A child struggles to write a story until he finds inspiration outside his window.

Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club spent more than a year at the top of the New York Times list. She followed with two other smash bestsellers: Cherry and Lit, which were critical hits as well.

For thirty years Karr has also taught the form, winning teaching prizes at Syracuse. (The writing program there produced such acclaimed authors as Cheryl Strayed, Keith Gessen, and Koren Zailckas.) In The

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Get started writing for magazines, and learn to make a living at it. Through examples, explanations and tips, Writing Articles About the World Around You demonstrates how to generate original and saleable article ideas using information that is part of your everyday life. Even if you live in Nowheresville, you'll learn how to recognize topics and angles that can interest editors at magazines and newspapers.

A targeted and insightful guide to the stages of writing fiction and memoir without falling into common traps, while wisely navigating the writing life, from an award-winning author and longtime teacher.