RWA

What’s the Hardest “First Step” You’ve Taken?

May 1, 2012 Random Musings
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As I write this post (late) Monday night, I just returned home after the regional writing conference, Desert Dreams.  I had a great time, met wonderful people, attended thought-provoking workshops, and pitched for the first time (and the second time and the third time). I think the pitches went well.  I got requests and I [...]

Tagged as: agents, conferences, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, paranormal author, pitching, Rachel Graves, risk, RWA, self-doubt

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How Do You Handle Disappointments?

March 27, 2012 Random Musings
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Over a thousand writers stared at their phones yesterday, willing them to ring.  Only around 150 of them received the call they were waiting for.  Yesterday the Romance Writers of America (RWA) announced the Golden Heart and RITA finalists. One of the largest writing organizations in the world released the names of the finalists for their [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, dreams, Jami Gold, life balance, paranormal author, professionalism, queries, romance novels, RWA, self-doubt, writing contests

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What Makes a Character Unique?

March 8, 2012 Writing Stuff
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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare Wow, Bill, you have no idea how ahead of your time you were.  I know it must be hard to believe, but hundreds of years after you made this insightful observation through [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, character archetypes, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, Janice Hardy, listening to characters, paranormal author, professionalism, RWA, strong characters

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What Makes You Feel Legitimate?

February 2, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Last week, we had a great discussion in the comments about whether we call ourselves writers or authors.  In general, we agreed that while we don’t judge others by what they call themselves, we each have our reasons for what we call ourselves.  Many echoed the idea that we want to feel legitimate before we’ll [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, conferences, Jami Gold, paranormal author, professionalism, RWA, website, workshops

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The Best Reason to Blog – Part 2

November 24, 2011 Random Musings
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Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S.  The day we eat too much food, roll our eyes at the antics of our extended family, and think about all the things we’re grateful for.  Or in my case, wait for the tryptophan to kick in from the turkey so I can catch up on sleep. Last year [...]

Tagged as: blogging, deadlines, feedback, happiness, Jami Gold, paranormal author, RWA, social media, Twitter, writing contests

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The Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers

November 22, 2011 Writing Stuff
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The end of this week marks the unofficial beginning to the holiday shopping season in the United States.  Thursday is our Thanksgiving holiday, and the day after is known as Black Friday, the day retailers finally sell enough to put their accounting books “in the black” for the year. I’m not one of those who [...]

Tagged as: conferences, ereader, Jami Gold, Kindle, organized, paranormal author, RWA, website creation, workshops, writing contests

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Can You “Fast Draft”?

November 8, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Several writers I know have recently tried the “Fast Draft” method.  What is the Fast Draft method?  Fast drafting entails getting the framework of our stories down as fast as possible—without worrying what that draft looks like. Author Candace Havens says it’s possible to complete a first draft in two weeks.  *mind boggles*  Two weeks is [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, editing, Jami Gold, listening to characters, organized, paranormal author, perfectionism, plotter vs. pantser, RWA, Twitter

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How Vulnerable is Your Writing?

June 30, 2011 Writing Stuff
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A few weeks ago, we talked about about branding and blogging and how to create connections with others.  People who feel connected to us are more likely to be willing to give our book a try or to help us promote.  Connected readers might become our front lines in our quest for global bestseller domination. [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, blogging, character flaws, conferences, Jami Gold, listening to characters, paranormal author, risk, RWA, Twitter

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When Should a Perfectionist Call Something Done?

March 1, 2011 Over-Achieving Perfectionist
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Yes, I’m still in the deadline cave this week, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Yay!  While I’m hiding, I wanted to share this post I originally wrote last summer.  The lesson is even more relevant to me right now.  (That’s a look at one of my edited pages to [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, conferences, deadlines, editing, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, paranormal author, perfectionism, RWA, writers are insane

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The Truth about Writing Contests

February 17, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Opinionated statement alert: Every writer should volunteer to judge a writing contest.   And not simply for altruistic reasons.  No, we should do it because we can learn from reading others’ work, as it’s much easier to see mistakes in prose other than our own. My friend Anassa Rhenisch had a great blog post about this [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, agents, feedback, Jami Gold, Kristen Lamb, paranormal author, RWA, writing contests

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