feedback

Tips for Writing Back Cover Copy — Guest: Roz Morris

April 26, 2012 Writing Stuff
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I’m excited to share today’s guest post by author Roz Morris.  After ghostwriting many bestselling books, Roz recently self-published My Memories of a Future Life, her first novel under her own name. Roz’s decision to self-publish came about partly because this novel doesn’t fit into normal genre boxes.  However, even as a self-published author, she still [...]

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Why Does Feedback Hurt So Much?

April 24, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Several people I know are going through revisions right now based on feedback they received from beta readers, agents, or editors.  Every one of them is dealing with the “I suck” issue along with that. Yes, sometimes feedback can be a bit too mean or blunt, but that’s not the problem here.  No matter how [...]

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What Does “Writing Is Subjective” Mean?

April 19, 2012 Writing Stuff
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If you’ve sent out queries, you’ve probably received rejections.  They usually say things along the line of: “This is just my opinion and others may feel differently.” “Just because I wasn’t drawn in doesn’t mean others won’t love it.” “Publishing is a subjective business and another agent would be better suited to your work.” We can’t fault those who [...]

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Ask Jami: How Do We Find Beta Readers?

April 5, 2012 Writing Stuff
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My post about combining comments from multiple beta readers in MS Word brought up a great question.  How do we get beta readers? In the comments, Amanda Byrne asked, “[A]ny hints on how you can scare up more beta readers? … [O]nly one of them gets back to me in a timely manner.” Then Aldrea [...]

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MS Word Trick: Combining Changes and Comments

April 3, 2012 Writing Stuff
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We all have weaknesses.  Some people want to deny their imperfections, but most of us do what we can to overcome them. Like many writers, one of my weaknesses is my inability to interpret my words the way a reader does.  That’s not unusual.  We know what we meant to say, so it’s easy to [...]

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Using Google Search Terms for Fun and Education

March 20, 2012 Random Musings
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After the last few weeks of “serious issues,” I needed a silly break, so I looked up the search terms that recently brought people to my blog.  Google didn’t disappoint, as several phrases caught my eye. Every blogger should check the search terms associated with their blog occasionally, and not just for amusement.  If someone [...]

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Can We Have Too Much Voice?

February 21, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?  Sure.  We’ve all overindulged in our favorite foods before.  No matter how much we might like sweets or any other type of food, something can be too sweet, too rich, too whatever. In my last post about how to add voice to our writing, Eve [...]

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Need Voice? Think Out Loud

February 16, 2012 Writing Stuff
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“The voice didn’t grab me.” Uh-oh.  Isn’t that feedback one of a writer’s worst nightmares?  Voice is one of those things that feels like we either have it or we don’t.  And we think we can’t easily change it because our voice is so internal to us. But all is not lost.  We can develop and strengthen [...]

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How to Use the “Save the Cat” Beat Sheet for Revisions

February 9, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Before I start, thank you to everyone who commented, tweeted, and emailed me with support after my last post about losing my cat.  You all have filled me with virtual hugs and put a smile on my face.  Thank you.  *hugs back* In fact, after writing that post and reading your notes, I was feeling good [...]

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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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