Jen's Writing Journey


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Entries Tagged as 'writers life'

Can Writers Be Promiscuous?

April 10th, 2009 · 3 Comments · writers life

I left a novella of a comment on a blog post yesterday, responding to the question of whether I am a monogamous reader. Again, because of my comment promiscuity, I can’t remember which blog.
I try not to read more than three books at once because I can’t always follow the stories very well–they start to [...]

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When Do You Call It Quits?

April 3rd, 2009 · 3 Comments · agentfail, queryfail, writers life

Earlier this week, Jessica Faust posted a request for Agentfail stories at the BookEnds, LLC, blog. It was a chance for writers to respond to the #queryfail day on Twitter that many of them had been so horrified by.
Most of the responses were as full of vitriol as these same authors accused #queryfail participants of. [...]

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Pen Records Interviews and Saves Notes to Computer

March 27th, 2009 · 3 Comments · cool tools, writers life

I covet the LiveScribe Pulse pen. It has a camera and a voice recorder, and if you use their special paper, it scans your notes to your computer. It’s not a cheap pen–it starts at $150–but it combines a lot of tools into one compact package that seems way cool.
The special paper thing scares me [...]

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Can You Write Short and Long Pieces Simultaneously?

March 25th, 2009 · No Comments · writers life

Wil Wheaton recently posted this snippet on his blog:
most people can’t write for a book and a blog at the same time, because our brains get different kinds of feedback and rewards from each. For most of us, if we had to pick, we’ll write in our blogs because the feedback and interaction is more [...]

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Background Noise

March 18th, 2009 · No Comments · writers life

A few months ago, I asked you what music you listen to when you write. Lately, I’ve been watching TV and movies while I write rather than listening to music. I’ll pull out the music when I need to create a specific mood (last week I was writing a bar scene, so I drove the [...]

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Sometimes You Need to Unplug

March 4th, 2009 · No Comments · writers life, writing tips

I have spent way too much time lately either staring at my WIP and wishing I was typing or surfing, twittering, and facebooking as a means of procrastinating. Here are a few ideas that have helped me get back into actually writing–BICHOK only works if the keys are being pressed.

Unplug the power. If my laptop [...]

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Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

February 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment · writers life

In Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz suggests that writers get comfortable with public speaking. She provides a few ideas, such as getting up at an open mic. I have another for you: karaoke.
I have toyed with the idea of doing karaoke for a while, as a personal growth exercise. So, when I [...]

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I'm Going Bridget Jones on You

January 28th, 2009 · No Comments · word count, writers life

No, I’m not going to regale you with tales about my inability to choose between the stable family man-type or the insensitive rake. But I am going to use my blog to hold myself accountable for my word count. I haven’t decided whether I’m going to go with publisher word counts or word processor word [...]

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Diversification

January 9th, 2009 · No Comments · freelancing, writers life

The main reason we are in this whole writing game is that we love to write, to tell stories. But we also have real needs–bills must be paid, food must be purchased, and so on. Thus the desire to earn money for some of these ditties we write.
I’ve written before about the need to multiple [...]

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The Loss of Momentum

December 13th, 2008 · No Comments · writers life

Each of us has faced a loss of momentum in our careers, and likely each of us will face it again in the future. It is part of a natural ebb and flow of our own creativity. Outside events can also affect our momentum, taking time and mindshare away from the stories we are telling.
My [...]

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