Tag Archives: writing tips

Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.

Posted on May 10, 2023 by dbjackson

Trust your reader. This is editor speak for “trust yourself.” It is something I say often to many of the writers I edit. But what does it mean? I have had my own lesson in “trust your reader” in recent … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Learning From Each of Our Projects

Posted on May 3, 2023 by dbjackson

Ideally, every new book and story we write is not just an adventure in imagination, a chance to discover new characters and settings and narratives, but also a learning opportunity. I continue to improve my writing with each project, and … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part II

Posted on April 26, 2023 by dbjackson

Last week, I revisited an old Magical Words post I’d done about eliminating excess verbiage in our writing, putting a new spin on the discussion. As promised, I would like to continue that conversation today. Before I dive back into … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part I

Posted on April 19, 2023 by dbjackson

As I mentioned in a recent post, I have been doing a tremendous amount of editing and revising these past several months. Between co-editing (with Edmund Schubert) the Artifice and Craft anthology for Zombies Need Brains, revising my upcoming Chalice … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: When To Fight an Edit, and When To Let it Go

Posted on April 5, 2023 by dbjackson

I know my knee-jerk response is not always my wisest response. All of us who have gone through the editorial process are familiar with the conundrum: We want to work with our editors. We want to cultivate reputations for being … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: What Holds Me Back, part II — Building a Platform

Posted on March 15, 2023 by dbjackson

Last week, I started my newest series for the Professional Wednesday feature: “What Holds Me Back.” My first entry was on life in general, and the ways in which we learn to cope with life’s intrusions on our creative output. … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: My Best Mistakes, Part III — Reviews, Damn Reviews, and More Reviews

Posted on February 22, 2023 by dbjackson

Continuing the “My Best Mistakes” series of blog posts . . . . Very early in my career, when my first book, Children of Amarid, was the only one I had out, I responded publicly to a online review from … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: My Best Mistakes, Part II — A Bad Contract Is Worse Than No Contract

Posted on February 15, 2023 by dbjackson

Last week, I kicked off the latest Professional Wednesday blog post series, “My Best Mistakes,” with a humorous story about my behavior at a convention early in my career. I hope you enjoyed it. This week, I turn to more … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: What Matters, Part IV — Money

Posted on January 23, 2023 by dbjackson

Say you don’t need no diamond rings, And I’ll be satisfied; Tell me that you want the kind of things, That money just can’t buy. — John Lennon and Paul McCartney We were bound to get to money eventually, right? … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: What Matters In Your Work? Part I

Posted on January 4, 2023 by dbjackson

On Monday, I began what will be a series of posts on the things that matter to us, and the ways in which we can make them central to our lives. Not surprisingly, I think about this a great deal … Continue reading →

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