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Passage by Indie Gantz

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Passage is the first novel in the science-fantasy Akasha Series by Indie Gantz. For more information about the book, please click the Amazon link below.

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About Me

I'm Hannah, an editor, author, and writing coach. I love helping writers like you polish their stories, enhance their craft, and chase their publishing dreams.

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Instagram post 2222856102889302626_3259433669 Editorial Assistant Iggy is a big Thursday afternoon mood 😴 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Don't forget to take care of yourself this week, word nerds. Work hard, self-care hard 😜 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For me, that's going to be making french toast for dinner and hanging out with a friend. No revisions or editing work for me tonight! Yesterday, my self-care was taking a #stetwalk and listening to a new audiobook. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What are some of your favorite ways to relax and recharge? ° ° ° ° ° #aspiringauthor #writersofig #writingcommunity #writingmood #fictionwriter #amwritingfantasy #communityofwriters #indiesareworthit #indieauthorsofinstagram #tabbiesofig
Instagram post 2222129456850435731_3259433669 📚 CONNOTATION vs. DENOTATION! 📚 Let's talk about words today 👀 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you're like me, you like to find synonyms as you write, both to expand your vocabulary and to find that ~perfect~ word for what you're trying to describe. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But synonyms can be dangerous. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Every word has a denotation, or dictionary definition, and connotation, or the abstract feeling the word invokes in readers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Synonyms are great, but just because two words share a similar denotation does not mean they have the same connotation! 👏 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Look up "walk" in the thesaurus and you'll get tons of synonyms including things like strut, stomp, amble, plod, hike, and advance, just to name a few. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ All of those words have the same general meaning, but they all have nuances and invoke different feelings and images for readers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Stomping suggests anger and petulance. Strutting suggests confidence. Ambling brings to mind a calm walk around a park. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Connotation matters just as much as denotation. Words matter. Use your thesaurus wisely to paint the most accurate and engaging picture for your readers! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Have you ever misused your thesaurus? I definitely did when I was in middle school but eventually broke the habit! 😜 ° ° ° ° ° #writingtips #writinganovel #writingadvice #writingcoaching #writingcoach #bookeditor #instawrimo #raleighwriters #writersofig #writersnetwork
Instagram post 2220679199822363542_3259433669 I get a lot of reader notes from my blog saying the reader just "can't" plan. 🤔 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I don't like the word "can't." It's self-limiting. There are exceptions to that (as with all things), but generally speaking, planning is a habit you can build. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I didn't magically become a planner overnight. I definitely didn't plan that well in high school. I learned to because I wanted (and needed) to. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It took me years to figure out my system for planning, and I still adjust it as I find the need. 🤷 I talk about this in my book, Productivity for Creative Writers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Planning is neither good nor bad, it simply is. It's a system you can use if you want. It's okay if you don't want to be a planner! DO NOT force yourself to be if it's not something you want or need. But to say you "can't" be one is, most likely, untrue. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Your habits should serve you, and if they don't serve you, then you need new habits. I invite you to look at your writing habits with curiosity, not judgment or animosity, and see if you should try something new. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What do you think? Are you a planner or is it just not for you? ° ° ° ° #indieauthorsofinstagram #writingmood #writingadvice #writersonig #bookeditor #writingcoach #indiesareworthit #instawrimo #writersnetwork
Instagram post 2220085527959381537_3259433669 Hey #writingcommunity friends! I wrote a post for @unreadmag about the self-editing process. Interested in reading it? Click the link in bio or visit Unread's profile! ° ° ° ° ° #instawrimo #aspiringauthor #writingtips #bookeditor #fictionwriter #writerslifeforme #communityofwriters #authorgram #writersnetwork
Instagram post 2218505880041781672_3259433669 “I think perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it's just terrified. Because underneath that shiny veneer, perfectionism is nothing more than a deep existential angst that says, again and again, 'I am not good enough and I will never be good enough.'” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Big Magic has been on my TBR list for an embarrassingly long time. It was just one of those books I wanted to read but never made the time for because I never felt compelled to. Well, my hold on the audiobook at the library suddenly went through, and the book was on my phone. I had to listen, right? When the universe speaks. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It came at a good time. If you listened to Episode 17 of @writersnookpod, you know I’m working on revisions for my NaNoWriMo project. I’ve been paralyzed by my need to make the draft perfect instead of reveling in the creativity and simple joy of telling a story I like. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s a lesson I know well. It’s one I work through with my clients to help their writing process. I’m even learning to let go of perfectionism in other parts of my life. But for some reason, with this project, it’s been so hard to put my perfectionist shield and matching armor aside. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Not every chapter or idea resonated with me, but the idea of chasing my creative passion for the sake of play, fun, and satisfying my own curiosity was what I needed to be reminded of this week. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After wrapping up Big Magic, I’m feeling a little more resilient and ready to revisit my revision plan. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 3.75 stars overall. If you’re looking for a book to inspire your creative life, this might be it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #QOTD: Have you read Big Magic? How do you feel about perfectionism as a creative block? ° ° ° ° ° #bookstagram #writingmotivation #writersblock #writingmood #writinglife #creativeliving #writersociety #writingcoach #bookreview #indiesareworthit
Instagram post 2215611685375508264_3259433669 I've been missing college lately, so here's your reminder that you don't have to be in a traditional school setting to learn new things! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #WritingMentalHealth20 Day 5: What’s one thing you’ll work on in 2020 to strengthen your writing and message? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I adore continuing education, so I'll be focused on doing more research, reading more craft books, and studying more fiction in 2020. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Not only do these studies make me a better editor (and able to help my clients to my fullest ability!), but they make me a better writer. First on my list? The Emotional Craft of Fiction. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you're looking to grow your understanding of mental health and how to research it, avoid tropes, and write powerful stories, I invite you to click the link in my bio to check out the webinar @samantha_heuwagen and I just released today. We presented the same topic at a conference last year to positive feedback, and we hope it helps you, too! How else can I help you on your writing journey? What are some things you want to improve in 2020? Let's chat! ° ° ° ° ° #amwriting #mentalhealthawareness #writingtips #writingcoach #writingadvice #instawrimo #writersunite #writersden
Instagram post 2214973834975703372_3259433669 “Iron might weep, but it did not break.” - Susan Dennard, Windwitch ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #WritingMentalHealth20 Day 4: A book/show/movie you think tackled mental health and/or trauma well ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Because IG limits captions, I'm not listing every book I loved, and because I don't own all of the physical books, they aren't all pictured. Instead, here are four books/series I thought handled the topic well: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. The Witchlands series by Susan Dennard: Tackles microtrauma, Big T trauma, anxiety, and PTSD. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2. The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo: Tackles microtrauma, Big T trauma, and addiction. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3. The Mirror Souls by Julia Scott (@juliascottwrites): Tackles anxiety. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 4. The Starless Series by Samantha Heuwagen (@samantha_heuwagen): Tackles anxiety, depression, trauma, and sexual assault. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What I loved most is that each character deals with their situation in their own way. Everyone experiences and processes these events differently, but sometimes it feels like authors just run down a checklist of symptoms. Also, these stories show healing and how important support systems like family and friends truly are! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What’s a book you’ve read or show/movie you’ve watched recently that you think handled a sensitive topic well? I’m always looking to expand my reading list, so please let me know in the comments! ° ° ° ° ° #bookstagram #amreading #amwritingfantasy #writersden #mentalhealthawareness #bookobsessed #booksofinstagram #writinganovel #writingcommunityofinstagram
Instagram post 2214156248440612248_3259433669 “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” - Jodi Picoult ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #WritingMentalHealth20 Day 3: The challenges you’ve faced with this WIP ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mental health and healing are two big themes in my current WIP, the same one I completed during NaNoWriMo. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In my current WIP, I’m tackling both anxiety and panic disorder. (Yes, anxiety is different from panic attacks, though they can co-exist! Just ask @samantha_heuwagen.) I’m familiar with both on a personal level and feel confident in my ability to portray them without adding to any stigma and without falling back on cliches. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What I find I’m struggling with is balancing the exploration of these challenges with healing conversations and balancing the symptoms with the solutions. Recovery isn’t linear, but as I review my draft, I realize I don’t have that arc balanced the way I want. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Of course, that will come with revisions this year. I’m confident it will. Drafting and revising requires patience and often multiple rounds of reworking something. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What aspect of your WIP is challenging you? How can I help support your writing process? I’d love to answer your questions! Leave a comment or send me a DM. ° ° ° ° ° #indiesareworthit #indieauthorsofig #amwritingfantasy #writersunite #indieauthors #amrevising #writingmotivation #spilledink #writingcoach
Instagram post 2213428968516893906_3259433669 Hi, I’m Hannah! I’m an editor, author, tennis player, cat mom, and small business owner. I like writing about writing, but I also like discussing the very personal topic of mental health. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #WritingMentalHealth20 Day 2: Why you write/want to write about difficult topics ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I was just 17, I started experiencing weird health problems that no 17-year-old should be having. A few months after my 18th birthday, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an autoimmune condition. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I went off to college (yay major life change) but still found myself battling my body every day, I started to get (more) anxious. I started to get depressed. I couldn’t play tennis, which I’d played since I was in preschool, because my joints were painful and swollen. I could barely go to class because I was so tired. My entire life turned upside down. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But I could still read. And I really could’ve used a fictional heroine both struggling and finding her way toward healing back at the start of the decade. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To see someone on the page struggling with (and healing) their physical and mental health would have been helpful. To know I was seen and heard and normal would have been powerful. Maybe those books were out there, but I couldn’t find them at the time. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve done a lot of healing work since then, but I often wonder if that work would’ve started earlier if I’d had positive examples in the media I was consuming. And publishing/media has come a long way since 2012, but we have a long way to go. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, I write about mental health because it’s necessary still a little taboo. We change that by sparking more conversation through our IG posts, our novels, our stories. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I hope that by providing fictional characters with relatable struggles, healing arcs, and strong support systems, readers can have positive examples to share with their loved ones and to learn from, too. This world needs more kindness, empathy, and compassion. It needs more healing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What do you want to see more of in characters? What do you want to tackle as a writer?
Instagram post 2212616799009225792_3259433669 You might be wondering why the heck a book editor is talking about mental health this week. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #WritingMentalHealth20 Day 1: What does mental health mean to you? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To me, mental health goes back to the wellness of your mind and soul. Soul, heart, being, persona -- whatever you want to call it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Everyone deserves to have a healthy, whole, and authentic sense of self and life experience. That doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t struggle--we can and we will because that’s life. Instead, it means having the tools and space to learn, grow, and heal. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, what does this have to do with books and editing? There’s a lot of talk lately about improving our mental health as a society. With that in mind, we should look at the media we produce and consume and how we can communicate messages through them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Most characters go through hardship and trauma in their stories. That's the human condition, after all. While some characters do have internal arcs of understanding and healing, they don’t always. And internal arcs aren’t the full picture. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Healing doesn’t happen in isolation or silence. Where are the conversations with loved ones? Examples of support systems? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ That’s not to say every story or character must be a shining example of healing--there are lessons for readers to learn there, too. But goodness, we should have more strong examples to point to, to learn from, to talk about. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After all, the characters we write and read can help us heal and understand our own experiences in life. Seeing those conversations and healing on the page is important. I’m passionate about helping writers tell those stories and bring them to life for audiences. I also hope my own stories’ themes resonate with readers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What does mental health mean to you, fellow word nerd? Let’s kick off this week’s discussion! ° ° ° ° #authorchallenge #indiesareworthit #authorsofinstagram #writersden #writersofig #indieauthorsofig #mentalhealthawareness #amwritingfantasy
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