Musings Archives : Page 9 of 11 : JamiFairleigh.com

Developing a Fictional Character

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Jami Fairleigh

Have you ever watched a person running for a bus that is pulling away? Do you watch the story unfold? What happens if the bus doesn't stop? Will the runner give up and slump, sadly watching the bus pull away?...Read More

Writing a Fiction Blurb

Posted on February 12, 2021March 12, 2021 by Jami Fairleigh

You're on the hunt for a good story. A cover catches your eye and you pick up the book and turn it over, or click the link. You read the back cover blurb or the book's description. Nah, not for...Read More

Virtual Writing Workshop Takeaways

Posted on February 5, 2021March 5, 2021 by Jami Fairleigh

This past weekend, I attended the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association (PNWA)'s inaugural Winter Writing Intensive. It was a three-day virtual workshop or mini-conference focused on several aspects of writing. Friday's sessions included a welcome speech, a critique group do's and...Read More

The Juggling Writer

Posted on January 22, 2021April 9, 2021 by Jami Fairleigh

Alert, alert, I'm juggling three manuscripts. This is not something I know how to do, so at some point, the balls may come crashing down. I just hope they're a little bouncy and don't shatter on impact. My Manuscripts My...Read More

Writing Goals for 2021

Posted on January 8, 2021January 7, 2022 by Jami Fairleigh

Last week I talked about what writing-related things I accomplished in 2020. This week, I'd like to talk about what my goals are for 2021. Before we dive in, I should make one thing clear. I'm not naturally a goal-setting,...Read More

Goodbye to 2020

Posted on January 1, 2021December 31, 2021 by Jami Fairleigh

A brand new year lies before us like a blinking cursor on an empty page. Before I dive into the next chapter, I wanted to take a moment to review my story so far. How to even start? 2020 was...Read More

Purple Prose: What is It?

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Jami Fairleigh

One of the shiny writer toys I've put away is purple prose. As a recovering (reformed?) former pantser, I don't write to describe a scene, I write with my focus on the purpose of each scene. My writing thus marches...Read More

My YouTube Debut

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Jami Fairleigh

In this age of social media, it was inevitable that I would find an opportunity to spout my writing opinion nonsense on camera. My friend Marcus Ako has a YouTube channel called The Idiot On the Writers Block where he...Read More

A sign that says Awesome with an Arrow one way and Not Awsome with an arrow the other way

Feedback: A Great Way to Support Your Fellow Writers

Posted on October 12, 2020October 8, 2020 by Jami Fairleigh

What if there was a shortcut, a writing hack mayhaps, that could dramatically improve your writing in both speed and substance? Psst. There is. It's feedback. Feedback is magical. It points out what isn't working, so you can fix it....Read More

A Writing Journey Update: An Epic Battle in the PitchWars

Posted on October 8, 2020October 8, 2020 by Jami Fairleigh

"You finished a book? Cool! What's your book about?" Actual footage of me previously trying to answer this question. via GIPHY A few weeks ago, I decided to enter my book into the PitchWars Mentorship Contest. It's a program where...Read More

Beta Reading as a Writer

Posted on October 4, 2020October 1, 2020 by Jami Fairleigh

In the last post, I described why writers need beta readers. In this one, I'm going to talk about why a writer should beta read for other writers. Beta reading requires only two things from you; reading the book and...Read More

How Beta Readers Improve Your Writing

Posted on September 29, 2020September 30, 2020 by Jami Fairleigh

You've written a book. A whole book. You've just written the magical words, "The End" and now you're dreaming about the day you'll hold this book in your hand. Sure, you'll need to go through a couple of reads and...Read More