Can you lend me a hand?
The hardest thing for me about being self-employed is the aloneness. I don’t mean being alone all day – my head is such an interesting place I don’t feel alone – but the aloneness of holding the whole kit and kaboodle by myself. I have a great support team but in the end, it’s me […]
Continue readingWhat You Can Learn From My 120,000 Words of Failure
As I shared last month, the memoir I sweated over for four years and 120,000 words is kaput. I’ve started calling it “the book that shall not be named.” I promised I would share what I learned from the book failing. I hope these are useful to you. #1 – NOTHING IS WASTED So many […]
Continue readingWhat to do When You Break a Promise You Made to Yourself
Saturday I planned on running 5 miles. Friday night, I drank two glasses of red wine with my friend Dana. Red wine gives me a weird hangover, a sticky mix of weepy and headachy. (But it was so fun to celebrate my friend’s new job.) I did not run on Saturday. Felt icky. What did […]
Continue reading[March] Jen’s monthly round-up
March means Spring! I’ve always thought March should be considered the beginning of the new year. Of course so did ancient cultures. Everything quickening and gathering energy to spring into new life. I’m feeling that new beginning energy in such a lovely way. As I wrote last week, I’m walking away from my book as a […]
Continue readingMy Memoir Doesn’t Work And Why I’m Not Devastated About It
If right now you are telling yourself it’s all been done before, who cares if you write the novel or paint the painting or start the business, and anyway, who do you think you are to be a maker, a creator, a writer? If those kind of stories are WHY you are not making what […]
Continue reading[February] Jen’s Monthly Roundup
Happy February! Have you heard the saying that February is the new January? In other words, it’s always a good time to begin again. Speaking of which, I wrote this on my Facebook page and it got a ton of attention so I thought I would share it here. We will be exploring it in the […]
Continue readingHow to Stop Criticizing Yourself and Start (or Keep) Writing
Note: While this is post is about writing, it applies to any creative activity. I heard from three writers this past week who are struggling to allow their voices to emerge. A reporter who wants to write personal essays, a non-fiction writer bogged down by her research and other expert’s opinions, and a writer working […]
Continue readingA Fable for 2018…
Once upon a time, a girl made something from nothing. She made fairy castles from mud and twigs, painted her dreams in every color and spun worlds from words. Oh how she loved the Making. The bubbling luminescent Love of it gilded everything with possibility. And then one day, someone intruded. A neighbor boy […]
Continue readingHow & Why to Celebrate Everything Little Thing You Do
When you celebrate something you did, you fire positive emotions that teach your pliable sweet brain: I can trust myself to keep my commitments! It feels good to take action! I did my scary sh*t and nothing ate me! And when you don’t acknowledge what you did, when you don’t say “Yay! I wrote my […]
Continue readingDo you have a book in you? Are you supposed to?
I’ve written a lot of books. I’m currently writing a book. I’m the kind of book nerd who when someone says, “Can you recommend a book?” my heart beats faster, I sit up straighter, and I remind myself to try not to overwhelm the poor person. I put books on a pedestal. I artfully conceal […]
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