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March 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 Personal Essays: Mind-map your way to an idea (Step by Step) By
Bharti Kirchner Mind-mapping is one way to root out workable ideas that move you. Why not give it a try? |
pg. 28 |
Personal Essays: Construct an engaging article (Step by Step) By
Barbara Abercrombie The author of a book on "writing your life into story" offers a framework for crafting a piece that grabs the reader. |
pg. 30 |
Personal Essays: Tips on pitching and marketing By
Candice Reed A writer who's found her way into The New York Times and Los Angeles Times shares some inside advice. Plus, read a sidebar about Kayleen Reusser's "little essay that could"--"A Lesson in Forgiveness," which has been reprinted more than 30 times. |
pg. 32 |
Personal Essays: Make the most of life experiences By
Kathryn Lay The stuff of personal essays is always close at hand, and it's not only the dramatic events that make marketable articles. |
pg. 34 |
Get Started: Avoid these eight beginners' mistakes By
Tammy Cravit Make sure you don't squelch a fledgling freelance career before it even gets going. |
pg. 13 |
Breakthrough: A naval author finds his way to smooth seas By
Mark Albertson The writer earned his spurs with newspaper articles, then built up to book-length naval histories. |
pg. 14 |
Off the Cuff: Forget the rules and make the leap By
Deanna Roy How skydiving taught a writer to follow her passion--and keep her sense of humor. |
pg. 15 |
4 steps to land a book deal By
Nathan Jendrick When you agent fails to sell your manuscript, you can take things into your own hands. Read how. |
pg. 17 |
Swaying through the '60s with the Rolling Stones By
Sarah Anne Johnson In his novel, Sway, Zachary Lazar vividly weaves three stories into one while imagining his way into the minds of famous figures. It's quite a feat. |
pg. 18 |
Step by Step: Breathe life into your characters By
Sam McCarver You want to make your characters fresh, unique and real so that readers will remember them. |
pg. 21 |
Archive: Let your dialogue speak for itself By
Randall Silvis Good dialogue not only sounds pitch-perfect, it performs key functions in your story. |
pg. 24 |
Fact-checking 101 By
Rosemarie Ostler Here are five simple steps to strengthen your writing--and perhaps your reputation, too. |
pg. 26 |
Avoid a weak link in screenplays By
Staton Rabin Write dialogue that is rooted in character and situations and propels your plot forward. |
pg. 36 |
An occupational hazard: phone anxiety By
Jennifer Willis For writers, there's no getting around some necessary conversations. If you suffer from PA, these tips may help. |
pg. 39 |
Writer at Work: How a short story became a novel By
Michelle Wildgen Our writer, a senior editor at the literary journal Tin House, overcame an obstacle-strewn path. |
pg. 41 |
Business Freelancing: The best clients--and the worst By
Robert W. Bly What to expect when working with a variety of companies. |
pg. 43 |
Market Focus: Tune up your service articles By
Kelly James-Enger To write better how-tos, watch out for these seven common pitfalls. |
pg. 48 |
Literary Spotlight: Pleiades By
Melissa Hart This month's spotlight is on the literary journal Pleiades--its tone, preferences and contributors. |
pg. 50 |
Departments Letters Take Note Authors push genre boundaries By
Chuck Leddy, others A look at some established writers who are flexing their wings and trying new genres, some marketing tips for freelancers, plus other literary notes, an excerpt from a new writing book, and information contests and conferences. |
pg. 8 |
WriteStuff Book reviews Reviews of 'On Screenwriting' by Freddie Gaffney; 'The Wink of the Zenith: The Shaping of a Writer's Life' by Floyd Skloot; and a new edition of 'The Creative Writing MFA Handbook," edited by Tom Kealey. |
pg. 45 |
Market listings Business, literary, and trade and technical magazines By
Compiled by Martha Lundin |
pg. 51 |
How I write Benjamin Percy By
Kris Babe In his writing, rising star Benjamin Percy aims to entertain, while trying to target the heart and the mind. |
pg. 58 |
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