Get Out Of My Face About Film

“Remember In That Movie When Tom Hanks…?” If you’re lucky, what follows is a well-chosen and interesting example of something the session leader wants a roomful of book writers to think about. But that session leader is missing his or her mark. If you’re going to teach novel-writing, teach novel-writing. If you’re going to teach… Read More

Writer's Digest's Conference in LA: You Are So On

My address is 2025 Avenue of the Stars.  This is as it should be, of course. 90067. With my sunglasses so firmly in place that I can barely read anything on the screen, I’m writing to you on the eve of Phil Sexton’s Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Conference in Los Angeles. It’s at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza… Read More

Don't Let Publishing Intimidate You

Messing With The Mystique You have the right to ask questions. You have the right to get answers. You have the right not to like the answers. To see your own publisher’s jaw drop? Phil Sexton recommends you ask him or her to let you review your book’s metadata. Then, with smelling salts ready for your… Read More

Writer's Digest's Conference In New York: Sway With Me

Every Year, New Moves Staging national-class writers’ conferences has never been easy. Competing interests go with the territory. In the past, organizers could lose a lot of sleep over the question of “craft vs. career” — how many sessions did hundreds of authors need on the art and skills of writing, and how many on the… Read More