“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”                 —Elmore Leonard Self-editing techniques that I teach include reading over your written draft out loud, which reveals important cues as to where edits and improvement are needed. This practice is guaranteed...

Do you like to read a story with a twist? Good writing keeps you on your toes and, personally, I love surprises (benevolent ones, not jump-out-of-the-bushes ones). Humorists, comedians, and satirists use this device a lot—famously, Groucho Mark, Henny Youngman and...