"This is real take-it-to-the-keyboard stuff that comes from a lifetime of working with writers," Jack Hart says of his new book, A Writer's Coach. A managing editor of The Oregonian newspaper, Jack has spent almost four decades editing, writing and coaching journalists and other writers. The result of this experience is his practical guide to "words that work." We talked to Jack about writing.

VT: In your book you deflate the "mystique" of writing.

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Chris Lehman, the ground-breaking principal we interviewed for our recent "Teachers at Work" feature, recommends these blogs on progressive education:

Will Richardson's Weblogg-ed

David Warlick's 2 Cents Worth

Bud Hunt's Bud the Teacher

Christian Long's Think: Lab

World Wide Words is just that: Everything and anything about the English language, compiled by lexicographer Michael Quinion. From a well-stocked library in the little British market town of Thornbury, Michael writes a weekly newsletter read by some 50,000 people around the world. It's a veritable salmagundi of etymology, history, weird words, obsolete words, grammar and answers to readers' questions. Hey, where else can you learn about "the hairy antecedents of 'rebarbative?'" Michael's also a freelance contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary and an accomplished author. His latest book, just released, is called Gallimaufry, about words that have vanished from the English language. We had a rather delightful conversation with Michael:

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Need to brush up on your copywriting? Check out these books to master advertising's written words:

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman

The Copywriter's Handbook by Robert W. Bly

How to Write Great Copy by Dominic Gettins

My inspiration for The Keep happened in a single moment--or really, more like a single hour. I'd just finished my previous novel, Look at Me, and was wondering what I would work on next. I'd also just had my first son, and my husband and I had taken our eight-week-old baby to Charleville France, where my husband was directing a play. It was an ill-starred trip (I ended up having to return early because of a serious illness in my family), and we ended up having only one day of leisure together. We spent it driving around in Belgium, and our travels included the town of Bouillon, named after Godfrey de Bouillon, who led the first crusade. Godfrey's ruined castle still stands on a tall hill overlooking the town, and we took the obligatory tour, my husband carrying our baby in a pouch on his chest.

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Can't tell your a posteriori from your a priori? Look 'em up in the "Dictionary of Difficult Words," a website that asks, "Do you aim to become a member of the literati, or do you wish to be a savant? Do you want to avoid being verbigerative and be succinct instead?" If you answered yes, yes, yes, and yes, check out their list of words here.

Check out this nice review of the Visual Thesaurus that ran recently on the Tech TV network. It includes a nice walk-through of some of our many features.

Click here to watch the whole review.