Jolene Perry's Blog

An excerpt from:

FROM SPARK TO STORY: Using Editorial Eyes to Draft, Revise, and Turn Your Book Idea Into a Full-Blown Novel

Dialogue tags are misused ALL the time. It’s okay. You probably didn’t learn all of these in school, and if you did, what are the chances of your brain holding onto this amongst giant-sized Cokes and emotional-support dogs? Buckle up, because we’re about to give you the brief down and dirty on how to get them right.

A dialogue tag is – said, explained, screamed, c...

The Waypoint Method of plotting aims to get deep under the skin of your story so that you understand more than just what happens to your characters, you understand the WHY.

Once we dig deeper into story, the plot points begin to fall together. Plot points are really just moments when your protagonist’s views or their way forward PIVOTS to something new.

Know what you’re aiming for with your story, always have an idea of where you’re going. Be flexible and be open as you ditch your perfecti...

If you’re an indie author, then you know it’s your responsibility to build a team to help you get your books out into the world. Because we have creative control and control over our production processes, we have the luxury of choosing our editors. Chances are, you’re probably interested in the idea of building a relationship with your editor that goes beyond a basic transactional arrangement.

Any writer can hire an editor for a one-time project, but it takes patience, clarity, and a little m...

Dreaming is an important part of your writing (both creatively and in business), and we support your biggest, loftiest dreams with everything we have.

But can you sort through your dreams for reality? Are you in control of your writing business? Do you know how take a dream and make it real?

Or do you get lost in the imagining, planning, and wishing that comes with building a career as a fiction author? Have you conceded to the publishing gatekeepers and are just hoping and waiting for so...

Grow your author email list exponentially for less than a hundred dollars with the Newsletter Promo Loop workbook.

You have a wicked free story and the beginnings of an email list, all you need now are more readers eager to devour your amazing words.

This workbook is designed for authors who:

If we want a long-lasting career writing fiction, we have to step back from what we’re doing once in a while and re-evaluate. Both in what we’re writing and how we’re approaching our author platform, branding, and social media.

In the years from 2009 to 2017, I wrote an average of five to nine books a year. I was publishing at a frantic pace, both traditionally and independently under a couple of different pen names. I was running myself into the ground, all the while not fully writing the bo...

ONE: there is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL, or no hard and fast ALWAYS rules in strengthening the language of your move.

TWO: if your characterization is INCREDIBLE, strong language will most likely come very naturally.

THREE: you have more leeway if you’re writing in first person and within dialogue for voice reasons.

Let’s jump in.

There’s nothing horribly wrong with either of these, but I had an editor once who wa...

Are you feeling stuck in one or more aspects of your author career? Has the business side of the writing life got you down? A Publishing Consultation Call can help you get focused, and get moving again. 

Here are 7 reasons why some one on one time might be exactly what you need to get back on track.

When it comes to publishing options, it can be difficult to choose which avenue works bes...

2021 has seen more books featuring LGBT characters hit the bestselling lists than any year prior. These books have come in all genres: memoirs, YA novels, erotica, thrillers, you name it. With this explosion in LGBT-centered stories, many authors have a desire to include an LGBT character in their stories, whether as a main character or a side character. However, this can sometimes be tricky. How do you write about a life experience that actual everyday people have while seeming like you persona...

The 5 Point Story Mapping Method isn’t a plotting device. It’s not a new series of beats or a reworking of ...