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Jami Gold

What Milestones Do You Watch for?

Badge for 100 Best Websites for Writers: Award 2015

As we go through life, we often struggle to recognize our progress. That’s especially the case when life feels like a giant treadmill that goes nowhere and accomplishes nothing. Milestones are one way for us to mark our progress, and they’re also great for reminding us to stop and celebrate the little (or sometimes, not so little) things.

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January 20, 2015

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How to Use Needs and Goals to Appeal to Readers

Cue ball lined up on billiards table with text: The Importance of Goals *and* Needs

When we first start learning about writing, we’re often faced with a whole new language. Words like “beats,” “tension,” and “conflict” take on new meaning within the writing world. Such it is with the words “needs” and “goals.” Once we enter the writing world, those words become infused with extra meanings related to plots and character arcs.

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January 15, 2015

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How Do You Handle Negativity from Others?

Megaphone on a security fence with text: Do You Listen to Negativity?

At some point, we’re likely to run into negativity in our writing-lives. Feedback might be filled with cruel “give up” put-downs. We might be attacked by internet trolls. Reviews might rip apart us, personally, instead of focusing on our book. So the question then becomes, what are we willing to do to avoid it?

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January 13, 2015

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Branding 101: What’s Your Story?

Quilled paper snowflake with text: What Makes Us Special?

We often see inspirational quotes about how we’re the only one who can write our story. But sometimes we might look at that quote and think we’re not anyone special, so our story wouldn’t be anything special either. Let’s talk about how to get over the doubt and discover why might someone care about our stories.

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January 8, 2015

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How Do You Stay Organized?

Crumpled sticky note with text: How Do You Stay Organized?

With a new year, we often want to start on the right foot. We don’t want to repeat last year’s mistakes. (Let’s make new ones instead, right? *smile*) So to get and stay organized, I’d love to find a time management approach that helped me track everything.

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January 6, 2015

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Happy New Year! How Can We Create More Success?

Silhouetted people jumping high with text: How Can We Create More Success?

Happy New Year! To concentrate on good things for the new year, let’s talk about what things worked for us and what we want to continue in the new year. We need to recognize those successes to give ourselves credit, to ensure we don’t let our good habits fade by the wayside, and so we know how to push our successes through into the new year.

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January 1, 2015

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Wrapping Up the Year: What Didn’t Work?

Arrow crashing down with text: What Didn't Work for Us?

I want us all to have an even better year in 2015, so we might need to work on our weaknesses or identify what didn’t work for us this past year. What decisions, processes, or priorities held us back? The better we understand ourselves, the more likely we are to know how to succeed in the future.

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December 30, 2014

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You Have a Superpower—Use It!

Wooden figures holding hands with text: Are You Using Your Superpower?

This is a crazy and chaotic time of year for many of us, and this stressful time of year can also bring out the worst in people. Luckily, we all have a superpower. We have the power to make someone else’s day better. Or at the very least, we have the power to provide a bright spot in their otherwise crappy day.

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December 23, 2014

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What Creates a Story’s Theme?

Scattered puzzled pieces with text: What Story Elements Create a Theme?

Many stories that stick with us over time resonate with some aspect of our life, belief, or worldview. Often, the theme of the story creates that resonance. If we understand what creates a story’s theme, we might be able to improve the resonance of our stories.

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December 18, 2014

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What Makes a Story’s Black Moment a Black Moment?

Black-and-white image of cemetery cross with text: What Creates a Black Moment?

The Black Moment is usually one of the most emotional sections of the story, so it can be difficult to pull together. If we read stories (or watch movies), we’ve seen this beat play out endless times, so we probably understand the plot point more than we may think. But let’s take a closer look and see if we can learn something new.

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December 16, 2014

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