point of view

Dread Writing Sexy Scenes? 5 Tips for Success

March 12, 2013 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for Dread Writing Sexy Scenes? 5 Tips for Success

Whatever genre we write, we often have to write scenes that make us uncomfortable. High on that discomfort scale for many authors are romantic scenes between characters. Whether we write romance or another genre with love interests, or whether the characters merely kiss or have sex with the door open to the reader, many of [...]

Pin It

Tagged as: advice for writers, Jami Gold, listening to characters, love, muse, paranormal author, point of view, risk, romance novels, romance novels are not porn, self-doubt

Click here to read more

Will Omniscient POV Ever Be Popular Again?

January 22, 2013 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for Will Omniscient POV Ever Be Popular Again?

My recent post about avoiding “information dumps” prompted a conversation in the comments about omniscient point-of-view (POV) and its use of “telling” rather than “showing.” Serena Yung wanted to know why omniscient POV—and thus, telling rather than showing—are less common now than in the classics. She’s certainly right about omniscient being uncommon in books now. Omniscient [...]

Pin It

Tagged as: advice for writers, Jami Gold, omniscient, paranormal author, plot-driven vs. character-driven, point of view

Click here to read more

Spotlight on Subtext: When Characters Are Liars — Guest: Angela Ackerman

August 28, 2012 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for Spotlight on Subtext: When Characters Are Liars — Guest: Angela Ackerman

I’ve mentioned before that I love subtext. I’ve analyzed the Spiderman reboot for subtext. I’ve written about how to revise for subtext, how to use subtext in emotional scenes, and how character development happens in subtext. Yeah, I’m a tad obsessed with subtext. So when the fantastic Angela Ackerman of The Bookshelf Muse blog offered [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, character flaws, editing, guest blogs, Jami Gold, listening to characters, paranormal author, point of view, subtext, The Bookshelf Muse

Click here to read more

3 Tips for Writing Heavy Emotional Scenes

June 26, 2012 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for 3 Tips for Writing Heavy Emotional Scenes

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 [...]

Pin It

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

Click here to read more

3 Reasons to Love the Writing Community

June 12, 2012 Random Musings
Thumbnail image for 3 Reasons to Love the Writing Community

I’ve had a lot to be thankful for lately.  My family and I got away for a fun vacation, my klutziness didn’t result in too many injuries out in the middle of nowhere, and I survived being without internet access for much of the time. *smile* I was also reminded—again—how awesome the writing community is.  During [...]

Pin It

Tagged as: blogging, feedback, Jami Gold, Kristen Lamb, life balance, paranormal author, point of view, social media, story openings, Twitter, voice, workshops

Click here to read more

Need Voice? Think Out Loud

February 16, 2012 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for Need Voice? Think Out Loud

“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 [...]

Pin It

Tagged as: advice for writers, branding, feedback, Jami Gold, Janice Hardy, listening to characters, paranormal author, point of view, voice

Click here to read more

How to Force a Story to Evolve: 6 Revision Tips

December 27, 2011 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for How to Force a Story to Evolve: 6 Revision Tips

*Quick Reminder: Don’t forget the Pitch Your Shorts pitch session coming January 10th.  Get your 10-60K stories ready.  More details to come.* I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, no matter what holidays you celebrate.  While I’m enjoying some time with my family, I’ll share this post originally written as a guest post for [...]

Pin It

Tagged as: advice for writers, character flaws, editing, feedback, Jami Gold, paranormal author, point of view, subtext, theme

Click here to read more

Should We Do Guest Posts?

September 27, 2011 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for Should We Do Guest Posts?

Last week turned into an interesting demonstration on the benefits of guest posts.  We’ve heard the typical reasons for allowing guests or agreeing to guest post: * increased traffic * networking * and marketing. We bring in guests and hope their readers will stay at our blog for a while, becoming regular visitors.  We do [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, Ask Jami, blogging, branding, guest blogs, Jami Gold, paranormal author, point of view, social media

Click here to read more

How Do You Stretch Yourself?

September 13, 2011 Writing Stuff
Thumbnail image for How Do You Stretch Yourself?

With any job or activity, if we want to get better, we have to stretch ourselves.  Athletes strive to move faster or stronger.  Musicians aim to complete a harder, more intricate piece of music.  And writers… How do writers stretch themselves? We can collect feedback on our writing from beta readers, contest judges, and critique [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, beta reader, genre, grammar, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, muse, paranormal author, point of view, risk, story seed

Click here to read more

A Rating System for Books, Part Two: How Can We Include Context?

August 2, 2011 Random Musings
Thumbnail image for A Rating System for Books, Part Two: How Can We Include Context?

Thanks once again to all who responded to my last blog post about whether books should have a rating system.  And I say that not just because I didn’t need my flame-proof jacket.  *smile* Many shared thoughtful ideas here on my blog, Google+, and Twitter that helped me refine my opinion.  If you haven’t read that article [...]

Tagged as: antagonist, beta reader, book ratings, feedback, head-hopping, Jami Gold, omniscient, paranormal author, point of view, romance novels, Twitter

Click here to read more

← Previous Entries