June 2009

The Writer

The essential resource for writers

Join thousands of successful writers when you subscribe to The Writer magazine. Each month The Writer is full of features you can use to improve your writing, including before-and-after examples of improved writing, more literary markets than ever before, practical solutions for writing problems, selected literary magazine profiles, tips from famous authors and hands-on advice.

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Features
Through a child's eyes
By Carrie Schmitt
Louise Borden has reached her young audiences by immersing herself in her topic, paying attention to every word, and writing with heart.
pg. 26
Finding her voice through the laughter
By Lin Oliver
How our author, the executive director of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, learned to be comfortable with not being a serious, tragic writer.
pg. 29
Write a picture book that grabs the ear
By Mary Quattlebaum
An experienced children's writer offers tips on how to revise for rhythm and sound.
pg. 30
From a fierce storm, a published novel
By Sherry Shahan
A harrowing adventure offered our writer a host of "What if?" questions--and the germ of an idea for what became a published young-adult novel.
pg. 33
Get Started: Why I love the Internet
By Laura Yeager
The writer can remember the days of the clunky manual typewriter, but, oh, what advantages the Internet has reaped for writers.
pg. 13
Breakthrough: Lots of revisions, waiting led to 'overnight' success
By Ruth Spiro
On her way to publication, the writer dealt with "daunting" revision requests that helped make a good story great.
pg. 14
Off the Cuff: No book yet? Don't lose heart
By Richard Goodman
How an author nurtured his writing ambitions in the soil of a garden in France--and saw his career blossom.
pg. 15
Poet to Poet: Know the pitfalls of protest poetry
By Marilyn Taylor
Many poems in this popular genre succeed--because they avoid these 12 missteps.
pg. 17
A change of scenery
By Lauren Carter
Feel the inspiration--and famous footsteps--at these "writer hotels." Plus, read Beth Morrissey's sidebar on how to "get away without going in the red."
pg. 20
Archive: Books that enchant and enlighten
By Ken Follett
Despite literary and genre labels, all good stories fit plot and character together like "ball and socket," says this internationally popular author.
pg. 22
Advice from a master: Anthony Trollope
By B.K. Stevens
Anthony Trollope, still in print 126 years after his death, had much to say to developing writers.
pg. 24
9 tips for self-publishers
By Lisa Safran
Our writer offers some key questions to ask if you're contemplating a self-publishing project.
pg. 34
How to overcome burnout
By Kelly James-Enger
From a top freelancer come these tips for diagnosing the cause of your rut and renewing yourself.
pg. 36
Get your psych right
By Carolyn Kaufman
Face it, the shrink's couch is so over. A psychologist describes the six most common ways fiction gets it wrong about her field.
pg. 38
How to convey nonverbal cues
By Michael Byers
Add depth and subtlety to your own fiction by learning from some masters of the technique like John Updike and James Baldwin.
pg. 40
Freelance Success: 15 clues for winning queries
By Ilene Raymond Rush
Uncover a publication's style, tone and readership to craft an on-target pitch.
pg. 42
Market Focus: College mags welcome freelancers
By Jessica McCann
Tap into alumni and research publications to generate clips and referrals.
pg. 47
Literary Spotlight: Conjunctions
By Melissa Hart
This month's spotlight is on the journal Conjunctions, describing its tone, preferences and contributors.
pg. 49
Departments
Letters
Letters from our readers
pg. 7
Take Note
The e-book finally hits its stride
By Chuck Leddy, others
The booming market for e-books, the right kind of music for some writers, plus other literary notes, an excerpt from a new writing book, and information on contests and conferences.
pg. 8
WriteStuff
Glimpsing a conference from afar
By Erika Dreifus, others
Reviews of "Crafting Fiction, Poetry, & Memoir: Talks from the Colgate Writers' Conference," edited by Matthew Leone, "Tell Me True: Memoir, History and Writing a Life," edited by Patricia Hampl and Elaine Tyler May, and "Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within" by Kim Addonizio.
pg. 44
Market listings
Family/parenting; juvenile; teen and literary magazines
By Compiled by Martha Lundin
pg. 50
How I write
Gillian Roberts
By Janice Gable Bashman
For award-winning author Gillian Roberts, mysteries are a contest between the reader and the sleuth.
pg. 58
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