July/August 2018 Writer's Digest
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WD INTERVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2018 writersdigest.com C1_wd0818_Cover.indd C5 4/19/18 12:24 PM MasterWriter is everything the writer needs in one program. It includes Word Families, Phrases, Synonyms, Pop-Culture, a searchable Bible, the Defi nition and more. We recently added Figures of Speech, which gives you instant access to Metaphors, Similes, Onomatopoeia, Idioms, Oxymorons, Allusions, Alliterations, and Intensifi ers; a new unique source of intense descriptive words. The greatest enemy of creativity is distraction. Searching a bookshelf of reference dictionaries or bouncing from one website to the next trying to fi nd the right word is a distraction. Why struggle to fi nd that word when MasterWriter will show you all the possiblities in an instant? C2_wd0818_TOC.indd C2 4/24/18 8:33 AM AUGUST 10–12, 2018 | NEW YORK CITY FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER JEFF VANDERMEER This New York Times bestselling writer has been called “the weird Thoreau” by The New Yorker for his engagement with ecological issues. His most recent novel, Borne, received widespread critical acclaim and his prior novels include the lauded Southern Reach trilogy (Annihilation, Authority and Acceptance). Annihilation won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson awards, has been translated into 35 languages, and was recently made into a film from Paramount Pictures directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman. Register by August 9 to lock in your lowest price! REGISTER NOW WritersDigestConference.com #WDC18 C2_wd0818_TOC.indd 1 4/19/18 12:25 PM FEATURES 23 34 Joke’s on You True Wit Four veteran comedians share serious insight on what Truth may be stranger than fi ction, but it can also be writers can glean from stand-up. funnier. Employ these 6 techniques in memoir and BY DON VAUGHAN personal essay to cue readers’ chuckles. BY DINTY W. MOORE 26 38 Funny People From jester to jackass, comedic characters can lend a Laugh Track story some much-needed levity. Find out which classic Improv can bring a burst of energy to your creative type best suits your fi ction—no matter the genre. endeavors. Learn the basics with these 14 principles— BY ELIZABETH SIMS then put them into practice with some playful exercises. BY JORJEANA MARIE 30 Modern Times Given the award-winning power of shows like “Last Week Tonight” and “SNL,” it’s clear satire is as relevant today as it was for Chaplin and Chaucer. Here, the co-founder of Th e Onion shares how you, too, can add layers of meaning with humor. BY SCOTT DIKKERS 2 I WRITER’S DIGEST I July/August 2018 C2_wd0818_TOC.indd 2 4/19/18 12:25 PM JULY/AUGUST 2018 | VOLUME 98 | NO. 5 INKWELL 8 GIRL TALK: Formerly applied to TV and fi lm, the 44 Bechdel Test is now being used by some lit agents as a THE WD INTERVIEW: baseline for stronger female representation in stories. George Saunders BY LAURA ZATS Th e short-form master dishes on inventive structure, 10 PLUS: 5-Minute Memoir: Th e Jailhouse Rock • reveals why he’s wary of outlines and talks novel-length Expert Express • Worth a Th ousand Words • success with Lincoln in the Bardo. Winners of the 2017 WD Poetry Awards • BY TYLER MOSS Backstory • 7 Scathing Insults From Literature COLUMNS 19 MEET THE AGENT: Rick Pascocello, Glass Literary Management BY KARA GEBHART UHL 20 BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight BY BAIHLEY GENTRY 50 FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK: Th e Reason for Word Counts; Th e Importance of a Clear Genre 42 BY BARBARA POELLE 52 YOUR STORY: “Eyes Like Mine” Dialed In BY ROB SNYDER Th e winner of the 18th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short 62 STANDOUT MARKETS: Atlas Obscura; Hemispheres; Story Competition reveals the understated power of daily Baen Publishing; Bellevue Literary Review life’s simple interactions in “Beneath the Cracks.” BY BAIHLEY GENTRY & TYLER MOSS PLUS: A complete list of the winners. 64 CONFERENCE SCENE: Realm Makers; BY KAREN KRUMPAK Steamboat Springs “A Day for Writers” PLUS: 8 Tips for Better Conference-Going BY DON VAUGHAN WRITER’S WORKBOOK S w, D ’t T 72 POTPOURRI FOR THE PEN ON THE COVER 55 SHOW AND TELL IN SHORT NONFICTION 30 Th e Onion Founder Reveals the Formula for Biting Satire BY SUSAN SHAPIRO 23 4 Stand-Up Comedians on Writing GETTY IMAGES Gut-Busting Jokes 58 SHOW, TELL AND SUGGEST IN FICTION 26 Craft Funny Characters: 7 Tried-and-True Types BY STEVEN JAMES WD INTERVIEW 38 14 Improv Tricks to Spur Creativity ILLUSTRATIONS: 44 Th e WD Interview: George Saunders JULY/AUGUST 2017 writersdigest.com CHLOE AFTEL; 4 5 6 PLUS: online exclusives editor’s letter contributors Writer’s Digest (ISSN 0043-9525) is published monthly, except bimonthly issues in March/April, May/June, July/August and November/December, by F+W Media Inc., 10151 Carver Road, Ste. 300, Cincinnati, OH 45242. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Writer’s Digest, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Subscription rates: one year, $24.96; two years, $49.92; three years, $74.88. Canadian subscriptions add $10 per year for GST/HST tax and postage via surface mail. Foreign subscriptions add $10 for surface mail or $39 per year for airmail. Remit in U.S. funds. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement SAUNDERS COVER PHOTO © No. 40025316. Canadian return address: 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON N8T 3B7. Writer’s Digest, Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Vol. 98, No. 5. Periodicals Postage Paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. WritersDigest.com I 3 C2_wd0818_TOC.indd 3 4/19/18 12:25 PM Right Now at Lighten Up Generous. Th at’s the best word to describe this month’s WD Interview with George Saunders (Page 44), in which the award-winning author rhapsodizes about craft advice, motivation and trusting your gut. In this extended edition, Saunders explains how humor transformed his writing and shares tips for penning stronger dialogue. Utopia Satire is more than just a comedic tool—it’s a device for social commentary. As a companion to his piece on how to write eff ective satire (“Modern Times,” Page 30), Th e Onion co-founder Scott Dikkers talks fi nding the compass for funny when things seem especially bleak. Laugh-In In “Joke’s On You” (Page 23), four successful stand-up comics—Nikki Glaser, Andy Kindler, Laurie Kilmartin and Gary Gulman—share how their joke-writing processes can translate to scribes of all stripes. See those skills at play in these video clips from some of their best routines. © JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES IMAGES © JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY To fi nd all the above online companions to this issue in one handy spot, visit writersdigest.com/aug-18. PHOTO THE ONION PLUS: Feed your inner fi re every day on the WD blogs! UNDER CONSTRUCTION MIND YOUR MANNERS © DAVID CROSBY; CROSBY; © DAVID Many authors wait until they’ve com- Writing critique group members walk a pleted a novel or other signifi cant work thin line between providing useful feed- before attempting to build a platform. back and devastating criticism. Practice SAUNDERS PHOTO Here’s why you should make expanding proper etiquette and foster good spirit your audience a daily practice. by following these 9 guidelines. bit.ly/under-constructionWD bit.ly/mind-your-mannersWD REFLECTING POOL FOTOLIA.COM: BLOSSOMSTAR; BLOSSOMSTAR; FOTOLIA.COM: Nicola Yoon’s poignant, timely The Sun Is Also a Star hit The New York Times best- seller list and remained there for 40 weeks. Here, Yoon shares the inspiration behind the novel and discusses her work with the We Need Diverse Books organization. bit.ly/refl ecting-poolWD © BLOG ILLUSTRATION 4 I WRITER’S DIGEST I July/August 2018 04_wd0818_Online TOC.indd 4 4/19/18 11:04 AM EDITOR’SLETTER JULY/AUGUST 2018 | VOLUME 98 | NO. 5 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tyler Moss DESIGN & LAYOUT Laugh It Off Dean Abatemarco Good-natured revenge. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Such was my goal as I prepared to give Baihley Gentry a speech at the wedding of a pal from high school. Th e year before, this buddy had given an ASSISTANT EDITOR impromptu toast at my own reception—more Karen Krumpak of a roast, actually—in which my face burned a EDITORIAL ASSISTANT hue common to most fi re extinguishers. Now, I Sarah Mullins hoped to return the favor. For a month I plotted EDITOR-AT-LARGE out barbs and digs, scrapping draft aft er dismal Jessica Strawser draft until fi nally I forged a version that made my wife giggle—the ultimate tensile test. I was ready. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Th e big day arrived. As the speeches commenced, my friend’s father stood to David Corbett, Jane Friedman, speak. Forgoing laughs, he delivered a powerful, emotionally devastating solilo- Steven James, Barbara Poelle, quy about how he wished my friend’s mother—who’d died when he was a child— Elizabeth Sims, Jeff Somers, Kara Gebhart Uhl, Don Vaughan could’ve been there to partake in the festivities. Instead she was “celebrating in heaven.” Without a dry eye left in the house, his opus ended to rousing ovation. Th en: “Next, one of the groom’s oldest companions, Tyler Moss.” WRITER’S DIGEST How could I follow a monologue with the weight of a eulogy? My insult com- WRITING COMMUNITY edy would surely fall fl at. Sick to my stomach, I stepped up to the microphone, CONTENT STRATEGIST raised my glass, and employed the only appropriate transition for the situation, Jess Zafarris courtesy of Monty Python: “And now for something completely diff erent.” WRITING COMMUNITY EDITORS As my speech lurched forward, to my surprise, the routine was a hit— Robert Lee Brewer, Amy Jones provoking the audience, groom included, into a second bout of tears (granted, for a much diff erent reason).