Nicki Porter served as the editor of The Writer from 2016 to 2022; she previously served as its associate editor. Before helming The Writer, she worked as a food editor for Madavor Media and America’s Test Kitchen. She’s also written for a number of publications and spoken at writing conferences across the country. Learn more at nickiporter.com.
Nicki Porter on social media
Add to FavoritesFor the resolution-makers, the goals of January beckon louder than a hall of carnival barkers. Surely this year will be the year, the … Read More “3 Steps To Reach Your Writing Goal & Earn a Writing Prize”
Ecivda spelled backwards for a modern age.
On setting in horror.
My 10 personal rules for revision.
Why any time spent with the page is time well spent.
“Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him.” —Hal Borland
One writer’s hunt for grace on the page.
Facing – and embracing – our fear of the blank page.
“In summer, the song sings itself.” —William Carlos Williams
Take inspiration from the season and nourish your own signs of green on the page.
Looking back, looking ahead.
Timeless craft tips from our archives, featuring Margaret Atwood, Walter Mosley, Isabel Allende, Ursula K. Le Guin, and more.
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.”
—Pablo Neruda
These personal, professional, and creativity-boosting winter writing prompts will keep your creative wells filled all season long.
If you’ve been feeling stuck or uninspired lately, perhaps a month of play is just the ticket to revive your regular writing practice.
Preparing our writing lives for the year ahead starts now. Here’s a list of questions to get you started.
Literary delights to make the season bright.
Where will your cravings take you this fall?
Add to FavoritesThis is the way I remember it: We’re all gathered in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, too many bodies for one small space, … Read More “The way we remember it”
In what other endeavor in life are we so preoccupied with whether something is “good” right out of the gate?
Here’s how to make your short-short fiction and nonfiction stand out in the queue.
Craving a more fiction-forward prompt? These first sentences will help get you started.
The odds are lower that folks will be heading to Pennsylvania for some homemade pumpkin pie this holiday season. Maybe writing about food memories will help assuage the hunger pains?
Why taking time off from writing can be a good thing.
Here are the five components that should be in any truthteller’s toolkit.
Two surefire ways to ensure your manuscript is lean & clean before it meets an editor’s eye.
Here’s why editors frown upon overly creative dialogue tags – and why you should, too.
Are you leaving enough room for your reader?
Add to FavoritesThe start of a new year can bring as many anxieties as it does possibilities. Will this really be your year, the year … Read More “New year, old fear”
Why do we reach for dark stories in dark times?
A case for letting your words marinate.
You don’t just need a room of one’s own; you need to make room for your writing.
Maybe you hate poetry. Or maybe you just haven’t found the right poem yet.
Presenting our favorite tried-and-true tips for AWP newcomers.
Stock up on these Poe-themed t-shirts, mugs, scarves, and more just in time for Halloween.
Both traditional and indie authors walked away with plenty of information about the future of publishing at DBW18.
Author/editor Heidi Pitlor knows how to get inside a character’s – and a reader’s – head.
Best-selling author Caroline Leavitt has had both towering highs and staggering lows in her long career. Here’s what she’s learned after 11 novels and several decades in the industry.
This New York Times best-selling author walks us through her process for crafting her mega-popular novels.
Timeless tips from a true master.
Mystery writer Barbara Neely wrote her first novel Blanche on the Lam while working a 60-hour-a-week, full-time job.
Congratulations to Signe Bergstrom, Anthony Howcroft, and Marie Smysor Watson.
Children’s author Louis Sachar doesn’t just write for kids: He writes for real people with real problems.
How seriously should you take SEO keywords?
“I heard that voice, crystal clear in my mind, even before I started writing. Weird.”
She didn’t create the form, but Mary Karr has a lot to say about the art of telling your own story.
This first-class memoirist dissects the first words of the prologue in her third memoir.
The boss of memoir opens up about her new book and her favorite authors.
Seasoned food bloggers talk about writing partnerships, snagging freelance assignments and making roast chicken sound interesting in a dozen posts.
Zach and Clay from The Bitten Word share talk food writing, blogging, writing together and how to keep roast chicken exciting.
A short story needs motives.
Creating “writing rules” assures the work gets done and the writing comes first.
Get inspired and block out distractions with these writer-minded playlists.
Fed up of mushy love poems? Find inspiration in these anti-love poems instead.
Slow down! Crafting sentences in your head might help you get them right on the page.
Set yourself up for year-long success by February.