Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-351) and index.

Clarity and connection : principles of good writing -- Experience and emotion : ages in children's and YA literature -- Proficiency and practice : using and developing your gifts -- Promise and premise : crafting a strong story concept -- Effort and flow : how to write a novel -- Intention and invention: identifying your points -- Identity and choice : creating multidimensional characters -- Interest and change : building bonds between readers and your characters -- Power and attention: writing outside your own groundwork -- Structure and sensibility : the power of plot -- Obstacles and negotiation : seven ways of looking at a scene -- Movement and momentum : controlling your pace and prosody -- Person and personality : Fundamentals of voice -- Teases and trust : what makes a good first chapter -- Worlds and wonders : writing speculative fiction -- Perspective and polishing : considering Charlotte Keene -- Vision and revision : twenty techniques -- Love and/or money : publishing your book.