Edittorrent

How to Revise for a Stronger Theme

February 21, 2013 Writing Stuff
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Last time, we talked about using our story’s and characters’ themes to keep us on track as we draft. But no matter how well we know our themes during drafting, we can probably make them stronger in revision. Maybe we thought a character’s arc would focus on one theme, but another one popped up during [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, beta reader, cause and effect, editing, Edittorrent, feedback, Jami Gold, paranormal author, subtext, theme

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The Hard Work of Writing: Do You Embrace It?

July 3, 2012 Writing Stuff
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When you first started writing, did you realize how much work it would take? Or were you like most of us, thinking that you’d written your share of emails, essays, or Christmas letters and that writing a whole story wouldn’t be—couldn’t be—that much harder? But at some point—maybe it’s when we struggle to make the [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, dreams, editing, Edittorrent, fan fiction, feedback, grammar, Harry Potter, Jami Gold, paranormal author, professionalism

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3 Tips for Writing Heavy Emotional Scenes

June 26, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Yesterday, I tweeted a link to a great post by Sally Apokedak about not cheating the reader by skipping emotional scenes. Some writers struggle with heavy scenes. They’re uncomfortable with “invading” the privacy of their characters. They worry about creating laughably cheesy scenes. Or they think a scene that’s essential to the emotional journey is [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, Edittorrent, emotional heart, Harry Potter, Jami Gold, paranormal author, point of view, subtext

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Pitch Prep: What Makes a Great First Page?

January 5, 2012 Writing Stuff
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It was a dark and stormy blog post.  *snicker* We’re continuing to prepare for the January 10-16th Pitch Your Shorts pitch session by tackling the issue of story openings.  (Check out Tuesday’s post for everything there is to know about pitching.) While the purpose of a pitch is to get a request, the purpose of a story’s [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, Edittorrent, feedback, information dump, Jami Gold, Janice Hardy, page turning stories, paranormal author, pitch session, story openings, tension

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The Blogging Cycle: How Do You Stay Sane?

November 3, 2011 Writing Stuff
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My friend Roni Loren wrote a fabulous post yesterday about the life cycle of a blogger.  She echoed thoughts similar to Kait Nolan’s great post, “Social Media Ennui.” When we first start on social media or reading and/or writing blog posts, everything is shiny and new.  That post about query letters is amazing simply because we [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, Ask Jami, blogging, Edittorrent, Jami Gold, paranormal author, Roni Loren, Twitter

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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 [...]

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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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Do You Know What Will Make You Happy?

March 17, 2011 Random Musings
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Yes, it’s cheesy, but that picture is me right now because today is my last day in the deadline cave.  Yay! As I’m finishing up my final push to the finish, I wanted to share this post from last summer.  I think it’s still relevant today, maybe even more so. I’ve had to make a [...]

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Tagged as: deadlines, Edittorrent, happiness, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, life balance, Margeanne Mitchell, paranormal author, risk, sacrifices

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When Is Faking It Okay?

October 14, 2010 Random Musings
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After disclosing in my last post that my Muse is a perv, he’s been rather quiet.  So apparently he’s also shy.  Or the strong and silent type.  But that means I have no inspiration for today’s blog post.  That’s okay—I’ll fake it. Yes, yes, I know, I railed on faking story tension in another post.  [...]

Tagged as: dreams, Edittorrent, life balance, muse, organized, perfectionism, plotter vs. pantser, RWA

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Do You Know What Will Make You Happy?

August 18, 2010 Random Musings
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My blog-home-away-home, Edittorrent, had another thought-provoking post yesterday.  You really should go read it, but if you don’t have the time, their point boils down to this: Know what will make you feel like a success as a writer.  I think this same idea can apply to just about anyone—not just writers. Know what will [...]

Tagged as: critique partners/groups, dreams, Edittorrent, happiness, Jami's rants, life balance, Margeanne Mitchell, RWA, sacrifices

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