Viv Jackson's avatar

Viv Jackson

@vivienjackson.bsky.social

180 followers 35 following 324 posts

Wrote some books about love & robots. Mostly an editor these days. Mom, gamer, wannabe Jedi, structurally a hobbit. She/her

Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Grrr.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Revision tip: Not a bad idea to run a search for "this," "that," and "it" and make sure all of those referents are clear. I'm finding that a lot of them aren't.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Why can't everything be done via text or chat?

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I went to a Margie Lawson workshop once, and the piece that really stayed with me was this: lines hit harder when you end them with a power word, even if you have use passive voice or sentence fragments to achieve the effect.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I employ all the various forms of chaos.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I'm 49 and can confirm the design is attractive.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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My kid designs characters like this. Am reposting to remind myself to tell her she isn't the only one. :)

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Nice!

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Started a new editing project yesterday, and it's going super fast. This writer is just too smooth. All the characters have distinctive voices, and their tension is just *chef's kiss* even in parts that don't have a lot of plot tension. Editing is not just a job for me; it's a joy.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Woke up again with a story kernel fully formed in my head. Wrote it down. But now, in the light of day, I think I love it too much to ever share it if indeed I do write it. Which of course is how my entire writing adventure is going currently, so nothing new there.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Spent a few minutes in the hammock today. Absolutely lovely. If only the dogs hadn't been yapping the whole time.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Peony shrugged, which probably looked odd in microgravity. She didn’t care. “To seize and take away quickly. Pirates seize valuable things, do they not? They seize treasure. I don’t think it would be so very anti-sexy to be considered precious enough to steal.”

#FridayKiss

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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“Aren’t pirates usually given to ravishment?”

He said something under his breath, but she couldn’t make out the words. Perhaps another delicious expletive. But then he replied, quite primly, “The etymology of that word is sort of the opposite of...um, sexy. You know that, right?”

#FridayKiss

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Just needs a happy ending, technically, though I've been dinged for not including meet cutes in my decidedly-not-romcom books.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Ooooh! This is right up my alley!

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Verb tense! When you're writing in present tense, guess which tense past event verbs should be in? Past tense! And the events that happened even before those? Past perfect! Please stop skipping regular past tense, folks. It's sad and lonely when you overlook it. Don't make past-tense sad.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Thank you for the encouragement. I deleted the original post because when I looked back at it, it sounded whiny to me. I'm not at all sad about my decisions not to publish the last few years. Isolation has kept me sane; the biz and its attendant stress was ... not good for me.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Since the 80s. What kind of games count?

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I don't understand, why is it unconstitutional to treat a bigot like a bigot when they behave like a bigot?

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Finished listening to THE FOURTH TURNING IS HERE recently and am letting it convince me we're going to be okay. Or if not my generation, at least my kids will.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Possible. But honestly, it's easier to live in a world where I don't have to worry about these things. I can write what I want and read what I want, and not have the "am I good enough" anxiety.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Not very? I don’t get a lot of engagement here, but when someone does comment or talk to me, they’re usually sincere, not just there to mock me. I appreciate that.

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Reposted by Viv Jackson

Oleksandr 🇺🇦's avatar Oleksandr 🇺🇦 @qvatom.ukr.monster
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The worst thing is that with all the crimes of the russians, with all the evidence, with the absolute immorality of the russians, with all the victims, the civilized world does not want to punish the russians and help Ukraine as needed.
Question: are you a civilized world?

#UkrainianView

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Just put those lines in italics and readers will be like, oh an interior thought! ;)

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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When I'm editing, I spend a lot of time fixing verb tense for folks. Apparently it's really hard, even for veteran writers, and stories written in present tense seem to be trickiest.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Yay, they ran a sale! That's awesome! Hope you gets lots of sales.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I wish there was a better term than impossible simultaneity for something like Pulling into the driveway, I put my coat in the closet. where the author is clearly intending to give an order of events but phrases it as if everything is happening at once.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Editing. It literally pangs when I have to form the possessive of a noun ending in s by using only the apostrophe, not the apostrophe+s. But this is what being a freelance editor is: we respect the style preferences of the client, regardless of whether that client is a publisher or an individual.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I'm not sure my solution of just not publishing anything will work for anyone else, but it has brought me a lot of peace.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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#FridayKiss #demand

I move both of my hands to the globe Ogden has made of his, covering them. My touch is carefully undemanding. This will not feel like an invasion of will. He will not know he is being handled.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I live in Texas. Can confirm. We are so backward here.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Only deliciously spicy takes, please and thank you.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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No. Sharing my work with readers it not worth selling my emotional wellbeing to the loudest SM platform.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Woke up with pieces of a story in my head. Wrote them down. Have been plotting all day, making notes each time something new occurs to me. It's a book about a library about a book. Who could have guessed that editing so much would make me want to write more?

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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Took the dogs to the groomer today, where they stayed for about four hours. The house just doesn't feel like home without a pet in it. I need pets in my life. Sometimes humans are too exhausting.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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So much good: I now have *three* editing projects back to back, so I should limit my time online and get stuff done. Placing commas and fixing verb tense are such joys. That wasn't even sarcasm. I love this language.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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I don't get a lot of interaction here, so I'm planning to use it as a microjournaling platform for myself. Kiddos are in their last year at home, and I'm trying to figure out who I'll be once I'm not a mom 24/7. Honestly, you probably don't want to hear any of that. I am not sad if you unfollow me.

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Viv Jackson's avatar Viv Jackson @vivienjackson.bsky.social
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“Once something has been exploded, nothing after is the cause of death.” —Zefrank

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Reposted by Viv Jackson

Reposted by Viv Jackson

Reposted by Viv Jackson

Vanessa North's avatar Vanessa North @vanessanorth.bsky.social
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Please, Gen Z graphic designers, ask an old if your “retro” design makes sense.

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Reposted by Viv Jackson

Memento Rori's avatar Memento Rori @roricomics.bsky.social
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Okay! So threading can be rough here! Here's all my "guide" together if you need it (not exhaustive, just the stuff I tell folks to get them started :) ) (with alt text ♥ )

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