Novice writers who hoped to learn his storytelling and story-selling skills often consulted L. Ron Hubbard for advice. He was happy to offer suggestions and so he began sharing his hard-earned experience with creative writing students.

When you sit down to write a profile about Melissa Yuan-Innes, it’s hard to figure out where to start. Sure, she published her short story “Skin Song” in the 16th annual volume of Writers of the Future, so you could start there. But Yuan-Innes is a person who seems ...