sacrifices

Have You Given Yourself Permission?

September 8, 2011 Writing Stuff
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I had a really bad day of writing on Tuesday.  My muse was off in his own little world.  I was frustrated about getting further behind on…well, everything.  And the words I did write felt like crap. (I know, I know.  It’s my own fault my muse was distracted, because in my last post I wondered how to [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, dreams, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, life balance, muse, paranormal author, perfectionism, sacrifices

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The Green Lantern Movie: How *Not* to Write Characters

July 7, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Last time, I used the Green Lantern movie to illustrate how not to plot a story.  This time, we’re going to look at the Green Lantern characters. As noted before, Green Lantern felt superficial and formulaic.  Sure, it’d be easy to say that it was a comic book movie and therefore lived up to expectations, but [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, character flaws, emotional heart, Jami Gold, listening to characters, paranormal author, risk, sacrifices, strong characters, tension

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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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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 [...]

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

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Have You Ever Been Tempted to Give Up?

March 15, 2011 Random Musings
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First, let me state: No, I’m not giving up.  But this round in the deadline cave has been especially brutal, so I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind for a split second. This past weekend, my computer froze in the middle of saving my document and the file got corrupted. [...]

Tagged as: deadlines, editing, happiness, Jami Gold, life balance, paranormal author, sacrifices

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You Might Be Under Deadline If…

February 22, 2011 Random Musings
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I’m in a deadline cave this week, so I have just a short post inspired by my current crazy schedule.  I’m so grateful to my awesome critique partners and beta readers.  They’re trying to keep me sane.  Or at least, they’re trying to keep me from going completely insane.  But I’ll admit that at least [...]

Tagged as: beta reader, critique partners/groups, deadlines, editing, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, life balance, paranormal author, perfectionism, sacrifices, Twitter, writers are insane

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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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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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Finding Life’s Balance

August 16, 2010 Random Musings
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A quick note: Today’s the last day to leave a comment on my contest post to win a free book from the RWA registration bags. The deadline to enter is midnight, August 16th. Last week, a friend of mine, Simon C. Larter, interviewed Victoria Mixon, a freelance editor.  He asked several great questions (and a [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, blogging, branding, Jami's rants, life balance, organized, sacrifices, Simon C. Larter, social media, Twitter, website

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Are Writers Conferences Worth It?

August 4, 2010 Writing Stuff
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I’ve now recovered enough from the RWA National Conference to talk about my experience.  *takes deep breath*  Er, or not… The word “overwhelming” was invented for experiences like this.  I can try to describe it, but I fear I’ll run out of words (a horrifying thought for a writer!).  It was fabulous to meet so [...]

Tagged as: agents, authors, conferences, dreams, high-concept hooks, Jami's rants, queries, risk, RWA, sacrifices, Twitter

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