What you need to know, from a veteran book reviewer and member of the National Book Critics Circle.

Our writer worked his connections well and tells what he learned in freelancing an article for a top Canadian magazine.

In mastering the art of sculling, our writer learned that small adjustments can lead to emotional revelations.

All of Antonya Nelson's tales of relationships and domestic life start out as short stories, but sometimes outgrow the container and become novellas and novels.

Keep your readers on the edge of their seats with a clever plot that's skillfully executed.

Here is a process for deciding on a subject and giving your manuscript interest and shape.

Who's the boss? You are, and you'd better take control of your out-of-control word tics.

How do you know when your writing is submission-ready? Have you probed for the right weaknesses? Our group of accomplished writers offers a final checklist for seven genres.

Two-time Edgar Award winner T. Jefferson Parker has found that saving material "for later" in a mystery novel often proves deadly to the creative process.

What small presses are, and what they're looking for in authors, from an editor in chief. And read Carol O'Dell's sidebar about her experience with a small publisher.

Public-relations professionals hire freelance writers for a host of lucrative assignments. Here are some expert tips on how to get in on the action.

Putting art above sales, boutique presses embrace writers of experimental work.

The spotlight is on the savory literary journal Alimentum, describing its tone and approach.

LinkedIn features for writers, starting a literary journal, a remedy for writer's block, a festival celebrating Elmore Leonard and crime fiction and what writers can learn from professional athletes. Plus, Stephanie Dickison's regular bimonthly column about the freelancing life, and an excerpt from a new writing book.

A review of Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language by Robert McCrum

A review of Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions by Eric Maisel and Ann Maisel

A review of The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World by Chris Barr and the senior editors of Yahoo!

This month, a list of book publishers, plus information on conferences and contests and helpful tips from an editor at Juno Books, an imprint of Pocket Books.

For Royce Buckingham, literary success grew out of his experiences with a troubled youth—as well as many years of working at his stories.