy”—Saffron shuddered at the thought—“but it is very possible only one form showed up, making it harder to identify. The cell wall in the filamentous growth—”

“Thank you, I think I’ve heard enough,” Nick said.

*****

A final, evergreen bit of parting advice: Edit. It is tempting to try to communicate the entire picture of whatever reference we might use to inspire our writing. But our job is not to translate every feature of a map or painting; that only overloads and distracts the reader. I don’t describe the exact topography of Smyrna, Turkey in 1924, only depict its twisted streets as they inspire awe in Saffron and dread in Alexander when he’s lost in the midst of a heated chase. As with all research, an image’s relevance to us as writers is the extent to which it is relevant to our characters, and therefore, our readers.

Check out Kate Khavari’s A Botanist’s Guide to Tradition and Treachery here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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The post Using Photographs, Maps, and Art to Inspire and Inform Your Draft appeared first on Writer's Digest.

To Every Song Its Soul: A Conversation with Power Ballad Co-Writer and Filmmaker John Carney

John Carney on Copyright, Craft, the Cost of Being Unheard, and Why Power Ballad Is a Film About Every Artist Who Ever Felt Invisible

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Reckless Creatives Podcast – Filmmaker Zach Bandler on Not Bowing to the Market

Zach Bandler shares his unique path from actor to filmmaker, all while creating a niche of highlighting the challenges of those afflicted with dementia.

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Forever on Film

At the TCM Classic Film Festival and beyond, a devoted community is ensuring that cinema’s greatest treasures survive not just as nostalgia, but as living history for every generation that follows.

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A New Wrinkle in “The Handmaid’s Tale: The Testaments”’ Showrunner Highlights the Powerful Friendship of Girls

Bruce Miller talks about working with Margaret Atwood a second time and how the young adult angle energized the story.

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Script University June 2026 Courses

Check out this month’s course offerings led by Script University’s industry experts!

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The post Forever on Film (From Script) appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Camille discusses reworking a script into her new novel, Social Animals, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Camille Perri
Literary agent: Kerry Sparks at Levine, Greenberg, Rostan
Book title: Social Animals
Publisher: Putnam
Release date: June 9, 2026
Genre/category: General Adult Fiction/Women’s Fiction/Comedic Fiction
Previous titles: The Assistants; When Katie Met Cassidy
Elevator pitch: Social Animals is about three very different women whose lives intersect at an affluent suburban dog park, leading to unexpected friendships, secrets, and self-discovery.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

During the COVID pandemic, I thought a lot about loneliness and isolation. I had in my mind that I wanted to write a happy book about sad people, a story about people who might not excel at being social somehow finding connection and community. When I got a “pandemic puppy” and began regularly attending the local dog park, I realized I had found the perfect setting for the idea.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I first created the characters of Val and Alex for a screenplay I was writing but ultimately abandoned. By then, though, I was too attached to them to let them go, so I composed a novel for them instead. Unfortunately, that version wasn’t quite working either. It wasn’t until I figured out the dog park aspect of the story, as the setting and how it related to the inciting incident, that everything came together to form Social Animals as it is today. From the original script idea to the novel’s 2026 publication took about five years.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

A learning moment for me was how I found myself a little burned out after my second book, which I wrote quickly on the heels of my first. The creative fire I’d always had in my belly seemed to be snuffed out for a while. I was working on other projects, but I wasn’t sure if I would ever write a novel again. Even as I began working on this book, I did not feel optimistic that I would sell it to a publisher. It came a great surprise (and relief!) when the manuscript began garnering interest from editors.  

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I certainly didn’t expect to have to write this story two times—first as a script, then as a novel I wasn’t happy with—before finally getting it right on the third try! But I’m glad I put in the time and effort because I’m happy with the result and get to be proud of persevering. 

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

If this book helps anyone feel less alone and brings a smile to their face—or, better yet, gives them a good laugh—I will have done my job well.        

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

My advice to other writers, especially those feeling stuck, is that input is as important as output. Taking in other forms of art and entertainment keeps your brain engaged and can spark inspiration when you least expect it. Not every day has to be a writing day in order to be productive.  

The post Camille Perri: I Wasn’t Sure if I Would Ever Write a Novel Again appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(6 Unique Editing Ideas That You’ve Probably Never Tried.)

And yet, something still isn’t working.

After more than two decades of writing and revising novels, I’ve learned this the hard way: A manuscript can be technically sound and still fall flat. Clean writing isn’t necessarily the goal. Resonance is, and resonance only comes when you stop editing for polish, and start editing for purpose.

Clean Doesn’t Always Mean Compelling

A common misconception is that a well-revised manuscript is simply one that reads smoothly. But clean doesn’t always mean compelling. You can tighten every sentence, sharpen every line of dialogue, and still end up with a scene that doesn’t land with your reader.

Early in my career, I believed that if I could make the prose tighter, make my similes shine, and my descriptions sing, the story would automatically improve. And sometimes, those fixes did work—on the surface. But I’d finish a revision and still feel like something essential had been missed. The story read better, but it didn’t hit harder.

Revision isn’t just where you fix your sentences. It’s where you discover what your story actually means, the heart of the story, and how you can make it pop off the page. At this stage, a writer is peeling away the hidden layers and knocking on that secret door. It’s the process of examining every scene and clarifying intention, revealing character, deepening emotions, making the senses come alive, and strengthening narrative consequence. A scene that only delivers information will be read, and a scene that hits that emotional chord will be remembered.

Writers need to shift their focus from: How does this sound? to Why is this scene important?

3 Questions for Effective Revision

One of the most effective ways to revise is to evaluate each scene with a few questions:

1. What is the purpose of this scene? How do the characters change in this scene? If the scene was removed, what would be lost? A scene that only conveys information may be efficient, but it isn’t doing the full work the story needs. Scenes should progress the story along, even if that sometimes means the character takes a step backward.
2. What is the emotional arc? Where does the character begin emotionally, and where do they end? I once revised an entire chapter that on paper was doing everything right. The chapter advanced the plot, delivered information, even landed a clever line or two. But when I stepped back, I realized the character felt exactly the same at the end of the scene as she had at the beginning. Nothing shifted internally, she didn’t realize anything, or grow or regress, nothing changed. The fix wasn’t better sentences or a clever metaphor, it was forcing the character to confront something she’d been avoiding, and letting that discomfort change her, even slightly. Action without emotional movement is just motion.
3. What is the consequence? What does this scene set in motion? What new tension, risk, or complication is introduced? If nothing changes beyond the scene itself, and the story isn’t building, then the scene will feel like it’s stalling the story. When that happens, you either need to introduce that tension, or cut the scene.

In my novel, Lost in the Summer of ’69, I wrote from three points-of-view. Eleanor and Leanne’s opening chapters were working well. The third, Nora, my teenage character, was missing something. On the surface, Nora’s opening scene made sense. She was frustrated about being dragged on a road trip with her mother, who she thinks is out of touch, instead of spending her summer before college with her friends. The dialogue worked, the scene was visual. But the stakes were thin.

As I revisited the scene, what became more obvious wasn’t so much that Nora would miss out on a carefree summer, but that she might be forced to confront the growing divide between herself and her mother. Adding in that one emotional truth element, the risk of what might surface between them, boosted the entire chapter from entertaining to meaningful, and spurred a deeper emotional arc for every scene that followed.

This is the difference between surface editing, and story-level revision. Surface editing focuses on the delivery, the tightening of sentences, cutting excess, refining language. These are important, and shouldn’t be missed, but they won’t get you to that transformative level.

Story-level revision focuses on the character’s (and reader’s) experience, like raising the stakes, honing the characters’ emotional arcs, growing tension, and clarifying what each moment means within the larger narrative.

Creating a Meaning-Based Revision

Over time, I’ve learned that the revisions that matter most aren’t the ones that make the writing cleaner, they’re the ones that make the story more deliberate. Those are the changes that readers feel, even if they can’t name them.

One of the most effective shifts I’ve made in my own process is creating a meaning-based revision as one of my drafts, after I’ve completed my first draft. What this means is I read scene by scene for emotion and stakes, asking myself those questions posed above. I don’t worry about the micro-edits at this phase, and instead focus on the story, the character, and whether the draft is hitting emotionally. There’s no point in working on sentence level edits when you might overhaul a scene completely or even put it on the chopping block.

On your next revision pass, try not to edit the language, sentence structure, or grammar. Instead, ask yourself these three important questions: What changes here? What does the character realize, lose, or risk? Why does this matter later? If nothing changes, either rewrite it, or cut it. If you’re not sure, leave a note for yourself to think about it. Sometimes it takes a day or two to figure out what your point was. Our writing magic doesn’t always reveal itself to us right off the bat.

Revisions aren’t only about making your writing prettier; it’s about finding the why and making your story resonate more with readers. Shifting from the mindset of polish to purpose is what will turn your working draft into a story that people remember. It’s the difference between a manuscript that reads well and one that sparks an emotional reaction in your reader. In the end, readers won’t praise your lack of dangling modifiers, or your love of the Oxford comma. They will, however, applaud stories and characters that resonated with them.

Check out Eliza Knight’s Lost in the Summer of ’69 here:

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