Jen's Writing Journey

Welcome to the new home of Jen's Writing Journey, the blog that chronicles Jennifer Roland's writing life and provides useful information for new and seasoned writers.

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I began this blog last September with the goal of honing my craft by reflecting on the work I had done and my own growth. I also wanted to capture my stages of development as a writer.

Oh my god, how boring.

Since then, I’ve had so much fun interacting with readers through comments and emails, collecting the resources I love and sharing them with you each week, and reviewing books that could help you grow as a writer. Yes, all of these things have been of help to me, but I also hope they have been of help to you.

Living in the blogosphere and the twittersphere and a couple other spheres that I don’t feel like typing, I’m finding joy in the collegiality of the online world. The people I follow on twitter share their own and others’ blog posts and articles, and I learn a lot by reading those stories. I share posts I come across when I think they will be interesting or useful to the people who follow me. And I save those resources to share here, too, so that the message gets to people who interact with me in these different online venues.

As I have grown more comfortable in my writer skin, I have even worked to move beyond my shyness and interact with writer-types in the real world. Last weekend, I attended a session in the Northwest Author Series, even though I was a little nervous about going into a room full of people I didn’t know. I made it out alive and edified.

So what is the point of all of this rambling? When you write, think about what it will do for your readers, not what it does for you. When you interact in the online and physical world, think about what you can give not what you can take. You will benefit from this shift in attitude, but more important, so will those you encounter along the way.

• Writing Roundup, July 31 Ah, another month draws to a close. We are nearing the end of a stretch of record warm weather in the Portland area, and the heat really sapped my energy. I did not do as well this month as I had hoped. What keeps you from meeting your goals? I've......
• Writing Roundup, January 29 The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Top Authors Await Ebook Bonanza The Times looks at how many British authors are waiting to sell their backlists on the long-awaited Apple tablet. (On a related note, I can't imagine that the price tag of the......
• Writing Roundup, January 22 The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Is Your "But" Too Big? No, that's not misspelled, and it's not a piece on the relative lack of exercise of the typical writer. Agent Nathan Bransford gives a motivating speech on pushing through your personal obstacles.......
• Writing Roundup, December 18 The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Digital ARCs Make Progress Novelist L.J. Sellers looks at the move toward digital review copies. How will that affect writers. Backlist Title Dilemma How should authors deal with their less than stellar backlist releases? Shrug and hope......
• The Blog Tour Is Over: Lessons Learned Before my blog tour started, I posted some of the lessons I had learned about planning it. Now that it has reached its conclusion, I wanted to take a few minutes to share the lessons I learned about doing it. Remember how I said to plan early? Do that, but......

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