The Writer November 2009

COVER STORY
Step by Step: Power your story with a sense of place
This versatile element of storytelling can add depth and drama, foreshadow what will come, and help develop characters. PHILIP MARTIN

COVER STORY
A feeling for where you are
A writer and teacher offers five exercises to develop your understanding of place. KAY SEXTON

COVER STORY
See with fresh eyes
For writers, digging deep to find the soul of a place can inspire and unlock a "bounty" of memory and material. Here's an unusual approach to seeing even familiar surroundings anew. LINDA LAPPIN

Get Started: Don't sabotage your own efforts
From a veteran writer, here are 10 ways to avoid self-defeating behavior in the writing arena. JANE MCBRIDE CHOATE

Breakthrough: Write what you know, and know what you write
The writer found freelance success by writing about what was close at hand, and close at heart. SHERRI STANCZAK

Off the Cuff: Where inner and outer meet
For this writer, the natural world acts as a guide deep into the heart of human experience. PAGE LAMBERT

INTERVIEW
The sound of a novel
Jayne Anne Philips, author of 'Lark & Termite,' painstakingly writes by ear--finding a way into a story through a voice, not an idea. SARAH ANNE JOHNSON

Archive: The 10 most common story problems
If your short story keeps getting rejected, you may want to use this checklist to spot--and repair--potential mistakes before you submit your work again. JOSEPH HANSEN

Is a university press right for you?
An author who has published with one compares the approach of this type of press with that of the big commercial houses and finds some advantages worth considering. PAOLA CORSO

Telling a real story
We love to read about other people's lives--and that means a market for interesting true-life articles, be they about a personal medical drama, some obstacle overcome, or some other type of challenge. KELLY JAMES-ENGER

The art of the critique
With these 5 tips for giving valuable feedback, you'll stay in the good graces of your fellow MFA students or writing-group members. MELANIE FAITH

Business Freelancing: 8 common copywriting challenges
So, the client hates your copy. Or won't return your phone calls. Or won't pay you. Or requests endless revisions. Before you start pulling your hair out, read this guide. ROBERT W. BLY

Market Focus: Writing for readers 50 and older
If you're looking to benefit from an already large but still growing audience, you'll want to clue in on how to write for retirement magazines. LIGAYA FIGUERAS

Literary Spotlight: Story Quarterly
This month's spotlight is on the literary journal Story Quarterly, describing its tone, preferences and contributors. MELISSA HART

The Writer, 2009, November,