Tag Archives: how to write

Professional Wednesday: It’s All Connected

Posted on September 28, 2022 by dbjackson

One more post about my teaching weekend at the Hampton Roads Writers Conference . . . . As I believe I mentioned last week, I taught four classes at the event. The topics were: point of view, character development, world … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)

Posted on September 21, 2022 by dbjackson

This week I head to the Hampton Roads Writers Conference in Virginia Beach. I’ll be teaching several workshops over the three days I’m there — a two-hour master class on “Point of View and Voice,” a ninety-minute class on “Character … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Dealing With My Latest Editorial Feedback

Posted on July 6, 2022 by dbjackson

I’ve written many times before about dealing with edits on a story or novel manuscript, and I don’t want to repeat myself any more than necessary. But I have just received feedback from my editor on the first book in … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: One Hot-Mess of a Writing Post

Posted on June 29, 2022 by dbjackson

Dispensing writing advice when one is struggling a bit with one’s own work can be somewhat strange. Just ask . . . well, me. I am more than 50,000 words into my current work-in-progress, the third book in my Celtic … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Most Important Lessons — Understand Your Contracts

Posted on June 22, 2022 by dbjackson

Today’s post won’t be overly long. It doesn’t need to be, as the advice is fairly straightforward. One of the advantages of having an agent, beyond increased chances of selling our work to a traditional publisher, and increased access to … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Dealing With the Slog, part II — The 60% Stall

Posted on June 8, 2022 by dbjackson

Many years back, while I was working on one of the middle books in my Winds of the Forelands quintet, my second series, I came downstairs after a particularly frustrating day of writing and started whining to Nancy about my … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Most Important Lessons — Dealing With the Slog, part I

Posted on June 1, 2022 by dbjackson

Just keep swimming Just keep swimming Just keep swimming… Yes, I am a Pixar fan. Sue me. My kids were the perfect age for the magical first generation of Pixar movies — Toy Story (1 and 2); Monsters, Inc., Finding … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Roger Angell, 1920-2022

Posted on May 25, 2022 by dbjackson

If you are not a baseball fan, and not a reader of The New Yorker, chances are the news of Roger Angell’s passing, at the age of 101, had little significance for you. But if you are familiar with his … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Tending To Our Work Space

Posted on May 18, 2022 by dbjackson

About a month ago, I wrote a Professional Wednesday post about how I was somewhat stuck creatively. I felt stagnant, unable to kick myself into motion when it came to writing new material. Then, about a week ago, I posted … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Giving Clueless Advice

Posted on May 16, 2022 by dbjackson

This past week, I spent a good deal of time going through old magazines and books in my office trying to clear out some of the clutter. (More on that in Wednesday’s post.) For years, I have subscribed to a … Continue reading →

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