Writing Craft & Editing
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP473 – Interview with Cathy Yardley
This is a fantastic episode for writers at all stages of their careers. Cathy covers writing in your unique voice, writing your truth and how to ROCK YOUR PLOT.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP462 – Are You Making Boring Mistakes?
Welcome back to another SPA Girls minisode. This one is a bit of a controversial take on mistakes writers make that make their work B O R I N G. How do we know these? Because we've all made them!
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Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP454 – Craft Tips To Help You Sell More Books
Writing great books with emotional impact is key to building your readership. Today we discuss craft tips that will help you attract new readers, build your fanbase and sell more books!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP442 – Newbie Mistakes / Chapter Endings
This week we're covering two burning topics: what are the worst mistakes newbies are making, and how to write chapter endings that keep readers reading!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls – EP441 – Discovery Writing With Kimboo York
In this podcast we talk to KimBoo York about her latest book Secrets of Discovery Writing. We dive into how you can successfully use discovery writing when crafting your novel. It's an awesome podcast and one the pantsers among us will really enjoy.
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Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP439 – Using The Enneagram For Authors with Claire Taylor
The Enneagram is a personality typing system, where each person falls into one of nine types. Today we're talking with author, educator and fiction strategist, Claire Taylor, about how understanding our enneagram type liberates writers from the "shoulds" and self-judgement, and helps us become more successful as authors.
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Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls EP – 429 – How To Create Your Author Business Plan
Today we discuss business plans. Need help creating yours? It doesn't need to be complicated, just download our simple SPA Girls template in the show notes.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP422 – Writing Side Characters – with Sacha Black
Side characters - how do you make them memorable, but not over-take the spotlight? And what purpose do they serve in the story? This episode, the awesome author and educator, Sacha Black, gives us the scoop on developing incredible side characters that will take your story from blah to bleepin' amazing. She takes us through three different types of side character and how to create juxtapositions that SELL BOOKS.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP416 – Emotional Wounds with Angela Ackerman
This week we chatted with Angela Ackerman, one of the authors of the classic writing book, The Emotion Thesaurus. If you've never picked up one of the amazing thesauruses by Angela Ackerman and her co-writer, Becca Puglisi, you're missing out! Created especially for writers, the ten different thesauruses will help you add emotion, be more creative, and make your book sing! In this particular episode (aside from Trudi and the other SPA Girls singing the praises of Angela's books) we talk to Angela about emotional wounds - what that means, why it's important for our characters and how we can add emotional wounds into our writing and give our characters more depth.
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Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP 413- Back Engineering a Bestseller
Today’s topic was prompted by a commenter on youtube who asked us about reverse engineering bestsellers. What makes a book, be it your second one published or your tenth, sell more than others. We believe there are many variables to that. Timing, tropes, the first 10% of how a book starts. The cover, blurb, and other popular tv or books that may have similar aspects. There are many things to consider, and today we take a dive into why a book can launch a career!
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Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP409 – Six Figures with Short Romance – with Sadie King
USA Today Bestseller, Sadie King has grown her publishing business from zero to six figures in less than four years, writing short instalove romances. Learn how she's done it ...
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Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP407 – Making Your Books Addictive with Alessandra Torre
What is it EXACTLY that makes a book addictive? How do twists and turns come into play? And how do you create these elements with any genre of books?
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Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls – EP405 – Hotwire Your Publishing Plan For The Holidays
We know there are still 5.5 months to go until the end of the year! But!! We think it’s important to start getting organized for the final push. Ads, blurbs, covers. In the SPA today we talk about the things you need to focus on!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP402 – GMC for genres
Back in 1996, author Debra Dixon published Goal, Motivation and Conflict and ever since the letters GMC have been tattooed on our brains
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP396 – The Secrets of Story with Matt Bird
If you've been working on amping up your characters and writing a more compelling novel, this is the episode for you. We talk to Matt Bird - the Amazon bestselling author of The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers and The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love - about characters and other secrets involved in writing an awesome story your readers will love. Matt talks to us about what readers expect from characters and how to ensure they connect and fall in love with your characters early in your novel. He also gives practical examples of techniques that will engage your readers by helping you create flawed, vulnerable and compelling characters. We loved having Matt in the SPA and we know you'll enjoy this episode too!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP393 – Genre Expectations
Today we’re covering reader expectations for romance and it’s subgenres and mystery. Let us help you define where your book should sit on the virtual book shelves!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP385 – How to Write a Compelling Hero
Alpha, Beta, Tortured or Bad Boy? How do you like your heroes? This week Cheryl, Wendy and Shar discuss how to write a great hero (in their opinion) complete with controversial examples! In particular we cover: Character Connection Creating Conflict from Character Main Characters Should Be Equals Characters Should Have Complementary Strengths Hero should Show Vulnerability Different hero types including Alpha, Beta, Bad Boy, Tortured and Playboy Don't miss out on our take on writing a great hero!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP383 – Our Valentine To Writers
Who says Valentine’s Day has to be about couples? We think it should be about all kinds of love and this year we’re promoting a little self-love. Go on, you deserve it! Treat yourself to a craft course or something else you would enjoy – find a course and do it! Do something awesome for your body – manicure, pedicure, massage, facial. Regular exercise – walk, run, bike, swim, yoga, pilates, sport. Combat stress – read, listen to music, have a bath, meditate - try Paul Mckenna and Youtube videos. Breathing exercises – breathe in for seven, hold for seven, out for seven. Eat healthy and drink more water. Try something different – puzzles, a new hobby like knitting, crochet or miniatures. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP372 – SciFi Romance with Honey Phillips
Join us for another deep dive into an intriguing genre that's doing well for indie authors. USA Today bestselling author Honey Phillips joins us in the SPA to talk about Science Fiction Romance - what it is, what readers are looking for, and how to make sure they get it! Honey was a delight to interview and there are definitely a few gems in here for everyone, whether you write in this genre or not!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP367 – How To Self Edit Your Second Draft
There are many types of editing and today we're discussing how the SPA Girls approach a second draft. Plus, don't miss out on the Second Draft Checklist, an amalgamation of all our processes in one handy spot.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP363 – World-building with Nalini Singh
A long-time friend of the SPA Girls, multi NYT Bestseller, Nalini Singh, is here to talk about world-building, and if anyone knows how to do this–it’s Nalini!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP356 – Running With Your Ideas
This week we talk about how to find new ideas, and how to use those ideas in new ways. How to find them in the everyday hustle and bustle of our lives, and how to turn them on their heads to create something intriguing and interesting to our readers. We go through a series of story starters, of intriguing kernels that you can use to create an awesome story that your readers will love to read...
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Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP345 – How To Write A Successful Series
Do you want to learn how to design a series that will hook and keep readers, AND set you up for long term success? Helen Scheuerer joins us today to tell all!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP342 – Interview with Mary-Theresa Hussey
One of the most experienced editors in the industry joins us in the SPA! Prior to becoming a freelance editorial consultant, Mary-Theresa (known as Matrice) worked at Harlequin for more than 25 years, editing nearly a thousand titles. As editor, senior and executive editor, she read, acquired, revised, rejected and critiqued triple that. Many of the books she has edited went on to find places on both the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP340 – Successful First Drafts
Hit the ground running with this episode all about how to successfully finish the first draft of your novel! We talk about how we stay motivated, what you need to know before you can start, how we keep going when we get to the saggy middle, what we plan beforehand, and what we leave to figure out as we go. If you've been struggling to get started on your first draft, or you're wallowing somewhere in the middle, this is the episode for you!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP338 – Psychology Tools For Authors
This episode we cover plot development AND character development and you’ll come away (hopefully!) with some awesome tips to improve your story telling and create compelling characters that your readers will love – or love to hate!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP333 – MM Romance With Jay Hogan
Jay Hogan writes character driven mm romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst.
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Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP329 – Success With Short Romance
Going from zero to $3k per month in just a few months is a dream for many of us and today's guest achieved just that. Ella Barnard is here to talk how she did it, how she meets reader expectations, and most importantly, how we can still enjoy the process!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP327 – 8 Steps To Build Your Fictional Setting
Today we share our SPA Girls patented 😉 foolproof steps to create a fictional setting that'll keep your readers coming back for more!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP321 – The Writing Process
In the SPA today, we talk about the evolution of our writing process. We delve into the changes that have taken place in our writing journeys over the last few years. The point is, there is no right or wrong way to do things! This is your journey.
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Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP315 – Interview with Theodora Taylor
After logging time as a music journalist, playwright, and radio writer, Theodora Taylor fell in love with penning hot books with heart. Since deciding to become an author, she’s published 54 books in a range of genres—but with one thing in common—universal fantasies. She's here to tell us what they are, and how you can use them to get your books on the bestseller lists!
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Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP313 – The Best Writing Advice You Shouldn’t Take
Feeling a bit bombarded by conflicting advice re writing and self-publishing? Got FOMO about courses and conferences others are experiencing, but you can't afford or attend? And how do you figure out what advice works best for YOU? Friends, you're not alone - we've been there too.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls – EP309 – Writing trilogies in successful settings with Jayne Castel
Today we talk about writing successful trilogies, and successful settings with award-winning epic Historical Fantasy and Fantasy Romance author Jayne Castel.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP305 – Talking Police Equipment For Fiction Authors
We talk to Veteran Police Detective Adam Richardson about Police equipment for fiction authors today. Adam spent seventeen years of his almost 25-year law enforcement career as a detective.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP303 Cleansing Your Writing Palate
Are you bored, or disheartened, with your writing? Many of us hit the wall of blahhsss or burnout. When persevering and grinding through it just doesn’t work, sometimes you really need to shake things up. From writing in a completely different genre, to rekindling your creative spark, we discuss how to cleanse your writing palate. Soon you'll be moving from the wahs to the wahoos!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP300 – Pride and Perseverance
Join Shar, Wendy, Cher and Trudi for the 300th EPISODE of the SPA Girls Podcast! EEEEEEKKKKK!!!!! Can you believe it? It's been a crazy ride, but we've loved every minute of it. :) In this episode we talk about having pride in your work and being proud of everything you've achieved, and then how to persevere in the face of all the odds! This is a fun episode where we open up about some of the things we've been through over the last six years, and give our best advice for anyone looking to self publish!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP296 – Developing Character Wounds
In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast we talk about emotional wounds, and why they're so important in developing your characters, and creating an awesome story! From possible wounds that you could give your characters, to how those wounds will develop the story, and how you can use them to amp up the tension, and create a story that your readers will love - we talk about it all!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP289 – Writing Romantic Comedy with Annika Martin
Writing bestselling romance with incredible character chemistry is something that NYT Bestseller Annika Martin excels in, and today she joins us in the SPA to give ALL THE TIPS! Annika, who also publishes romantic suspense as Carolyn Crane, has seen incredible success writing two books a year (on average) and publishing wide. This episode, she reveals her plotting and writing process, getting the most "comedy" in her writing, editing tips for deepening characterization, what point of view to choose for best results, cover trends and how she approaches her newsletter and advertising. This is a wonderful discussion, deserving of a long episode, where Annika reveals some absolute nuggets of GOLD that we hadn't heard before. You'll love this one, even if you're not a "funny" writer - trust us!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP287 – Plotting for Pantsers
Are you one or the other, or something in between? While Trudi is an outright plotter, Cheryl considers herself a hybrid and Wendy is a confirmed pantser. Shar isn’t with us today but we know she’s tried it all! But is this a hard and fast thing? In this episode, you’ll find out when and how we plot and the struggles involved with pantsing. Whatever type of writer you are, remember that no one writes like you and how you write affects your voice and your process. Before you decide what that is is, try all the ways we’ve suggested – you may be surprised!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP276 – Character-centric Plotting with Alexa Rivers
Today we're joined by fellow Kiwi romance author - and one of the SPA Girls' star pupils from their self-publishing workshops - ALEXA RIVERS. Alexa has written and published nine small town romance to date and has really nailed her plotting process, starting with a character. If you've been struggling to find a way to plot and love the idea of starting with those characters who are burning a hole inside your head, this is the episode for you!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP270 – From Great Idea to Sellable Story
You've had a great idea for a story - now how do you turn it into a workable outline? This is a "live action" recording where the SPA Girls take a "great" idea - an Elf who hates Christmas - into a workable outline! Probably NSFW, you'll hopefully find this episode informative and a lighthearted break from holiday stress! Don't forget to visit us on facebook and let us know which story you think we should write!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP269 – What To Do When You Run Out Of Steam
What do you do when you're running out of steam and you're only in the middle of the book? Or you're just running out of steam in general?
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP264 – Insider Writing Secrets
A good old fashioned craft episode from the SPA Girls this week. Shar, Wendy and Cheryl discuss insider writing secretes from James Scott Bell's book Fiction Attack! They pull out five important secrets that have most impacted them, and discuss what they mean and how they've used them in their writing. From using conflict and suspense, to description, fuzzy POV, cliches and info dumps, they go deep on some of those writing secrets that will take you from average to amazing!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP 249 – Interview with Story Coach Lisa Cron
Having trouble getting to 'the end' of your work in progress then this is the podcast for you! Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence and Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere) both published by Ten Speed Press.
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Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP243 – Interview with Ines Johnson (Part Two) : Seven Screenwriting Secrets for Authors
Ines is back to give us great advice for incorporating screenwriting techniques to make our writing stronger and improve read through!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP242 – Interview with Ines Johnson (Part One) : Pen Names & Productivity
This is a special two-part series with the awesome Ines Johnson, a highly successful indie author who has an extensive background in television writing, media production and college education. In this episode (Part one), we cover Pen Names and Productivity...
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP229 – How To Write Great Description
How can we write great description without it sounding cliched, over-written or just plain boring? Listen up and we’ll share all our best description writing tips from ourselves and from some great writing teachers. We’ve compiled extensive notes to give you ideas on how to use description effectively in your writing, without overwhelming or underwhelming your readers (or yourself!) …
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Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP214 – Interview with Lindsay Buroker
I (Trudi Jaye) was VERY EXCITED to get to interview super-successful fantasy author and fellow podcaster Lindsay Buroker at 20BooksVegas, and (OMG!!) she didn't disappoint. Lindsay's doing really well in the genres of Fantasy, Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy Romance, and is about to publish a new Urban Fantasy series next year - so she talks about how she makes writing in multiple genres work so well for her career, how and why she switches between fantasy to sci-fi and, of course, how she's so productive. Even if you're not like me and a total fangirl, this is a must-listen episode from a super-smart self-publishing author.
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP212 – Writing Great Characters
We all love it when we're reading and we fall in love with a character. Not just in the book boyfriend way - although that's cool too - but in a isn't-she-so-great-I-wish-I-could-be-just-like-her-or-maybe-just-her-best-friend way. As an author, how do you make that happen for your readers? That's what we're talking about this week in the SPA. What makes a great character? How do we make them so memorable that our readers keep coming back for more? What do you need to know about them before you start? And how do you bring them to life on the page? Join us as we dissect everything you might ever need to know about writing great characters!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP204 – Snappy Beginnings With Amy Andrews
Ever been in a bookstore and opened a book to read the first couple of pages? (Or clicked the look inside on Amazon?) Ever put the book back, deciding it wasn't that interesting? Yep, we have too. And that's exactly what we talk to Australian romantic comedy author Amy Andrews about this week. She takes us through the concept of first pages, and how to make sure readers not only pick up your book, but find they can't put it down again (until they've reached the end!). Should you start with dialogue? What words should you cull? Exactly what are readers looking for? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP201 – How To Avoid Saggy Middles
We've all had experience with saggy middles... (And no, we're not talking about our stomachs...) Have you ever gotten to the middle of your manuscript and wondered what on earth you're doing? Do you end up cleaning the whole house instead of getting back to your daily word count? Does it feel like you're typing through concrete, and you couldn't concentrate on getting more words down for the life of you? This is the episode for you! We talk about the middle of our books, what they should have in them, and how you can get over that terrible saggy story that sometimes emerges. We also discuss getting over your blocks, fixing what might be wrong, and how to set yourself up for success. This episode is all about how to survive when you've moved past the exciting beginning, and are still miles from that thrilling ending...
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP195 – The Magic Pill For Authors
We all want a magic wand to be waved over us, or to swallow a pill and instantly be amazing authors. But that's just not possible. Learning to write takes time and hard work. There's no way around it. This week's guest, fantasy author Laura Van Arendonk-Baugh, talks about our expectations as authors, and why we think we're going to be amazing right from the moment we first pick up a pen (or put fingers to the keyboard). And she should know. She's a behavioural scientist who works with problem animals and she loves to break down and assess the how and why of our behaviour. She talks about why we expect so much of ourselves, how society views talent versus skill, and gives some mind-blowing tips on how to trick your brain into doing exactly what you want, i.e. get the writing done! She also talks about how to deal with things like fear of failure, our writing not being as good as we want it to be, and how to keep going despite the barriers we put up.
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP193 – Keeping It Simple
There's so much advice out there in Self-Publishing-Land. We're told you have to do this, and you have to do that, and you have to do the next thing to be a success in self publishing. There's so much conflicting advice that it can actually do your head in... This week, we go through some of the things that you can do to keep your self publishing career on track. How to keep it simple and not get caught up in ALL THE THINGS... Keeping it simple is about not sweating the little things, keeping yourself focused on the writing, and getting the book finished!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP189 – Pantsing with Patricia McLinn
If you're a writer who hates to outline, you'll love this week's podcast! We talk to Patricia McLinn, a mystery and romance author who is also a pantser who writes out of sequence. She's here to tell you that it doesn't matter how you write it, as long as it comes together in the end! Patricia worked at the Washington Post for more than 20 years, is a past president of NINC, and has published more than 50 novels (at least that's how many we could count on her website...) so she's an experienced writer and editor who knows what she's talking about. She talks about how she writes first and subsequent drafts, her techniques for ensuring she has the right structure, and how her characters talk to her until she writes their stories... Are you worried that you can't outline, and that you're not following the latest advice on how to write faster, better or smarter? Join us to hear Patricia's take on how to succeed as someone who writes by the seat of their pants and still keeps producing many, many books.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP188 – Cozy Mysteries With Morgana Best
Morgana Best is the best-selling author of over 40 Cozy Mysteries, and she joins us in the SPA to tell us everything she knows about writing Cozies. From word counts to reader expectations, and even her writing process - which involves using Dragon Dictate, and is totally fascinating - Morgana gives us insider information on how to put together a bestselling Cozy Mystery. She also talks about her daily schedule, her marketing techniques and how she chooses her victims... If you love Cozy Mysteries, or you've ever thought you'd like to write a Cozy Mystery, this is the episode for you!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP181 – Learn Dictation With Kilby Blades
If you've ever thought you'd like to try dictation, this is the episode for you. We talk to award winning indie author Kilby Blades about how she amped up her writing rates by learning dictation. It's the ultimate skill - being able to use that time in the car, on walks, or even as you're doing the dishes to keep writing. The SPA Girls were all enthralled as we pumped Kilby for information, and she didn't disappoint! Learn about her methods, her tips and tricks and just what you need to do to become a dictation expert.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP174 – How To Write A Regency Romance
This episode we talk to our very own Wendy Vella about writing Regency romance. Since 2013, Wendy has forged a very successful indie career writing historical and contemporary romance. Her Regencies have been on the Amazon's top seller lists many times and collectively she's sold over one million books to date. Wendy covers how she goes about researching her novels, the advantages of writing in a series and the elements that every aspiring historical romance writer needs to be aware of.
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP173 – How To Identify Your Writing Weaknesses
Today's episode was inspired by a comment on our podcast website www.SpaGirlsPodcast.com by listener Carron, who asked "...when you're starting out (writing) how do you know what weaknesses to focus on? You don't know what you don’t know. Love to hear an episode on things to work on, or things you ladies have struggled with and how you’ve gone about correcting them."
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP165 – He Said, She Said – Creating Dazzling Dialogue
Love or hate it, dialogue is an essential element to fiction writing. Done well, dialogue can be very powerful. We know and understand the subtext of dialogue without having to be told, and writers can use this to create amazing scenes and tense moments. Done badly, however, dialogue can kick your readers out of the scene, make them frustrated and ultimately stop reading. So how do you make sure your dialogue sings instead of stinks? Easy peasy! Just listen to this episode... :) Today in the SPA we go through what dialogue is, how to use it to your best advantage, we give you some dialogue techniques, talk about ways you can use dialogue to amp up your scene, and work through some of the do's and don't's for creating dialogue that dances on the rooftops!
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Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP164 – Talking Reverse Harem with Steffanie Holmes
We've talked about reverse harem a little bit on the show, but this week we decided to get someone on who knows all about it, so we could pick their brains... Mwahahaha... So we convinced USA Today Bestselling paranormal romance author Steffanie Holmes to come on the show and chat about exactly what reverse harem is, how she came to write reverse harem novels, what you need to know about it, and how she so successfully launched her recent series. Steff is a very smart author, and she's steeped in the reverse harem world, so not only was she was able to give us heaps of useful information for how to write and launch a reverse harem series, but also insights into her writing style, her processes and ideas for marketing your books.
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Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP158 – Some Like It Hot ….Or Not
This week we put on our flame retardant suits and discuss how to define the heat level of your story – and why it’s important to know. There is no standard or uniform code to heat levels, so writers and readers can face a few challenges: what one reader may consider “hot,” another might consider “mild” or vice versa. With books there’s no certified ratings system a la the movies. And to further complicate things, if you’re looking at the hybrid route, publishers and agents also have different ideas about what constitutes a certain level of heat.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP155 – Self Editing for Authors
This week we talk about self editing, and how to get your manuscript to the highest possible standard before sending it to your professional editor. Everyone will have a different style, focus and ideas on the best way to do self editing, and it's the kind of thing that's different for different people. No one does it the same, and that's okay. But as always, we give a load of tips and advice on how we do it, what works and what doesn't, and why we do things the way we do it.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP153 – From Cookie Cutter To Kapow: Bringing Your Characters To Life
Name your favourite character from any book you've ever read. What did you like best about that character? Was it how they acted? Was it their personality, or because they stood up for something they believed in? Those are the kinds of questions you should be asking when you're designing the characters for your next book. This week our topic is how to create characters that your readers will love, and with that in mind we dissect what makes a good character and how you can create characters for your stories that will take your novel to the next level. We delve into what characteristics are important, how to create tension between the hero and heroine using their personalities and flaws, and how you can use your character's traits to move the story forward and follow the arc of the plot. We also talk about how to help your readers to get to know your characters, how to pull them into the story by making them feel like they know your characters really well, and how to make readers cry. (Mawaahahaha....)
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP138 – Getting Your Motivation Back
This week we talk about how to get yourself motivated again after life gets in the way. It could be illness, personal issues, a holiday, an injury or even just your own negative self talk. Whatever it is that has stopped you from doing the amount of writing you want to do, we're here to bust those barriers down and find ways to get you back on track. We've all experienced it at some point in our lives; that feeling that you're wading through the quicksand, your body and mind not working as quickly as you want them to. It can feel almost impossible some days to get out of that quicksand, but we're here to help. This episode is all about the ways we've managed to get back into healthy, happy writing routines after problems in our lives, and what you can do to do the same. We've got options for different types of writers, because we're all different and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another. The beginning of this conversation was a series of tweets by author Courtney Milan, who talked about how she got herself back into the writing groove after her writing mojo took a dive, by being more aware of how she was 'training' herself to write, and making writing fun again. Let's all make writing FUN!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP129 – Five Branding Tips You Can Use Right Now
This week we're talking about Author Branding, using the example of four different indie authors who we think are doing a fabulous job of branding themselves and their series. From Penny Reid's romantic comedy tag line (Smart Romance) and aptly named Facebook group (Sharks of Awesome) to Michael Anderle's extensive author's notes and Melissa Storm's personal connections in her newsletters, we give a range of ideas and tips that are being used by these authors that you can use to improve your branding and find the right readers for your books. We even managed to give you a list of five simple action points that you can do right now to amp up your Author Branding and sell more books. (Phew. We worked hard on that. So you should totally listen and use those tips, because they're gold.)
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP128 – Interview with Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant
This week Trudi Jaye talks to Indie publishing personalities Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt from the Story Studio Podcast (previously the Self Publishing Podcast) about their experiences in self publishing in the last few years, from the early days when they didn't know as much about writing or marketing their books to their experiences with non fiction and creating the Smarter Artist community of authors. They also talk about why we should call ourselves simply publishers instead of self publishers (ie our aim should be to be indistinguishable from traditionally published books), how to find people to help you achieve your publishing dreams (instead of trying to do it all yourself), and why readers are the most important part of an author's career (of course!). It's a fun episode with loads of takeaways that you'll be able to use in your own writing journey.
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP125 – SAS Special Interview with Michelle Spiva
This week we have another special episode from the 2018 Smarter Artist Summit, where Trudi Jaye sat down with the first male Deputy SPA Girl, Michael Anderle, and marketing guru and storyteller Michelle Spiva. Michelle tells us how to amp up your connection with your readers via your characters, so that you're writing stories they can't put down - not even to go to the bathroom... She covers everything from using narrative arc, pacing, and other storytelling techniques, to understanding how to choose the right emotional tone for your characters and the story, in order to capture and keep your readers. Michelle is a very smart author who manages to balance both the analytical and creative sides to her personality, and she's able to use it in her writing career to great effect. She looks at storytelling in a different way to many people, and it's fascinating to hear her talk about the techniques she uses, and understand how we could be using them for ourselves. Another don't-miss episode of the SPA Girls Podcast!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP124 – SAS Special Interview with Michael Anderle
This week we have an amazing interview with self publishing guru Michael Anderle, direct from the Smarter Artist Summit in Austin, Texas. Trudi Jaye was lucky enough to attend the summit and meet Michael in person, where he took the time to chat to her about his journey in self publishing, from writing his very first Kurtherian Gambit book, to creating an exciting new self-publishing model where he collaborates with multiple authors writing in his well-loved universe. Author and former SPA Girls Podcast guest Jami Albright helps Trudi out with the interview - in which Michael also talks about about writing books that people will love, how he connects with his readers, and breaking the rules to get emotional impact. He's accessible, sincere and passionate about his topic, and you'll love listening to him explaining what he thinks are the most important ingredients for self publishing success. This is an interview you won't want to miss!!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP121 – Interview with Scott King
This week we had the pleasure of chatting to Scott King, author of non-fiction writing books The 5 Day Novel, Finish the Script! and his latest, Outline Your Novel. Scott has a background in teaching writing, film and scriptwriting at a college level, and has published multiple books in a variety of genres, so he's perfectly placed to write and talk about writing to other authors. He's also brilliant at breaking down information and making it understandable, and there were several 'a-ha!' moments during this interview where Scott explained something we might have intuitively known, but couldn't have put into words. We talked to him about outlining, sub-plots, writing a book in five days, and where to start if you're a newbie. He's a smart, articulate guest who we know will inspire you to get out there and write!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP118 – How to Write a Successful Small Town Setting
Small town settings are a common backdrop in romance. Writers love them because they give us a landscape that we can go back to again and again, with familiar secondary characters that our readers will recognise and become attached to. Readers love them because once they've found a town with a cool cafe, a watering hole where all the locals hang out, and characters they can fall in love with - well, why would they want to leave? Wendy and Cheryl both have successful series featuring a small town setting, so this week they both talk about how to create fictional small towns that your readers will love, with tips and tricks that will take your town from ordinary to exceptional. They tell us how they put together the small towns in their contemporary series', why they did it a certain way, including best practices on how to create a memorable small town. It's a fascinating insight into the creative process, and well worth a listen... :)
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP115 – Interview with Nicola Davidson
This week Wendy and Cheryl talk dirty with Kiwi historical romance/erotica author Nicola Davidson, who gives them the real story of the sex lives of the aristocracy in Recency London. Nicola has delved deep into the research, and she tells a captivated Wendy and Cher (who, I imagine, blushed their way through the entire interview...) exactly what it was like in the sex clubs and private parties of the regency: from orgies and threesomes to dildos and birching, they cover it all.... :) It's a fascinating interview, full of details that you didn't know you needed to know, and provides another great resource that you can can use, especially if you're considering writing about the Regency era. (Or even if you're just curious about sex in those times...) A quick warning - don't listen to this one in the car with the kids! The topic is a little more graphic than usual...
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP114 – Tropealicious – Or Tropes for Beginners
This week we dive into the world of tropes for self publishing authors, to explain exactly what they are, why they're important and how you should be using them in your writing career. Knowing and understanding the tropes in romance is important for everything from choosing your plot line, to writing the blurb and finding your readers. They're also vital in helping us as authors understand our books and our readers. It's an important cog in the publishing wheel, and this episode is another must-listen show!
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – Episode 104 – Ten Truths For New Self-Publishers
This week we’re dealing out the “truthslaps” – in a loving way, of course. Wendy, Cher and Shar discuss ten truths for self-publishers that will help you navigate the choppy waters of a new indie author career. We want to be positive, but also realistic, so we are holding nothing back here. This is a rewarding (but tough) business and it requires patience and persistence. When you’re starting out you’re more than just a writer, you’re launching a small business with a pretty steep learning curve. Fortunately there’s a ton of help out there and here in the SPA is the best place to start!
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Guest Interview, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP82 – The Black Moment Featuring Author Rachel Bailey
Australian author and writing tutor, Rachel Bailey, joins us this week to discuss the Black Moment: that point in your story when all hope is lost, when crisis peaks, when things seem bleakest and we start to think the characters won’t be able to find their HEA. We discuss the different types of Black Moment, how to identify which one works best for your story and how to make this crucial element of Story both powerful and believable.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP79 – How To Write Dazzling Dialogue
Writing dialogue is a very difficult skill to master, but this week we try to unravel some of the secrets around how to create dazzling dialogue for your characters. More than just a transcription of what people actually say, dialogue can be witty, fast paced and give insights into your characters... or it can be stilted, awkward and boring. Which would you rather have? Listen in to this episode for our take on the best ways to create dialogue that will make your manuscript sing!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP78 – How To End With A BANG!
We did beginnings last week, so we thought we'd pay tribute to endings this time around... :) Many authors rush through the ending of their book, because by the time they get there, they're sick of the whole concept... But your ending is what will lead readers onto your next book, so you need to spend as much time on your ending as your beginning! If you write a fizzer that ends too quickly or doesn't deliver on your promises throughout the story, you're not going to get lifetime readers who follow your every move. With this in mind, we talk about chapter endings, and endings for the whole book. We give some ideas on what we do to make sure our endings are as good as we can make them, and give a few tips and tricks on creating the best ending you can!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP77 – Great Beginnings for Authors
Easter is here, a time for new beginnings, so we thought we'd talk about the beginning of your book. It's always been important, but we would argue that in the days of ebooks for less than the cost of a coffee, creating a kick-ass beginning that will hook your readers into your book is VITAL! We read out a few of our favourite beginnings, plus some that are less beloved, and talk through what makes them great (or not). There are also some suggestions for the different types of beginnings you might want to try, and how to link it in to the rest of your story. If you're wondering whether the beginning of your book is as good as it can be, listen to this episode for some of the tips and tricks that we use.
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP74 – Formatting Tips and Tricks
This week we tackle the topic of formatting your ebooks. We talk about the difference between outsourcing the formatting and doing it yourself, and the pros and cons of each option. Then we talk about what we've done in the past and how we do it now, what we think are the best practices, the programs that we recommend, and why we like them. If you're about to start formatting, or even considering a change to the way you're currently doing it, this is a great episode to listen to!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP67 – Common Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Wendy, Cheryl and Trudi talk through some common writing mistakes and give suggestions for how to avoid making them yourself. Based around Jack Bickham's book, The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, we talk on topics from not making excuses, lecturing your readers, dropping alligators through the transom (don't worry, we figure that one out), stopping too soon, giving up and not just sitting there.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP66 – The Book of Your Heart Vs Writing to Market
This week we talk about writing the book of your heart versus writing a book to market. What do these terms mean, and why should they matter to you? Writing the book of your heart means writing what you love, the book you've been dreaming about for your entire life, with the characters who feel like they're your best friends and the storyline that is going to rock the world. You know, that book. Writing to market is about researching the genres that are selling, finding out what the most popular tropes are and finding a storyline that you feel fits into the research you've been doing, and then writing that book. It could be a book you love, but that isn't always the case.
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP63 – Interview with Kathryn Burnett
This week we talk to screenwriter Kathryn Burnett about planning writing projects, as well as setting goals as an author and keeping them - just in time for the start of the year. We went to a fantastic workshop (on creativity and how to keep it flowing) given by Kathryn at the 2016 RWNZ conference, which is why we thought it would be a great idea to get her onto the show. It was a fun interview; Kathryn gives a heap of valuable information for organising new projects and making sure you stay on track, plus she has some really interesting stories about how she got into screenwriting, and the kind of work she does now for clients.
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP51 – Characters Your Readers Will Love
This week we crawled out from our sick beds to provide you with this delayed episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. We managed to talk semi-coherently about creating amazing characters that your readers will love. As far as we're concerned, it's all about creating characters with flaws, who your readers can relate to and fall in love with through the course of the story. We gave away all our secrets, so that you can learn to write the best characters you possibly can.
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Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP40 – Getting Your Pacing Right
This week we talked about tips and tricks to keep the pace of your novel moving at the right speed, all the way to the high impact ending. We each talk about the tricks we use to make the pace of our novels work for our readers. We talk about genre and how it affects pacing, also things like sentence structure, word sound, chapter length, and other methods you can use to keep your pacing fast or slow. It's all about creating the right rhythm for your novel, so that your reader follows you through to the end. :)
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP35 – A Great Hook for Your Book
This week we're up to episode number 35, and we talked about brainstorming your next novel. We each talked about how we do it, the kind of methods we use and what we recommend for people wanting to create a solid book idea. At the end we decided to do an impromptu session where we actually brainstorm a brand new novel together. It was a huge laugh, and we hope it's both entertaining and helpful to you when you start planning your next novel.... :)
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP31 – Self Editing for Self Publishers
This week, in lucky number 31, we talk about self editing - what we all do, the kind of techniques and strategies that we use to make sure we don't make mistakes in our work, and how we work in with professional editors to make sure we catch as many of the mistakes in our work that we can. And that's a very valid point - no matter how good you think you are, you will ALWAYS miss something in your own work, which is why it's vital to get outside people looking at your work as well as editing it yourself. Don't miss another fascinating episode of the SPA Girls!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP28 – Where Do Ideas Come From?
This week we thought we'd take a quick detour into ideas-land to answer the most common question that writers get - where do your ideas come from? If you're feeling lost or lacking in inspiration, just pinch a few of our ideas for gathering new stories and get going!
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SPA Girls Podcast – EP010 – Editing for Indies
Thanks for joining us for episode number 10 of the SPA Girls Podcast! We made it to double digits! This week we talk about a really important topic for self published authors - editing. What it is, why it's important, the kinds of mistakes we've made along the way and who you can get to help you through the process. Don't miss this vital episode!
The SPA Girls Podcast (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) stands as a trailblazing force in the publishing industry, captivating audiences worldwide since its inception in 2015. Crafted by four dedicated full-time New Zealand authors, the free weekly podcast delivers honest advice, expert interviews and actionable strategies for indie authors at all stages of their career.
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