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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Aug 1, 2019
- 2 min
Writing Tip: Hashtag Hack
Dear Readers, After a week off for good behavior (I typically don't blog in 5th weeks of the month), I'm back with a cool outlining hack for writers. If you're anything like me, your outline is probably about one-third as long as your actual book. No, but really. *stares in plotter* I do a full chapter-by-chapter outline for each book, revising it in between drafts. I usually have everything from GMCs to worldbuilding notes to actual dialogue in my outline, so it can be chall
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- May 30, 2019
- 3 min
Writer's Life: On Receiving
Dear Readers, I know many of you are also writers, so I thought I'd share one of my smaller, more subtle pieces of advice for surviving the day-to-day of the writing biz. Receiving. As always, there's a story. Back in 2011, right before I graduated from a grueling but amazing MFA program at Seton Hill University, I was deep in the daily word trenches. At the time, I was working in the medical field, 40+ hours a week at a long-term care facility. It was hard. It was depressing
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Apr 17, 2019
- 4 min
5 Steps to Finish Your Book
I know what it's like. You start out with a great idea, you've got all this momentum, you get halfway through your book, and wham! The words just stop flowing. No matter what you do, you can't recapture the shiny newness of that initial creative burst. I’ve written six books so far in THE CIRCUIT FAE series. Further, I’ve been an editor for a number of small presses, helping authors make their publishing dreams a reality. Today, I'd like to let you in on my secret of why I'm
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Apr 11, 2019
- 4 min
Con Recap: RavenCon 14
It's been an exciting April, readers and fellow sleeper-princesses! It was my first RavenCon in Williamsburg, VA, and I loved meeting and reconnecting with friends and industry colleagues and discussing all topics writing and publishing! Thank you to the RavenCon staff, support, and volunteers as well as to my fellow panelists and all my readers and congoers-in-arms! As usual with my con recaps, today I want to tackle a question I'm often asked: Why don't you sell your books
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Jan 1, 2019
- 2 min
2019: Upcoming News & Releases
Happy 2019, Dear Readers! 2018 was an amazing year--thank you again SO MUCH for all your love and support! I read, appreciate, and consider every review, every comment, and I'm grateful for every "Like" and "share." I can't say thank you enough! I'm thrilled that Syl and Rouen's story resonates with so many people, from folks in the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond. I'm gearing up for a great 2019, and I hope you're as excited as I am. ;) Here's what's on tap: CONS & CONFERENCES
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Dec 31, 2018
- 2 min
2018: Year in Review
Happy New Year, Dear Readers! I hope 2018 was everything you hoped for and more. For me, 2018 was a super busy year, filled with things good and bad, successes and heartbreaks. Your support was the key to all the good things, so I'm calling it a success! Here's the recap: RELEASES Circuit Fae 1.5: DERAILED - 1/1 Circuit Fae 2: OUROBOROS - 3/27 Circuit Fae 2.5: DETHRONED - 6/19 Circuit Fae 3: INIMICAL - 9/18 CONS & CONFERENCES Arisia - Boston, Ma. January ConBust - Northampton
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Dec 6, 2018
- 2 min
After NaNoWriMo
It's December, and you know what that means - NaNoWriMo 2018 is officially ended! Congratulations! Whether you "won" NaNo or just dipped your pinkie toe in, developing a writing habit is hard, and you should seriously be proud of ANY steps you took in that direction. But, now what do you do with your 50,000-ish word work-in-progress? A lot of people think that they need to rush out and hire an editor. You could, but ask any published author, and she'll tell you that after one
30 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Oct 24, 2018
- 4 min
Preptober: Week 4
Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to NaNoWriMo: Preptober planning! If you missed an earlier post, have no fear! Here are some helpful links: Week 1: Preplanning Week 2: The Who, What & Where of Your Novel Week 3: Outlining Your Novel And now, for Week 4! We're in the home stretch, so this post will focus on the practicality of writing, creating a habit that will get you in the chair every day for thirty days. Because remember: butt + chair = productivity. 1. Break it Down
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GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Oct 13, 2018
- 4 min
Preptober: Week 2
Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to Preptober: Week 2! Last week, we went over a few things to prepare you for diving into NaNoWriMo on November 1st. This week, I'll talk about my own process for outlining and developing a novel. And now the obligatory credentials post: I'm a senior editor for a romance e-publisher, and I've helped hundreds of authors design, develop, and outline their novels. I find it's helpful to start basic: with the who, what, and where of your novel
20 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Oct 4, 2018
- 4 min
NaNoPreptober: Week 1
Hello, my pretties! November is coming up fast, and you know what that means--NaNoWriMo! For those who might not know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It happens in November, and it challenges writers of all skill levels to complete a rough draft of approximately 50,000 words in one month. That's one huuuuuuuuuge task! But I'm here to help you break that huge task down into smaller, more manageable chunks, and soon, you'll be on your way to completing that 50,000 w
31 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Dec 21, 2017
- 3 min
From the Editor's Desk: GIE's 5 Writing Protips
Every year at this time, I do a year in review where I take a hard look at my writing process and look for ways to improve. This year, I'm sharing those insights with you, my pretties! I've hit on five basic elements that can vastly improve your writing, whether you're a pro or a beginner. My Top 5 Takeaways for 2017 are: 1. Have Daily Goals I've said it before, but I cannot stress how important daily goals are. Writing daily not only helps you break that 50,000 word manuscri
25 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Oct 25, 2017
- 5 min
Preptober: Week 4
Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to NaNoWriMo: Preptober planning! If you missed an earlier post, have no fear! Here are some helpful links: Week 1: Preplanning Week 2: The Who, What & Where of Your Novel Week 3: Outlining Your Novel And now, for Week 4! We're in the home stretch, so this post will focus on the practicality of writing, creating a habit that will get you in the chair every day for thirty days. Because remember: butt + chair = productivity. 1. Break it Down
16 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Oct 11, 2017
- 4 min
Preptober: Week 2
Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to Preptober: Week 2! Last week, we went over a few things to prepare you for diving into NaNoWriMo on November 1st. This week, I'll talk about my own process for outlining and developing a novel. And now the obligatory credentials post: I'm a senior editor for a romance e-publisher, and I've helped hundreds of authors design, develop, and outline their novels. I find it's helpful to start basic: with the who, what, and where of your novel
26 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Sep 27, 2017
- 4 min
NaNoWriMo: Prep for Preptober!
Hello, my pretties! November is coming up fast, and we know what that means--NaNoWriMo! For those who might not know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It happens in November, and it challenges writers of all skill levels to complete a rough draft of approximately 50,000 words in one month. That's one huuuuuuuuuge task! But I'm here to help you break that huge task down into smaller, more manageable chunks, and soon, you'll be on your way to completing that 50,000 wo
136 views0 comments
GirlyEngine (GIE)
- Mar 15, 2017
- 2 min
Writing Right: Dialogue Tags
I’ve been an editor for eight years now, and I've noticed that one of the hallmarks of a newer, inexperienced writer is “fancy” dialogue tags. For some reason, many newer writers feel the need to spice up their tags. Maybe it’s that their creative writing instructors told them that said is too boring or that they should try to be original or shouldn’t repeat themselves. Whatever the reason, I often feel like these authors go to the thesaurus, look up said, and then pepper the
29 views0 comments
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