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Jacqui Jacoby on Editing and Giveaway!

 Please welcome author Jacqui Jacoby as she shares about editing...and she's got a kindle copy of her WITH A VENGEANCE as giveaway for one commentater!

Jacqui Jacoby on the web:
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Write drunk.  Edit sober.  That is what Ernst Hemingway said. 
Even as a non-drinker, I would have to disagree with Papa as I just this week finished a four week project of editing and I swear, if I thought it would have helped, I would have mainlined caffeine and whiskey combined to make the process got easier.
Because let’s be honest, writing the books is where the fun lies.  It’s where the creation takes place. Characters come to life and we can see them and hear them and imagine what it would be like if we had them over for dinner.
But then the book is done and it looks a lot like a memo sheet from a backstage production of Guys and Dolls and we now have to make it all make sense so we can honesty type The End and mean it.
I spent weeks ironing out everything from working the swearing, to characters verbal expressions, to scenery and quote mark placements. 
And I can up with a few ground rules to make sure I stayed sane and kept that headache at bay.
1.        Monitor the time at the computer.  Work in blocks then take a break. For me, it was work 45/break 15.  And a break can be lying face down weeping in the bed if that helps.
2.       Make sure to keep a balanced, predictable diet.  Do not binge on junk food.  Fruit, nuts, water … keep your mind clear by keeping your blood sugar balanced.
3.       Walk. Get outside and take a thirty minute walk once a day at least.  Nothing clears your head like the fresh air and the sunshine.
When you meet someone who says they tried to write a story once, but they only got to half way, that it just got boring and wasn’t fun anymore.  Think about that statement.  Yes, it’s hard work. But it’s the hard work that takes our creation and our imagination and puts it on a shelf in a store.  People will see our covers, they will read our words and we will know that every second of blasted spell check moving through 100,000 words at a snail’s pace was worth the effort.
Jacqui's latest releasing in print from April 1st!

WITH A VENGEANCE
The more she wanted out, the more they dragged her back in!
 Daughter to murdered CIA officers, niece to a deputy director, Jaime Walsh has never known life outside the world of espionage. Until a high-action case in Buenos Aires leaves her gutted. Physically, emotionally…and professionally.
 She’d planned for her long-overdue vacation to be a time to rest and reassess. With her longtime partner Stephen not far behind, it’s a tropical paradise away from work. A paradise where boundaries will be tested.
From their training days, Stephen Reid has watched Jaime kick ass while performing what has become his second job—watching her back. But now his feelings have grown.
As best friends look at each other in a new light, they like what they see. And Jaime dreams of a new life outside “the company”.
Except someone from their past won’t be satisfied until Jaime and the man she loves are hunted to the brink of death. Now Jaime must find the strength to trust her heart and let go of her fear. Before she loses everything…
Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews
Buy Links:

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Samhain      Amazon      B&N    PowellsBooks

40 comments:

  1. Congrats, Jacqui! And I'm with you about that first draft and revisions. First drafts are much more fun. That's a great idea about the ground rules when editing too. :)

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    1. Thanks, Cherie. And you are right ... much more fun to create than to read to make sure you closed all the quote marks!!

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  2. Jacqui's book sounds like a real thriller, and in such a great setting. I'm thinking palm trees and drinks with little umbrellas...

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    1. Yeah ... yeah ... don't forget the pool ..., of the snowy hills of Scotland!! We got it all!! =D

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  3. I'm trying to imagine what that IV would look like, hooked up to a coffee pot and whiskey bottle :) Love the sound of the book--best of luck to you Jacqui!

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  4. I can relate. I'm a fast first drafter, so I spend a LOT of time editing before I get it where I want it.

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    1. Have you ever NaNoed? I am doing one right now. 50,000 words in 30 days!! Talk about editing!!

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  5. Just like you, Jacqui, I don't drink alcohol, but sometimes when I'm in the middle of editing I wish I did. :P

    All great tips!

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    1. Root Beer!! The good kind!! None of this Mug crap. Glass bottle, foam ... makes you feel wicked!!

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  6. This post totally made me laugh out loud. I kept thinking, "That - yes!!! And that- yes! Yes and yes!" Great tips, and I love my tips with humor, so this post was perfect :)

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    1. Hey, so glad I got an audience!! LOL ... And humor ... man, what else gets us through the day?

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  7. Congrats to Jacqui! Getting out and walking is great for both creativity and health. :)

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  8. You are so right--the writing the novel is the fun part! I dread the editing--sometimes I think I overanalyze every word, phrase, scene. Great tips for taking a break (and a quick cry)!

    Congrats to Jacqui on her book release!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

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  9. Congrats to Jacqui!!! Very exciting. And I love these tips! So true and so helpful!

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    1. Thank you. Glad I could help. Think of me next time you want to hurl it out the window!!

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  10. Best of luck to Jacqui!!! Love the tips. When I fail to plan, I nosh on the junk and I can feel my brain run slower.

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    1. I down loaded an app two weeks ago to help plan protects ..., just got too busy to be able to enter the projects that were making it so I needed the app to program. Got it? LOL

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  11. I have to apologize for being so late. It's the day before where I am and time zones me to death!! I will catch up, though!! -D

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  12. Those are great tips! Weeping, ha ha - sad but true. I've found that walking really helps me work through tough scenes or conversations.

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    1. I find when I walk I have to control the lips moving as I work dialogue. People look at you real strange if you are moving your lips!!

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  13. One of my biggest hurdles as a writer is that I have a hard time sitting still for any length of time. I have a short attention span. Even when I'm on my treadmill, I'm reading AND playing Songpop to keep myself from getting bored. Back when I was solely writing fiction (I do a lot of freelance writing now), I would force myself to sit down at the top of the hour until I wrote a set # of pages. Usually 1 or 2, but sometimes more if I was on a roll. Once those pages were written, I could get up and roam the house, do whatever, but at the top of the next hour, I had to sit down and start writing again. It worked for me!

    Maybe I should have tried drinking, though. I never thought about that!

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    1. Sounds like you came up with a good way to push yourself. Like my 45/15. It's a formula I had to work out to make progress. Good job!!

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  14. That's good advice. I try to get out to get fresh air as much as possible. It really does help clear your brain.

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    1. I like at 7000 feet. We have *really* thin air. Clears your head right up!!

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    2. lIve ... I LIVE at 7000 feet not like!!

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  15. It's great to meet you, Jacqui! Thanks, Nas, for the introduction. These are great tips. Appreciate the advice! :)

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  16. With a Vengeance sounds like a blast! I like tough stories and action mixed in with my romance, so I'll check out your book, Jacqui.

    And please don't cry over the editing! Obviously everything worked out great.

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  17. Intense story.

    I had to develop the discipline to write. I take breaks so I'm not burned out.

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  18. I have been hearing great things about Jacqui's book! Wishing her the best of luck!

    I like her editing plan. I have to edit at night when I get home from work, so I had to map out a plan to get it all done. Writing is so much fun, editing is such hard work!
    Jess

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  19. I love the 'lying on the bed weeping' bit. I haven't quite come to that, but despair over the editing - yes. Before I release my books, I have usually got to the point where I don't like them any more! It takes some distance before I can love them again!

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    1. James Frey in his wonderful book "How to Write a Damn Good Novel" says (paraphrasing) When you want to throw up every time you look at your book, you're done!!

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  20. Solid advice. I'm deep in the revision trenches -- 20K down, 120 to go -- and it's so easy to get sidetracked. I have to keep reminding myself how good it feels to have a final draft ready to query. And how good it feels to then be able to move on to a new project.

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  21. Jacqui here. Went to a writer's conference this week. Lots of fun ... until I tried to plug in my computer!! I had forgotten my cord so I was computer-less all weekend.

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  22. I have seen this book around. Looks like a good read.

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  23. Congratulations to Liz Blocker! You won a copy of Jacqui Jacoby's WITH A VENGEANCE! Please shoot me email at nas_dean@ymail.com

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