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Category Archives: Advice for Writers

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Keeping Track of Time

June 8, 2012 by Jamie

Nora Roberts has said she works an 8-hour day as a writer. Other famous writers such as Stephen King claim to work until they have their pages done, whether it takes 2 hours or 10. I’ve tried working both ways, and I’ve tried working just mornings, or only afternoons, or while my kids are napping and after they’ve gone to bed. I’ve also had to squeeze in writing first thing in the morning before work or last thing in the […]

Categories: Advice for Writers, Creativity, Organization, Time Management • Tags: artist routines, creative process, creativity, Nora Roberts, schedule, Stephen King, time management, writer, writing, writing life, writing routine

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The Definition of a Writer (And a 3-Question Quiz)

June 7, 2012 by Jamie

My writing “career,” whatever that means, began in January 1998. That was when I sat down and started writing my first novel seriously with the goal of publication. I didn’t want to publish one novel though, or two or three, or even ten. I wanted to publish a lifetime’s worth. How many will that be? I don’t know, because I’m not dead yet. It’s an ambitious goal to set out toward though for a person who’d never written even one […]

Categories: Advice for Writers, Creativity • Tags: career, reading, writer, writer's block, writing, writing career, writing life

1

Constructing a Novel

April 24, 2012 by Jamie

I’ve been reading Story Engineering by Larry Brooks and found this article about it today. His Six Core Competencies are a useful way to make sure you have all the parts you need to build a solid story. Having written more than a few novels myself that stalled out midway through and never became fully formed books, I’m curious to see how well I can incorporate his ideas into future projects. I’m a decidedly messy writer though, and I’m not […]

Categories: Advice for Writers, Creativity • Tags: advice, novels, six core competencies, writers, writing

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How to Write a Romance Novel

April 10, 2012 by Jamie

Okay, that’s a pretty huge topic for one little blog post, but let’s see if I can cover the highlights in 300 words or fewer, shall we? Every once in a while a friend or acquaintance will approach me, wanting to know how they can churn out a romance in a month or so and start raking in the cash. When I finish laughing and wiping the tears from my eyes, I have to break the terrible news to them: […]

Categories: Advice for Writers, Creativity • Tags: agents, editors, publishing, romance, romance novels, writing craft

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The Upside of Writer’s Block

February 23, 2012 by Jamie

I just began reading Dennis Palumbo‘s book, Writing from the Inside Out, and my first reaction to it was, “Why couldn’t I have discovered this four years ago?!” That was when my creative process first started going awry. I continued to write, but it became more and more difficult for several years, until fear, depression, and utter burnout led me to believe I might have to give up writing altogether. I’d dreamed of being a writer since I was 8, […]

Categories: Advice for Writers, Creativity, Reading • Tags: creative process, creativity, writer's block, writing

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Above All, Be Real

February 22, 2012 by Jamie

I found myself reading a novel last night in which the writing was just okay. There were some common writing mistakes–too much narrative and description slowing down the action, some awkward dialogue, some trite characters–and yet the story compelled me to keep reading. When I asked myself why I wanted to keep reading, the answer was that the author’s voice and the emotion in the story were honest. She was being real. She felt what she was writing, and it […]

Categories: Advice for Writers, Creativity, Reading • Tags: creativity, reading, writing

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