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.

• What I Learned about Attending Conferences I'm going to share some session recaps from the Willamette Writers Conference here on the blog later. Today, I'm going to share the tips I learned about the nuts and bolts of attending a conference. 1. Volunteer You can save a lot of money on registration by volunteering--as much as......
• Writing Roundup, September 4 Public Service Message: If you are affected by the Google Books settlement and you want to opt out, today is the deadline. Here is the link to opt out. The Business of Writing Books: The Big Story Is Consolidation This Financial Times article argues for further consolidation of book publishers......
• Writing Roundup, Oct. 16 Here is a handy table of contents that will help you quickly reach the topic of your choice. Let me know if you like it this way. The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Book Trade Can Avoid Music Labels Digital Mistakes Publishers are scared.......
• 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, October 23 The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform The Business of Writing Before You Sign That Publishing Contract Diane Craver guests at Writers Weekly to remind us to take time to read our publisher contracts, assess the points, and decide whether the contract is really right before we sign.......

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• Using Article Marketing for a Blog One of the most popular things on the Internet today is blogging. In fact, if you notice the trends over the past few years, bloggers...