Need Writing Help? Grab a Free Guide!

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We all need help through our author journey. From mastering the craft of writing to developing our author brand (and everything in between), there's so much we need to learn to be successful.

Luckily, Jami has several Free Guides to help.

Pick which one you want today!

Discover Creativity Unlocked

Whatever kind of writing craft, process, or publishing tips you need, Jami's ebook Guides might be able to help you.

Available in either a downloadable PDF or an online (and mobile-friendly!) PDF format, these Guides collect Jami's insights to walk you through the process of improving your writing and publishing processes so you can succeed.

With advice that works for you, your stories, and your unique goals, you can unlock your creativity!

*psst* Would you rather get access to all of Jami's Guides? Become a Member!

(Already a member? Log in for access!)

Hi, I'm Jami, and I'm pathologically helpful.

So when I first started learning about writing over a decade ago, I blogged to share all the tips, tricks, and advice I thought might help others. Now I've collected some of that advice into several free Guides to help writers like you.

Jami Gold

Author & Mentor

Cover to the Getting Started Resource Guide

“Getting Started" Guide

Rather than being a "how to write" guide, this is a resource collection of links to some of Jami's most helpful articles for those new to storytelling.

  • How can we discover what works for us?
  • How can we improve our skills?
  • How can we develop a character who deserves a story?
  • How does our plot contribute to the bigger story?
  • Even if you're completely new to writing, this guide will help you start off with the right attitude for embracing your ability to learn and improve — not just for your writing, but also for your storytelling.
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Writing Craft Guide

Explore this collection of links to some of Jami's best posts about writing craft and copyediting tips, including articles that focus on:

  • improving the flow of our sentences (rhythmic writing, rhetorical devices, parallelism, etc.)
  • using verbs to strengthen our storytelling (meaning of literary past tense, when "was" isn't passive voice, etc.)
  • formatting our prose to make our meaning clear (character internalization, non-verbal communication, etc.)
  • discovering and developing our voice (balancing rules and creative use of voice, word choice, etc.)
  • tips from Jami's copy editor about grammar rules (and how to break them!) and more techniques to use through our copyediting process
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How to Start Our Story Guide

No matter how accomplished we are as writers, chances are we'll all struggle with our opening pages from time to time.

  • What things should we keep in mind as we write our story opening?
  • How can thinking about the big-picture of our story opening before considering the specifics help us know where to start?
  • What aspect of our writing is most likely to trip up readers in our story's opening pages?
  • How can we make sure our readers' introduction to our characters starts off with the right impression?
  • Whether we're learning for the first time, or reviewing to get out of a brainstorming block, we can figure out the best story opening to help us continue drafting all the way to "The End"!
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Using Scrivener Templates Guide

Many writers like to draft in the Scrivener program for its flexible options. Beat sheets are a popular method of organizing our story and tracking our writing progress. Using them together gives us the best of both worlds.

  • How can we use beat sheets with Scrivener?
  • What are our options for Scrivener templates?
  • How do we import a template into Scrivener?
  • How can we add word-count targets in Scrivener? (includes a bonus worksheet to help with the math!)
  • Whether we plot our stories in advance or write by the seat of our pants (or we fall somewhere in between), we can use Scrivener and beat sheets together — taking the best of both tools.
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Creating Our Brand Guide

Unless we never share ourselves or our writing with others, we all have a brand already, but is it one we want? This guide walks us through the process of creating a brand that fits us naturally.

  • What is a brand and what does it mean to have one?
  • How can we develop a brand that fits who we want to be and captures what makes us unique and worth listening to?
  • What aspects of our interactions with others form our brand and how can we put the pieces together into a cohesive whole?
  • What are 6 tangible ways we can build a brand to help readers recognize "us" across platforms?
  • Even if we think branding is "evil," this guide helps us understand how we all have a brand already, and the only question is whether it's working for and with us and our goals.
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Virtual Mentor" Guide

Even though Jami loves to help others, even she can't mentor everyone who asks. That's why she developed this virtual mentorship. She's reviewed all of her 1000+ posts and picked out the 5 best, most-helpful articles on every topic.

  • Get help with your ability to tell a story, from planning to structure 
  • Get help with your knowledge about writing craft & editing skills
  • Get help with your publishing, marketing, and writing career
  • Get help with your writing processes (including special tips for those who write by the seat of their pants) and balancing your writing life
  • Whether you're a writing newbie or a multi-published author, we all need help sometimes, and this guide will point you in the right direction to get your questions answered and level up your writing abilities. Let's get started!

Are You a Writer? Get Free Help!

Become a Member and get access to exclusive bonus resources:

* "Getting Started" Guide for newer writers

* How to Start Our Story Guide for strong story openings

* Virtual Mentor Guide for direction on every writing topic

...and more!