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#Book Giveaway & Joanne Dannon Talks About Editing Your Story!

Author Joanne Dannon brought this writing craft post, Editing Your Story!

Her latest release is An Unforgettable Holiday. 

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Unlike many writers, I actually love doing edits on my manuscript. Why you ask? Because I get to delve back in to the story I loved writing and enjoy spending time with my hero and heroine again. 

My style in writing a book is to plot heavily and write after. I spend up to two weeks creating the hero and heroine for my story (irrespective of the length of the book). Not only do I know what they look like but their characteristics, their personalities as well as their GMC. GMC is goal, motivation and conflict. It’s what keeps them together and keeps them apart. All good books (and movies!) should have strong GMC irrespective of the genre. 

I spend a lot of time in creating and plotting my characters, and then have a loose direction of the plot. However, my hero and heroine will drive the direction of the story, not me. 

My editor cleans up my typos and grammatical errors, and may ask me to so some minor re-writes but generally I don’t have “substantial” edits. I’m a faster writer and will complete the edits in 1-2 days. Once completed, my editor does another check of the changes I’ve made and a final read looking for typos.

When I have the proofed copy, I do a read through to ensure there are no typing or grammatical errors that have been missed. 

Every writer has their own style in writing, but for me it’s taken years of writing to work what is best for me. I love plotting whilst some writers don’t. I believe that my work in creating a strong foundation for my book is the reason that my edits are not complex, challenging or difficult. 


An Unforgettable Holiday




A Magical Christmas In Jerusalem
Australian project manager Kiara Lonsdale is career focussed and determined to provide and care for the grandmother who raised her. Taking time off work to vacation has never been high on her agenda, but this year she’s made an exception. She’s helping her gran fulfil a life-long dream by accompanying her on a Christmas to the Holy Land tour.

Jacques Lenoir and his extended family run tours in Israel and he’s committed to their business. Jacques feels responsible for his grandparents’ welfare since they risked their lives, and others’, as operatives in the French Resistance, during the War.

But over romantic dinners in the desert, camel rides, and mud baths at the Dead Sea, sparks fly between Kiara and Jacques. Will this only be a holiday romance or will a touch of Christmas magic make it last a lifetime?

A Magical Chanukah in New York

Lisa Sassoon has shunned the scandal of her loser-ex cheating on her by escaping to New York. Instead of sightseeing, she’s become a recluse focusing on helping the less fortunate at a homeless shelter.

Gabe Olivari, entrepreneur and savvy business New Yorker, can’t let go of the pain of losing his best friend. So caught up in his own grief and believing he doesn’t deserve to be happy, he compensates by pushing everyone close to him away.

But when Lisa and Gabe meet, there is an instant connection that forces them to question not only their behaviours but their aspirations.

Can a dash of Chanukah magic help Lisa and Gabe realise that sparkling dates and dreamy kisses can lead to more? Perhaps even a lifetime of happiness?

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43 comments:

  1. Sounds a bit like my writing style.

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    1. That's great to hear Liz :) Love a plotter writer like me :)

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  2. Thanks for sharing your writing style and process. Congratulations on the release of your book!

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    1. Hi Olivia - you're welcome and thanks so much :)

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  3. I quite like your writing process, thanks for sharing these.

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    1. Thanks Theresa - appreciate you saying so.

      It did take me time (years!!!) to work out the process that works best for me :)

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  4. Such a great cover! Looks perfect for this holiday season. So great to learn about Joanne's process. Wishing her all the best! :) ~Jess

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    1. Thanks Jess - that's so lovely of you to say :) really appreciate the well wishes :)

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  5. I like the sound of these holiday novellas and the cover looks great too.

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    1. Aw thanks Mandy - that's so nice of you to say :)

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  6. How nice to hear of an author who likes editing. Too many don't, and it shows.

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    1. Thanks EC - I love writing and I do love editing, as I said.

      I also enjoy spending time with my characters again. For me, they're real, so it's like catching up with friends :)

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  7. I like how you break down your process. And thanks for these awesome tips.

    Congratulations on the release of your novellas.

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    1. Hi Kelly - thanks and you're welcome :) It took me years to work out the best way to write and edit.

      Thanks for the best wishes :)

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  8. Great tips thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks so much Christine - appreciate you saying so :)

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  9. I, too, love rewriting and editing. Plotting is my weak point but I'm working on it. Congratulations on your latest release.

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    1. Hi Denise - lovely to meet a fellow re-writer and editor :)

      Plotting is hard work. As I said above, I spend time developing my hero and heroine and then write. They then drive the story, rather than me. It's really exciting when things happen that you weren't expecting :)

      Thanks for the good wishes :)

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  10. Hi Olivia - thanks for your visit ... and then coming here and seeing old friends and meeting Joanne ... such an interesting post on Joanne's methodology in writing up a story ... one day I might give it a go ...

    Great to read and meet you both - cheers Hilary

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    1. Aw thanks Hilary - glad you found my post interesting :)

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  11. I think it's great that you can do the edits so quickly but as you say it comes from knowing your characters so well. If the characters are not strong, the story won't carry them... good luck with your book ♡

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    1. Thanks Launna - you're so right :)

      Because I know my characters so well and have developed a strong foundation for my story, the edits are usually quick changes/updates.

      Thanks so much for your wishes :)

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  12. Plotting is the best fun and knowing your characters is key to great stories. Love the premise of your book, good luck!

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    1. I agree plotting is the best fun.....especially checking out pics of sexy men on the Internet for inspiration for my hero ;)

      Thanks so much for your well wishes :)

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  13. Congrats on your release and also it is fun learning how the process goes. I hope this was a print copy that you were doing i would love to read and review at a few sites!

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    1. Hi PT - I've mainly focussed on e-books for my holiday reads because of the low cost, $0.99 :)

      I printed a few copies for myself and family members but didn't organise through Amazon etc...However, this is a learning experience and will do a print run for next year.

      I'm happy to offer you an e-book to review but apologise that I can't offer a print. If you're interested, please contact me via email - joanne@joannedannon.com

      Thanks for dropping by :)

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  14. Hi all

    Don't forget to grab your free e-copy of Bidding on Love - http://joannedannon.com/free-offer-bidding-for-love/ just by signing up to my newsletter. I don't spam.

    I send out emails 1-2 times/month and talk about romance, books I read/write and vintage dresses I buy :)

    I hope you'll stay on my list but you can always unsubscribe anytime...but you get to keep the book :)

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  15. I like the early edits, when we're at the stage where we can't help but improve matters by clarifying the storyline and strengthening or cutting anything which doesn't work so well. I'm not so keen on the fiddling about stages.

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    1. Me too :) Agree with you Patsy :)

      But we all have our own style and pansers tend to do a lot of re-writes and editing to strengthen their story.

      I can't write like that. I find that by having a strong, well thought out foundation for my story means I can write the story and there is little re-writing later on. But I know some of my panser writing friends shudder at the thought of plotting - LOL :)

      Thanks for stopping by :)

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  16. I'm learning to like editing, especially slash/burn, but I don't know if I'll ever love the big ripple-effect edits! :)

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    1. Hi Jemi - we all have our favourite parts of the writing process and it's fine not to like editing. But I know what you mean :) Thanks for dropping by :)

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  17. I like that you spend a lot of time developing the characters.

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    1. Thanks so much Lynda :) I like characters that have their own quirks and interests, and I hope they will appeal to my readers :)

      Thanks for dropping by!

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  18. I really like your process. It sounds like you've got very strong characters.

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    1. Thanks Sandra for your kind words - I like to think I've got good characters, who'll walk off the page :)

      Thanks for dropping by :)

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  19. Hello again, Joanne! I hope the release is going well.

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    1. Hi again Squid - lovely to see you :) all going well, thanks for asking :)

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  20. Oh noooooo~ Got me thinking about the upcoming editing. Given I'm gonna finish my book here probably within the next few months, then I get to start THAT process. >< Noooooooo~

    That aside. Congrats on the release! I hope it's going well. :)

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  21. C'mob Robert - you can do it....you know you want to ;)

    Thanks for the well wishes! All the best with your writing...and editing :)

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  22. Love hearing about other authors' editing methods, because I still struggle with going back to a story once it's been plotted or the first draft has been written. Thanks for sharing your process with us!

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    1. You're welcome Deniz. All the best with your writing and thanks for dropping by x

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  23. I'm with you on edits. People think I'm crazy when I say I love editing, but once the trauma of getting the actual story is done, the joy is definitely in refining it, making it deeper, strengthening characterization, and broadening the heart of the theme.

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    1. Your reply is a joy to read, and so eloquent :)

      I totally agree with you. Hooray to find another writer who loves editing :)

      Thanks for dropping by x

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Join the discussion. What do you think?