Jami Gold's Blog: Jami Gold, Paranormal Author, page 24

Love Reading? Easily Search for Books at Libraries

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Like many authors, I started writing because I love to read. I love discovering characters, twisty stories, imaginative settings, and storytelling in general.

I was one of those kids who read by flashlight under the covers. When my parents dragged me to my brother’s Little League games—or even a major league baseball game—I’d bring (and read) a book. I have a compulsion to read, and if nothing else is in front of me, I’ll read cereal boxes...

Your Story’s Promise: Do You Need an Epilogue?

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Last week, we talked about the pros and cons of including an epilogue with our story. In that post, I mentioned a few of the reasons why we might want to include an epilogue:

Genre Expectations Sense of Closure Additional Wrap Up Emphasis of Change Series or Sequel Set Up Outside Perspective Emphasis of Theme

Despite all those reasons, most stories don’t include epilogues. At the same time, there’s no shortage of reviews that complain ab...

Epilogue Pros and Cons: But Wait ��� There’s More!

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

We’ve talked before about whether a prologue would help or hurt our story. At the other end of a book, we might face a similar question about whether our story needs an epilogue or not.

Epilogues aren’t quite as reviled as prologues, but some people do fall into the “don’t like” camp. So let’s take a look at epilogues: how they differ from normal endings, what they can do, and what they shouldn’t do.

What Makes an Epilogue an Epilogue?

Bef...

Epilogue Pros and Cons: But Wait — There’s More!

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

We’ve talked before about whether a prologue would help or hurt our story. At the other end of a book, we might face a similar question about whether our story needs an epilogue or not.

Epilogues aren’t quite as reviled as prologues, but some people do fall into the “don’t like” camp. So let’s take a look at epilogues: how they differ from normal endings, what they can do, and what they shouldn’t do.

What Makes an Epilogue an Epilogue?

Bef...

How to Use Focused Brainstorming to Develop Our Plot ��� Guest: Janice Hardy

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Unless we’re only ever going to write just one book, we need to improve our ability to develop an idea into a story. That means we might want to strengthen our process for discovering our story’s characters, the point of their struggles, and the plot that leads readers from page to page.

Story development skills are especially important if we’re going to participate in NaNoWriMo next month. Right now is the perfect time to get our story id...

How to Use Focused Brainstorming to Develop Our Plot — Guest: Janice Hardy

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Unless we’re only ever going to write just one book, we need to improve our ability to develop an idea into a story. That means we might want to strengthen our process for discovering our story’s characters, the point of their struggles, and the plot that leads readers from page to page.

Story development skills are especially important if we’re going to participate in NaNoWriMo next month. Right now is the perfect time to get our story id...

NaNo Prep: Is Your Story Idea Ready?

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Many writers will spend the month of November dedicating every spare minute to writing as they participate in National Novel Writing Month (known as NaNoWriMo or just plain NaNo). So now is the perfect time to start thinking about what story idea we want to explore next.

A common assumption about NaNo is that people write gibberish (or close to it) to meet the word count demands, cramming 50,000 words into a 30-day deadline. To be sure, so...

Do You Share Your Expertise?

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

I’m re-running a post today because it’s the time of year that it applies again—time to propose a guest post! *smile*

Many of us suffer from impostor syndrome, the feeling that we’re a fraud and it’s just a matter of time until others realize it. That feeling goes double (or more) in the writing world, where the learning curve is steep and we can feel like a newbie many times over.

Even after we get a handle on writing craft, we start over...

How to Save a Broken Story

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

A truly broken story is one where the pieces of the story don’t come together in a coherent whole. Maybe the plot wanders and feels random, or maybe the characters seem more like puppets than real people. Or maybe one of a bajillion other reasons.

When that happens, we might wonder if the story is irrevocably broken or if it could be saved. And if saving it is possible, how would we do it?

As a long-time developmental editor (and before th...

Branding 101: What Does Our Brand Promise to Readers?

Here's the latest from Jami Gold, Paranormal Author :

Many, if not most, readers have a few go-to or auto-buy authors. Readers support their go-to authors by buying almost everything they’ve released, keeping their name top-of-mind to suggest and recommend to others, and generally feeling a sense of loyalty.

As authors, we long to be on readers’ auto-buy lists. We want readers who support us, share the word about our books, and love what we do.

As readers, we know how we feel about our go-to...