April 2014

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.

Alicia Anstead

The "cruelest month"

By Alicia Anstead

Calling April the “cruelest month” has become a sound byte that creeps into nearly every National Poetry Month press release and blog post. Of course, in its entirety, it’s a hauntingly plaintive line: “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” Honestly, take a minute and read that one again. I wonder if T. S. Eliot would be horrified or delighted that this one phrase of his poem hit the big time.

Features

Soldier On

By Hillary Casavant

Anita Shreve’s dynamic characters drive her storytelling and success.

On a different path

By Kinney Littlefield

Sarah Treem tackles tough issues on stage and screen.

The money game

By Mridu Khullar Relph

Take control of your writing income with eight simple steps.

Stage to page

By Megan Kaplon

Spoken word poet Sarah Kay finds harmony between performance and print.

Departments

Writing Essentials

Check!

By JH Mae

Make your own rules for revising a work in progress.

Off the Cuff

Know thy editor

By Heather Villa

Research a publication for a better shot at success.

Poet to Poet

Mystical jolt

By Robert Hirschfield

Young poets learn from literary stars.

Lasting Effect

April 1964

By Hillary Casavant

A story from The Writer archives offers 18 checkpoints for publishing.

Market Focus

The big sell

By Kerrie Flanagan

The pros and cons of using social media to market books.

Freelance Success

The search

By Doreen Sullivan

Library databases can help writers uncover new markets for their fiction.

Conference Insider

A book in the belly

By Hillary Casavant

Iceland Writers Retreat inspires literary culture and travel.

Literary Spotlight

What it is

By Melissa Hart

Quiddity offers multiple points of engagement for readers and writers.

Also in Every Issue

From the Editor

Take Note

Put quill to parchment with Shakespeare-inspired advice, products and prompts. Also: Dani Shapiro on writing and tips for crossing genre lines.

Markets

Classified advertising

How I Write

Tanis Rideout: “Revision is where the magic happens.”