authors

Branding 101: Online Brand vs. Author Brand

May 31, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Brand.  Platform.  Social media presence.  How many of us cringe at those words?  Whatever happened to the days when writers could simply write? But the truth is that as soon as we’re sociable as a writer, whether online with Twitter or in real life at a conference, we’re forming our brand.  Branding is something that [...]

Tagged as: authors, blogging, branding, genre, Jami Gold, paranormal author, social media, Twitter, website

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Interview with a…Muse – Guest: Rachel Firasek

May 12, 2011 Random Musings
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I’m still at Disneyland, so I have another guest joining us today.  This is the second installment of a new feature here on my blog: Interview with a…Muse (because interviewing our characters is just too sane).  After I had so much fun with my Do You Have a Muse? post, I wanted to see who [...]

Tagged as: authors, editing, feedback, guest blogs, Interview with a Muse, Jami Gold, muse, paranormal author, Rachel Firasek, writers are insane

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Interview with a…Muse – Guest: J.A. Paul

May 10, 2011 Random Musings
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“Hey, Jami, now that you have a bazillion things to do and no time to get it all done, what are you going to do?” “I’m going to Disneyland!” That’s right.  I threw up my hands and decided everything could wait a week while I head to Disneyland with the family.  Everything could wait but [...]

Tagged as: authors, genre, guest blogs, Interview with a Muse, J.A. Paul, Jami Gold, muse, paranormal author, self-publishing, story seed, Twitter, writers are insane

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Do Writers Have to Be Able to Lie?

April 26, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Most of you have never met me in person, so I need to start off by explaining that I’m a very expressive person.  All those smiley faces in my tweets and blog comments?  Completely true-to-life. You’ll never see me take a bet to try to keep a straight face for more than five seconds.  I [...]

Tagged as: authors, branding, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, paranormal author, writers are insane

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Can Karma Help You Become a Better Writer?

April 5, 2011 Random Musings
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Yesterday, author Jody Hedlund had a blog post about why most writers are blind to their own faults.  The first reason she mentioned really resonated with me: We naturally view our work through our maturity level. When we first start any new project, writing or otherwise, we don’t know what all we don’t know.  This [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, beta reader, critique partners/groups, Edittorrent, feedback, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism

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Would You Ever Turn Down a Contract?

March 31, 2011 Writing Stuff
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The comments for my last post were fantastic—thank you!  The range of opinions really got me to think deeper about the traditional vs. self publishing issue. Many people wrote in with circumstances for when self publishing works (and possibly works “better”).  Others noted situations where traditional publishing is the only way to go, one being [...]

Tagged as: agents, authors, contracts, deadlines, emotional heart, genre, happiness, Jami Gold, paranormal author, risk, sacrifices, self-publishing, traditional publishing

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What Makes Omniscient POV Different from Head-Hopping?

February 1, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Last time, we talked about how head-hopping is something to avoid, and not just because there’s a rule against it.  Any change in point-of-view (POV), whether using an “allowed” technique or not, risks weakening the connection between the reader and the story. Head-hopping authors sometimes say they’re writing in omniscient POV to cover their tracks. [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, head-hopping, Jami Gold, Janice Hardy, omniscient, paranormal author, point-of-view

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When Is a Story Worth Writing? – Part Two

January 20, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Writers are often overwhelmed with story ideas.  When I’m in the middle of difficult revisions, it’s normal for me to think of several other shiny ideas that I would much rather work on instead of doing yet another round of edits.  But not every idea is worthy of a story, so how do we decide [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, emotional heart, feedback, genre, Jami Gold, love, muse, non-fiction, paranormal author, plotter vs. pantser, romance novels, story seed

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When Is a Story Worth Writing? – Part One

January 18, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Every story begins with an idea.  Sometimes this idea comes to authors out of the blue.  Sometimes a dream provides the spark.  Sometimes “people watching” or an overheard conversation will trigger the thought.  But no matter where it comes from, the idea kicks off everything else, like a seed from which the story grows. These seeds [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, critique partners/groups, dreams, editing, emotional heart, feedback, Jami Gold, listening to characters, muse, paranormal author, sacrifices, story seed, The Resurrected

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What’s Your Favorite Writing Lesson?

January 13, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Yesterday, the inimitable Tawna Fenske had a blog post about how reading outside our comfort zone can make us better writers.  Her post got me thinking about a book I recently finished, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Unlike my usual genres of paranormal or historical, Anna and the French Kiss is a [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, editing, feedback, genre, grammar, workshops, writing contests

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