You want a name that is fresh and memorable—but not outlandish—this novelist says.

When the writer resolved to learn how to turn her stream-of-consciousness ramblings into polished prose, she found the answer online.

Keeping pen and pad at the ready, this writer has cultivated a unique view of the world.

Our critiquer takes a look at a writer’s opening and gives it points for mood-setting and atmosphere, but faults it for faltering on point of view.

For Walter Mosley, the path to literary success has been built around following a consistent writing routine and telling stories no one else can.

Refer to this handy checklist to exterminate any errors that creep into your work.

Check out the writer’s useful pegs for salable articles—and make sure you don’t forget the photos.

The stronger and more realistic your talk is, the more your actors will come alive.

Do it clumsily and it can easily disrupt your reader’s fictional dream.

As the writer found with her (eventually) published short story, when it comes to backstory, less is more.

A bestselling creator of three mystery series discusses what to think about when developing series characters and choosing settings and themes.

An Edgar Award-winning writer shares a wealth of free or inexpensive digital writing tools that can keep your story on track.

A script doctor and television writer offers advice on what a big idea is, where it comes from, and why it matters.

Follow simple steps to handle the annoying issue of unpaid invoices—and some preventive tips

Tailor your work to fit a themed literary magazine and improve your odds of acceptance.

This month’s spotlight is on the online literary journal Cerise Press, describing its tone, preferences and contributors.

The moving story behind one of the great American memoirs, why you might not want to do your book event at a bookstore, a question for Ask The Writer, Stephanie Dickison’s column about freelancing, and more.

Reviews of new writing books.

This month, a variety of markets, plus Market Q&A and Conference Spotlight.

In her novels, National Book Award finalist Martha McPhee is “drawn to the nerve, to that place that’s most uncomfortable, that we don’t want to look at."