My regular readers know I typically write novel-length stories. However, during one crazy four-day stretch, I wrote a long-ish short story/short-ish novella (novelette?). For those of you following along at home, I’m referring to my story inspired by spam. I’ve blogged before about how the experience was a great way […]
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That seems like an odd question, doesn’t it? After all, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Google knew what I had for lunch on Wednesday five weeks ago. In fact, computers and the internet have captured so much information that we sometimes don’t want to memorize facts, figuring we’ll Google […]
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That’s right. I’m asking you to expose your biggest weakness. *locks the door so no one can escape* *evil grin* We all have weaknesses. I’m one of the biggest perfectionists around, but that doesn’t prevent me from having oodles of imperfections. It’s only by knowing where we need more work […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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Today I’m guest blogging at Melinda Collins’s blog. I’m talking about the craft of writing, and how I love every bit of it. Yes, even the hair-ripping-out parts. *smile* That love of the craft means I don’t have a favorite part of the process, so I don’t strictly fall on […]
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If you’re a writer and on Twitter, you should know about the incomparable Elizabeth S. Craig. She shares fantastic resources for writers that she finds all over the web, like a one-woman news source. More importantly, if you’re a writer—whether you’re on Twitter or not—you should know about her Writer’s […]
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When we first get an idea for a story, the characters who will populate that story often start out shadowy and vague. Either before the writing process (if we’re plotters) or during the writing process (if we’re pantsers), we have to develop those characters into something solid and colorful. We […]
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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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Yes, I’m still under deadline, but an interesting issue came up in the comments on my last post about perfectionism. Perfectionists tend to be nitpicky, no surprise there. But there’s a time when that trait is very helpful, and a time when we need to ignore the compulsion to tweak. […]
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