Writing Brave and Free

Ted Kooser, the nation's Poet Laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In addition to his many volumes of poetry, he is the author of Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps and The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets, both available from the University of Nebraska Press. Steve Cox, a lifelong editor and publisher, is now a freelance writer and the director emeritus of the University of Arizona Press.

• 1. Writing Brave and Free; 2. What's Standing in Your Way? Section 1: Yes, You Can 3. What Do You Know?; 4. Enchanting Details Section 2: Rules? We Don' Need No Stinkin' Rules! 5. No Shoulds, No Should Nots; 6. Input and Output Section 3: Getting Started 7. The Ten-Minute Exercise; 8. Overcoming Obstacles to Extended Writing; 9. Developing the Habit of Writing; 10. Don't Forget to Read! Section 4: The Environment for Writing 11. The Writer's Tools; 12. Your Clean, Well-Lighted Writing Place; 13. Relax! The World Is Resting on Your Shoulders Section 5: You and Your Readers 14. What Reader Do You Have in Mind?; 15. Writing for Friends and Relations; 16. Writing for Strangers; 17. Taking Control; 18. About Your Imaginary Reader Section 6: Elements of a Piece of Writing 19. The Country of Memory; 20. Writing about One Thing; 21. Getting Organized; 22. Sensory Detail; 23. Suspense; 24. The Size and Scope of Things; 25. A Sentimental Journey; 26. Transparency; 27. The Unexpected Detail; 28. It's a Figure of Speech; 29. Before Us on the Table; 30. Be Positive, Emphatic, Clear, and Active; 31. Transformative Experience Section 7: Revision and Getting Help 32. Revise and Wait; 33. Getting Advice, Taking Criticism; Section 8: The Business of Writing; 34. How Publishing Works; 35. How to Get Published; 36. Self-Publishing, Electronic Publishing, and Vanity Publishing; 37. A Few Observations about Copyright; 38. Fair Use; 39. Obtaining Permission to Quote; 40. Protecting Your Copyright; 41. Conveying Rights: Contracts; 42. Libel and Invasion of Privacy Section 9: Acknowledgments and Further Reading 43. Acknowledgments; 44. How to Write; 45. Copyright, Libel, and Invasion of Privacy

"Practical and upbeat advice."—UU World "The gentle, conversational voice of team Kooser and Cox offers courage and wisdom to new writers. You can do it, they say, we know you can, and we're here to show you how. Practical and inspirational, they lead writers to the pleasures of shaping, to the surprising stories that no one else can write, to expeditions into the deep-woods territory of memory, and to demystification of the publishing process. 'The writer's goal,' our coaches say, 'is to light up the sky.' They have practiced what they preach. Writing Brave and Free is a liberating, illuminating guide."—Meg Files, author, and chair of the English Department at Pima Community College "What a treasure to have a second how-to book of this caliber enter the world for developing writers. . . . [T]his is a practical, down-to-earth, advice-driven collection of smart, unpretentious chapters on the work of becoming a writer. . . . The section on self-publishing and electronic publishing will be especially important to today's younger writers. . . . The greatest strength of this book is its friendly, don't-be-afraid-we'll-help-you tone, a must for people who are just beginning their writing endeavors. . . . [This] will be an essential tool for anyone considering the adventure of writing." —Anne-Marie Oomen, ForeWord "One of the most down-to-earth, user-friendly texts I've seen."—Erika Dreifus, Writer "If you've yearned for the courage to put pen to paper, or hands to keyboard, after reading Writing Brave and Free, you probably will."—Marge Pellegrino, Tucson Weekly "These two are a pair of crafty old uncles who anticipate your writing dilemmas and offer you examples of how they and others have resolved them. While they'd never be so bold as to tell you what to do, they'll politely steer you along the proper path."—Arizona Daily Star