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Articles by Moriah Richard
Some More Books to Look Forward to in 2025
One of my favorite perks of this job is that, with the help of platforms like NetGalley and Edelweiss, I get to review ARCs (advanced reader copies) of novels that won’t be released for months. Unfortunately, we’re not able to feature every book that we read and love in the magazine.
Teachers & Writers Magazine
A conversation with Dina Howell, 2016 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Finalist, about using inter-classroom collaboration and creativity to combat the rigidity of standardized testing. Dinners at my house growing up usually circled back to my parents’ kids. Not me—their biological child—but their students. Having teachers as parents was a special way to grow up, and I promise you, I never got away with “I left my homework in my locker.” My mom, known as Dina to peers and Mrs.
Hanna Bahedry: 25th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards Winner
Pretty much from the moment I had the fine motor skills to grip a pencil and form letters. I started off in first grade writing elaborate fantasies in my journal about what my dog did when we left the house. As a kid, I’d write books to give as gifts to my cousins when we went to visit them over the summer. I wrote short stories and humor pieces for fun in high school, majored in English and Creative Writing in college, and got to work writing a collection of short stories after graduation.
"It's easy to fall into the trap of agreeing to unrealistic deadlines and too little pay."
In this edition of Editor’s Insight, I spoke with fiction and nonfiction editor Moriah Richard about her work on novels and her role as a commissioning editor at Writer’s Digest. We spoke about why hiring a professional editor can transform your writing, as well as what magazine editors are really looking for when they commission. If you're an editor (or know someone who is) and would like to take part in a future feature, drop me a line at thefreelancewritingnetwork@gmail.com.
Teaching the Teacher
or today’s prompt, write about a teacher learning something from their pupil. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner.
Breaking Out: Nita Prose
WD uses affiliate links. We first connected with Nita Prose during her debut novel's publication and featured her in our September/October 2022's Breaking In column. Now that her next publication hits shelves today, we're reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A. I wrote The Maid’s Secret in about eight months, but that speed is deceptive and only part of the entire story! It took me a long twenty years as an editor to learn the narrative skills that allow me to pen a first draft relatively quickly.
Sensory Triggers
For today’s prompt, have your character be triggered by a sensory experience. Maybe this leads them to reveal key details about their past or into a current conflict with someone or something else. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams.
The WD Interview: Vanessa Riley
[This article first appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Writer's Digest magazine.] Recently, I was scrolling online, and I saw a reader pose an interesting question: “Where is the history in my historical romances?” Vanessa Riley is one author for whom her readers never have to ask this question. Although she writes in several historical subgenres—romance, mystery, and biographical fiction—each story feels both grounded in the time and full of imagination.
Breaking In: March/April 2025
WD uses affiliate links. Guatemalan Rhapsody (Literary fiction/short stories, March, Ecco Press) “Guatemalan Rhapsody tells the stories of saints and sinners, holy men and vagabonds, and holds the country of Guatemala up to the light so that it may shine to the point of synesthesia—a place so real you can taste and hear the music.” Writes from: Most of the collection was written in Pittsburgh, where I did my MFA.
Your Story #136
Prompt: Write the opening line to a story based on the photo prompt below. (One sentence only.) You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. Email your submission to yourstorycontest@aimmedia.com with the subject line "Your Story 136." No attachments, please. Include your name and mailing address. Entries without a name or mailing address will be disqualified. Unfortunately, we cannot respond to every entry we receive due to volume.
One Sprout
For today’s prompt, write about the first sprout in a desolate environment. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner.
Breaking Out: Myah Ariel
WD uses affiliate links. We first connected with Myah Ariel during her debut novel's publication and featured her in our March/April 2024's Breaking In column. Now that her next publication is hitting the shelves today, we're reconnecting with her. I did the heavy lifting in terms of drafting and editing No Ordinary Love in the Spring and Summer of 2024. Although the initial concept came to me in the late fall of 2023.
Black Sheep
For today's prompt, write about a literal black sheep. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Every writer needs a little inspiration once in a while. For today's prompt, write about a literal black sheep. In this interview, author Amy Shearn discusses how the COVID pandemic naturally weaved its way into her new literary novel, Animal Instinct.
Black Sheep
For today's prompt, write about a literal black sheep. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner.
Breaking Out: Danielle Prescod
WD uses affiliate links. We first connected with Danielle Prescod during her debut novel's publication and featured her in our September/October 2022's Breaking In column. Now that her next publication hit the shelves on February 1, 2025, we're reconnecting with her. Well, from start to finish, the first draft took four months. And then another six months after that, it was all done. I think I am more patient with myself in the process, especially during the ideation and creation.
The Throwers Wheel
For today's prompt, set your story in a pottery business. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner.
The Throwers Wheel
34,691 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others? 34,691 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others?
28 Writing Prompts for the 2025 Flash Fiction Challenge
Find all 28 prompts for the 2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge below. I will link each day back to the original post with a super concise prompt. Just click the link if you need more guidance or ideas on how to come at the prompt. Happy writing! Day 1: Write about a garden. Day 2: Set your story in a retirement home. Day 3: Write about something captured on camera. Day 4: Write about something on the news. Day 5: Write about a purchase gone wrong.
28 Writing Prompts for the 2025 Flash Fiction Challenge
Find all 28 prompts for the 2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge below. I will link each day back to the original post with a super concise prompt. Just click the link if you need more guidance or ideas on how to come at the prompt. Happy writing! 28 Flash Fiction Prompts for the 2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge! Day 1: Write about a garden. Day 2: Set your story in a retirement home. Day 3: Write about something captured on camera. Day 4: Write about something on the news.
Isolated
For today's prompt, write about an isolated community. Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below. Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner.
Isolated
34,658 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others? 34,658 people played the daily Crossword recently. Can you solve it faster than others?
Book Recommendations Inspired by England Original
You may have heard that WD is hosting a writing tour and retreat in England this fall, so we’ve got England in mind. Here are some recommendations for books set in England to read for sheer enjoyment or with an eye toward analyzing them for your own writing. (Book descriptions courtesy of the publishers. WD uses affiliate links.) Mystery/thriller With literary giants like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, English authors have been writing twisty tales of puzzles and intrigue.
DEI Resources for Writers, Editors, and Agents, and More
Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not here to debate politics. It’s simply a fact that publishing is an ecosystem and that disruptions in the ecosystem affect all of us, whether you’re an aspiring author, a bestseller, an editor, an agent, or a publisher. With the new administration targeting DEI initiatives across the board, now more than ever, we need to continue fighting for representation at every single level of our industry. When we lift one group up, we all rise.
DEI Resources for Writers, Editors, and Agents, and More
Generate Key Takeaways Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not here to debate politics. It’s simply a fact that publishing is an ecosystem and that disruptions in the ecosystem affect all of us, whether you’re an aspiring author, a bestseller, an editor, an agent, or a publisher. With the new administration targeting DEI initiatives across the board, now more than ever, we need to continue fighting for representation at every single level of our industry. When we lift one group up, we all rise.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 28
Wow, the last day of the challenge is upon us! How are you feeling? Are you tired? Energized? All of it at once? Trust me, I understand! Hopefully you learned something about yourself and your writing this month, whether you were diligent and wrote every day, only wrote one or two stories, or fell somewhere in the middle.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 27
For today's prompt, write about a puzzle. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 27
For today's prompt, write about a puzzle. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 26
For today's prompt, write a story based on a reality TV show. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 26
For today's prompt, write a story based on a reality TV show. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 25
For today's prompt, write a story from a villain’s perspective. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 25
For today's prompt, write a story from a villain’s perspective. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 24
For today's prompt, write about relief. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 24
For today's prompt, write about relief. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 23
For today's prompt, write a story where a character sees a new perspective. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 23
Generate Key Takeaways For today's prompt, write a story where a character sees a new perspective. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 22
Last week! Whether you did just a few stories this month or you've been writing every single day, you have an opportunity to write even more this month. Keep going! You got this. For today's prompt, write a story that takes place in one spot. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 22
Last week! Whether you did just a few stories this month or you've been writing every single day, you have an opportunity to write even more this month. Keep going! You got this. For today's prompt, write a story that takes place in one spot. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 21
For today's prompt, write about where the devil goes on vacation. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 21
For today's prompt, write about where the devil goes on vacation. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 20
For today's prompt, write about the day the world was supposed to end. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 20
For today's prompt, write about the day the world was supposed to end. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
Announcing the Winners of the 32nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Congratulations to all the winners of the 32nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards! Read an interview with the Grand Prize-winning author Irene Te in the March/April 2025 issue and here on the blog. Do you have a book in you? Enter the next Self-Published Book Awards.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 19
For today's prompt, outline someone’s personal hell. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 19
For today's prompt, outline someone’s personal hell. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 18
For today's prompt, write about a daydream. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 18
For today's prompt, write about a daydream. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 17
For today's prompt, write about an unlikely team. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 17
For today's prompt, write about an unlikely team. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 16
For today's prompt, write about the last of a species. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 16
Generate Key Takeaways For today's prompt, write about the last of a species. (Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge.
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