Positive and motivating guide to writing and publishing by the writer and Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser and former book editor, Steve Cox.

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