The Writer September 2008

INTERVIEW
Chilled to the bone
Tess Gerritsen's medical thrillers offer an irresistible recipe: 'a ticking clock, killer suspense, and characters who grab you by the throat' HALLIE EPHRON

Archive: The strange business of chemistry in writing
To stir reader reaction, you must begin with passion for your subject matter DAVID DELMAN

Step by Step: Develop characters from the inside-out
Get at the core of what drives them and you'll create more compelling fiction SHANNA SWENDSON

The midlisters--backbone of the publishing industry
They're not famous, nor are their titles, but they steadily turn out marketable books. Here's how they do it. SEAN MCLACHLAN

COVER STORY
Keep it fresh: 104 worst creative writing clichés
Avoid the stale 'land of babble' and covet originality RANDY F. NELSON

COVER STORY
Keep it fresh: Of wicked stepmoms and dorky heroines
When our author immersed herself in young-adult novels, she kept finding a lot of the same threadbare elements JOELLE ANTHONY

COVER STORY
Keep it fresh: Give literary CPR to tired expressions
Unexpected twists on worn-out clichés can revive your writing--and make it fun! NOELLE STERNE

COVER STORY
Keep it fresh: Exploit the power of clichés
Before you cross them out, consider the paths they may offer to better fiction and more powerful prose ERIC WITCHEY

Some seeds to start your fiction
To get ideas, think small and specific, says this accomplished author JOHN DUFRESNE

The Writer, 2008, September