Where Normal Need Not Apply
Sometimes it still comes as a shock to me that anyone visits my blog and cares about what I have to say. So when I received my first blog award, I was completely unprepared. My first thought was of being tremendously flattered. I think my exact reaction was, Me? Seriously? […]
Fantasy: To become an author, we just need to have a great idea, write it down, and then agents, publishers, and readers will all magically appear. Reality: Nothing like that. Becoming an author isn’t simple. Oh no. We have what seems like a never-ending list of things to learn and […]
Old-fashioned school desks squeak, their occupants leaning for a better view. Dust motes hang suspended in the sunbeams from the classroom windows, as though they stilled, waiting for the confession. I stand before the group and gather my courage. “My name is Jami Gold and I am a learning addict.” […]
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My Twitter friend Austin Wulf wrote a blog post yesterday, What’s So Bad About Perfectionism?, and that question got me thinking. My blog readers might know I call myself not just a perfectionist, but an over-achieving perfectionist. Is that a bad thing? *smile* I think it depends. Is Perfectionism Bad? […]
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Disclaimer: I love Maureen Johnson’s “I am not a brand” manifesto down to the last punctuation mark. That’s not the approach to branding I’m talking about. An author’s brand isn’t about selling. It’s about recognizing that what we say and how we act affects what others think of us. It’s about then […]
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I’m being interviewed over at Rachel Firasek’s blog today. Me! I’m marking this day on the calendar for sure. However, before sending you over there, I wanted to share with you some thoughts about this “branding” thing authors have to keep in mind now. Yesterday, Roni Loren (my friend from […]
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Today’s post is the unofficial “part three” of the results from my poll. I hadn’t planned this post, but the comments from last time inspired a new thought. In part one, we talked about how to help your blog readers find you. And in part two, we discussed the things […]
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My last post highlighted ways a blog can serve its readership. This post focuses on what not to do when designing a blog. Some of the answers might surprise you. Once again, I want to thank all of you who voted in the polls, commented, and tweeted me with feedback. […]
First of all, huge thanks to everyone who answered my poll questions last week about how you use blogs. Hopefully, the high participation rate means the results will be helpful to all of us. In fact, due to the abundant and informative feedback in comments and tweets, I’ll be dividing […]
Should authors blog? We’ve all seen this question in some form or another. Some wonder if agents expect it. (Not yet but close.) Others want to know if it will help build that elusive platform. (It can.) But I propose another reason to blog: training your muse. My regular readers […]
