I wrote this story originally about three years ago and back then, it was about one-third the length. I gave it to a critique group I belonged to at the time, which has since disbanded, and then to a professional editor. It wasn't well-received and everyone had a lot of suggestions for improvements, which I … Continue reading Still Love
Category: Writing
The Road to Gold Ridge
I'm pleased to announce that I've published another short story, this time in the Metaworker. I submitted this story to five magazines back in January and didn't get any acceptances. But I did get one personalized bit of feedback (thank you, Novel Noctule editors!) that included the following: The writing was solid, but we felt … Continue reading The Road to Gold Ridge
Read Me!
Last week, I wrote about how this blog has helped me develop a writing practice and become better at the craft. I'm a late bloomer when it comes to writing. Although I've been writing for a long time, I've always been a dabbler, trying this and that style, starting projects I've never finished, getting easily … Continue reading Read Me!
Cheers to Five Years of Blogging
WordPress has informed me that I started this blog five years ago today. I won't link to my first post because it's not anything worth linking back to, but I remember the feeling of putting content out into the world publicly for the first time, even if I didn't have any readers. Nerve-wracking! I still … Continue reading Cheers to Five Years of Blogging
Writing Out of My Genre
I don't enter a lot of writing contests because I want to explore my own creative ideas, not write to someone else's prompt. But when I'm feeling stuck, arbitrary prompts can get some ideas and motivation flowing. So when I found the NYC Midnight Microfiction Challenge, I signed up last fall. I liked that the … Continue reading Writing Out of My Genre
The Novel: Which Novel?
So...I kind of have a reputation for being a starter and not a finisher, especially when it comes to writing. I lack the ability to resist the next bright, shiny thing. I have a lot of ideas that I get excited about, and I have a hard time sticking with previous projects, making revisions, and … Continue reading The Novel: Which Novel?
Where Have I Been?
It's been awfully quiet here on Jen Seriously for the last two months. What gives? The simple answer is that I’ve been trying to prioritize my time better. Without any real responsibilities or obligations outside my full time job, I have plenty of free time, but I do a lot with that time and have … Continue reading Where Have I Been?
Flora Versus Fauna
On March 3 this year, I was one of the featured storytellers at the Truth Be Told season finale, featuring all the first and second place winners from 2018. I didn't win in the finale, but I told a damn fine story. I hope you think so too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l70k1uOmfUc And if my story didn't convince … Continue reading Flora Versus Fauna
Say What? Edition 9: A Motley Collection
I've been keeping lists of weird things about English for a while. And by keeping lists, I mean that I write down one thing I think of and tell myself I should look for similar irregularities and fill the list so I can blog about the topic, but I never do. So, I'm cleaning out … Continue reading Say What? Edition 9: A Motley Collection
The Novel: Which Critiques (Don’t) Matter
I now have a complete manuscript of my debut novel, a contemporary young adult story. Complete, of course, means that I still have another full edit to do over the summer...and then probably another one after I start to query in the fall. My first task is to incorporate the remaining comments I have from … Continue reading The Novel: Which Critiques (Don’t) Matter
