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194 ratings | 9 reviews | avg rating:3.56

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Traci L. Jones

Goodreads Author

Born

in Monmouth, IL, The United States

Website

http://www.traciljones.com/

Genre

Young Adult

Member Since

July 2016

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Hi traci I'm wondering if you are going to publish any more books?

Traci L. Jones Hi Chris!
I recently signed with my first agent and I'm hoping she can sell my three manuscripts! As soon as I hear any good news I'll let you know! Th…moreHi Chris!
I recently signed with my first agent and I'm hoping she can sell my three manuscripts! As soon as I hear any good news I'll let you know! Thank you for asking.(less)

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Hi Traci I was wondering if you could give me any good tips for a good story to write?

Traci L. Jones Hi Chris,
Usually I get my ideas from out of nowhere. My third book I was listening to my favorite Broadway musical and a phrase in one of the songs ca…moreHi Chris,
Usually I get my ideas from out of nowhere. My third book I was listening to my favorite Broadway musical and a phrase in one of the songs caught my attention. The phrase was silhouetted by the blue and I got to thinking what it meant, not only within the context of the play, but what it could mean otherwise. Silhouetted means defined, or outline, blue can mean depressed, then I thought what if a kid's life was being defined by depression. My second book came from talking with other African Americans about what it was like growing up during the 70's with busing. Standing came from an image I had of a girl walking through the cold towards home.

So if I were you and were searching for an idea I would do a couple of writing exercises. For instance, think back to your younger self and try to remember the most emotionally driven conversation you had, with a friend, a parent and write it out. Be as real and honest as you can about how you were feeling, what the other person's voice sounded like. Then once that's all out, re-write changing the POV to the other person. What do you think they were thinking, what were they seeing from their eyes. That sometimes can create a story idea.

Maybe you aren’t drawing a total blank. Maybe you have an image of a character. C.S. Lewis started out with a picture in his head A frazzled creature, half-man and half-goat, hurried through snowy woods carrying an umbrella and a bundle of parcels. And he got seven books out it. Stephanie Meyers had a dream of a girl and her vampire boyfriend who loved her but thirsted for her blood.So, take that one lonely image you have in your head and daydream about it for a few minutes. kay now write down everything you know about that the image, now expand it, think of it as a polaroid, let it come into focus, what’s in the background, is it a beginning scene, a middle scene or a climax? Who is there? How did they get there? Where are they? What decisions led them to this place?

Then if none of this is working, take one of your previous ideas and take a few moments as yourself a few what ifs about it. What if this took place in 1970? What if this took place in 2050? What if the narrator is unreliable? What if the narrator is Fate or God or the Devil. When one of those ideas seems interesting write a brief plot description – share starting with the what if you settled on.

Hope that helps!(less)

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Traci L. Jones’s books

Average rating: 4.0 · 1,208 ratings · 214 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Standing Against the Wind 4.19 avg rating — 583 ratings — published 2006 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Silhouetted by the Blue 3.80 avg rating — 455 ratings — published 2011 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Finding My Place 3.82 avg rating — 163 ratings — published 2010 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ransoming The Captive it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	[Standing Against the Wind] [By: Jones, Traci L.] [January, 2010] by Traci L. Jones (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Traci L. Jones's Blog

Joy Revisited

I recently, very recently, starting teaching at a wonderful MFA program at Regis University. While I only had to be on campus 2-3 hours a day, I found myself lingering longer and longer. Attending craft workshops, listening to visiting authors read, eagerly participating in the classes offered by the other instructors to our students. I found myself sitting in large empty classrooms minutes, hours Read more of this blog post »

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Published on July 21, 2016 16:37

Traci is Currently Reading

Traci Jones is currently reading

Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction

by Benjamin Percy (Goodreads Author)

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Feb 25, 2019 05:54AM

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Traci Jones rated a book it was amazing Aura: A Memoir by Hillary Leftwich	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 13, 2025 04:21PM · like
Traci Jones rated a book really liked it Predestined by Rachel Byrne (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Rachel Byrne's first novel is a heart-pumping mystery/action/thriller YA book that introduces a flawed but easy-to-love character, Lina. Lina's character arc from a misunderstood and friendless teen to a fearless leader of a band of rebels is a capti ...more
Oct 14, 2024 01:29PM · 1 like · like · see review

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