Burnout and Bad Habits

I started off 2021 really well with respect to my creative writing goals. I took two short story workshops and a novel revision workshop, and I made a ton of progress for the first seven months. Especially when I was living in Northern California, there was something about the place I was staying in or … Continue reading Burnout and Bad Habits →

Thirty-Six Hours in a Remote Corner of Texas

In the final days of 2020, I managed to secure one more publication for my writing. One writing goal I gave myself at the beginning of last year was to submit all 15 of my short pieces for publication, but that was an uber-ambitious goal. Only one of the pieces was finished at the beginning … Continue reading Thirty-Six Hours in a Remote Corner of Texas →

Still Love

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 →

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 →