Getting the voice, the point of view, and the ending right are among this author's key tips.

In crafting his award-winning YA novel, the writer used some key organizing techniques he learned in writing documentation for A&E's City Confidential.

Cringing more than benefiting from attempts at journaling, the writer learned instead to "cradle" an unformed idea in her mind before starting to write.

Line breaks help you set the pace, call attention to important words and images, and more.

John Berendt, author of the smash bestseller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, uses cities as protagonists, in narratives populated by colorful figures. Venice is his latest setting.

Committing yourself to writing means focus and concentration, even if only for a few hours a day. In this way you can master the tools of the trade.

For creative-nonfiction writers, it can retrieve memories, deepen sensory details, add layers of perspective, and more. Reason enough to consider it?

Learn how to play literary sleight of hand like a magician—by building a masterful plot with well-placed turning points.

In writing for young readers, these two key elements should walk hand in hand, even when one takes the leading role.

Her third book project was the charm for this humor writer, who offers some practical tips on the do-it-yourself option.

A writer who's been there offers a primer of useful tips on getting your self-published book into the chains.

Why do its writers persist? One practitioner pays tribute to its wild creative freedom and the natural high of nailing its concentrated effect.

A writer's plan for tying up the elements of her novel ran into an obstacle course. She overcame the problems and got her book published.

By tweaking proven formulas for regular correspondence, you'll work more efficiently. Here's how to do it.

Enthusiasts who pitch fresh topics are welcome contributors to this popular niche. You don't have to be an expert to apply.

This month's spotlight is on storySouth, an online literary journal devoted to "provocative meditations on the Southern experience." Learn about its tone, preferences and contributors.

An editor touches a nerve with his pronouncement on the future of literary magazines, plus a few tips on getting rid of writerly clutter, Lisa Shearin's bimonthly column, an excerpt from a new writing book, and more.

Reviews of Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life by Carol Sklenicka and How to Write a Damn Good Thriller: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novelists and Screenwriters by James N. Frey.

Short-story writer Daniyal Mueenuddin has learned to "put one foot in front of the other" and ignore the mountain ahead.