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Interview with a…Muse – Guest: Rachel Firasek

Picture of Rachel Firasek

I’m still at Disneyland, so I have another guest joining us today.  This is the second installment of a new feature here on my blog: Interview with a…Muse (because interviewing our characters is just too sane).  After I had so much fun with my Do You Have a Muse? post, […]

May 12, 2011

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Interview with a…Muse – Guest: J.A. Paul

J. A. Paul picture

“Hey, Jami, now that you have a bazillion things to do and no time to get it all done, what are you going to do?” “I’m going to Disneyland!” That’s right.  I threw up my hands and decided everything could wait a week while I head to Disneyland with the […]

May 10, 2011

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Do Writers Have to Be Able to Lie?

Book of secrets under chains and lock

Most of you have never met me in person, so I need to start off by explaining that I’m a very expressive person.  All those smiley faces in my tweets and blog comments?  Completely true-to-life. You’ll never see me take a bet to try to keep a straight face for […]

April 26, 2011

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Can Karma Help You Become a Better Writer?

Arrows in a circle

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 […]

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April 5, 2011

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Would You Ever Turn Down a Contract?

Thumbs down

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 […]

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March 31, 2011

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What Makes Omniscient POV Different from Head-Hopping?

God's Eye View

Last time, we talked about how head-hopping is something to avoid, and not just because there’s a rule against it.  Any change in point-of-view (POV), whether using an “allowed” technique or not, risks weakening the connection between the reader and the story. Head-hopping authors sometimes say they’re writing in omniscient […]

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February 1, 2011

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When Is a Story Worth Writing? – Part Two

Green eggs and ham

Writers are often overwhelmed with story ideas.  When I’m in the middle of difficult revisions, it’s normal for me to think of several other shiny ideas that I would much rather work on instead of doing yet another round of edits.  But not every idea is worthy of a story, […]

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January 20, 2011

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When Is a Story Worth Writing? – Part One

Tree growing from book

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 […]

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January 18, 2011

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What’s Your Favorite Writing Lesson?

Chalkboard

Yesterday, the inimitable Tawna Fenske had a blog post about how reading outside our comfort zone can make us better writers.  Her post got me thinking about a book I recently finished, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Unlike my usual genres of paranormal or historical, Anna and […]

January 13, 2011

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Where to Find Free Kindle Books – Legally

Kindle

*gush alert*  I got a Kindle for Christmas and it’s, like, totally the most awesome-est thing ever.  *end gush alert before I gag*  And judging by the comments on Twitter, I wasn’t the only person to receive one. So now I’ve been doing my best to fill it without breaking […]

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December 30, 2010

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