July 6, 2021
From Self-Published to Traditionally Published
by Samantha Hoffman
I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to tell you a personal story because I think it's inspirational, the story of how I went from self-published author to St. Martin's Press author. It's the dream, I believe, of many of us, that our indie-published book will come to the attention of one of the Big 5 publishers and get us a book deal. Maybe it's not your dream, but…
June 29, 2021
Little Green Monsters: How to Handle Writer Envy
By Ryan G. Van Cleave
It’s human nature – you see something delicious, you want it. Writers run across this situation with regularity as their peers encounter success, and that includes me, too. Here are three of my own I want that! moments.
I went to graduate school with Adam Johnson (Pulitzer and National Book…
June 22, 2021
10 Ways To Hook Your Readers (and Reel Them in for Good)
by Ann Garvin
June 15, 2021
8 Tips for Getting Your Short Fiction Published
By Maggie Smith
Eighteen months ago, when I became managing editor for the literary journal Write City Magazine, I got 1-2 submissions daily. This year that number has doubled. Perhaps it’s due to the pandemic and writers having more time. Perhaps more people are trying their hand at fiction and starting with…
June 8, 2021
How Flash Fiction Improves Your Writing
by Sudha Balagopal
(Editor's note: Don't forget to submit your shorts (fiction or nonfiction) to CWA's Summer Flash Contest)
Five years ago, after writing long fiction for years, I became fascinated with flash fiction. Today, I'm a proud flash fictioneer, a practitioner of the style that's been called sudden fiction, short-short,…
June 1, 2021
Summer Flash Contest
Submissions are Open
In Chicago, we love summer! CWA is celebrating our favorite season with our first-ever
Summer Flash Contest
Submit your very best work, in any genre – fiction or nonfiction – in 500 words or less. There is no restriction on style or theme.
Submissions will be open…
May 25, 2021
CWA 2020 Spirit Award
Since 2015 CWA has bestowed the Spirit Award to a worthy member of Chicago’s writing community. The honor is traditionally presented during our annual Book of the Year Awards by CWA President Randy Richardson. Until this year’s ceremony the awards were presented live at The Book Cellar in Lincoln…
May 18, 2021
Emotion vs. Feeling: How to Evoke More From Readers
by David Corbett
Reprinted from Writer's Digest 2017
The difference between writing emotion and writing feeling is more one of degree than kind. Feeling is emotion that has been habituated and refined; it is understood and can be used deliberately. I know how I feel about this person and treat her accordingly.…
May 11, 2021
What I’m Pondering: Publication
by Tim Storm
What I've been pondering is publication. Not really because I want to do that, but just because synchronicity has exposed me to several recent tidbits of information. From Jane Friedman a few weeks ago, I learned that "the failure rate of publishers is extraordinary—60 to 70 percent of books…
May 4, 2021
7 Simple Ways to Make a Good Story Great
by Elizabeth Sims
To stand out to the gatekeepers who hold the keys to publication, it’s not enough for your story to be good. Use these techniques to take your fiction to new heights and make a good story great.
Reprinted from Writer's Digest 2012
Whenever I think of the word gatekeeper, a little film clip from The Wizard of Oz starts up in my head, where the fearsome palace guard denies Dorothy and friends access to the Wizard. “The Wizard says, ‘Go away!’”
If aspiring authors are Dorothy,…
