Includes index.

Nuts and bolts: Begin sentences with subjects and verbs ; Order words for emphasis ; Activate your verbs ; Be passive-aggressive ; Watch those adverbs ; Take it easy on the -ings ; Fear not the long sentence ; Establish a pattern, then give it a twist ; Let punctuation control pace and space ; Cut big, then small -- Special effects: Prefer the simple over the technical ; Give key words their space ; Play with words, even in serious stories ; Get the name of the dog ; Pay attention to names ; Seek original images ; Riff on the creative language of others ; Set the pace with sentence length ; Vary the lengths of paragraphs ; Choose the number of elements with a purpose in mind ; Know when to back off and when to show off ; Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction ; Tune your voice -- Blueprints: Work from a plan ; Learn the difference between reports and stories ; Use dialogue as a form of action ; Reveal traits of character ; Put odd and interesting things next to each other ; Foreshadow dramatic events and powerful conclusions ; To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers ; Build your work around a key question ; Place gold coins along the path ; Repeat, repeat, and repeat ; Write from different cinematic angles ; Report and write for scenes ; Mix narrative modes ; In short works, don't waste a syllable ; Prefer archetypes to stereotypes ; Write toward an ending -- Useful habits: Draft a mission statement for your work ; Turn procrastination into rehearsal ; Do your homework well in advance ; Read for both form and content ; Save string ; Break long projects into parts ; Take an interest in all crafts that support your work ; Recruit your own support group ; Limit self-criticism in early drafts ; Learn from your critics ; Own the tools of your craft.