Category: Writing

Coffee Break

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Hello, my loyal readers…grab a cup of coffee (iced if it’s as hot and muggy as it is here in NY) and let’s catch up.

So, about 2 months ago I finished the second round of revisions on my debut novel, The Art of Lying, and sent it to a professional editor. I took a little time off – about a week – and then jumped into working on a novella that I’m hoping to give away for free when I start up my newsletter. But my amazing editor (shout out to Sarah Fox over at The Bookish Fox!) sent me her notes already. Amazing! So far, her notes seem fair and balanced – she tells me when she loves a line or section of dialogue and then she also tells me when I should show and not tell, when I should blend some of the info dumps into the scenes more naturally, and that my love interest seems a bit cartoonish (she’s right actually, I just couldn’t see that). If you are writing a novel, seriously – get a professional to look at it, I’m so incredibly happy with the results and I know that by working with Sarah, making the needed changes, and sending it back to her for copyediting my book will be simply the best it can be and me a better writer in the process. Who could ask for more?

Now, of course, that leaves me with a tiny dilemma – do I start working on my baby (the big novel) or finish outlining and drafting the novella? I mean, I could possibly work on both these next two months, but it is summer and my son’s summer Extended School Year program is a tiny bit shorter than the normal school day, and there’s still the day job. I don’t want to burn out, confuse stories in my head, or just start hating both projects. I’m going to take a few days, work on a reverse outline for my Editorial Skype call with Sarah, and see what my next few weeks actually look like in terms of work, shopping, and other activities.

The plan was still to have my novel ready to self-publish this Fall/Winter but I have a feeling to make it the best book possible, give me time to write and edit the novella, set up the newsletter, and have family time (and a Disneyland vacation!!!!) I might need to push the timeline back to January/February 2018, and you know what? That’s okay. I know I’m going to learn and grow so much with this book and this whole self-publishing process that I will be better equipped to write, edit, revise, and publish the next few books.  And, once the novella is ready and in my eNewsletter system that will pretty much be “set it and forget it”.

What fun stuff are you doing this summer? Vacation plans? Netflix and chill? Summer school or camp? I want to know what you’re up to and if you’re creative and writing, singing, dancing, etc then let me know that too! Keep cool, read something funny, and catch up on your favorite series. 

Behind the Scenes: Music and My Writing Process

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

In one of my writing groups over on Facebook, there was a discussion not too long ago about music and writing. I was seriously surprised that so many of the writers (many self-published professionals) don’t listen to music while they work…I have a hard time not listening to music during certain parts of my process. And that got me thinking – what is my actual writing process and how does music play a part in that?

Ideas and Brainstorming

When I’m first thinking up an idea, brainstorming all the What If’s for a character or plot idea, or just general daydreaming I sometimes need music and sometimes not. This morning I was working on a character arc for my current project and I could hear my husband’s radio in the other room (quietly) but I had no music on in the bedroom where I was, but the other day when I was just sitting and staring and thinking, I had music on. This stage of my process can really go either way and depends on my mood that day.

First Draft

I need music. Non-negotiable, no two ways about it – can’t write the first draft in quiet. For first drafts, I need music – all kinds of music, totally different kinds of music. Pop, 1990s Alternative, Broadway soundtracks, 80s new wave, 70s disco, you name it, I have probably listened to it. I don’t have certain playlists for different novels or projects, I choose a style based on how I’m feeling that day, or maybe how the scene needs to play out. Louder metal-type music for the big scenes, love songs for the romantic scenes, etc. I definitely need music though when I’m putting words to paper.

Revision

I need quiet – like seriously, could hear a pin drop, quiet. I need to concentrate, hear my own thoughts, and really narrow in on the problems in front of me. This is usually the stage I need to close the door to the bedroom too, so I don’t hear the TV or radio in another room or get distracted by others in the apartment. Quiet and my brain, that’s it.

Planning or Marketing

Probably music. For example, I’m currently doing some marketing and planning for the launch of my novel (hopefully this fall/winter) and I’m writing the stuff that goes in the front and back of the book (dedication, acknowledgements, copyright, etc) and working on my blurb – the cool story description that accompanies my book to entice people to read it (because it’s awesome!) and I definitely need music for these tasks. But if I’m researching something about marketing and reading articles, I might need quiet.

Most of these only work with longer projects. When I’m writing these posts, for example, I usually listen to music or have the TV on with no issues. When I need to concentrate on one part or brainstorm something I might mute the TV or dim the music, but overall I need background noise.

So, tell me…do you use music when you write or work on projects? What do you listen to? Do you have playlists or just use Amazon Music or another streaming service like I do? And if you’re a singer like me, does having music on help or hinder you? Sometimes I find myself singing along and getting caught up in the song instead of writing, but sometimes I hear the perfect lyric and it fuels my next scene and gives me that little extra push….it all depends.

Creating a 3-Act Structure with Tarot Cards

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I’m back for part two of my writing exercises using the Tarot for Writers book and my tarot cards.  Last week I created a new character, named Leo, and this week I’m using an exercise on page 72 about creating a three-act structure with two plot points.  I did not pull a card for the climax (seen in the book example) because I’m not actually writing this whole book.  Have a look-see at what cards I pulled and what I came up with for my beginning, middle, and end.   At the end of this post, I’ll tell you my thoughts going forward and what I’m going to write based off this reading for you guys! 



Act I – King of Swords
Leo, under the thumb of his father – a former MLB player, has played baseball his entire life from little league on through High School.  It is just expected that he will either go pro or play during college.  His father left baseball because of an injury and then became a professional agent.  He is powerful, successful, and charming.  Women love him, men want to be him – he never married Leo’s mother, but they co-parent as a team fairly well.  Leo’s father has high expectations of him and demands perfection above all else.  Leo must be the best! 

Plot Point 1 – The Moon
Leo, unhappy with the choices his Dad has made for him, has a dream one night while camping with his buddies.  He wakes up and walks under the full moon to the nearby lake where a young woman sits on a rock.  They have an amazing conversation about life, love, and the journey one must take for themselves when starting college. 

Act II – Nine of Cups
A college orientation party finds Leo in new surroundings.  Here no one cares about his Dad or sports at all really, but higher pursuits – science, literature, religion.  Leo must stand on his own two feet, as it were.  He wants to enjoy his time away from family and old friends, especially as he pursues this new life, but he’s finding it hard to figure out exactly where he stands and what he stands for.  He can’t seem to make up his mind about a major and starts having panic attacks that cause him to break down, sometimes going through a major depression for days/weeks at a time.

Plot Point 2 – The Sun
Leo is having trouble making new friends and starts to wonder if he somehow screwed up his entire life by walking away from his Dad’s plans.  He decides to take a long walk one beautiful Sunday to a public park that’s close to campus, to get away from his troubles.  He sees a group of guys playing ball for fun – no jerseys, no real official teams, no coaches.  Just a group, playing with a ball and a bat, having fun.  He asks if he can join them, which they immediately welcome and he plays for hours.  Sweating from the hot sun, he grabs a water and starts talking to one of the young men who goes to his school.  During their conversation, he realizes what he wants to study and finds a hobby that he’s good at and can enjoy for life.  He and his new friend walk back to campus together. 

Act III – The Hanged Man
After his day of fun, Leo chooses a major, settles into college life and meets the young woman from camp at a dance.  She’s the daughter of the Dean and just graduated from college the year before. She’s only a few years older, very taken with our Leo and they start dating.  Leo finally feels like himself.  He feels confident and has the courage to call his father, who he hasn’t spoken to in months and they start hashing things out on their way to redemption and a better, more grown-up relationship.   Leo feels like he’s on the right path – he has a handle on his shiny object syndrome, knowing that he can read and study anything without losing focus and he has matured into a bright young adult. 



Here’s what I’m thinking – I love the scene where he’s camping and meets the young lady by the lake so I think I will write that scene (2-3 thousand words) and post on the blog in a few weeks – I will get this one done quicker than my last tarot short story, I promise.  Does that sound like a good deal?  Or…if you guys like another scene more, comment and I’ll decide in a few days (maybe…Mon or Tues next week).  Thanks!

What do you think?  Would you read this book? Does it sound interesting?  What kinds of things do you see in these cards – seriously, give me your ideas, I might incorporate them.  I enjoy these exercises, but I’m not sure if I would use tarot cards to plot out a full book – but who knows.  I’m working on a novella right now that I plan on giving away for free when I get my newsletter ready so maybe I’ll pull a few cards if I have issues or run into plot problems.

Have you ever used the tarot cards for creative inspiration? Show me – I’m always trying to think of fun, new ways to use my cards.  

Character Creation 1-2-3: A Tarot Exploration

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
I wanted to play around with another couple of exercises from Tarot for Writers by Corinne Kenner. I call this Character Creation 1-2-3 and it’s from the section of the book on simple tarot spreads. I’m using a one card spread to give me an overall view of the character, a two card spread to give me their best and worst qualities, and then a three card spread to give me the past, present, and future for my character. 

This is just part one though, next week I want to do another exercise using tarot cards to help me create a three-act structure using 5-6 cards. Then I’m going to use all of this info (and maybe a few more cards to create the other cast of characters I’ll need) to write another short story, with Leo – my character from below – as my main guy!  If the three act structure exercise gives me a huge story, I might just write part of the story – I’ll keep you posted on that as we go. 

If you have the book, Tarot for Writers, these exercises start on page 23. I love using my tarot cards to help come up with characters, plot ideas, location ideas, and overall story ideas because they are so rich in theme, character, elements, and symbolism that you can get all sorts of ideas from each card. 

One Card Spread 

8 of Cups 
A young man, turning his back on his present. Alone at night, the full moon watching over him as he walks away from everything. He seems to be certain of his past, as he does not look behind him to see what he’s leaving behind. He knows what lies ahead, both good and bad, and he’s certain he is on the right path for him. I see a senior in high school who has decided to leave the sports world behind to pursue an academic career. Going off to college without his old friends, and maybe without his parent’s support, as he leaves behind one life for the beginnings of another. The fact that the cups are arranged so neatly, but one is missing tells me this young man feels a void in his life that he’s hoping his new path will fill.

Two Card Spread 

Best Quality – King of Cups: Thoughtful, kind, intelligent. Interested in science and the arts. Good and honest young man.

Worst Quality – Ace of Pentacles: Lost in the clouds, sort of an absent-minded professor type. Can be easily distracted by shiny things, or the newest tech. Has so many interests, it’s hard to keep track of what the newest “thing” actually is for him at any given time.

Three Card Spread 

Past – 4 of Pentacles
Present – Ace of Wands
Future – The Chariot

Once upon a time, Leo had everything that makes a high school dude popular – good looks, money, material things, sports acumen, and the perfect girlfriend but he was missing something in his life. He wanted a change, something that spoke to his intelligence and multi-interests with science and art. He applied to a prestigious college, where he hoped to study philosophy and world religions, but this idea upset many people in his life. He leaves for school in a few weeks and although he has lost people along the way, he knows that the path he is on is the right one for him. He sees himself a winner, a hero, someone that will change the world for the better – for all people. He will be a champion of human rights and help those less fortunate than him. 


So, I have a basic idea of who this guy is, what he wants for his future and what might keep him from attaining his overall goal – the shiny object syndrome, he might have trouble sticking with something for very long, even college or a higher pursuit. I’m going to flip through the Tarot for Writers book and pick some more fun writing exercises to help me with my antagonist and other characters, and – of course – the main three act structure of my story. I’ll be back with part two in a few weeks. 

If you saw these cards, how would you interpret them?  What kind of character would you have created?  If you have a deck of Tarot cards, do you use them for creativity purposes?  Divination?  Guidance?  I’d love to know. 

Behind The Scenes: Modern Art and The Art of Lying

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
Today I’d like to share with you another look Behind the Scenes of The Art of Lying and talk about my love for Modern Art and how it influenced my main character, Rachel.

  Rachel is a young artist on the verge of a big break and her own gallery show.  I love visiting museums and art galleries and our apartment will have plenty of art on its walls once we get fully moved in (it’s only been, like, a year – whatever).  My love for the art world, especially modern art, is one of the biggest reasons Rachel spoke to me.  When she appeared in my brain – because, for some odd reason, most of my stories start with the main character first – I knew she was an artist immediately.  It was the thing that identified her so clearly, her whole persona.  It’s what made me so excited to start this novel, and what has kept me working on her and it for years.  (YEARS, people!)

My three favorite modern artists are Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, and Alexander Calder. Besides being dubbed Modern Art, they all have one thing in common – bright, bold colors. I’m not a beige person, my favorite color is red followed closely by blue, yellow, and green – bright, bold colors is seriously my thing. Rachel is also not a beige person.  She wears black a lot, sure, but her art is all about color.  She describes her art as being in the Pop Style, like Andy Warhol, but because of my passion for clean lines, bold colors, and movement in art, she definitely has touches of those in her paintings as well.

Rachel meets another artist, a smaller character named Cassandra, who also would consider herself a modern artist but her pieces are very different – she makes modern day quilts. Bright, bold colored fabric is used to make faces and landscapes of the New York City skyline.  She blends the traditional art of quilting with her love of modern day art techniques to pen a love story of the people and city that surround her.  I loved being able to create two very different characters and styles of art to explore in this novel.  

Exploring my passions, like painting and art in general, is one of my favorite things about writing.  I love modern art, I can write about it.  I love the circus and the world of performers, I can write about it (hint hint).  I love families and how they work together (or not), how they solve problems (or not), and how they communicate (or not) within crisis so that’s what I write about.  They say write about what you know, but I say write about what you love.   Just because I myself can’t paint or sculpt or quilt doesn’t mean I can’t read and write about it.  

Who is your favorite artist?  Do you like the old masters? Classics? Sculpture?  And if you are a writer, do you put your passions and hobbies into your stories? Do you write what you know or what you love?

A Journey through “Tarot for Writers” – Part 2 the Story

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
NOTE:  This is the short story I finally wrote based on the tarot cards I pulled during this post HERE – A Journey through “Tarot for Writers” – Part 1 the Exercises.  I enjoyed this process, sorry it took so long to actually finish it and get it posted.  If you enjoyed these two posts, let me know.  I can do more of these exercises from the book or I can show you how I’m using the cards in my actual writing projects.  Enjoy!





The Hanged Man
By Jennifer Gregson

“So, Mr., uh…” she flipped the folder open, using her long red fingernail to scan down the page, “Fundi.”

“Yes,” he said, coming fully into her office and shutting the door behind him.

“Please, have a seat, we need to chat.”

Eli sat down, adjusting his shirt, noticing that he had buttoned the bottom two buttons wrong and that’s why he was having issues all morning.  

“Mr. Fundi, HR will be here any minute.  Do you know why?”

He looked at his boss and then down at the floor.  Yes, he knew why but, he couldn’t say a word, he had promised.

“Don’t look at the floor, look at me,” she said, standing straight up in front of him.  Her gray wool suit and beige silk camisole, both very expensive, showed very little creasing.  He wondered if she had sat at all that day.   She was known to walk the hallways while thinking and talking to her assistant, Carol, who tried to keep up with her.  

“Elijah, I’m very disappointed in you.  You were well liked, well respected around here.  I never suspected you would steal from us.”

“What? No, I never. I didn’t,” he stammered.  He flexed his fingers.  Now what? He couldn’t turn on his friend.  Not now, not after what he told him last night. But they think he did this? Was he going to be fired?  Is that why HR was on its way?  To escort him out of the building with a box of his belongings in his hands?

“Well, you had access to the Harris Toy Company’s file.  You had access to all of the information.  Information that their competitors now have, and are using against them.  Using to create their own campaign.  Harris is ruined and they’re blaming us.”

Eli looked down again, this time at his fingers.  He started ticking off the reasons he’s keeping this secret.  AJ’s girlfriend just told him she was pregnant.  AJ’s mom is still very sick and needs to be moved to a better nursing home.  AJ has a record.  This will be three strikes.  AJ will go to jail.  That’s a definite.  Did he want his friend to suffer? His friend’s family?

“Mr. Fundi what are you doing? Are you mumbling to yourself?  Are you trying to confess?”

“No, ma’am.  Ms. Fields, I’m not.  I am very sorry.”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yes.  I made a huge mistake.  I let my mouth talk when it shouldn’t have.  I talked while drinking with my buddies and someone heard me.”  It seemed like a plausible enough lie, but that’s not what happened at all.  AJ sold that information, on purpose, for a boatload of cash.  

“I know you’re lying to me,” she said, sitting on the edge of the desk, her skirt hiking just slightly above her knee.

“No, I made a mistake.”

“Well, that’s definitely true. But that’s not what happened.  We know money exchanged hands.  We know it was a calculated issue.  We know ‘someone’ did this on purpose.”

Eli looked right up into her eyes.  He was always so nervous around her.  Patricia Fields – so polished, poised, and powerful.  And beautiful.  Her eyes were the prettiest blue he had ever seen, but they were sad.  Cloudy.  Too much coffee, not enough sleep.

Patricia looked back at him.  A lost puppy, that’s what she always thought about him.  But, not in this moment, he looked strong.  He looked like a grown up.  Ready to take on the day and the world.  He was definitely covering up for someone.  They would figure it out, with or without his help.  HR was coming and he would be escorted from the building.  She couldn’t help him from that without him talking.

As he walked back to his desk with HR and security, he hung his head, so as not to make eye contact with anyone.  He didn’t want his coworkers looking at him with shame in their eyes.   He boxed up the few things he kept at his desk, and followed the security guard and HR manager out the door, another security guard directly behind them.  At the front door, they collected his badge and handed him a letter.  Sealed.  He tossed it on the top of the box and walked toward his car in the parking lot.

After placing the box carefully in his car, he sat in the front seat and wondered aloud.   “What now, idiot?” 

A knock on the window made him jump.  AJ, looking nervous and damp, was looking in.   Eli didn’t want to talk to him. Not now, and especially not here.  I mean, was he the biggest moron ever?  He had to know they were watching him, didn’t he?

After a few, very long, seconds, Eli rolled down his window and just said, “Not now.  Meet me at the bar tonight, 6 pm, and you better….I lied for you, man.  Now go back to work.”


Eli nursed the beer he was drinking and checked his watch for the fifteenth time.  5:59 pm He glanced at the door, but still no AJ.  He better show up.  Alone.

6:03 pm, AJ stumbled into the bar, looking like he already had a few, but where?  He only got off work a little while ago.   AJ flopped down across from Eli.

“You are my hero!” he said, motioning to the bartender.

“For what?  Getting my ass fired?  Saving your ass from jail?”

“Well, yeah…that is a true friend.  Who got you that job anyways?  Me.  I saved you, you saved me.”

“But you cost me that job.  A job I was good at.  A job I was starting to really like. Now what?  I can’t get another paralegal job because of this so I’m back at square one.  Worse.  Because I have bills too and I need another job fast.”

“I can help with that.  I have more information. Good information and I need a go-between.”

“Are you insane?  Or just stupid?  You went to college right?  We were there together, right?”

“Yes, and I finished.”

“My father….” Eli trailed off.  He grabbed his beer and finished it, “If you really cared about me, AJ, if we were really friends you’d do the right thing.  You’d come forward, on your own and clear my name.”

“I can’t do that. The baby, my Mom. She’s not herself, and you know that.”

“Yes, and I have a mother too.”

“Not one with Alzheimer’s. I go visit her, she thinks I’m Dad or her older brother.”

“I get that.  You have problems.  Dude, I understand, but you know what?  I did my duty, I protected my friend.  You thanked me.  Great.”  Eli stood up, grabbed a ten from his wallet and threw it on the table.  “Beers on me, see you around. Maybe.”

AJ didn’t try to stop him.  Eli walked out into the early evening cool air and headed to his car.


The next day Eli realized he had nowhere to go and piles of laundry so he took them over to his Mom’s house to talk.

“Okay, so why are you here on a weekday?  What happened?”

Eli took a deep breath, “I got fired.”

“What?”  his Mom sat down next to him on the couch.

Without meaning to, Eli opened his mouth and the entire truth poured out of him.

“I did it to save my friend and now I feel like the biggest idiot in the world.  I thought I was doing the right thing, in the moment, but now I’m not so sure. I think I just ruined my life.”

Eli’s mom looked at him with a mixture of pride and sadness.

“What?” he asked her.

“I’m proud of you, but I have never liked that AJ boy, he got you into so much trouble in college and it just keeps happening.  Is there anything you can do?  Can you go back to your boss and confess?”

“I could, sure.  AJ is an idiot, but he’s my idiot.  I wish I could talk to him, make him understand, make him see the right thing, you know?  But he’s so caught up in his own, um, stuff to see that he’s throwing away 10 years of friendship.  I’m out.  I’m done.”

“Honey, you are old enough to say shit in this house.”

Eli smiled.

“Eli, you need to start thinking about you.  You and your happiness.  When was the last time you stopped and asked yourself if your life was making you happy?  That job was good, it was good money, but did it make you happy?  Has anything since the accident made you happy?”

Ugh, she had to go there.  He was a mechanic, a damn good one, until…the accident.  A small leak, gas most likely, caused his garage to blow up.  He was in the office doing paperwork when it happened, which saved his life, but after that, he couldn’t walk into another garage. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is what the doctor’s called it.  Scared was what he called it.  He couldn’t work for months.  AJ got him out of his funk and got him the job at the law firm. 

“No.”  The only thing Eli could say.  Nothing had made him happy in a long time.  But, seeing his boss every day made him smile.  She was so confident and sure of herself.  She was amazing.  Watching her think and work, watching her win at all costs was such a, well, turn on, I guess.  He didn’t want to think about her in that way, but she was stunning.

“Son, you need to stop worrying about everyone else.  You worry about me too much and you worry about your friends too much. Who worries about you?”

“You do.”

“Besides me,” she said with a smile, “Your friend is only thinking of himself.  You like working with your hands, right? So, maybe there’s something there – I mean, there are other jobs besides a mechanic that allows you to work with your hands.”

“So, what are you telling me to do Mom?”

“I’m not. That’s the thing.  You have to figure this out all by yourself.  The only thing I’m telling you, stop worrying about me.  Stop worrying about AJ.  Just think about you, for once.”

His mom got up to put his laundry in the dryer.  Eli stared out the window. He knew he needed to do the right thing, even if it got AJ fired, even if he got him in trouble because AJ was acting like an idiot.  He thought he was being a good friend, but AJ was just going to make more deals, more mistakes and get himself fired….or worse.  He was going to throw away his life, then what would happen to his child and his mother? 

Once he got home, he pulled out a piece of paper and hand wrote a note to his ex-boss asking if it would be improper or illegal to meet out of the office for coffee, that he had some information, something that would help her figure things out.  He put her address on it and a stamp and put it in the mailbox.  That was it.  It was going out and there was nothing else to do now but wait.  


His leg wouldn’t stay still.  It had been three days since the letter went out before she called.  He had started wondering if she was going to just ignore the letter, ignore him.  He had sent the letter and then started creating a file of sorts, with information, but no outright names.  He wanted her to have the clues, but not the answer.  
“I don’t have time for games, Mr. Fundi,” she said as she chugged the hot coffee, steam rising up to meet her face.

“I know, but, I need to make things right.  I  just can’t tell you what’s going on, though I do have a folder with enough information that you should be able to know exactly who it is without me having to name names.  And there’s more than one name involved.  The fallout won’t be pretty.”

“Selling information goes up higher than just a paralegal?”

“Yes, the said paralegal in question had help. A lawyer dropped the file by accident, on purpose and they’re splitting the money.”

“What?  Are you positive?”  She looked up at him, he nodded.  “Why tell me now? Why didn’t you confess this the other day in my office?”

“Because I am an idiot.  I thought I was being a good friend, but I was wrong.”

He handed the folder to her and motioned for the waitress.  After ordering a slice of pie he sat back and watched her read the file.  She was wearing a dark red skirt and black sweater, it was casual Friday in the office.

“You can’t be serious?  He’s on his way to making partner…are you sure?” She looked up from the file,  “Why are you smiling?”

“You’re so smart.  I’m probably too stupid for thinking that information was going to be harder to gleam.”

“No, it’s just that I started looking into things myself.  You knew two other paralegals so we started there.  I just didn’t think to look any higher.   You’re sure?  100% sure?”

“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t want to believe it either, but apparently your ‘on his way to make partner’ lawyer has a gambling problem.”

“Shit.”

They sat for a few minutes in silence while the waitress set Eli’s pie down and refilled the coffee mugs.  Eli took a bite and looked over at this smart woman trying to figure things out.

“You want to walk?”

“What?” she asked, clearly lost in her mind.

“In the office, I’ve never seen you sit this long.”

“I sit in court all day so when I get a chance to stand and move around, I do.”

“I’ve seen you come up with brilliant things while walking around the office.”

“How long did you work for us?”

“8 months.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. I liked working there, but to be honest, I wasn’t happy there.”

She looked down at her coffee and stirred the cream in with a spoon.

“You were a hard worker though.”

“I always work hard, ma’am”

“Ugh, enough with the ma’am shit, okay.  Call me Patricia.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?  You don’t work for me anymore. I’ll call you….”

“Elijah or Eli.”

“Eli, I like that.”

They sat in silence again for a while.  Eli finished his pie and drank his coffee.

“What are you going to do with that information?” he asked her.

“I don’t know.  I know we need to take care of this, of both of them…but I’m wondering, have others done this?  Is it the first time?  And how do I get more proof?”

“I can’t help you with how many others, but…you have a big case coming up, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And some of the information you have is critical and confidential to a certain large pharmaceutical company, correct?”

“Yes, and that lawyer is helping me.  He asked to help me.  I just thought it was because of him making partner, he wanted to look good for the higher ups, but….you’re saying….no, I still have a hard time believing this.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.  But it’s not just my paralegal friend.  Yes, he is in it and he might have started it, I’m not sure.  All I know is my friend and your lawyer both have money issues and need cash fast.  This is a way to do that.”

“But they have to know we’re looking into things, right?  I mean, after firing you, we’ll be on high alert.”

“Do they?  Or do they think they got away with it?  People get cocky. They slip up, make mistakes.”

She closed the folder and put the notes in her bag.  She finished her coffee and sat back.  She looked at me for a really long time, before a smile crept across her lips.

“What?” Eli asked.

“You are smart.  Too smart for your own good I think.”

“That’s what my Mother says.”  Eli smiled too.

“What can I do to help you?  You didn’t deserve to be fired.  I can help you find another job, talk to someone, let them know the inside scoop, as it were.”

“No, I’m done with the legal field.  I miss working with my hands.  I used to be a mechanic.”

She smiled even wider. 

“What?” he asked. 

“I can’t picture you in dirty coveralls, covered in oil.”  

He laughed and looked down at his khakis and a button up shirt, “Well, that was me and I liked it and I was really good at it, but…well, it’s difficult right now to do that work.  My past…it’s just….well, I’m actually going tomorrow to talk to a construction firm about a job opportunity.”

“Construction.  I think you’ll be good at that.  I have a feeling you’ll be the boss soon.”

“I don’t aspire to anything that big, but…maybe I should huh?”

She threw down $50 and got ready to leave.

“Don’t you want to wait for your change?”

“No, give her everything.  I come in here a lot and I know she just lost her husband, and they have two kids.”

He smiled at her.

“What?” she asked.

“You are very different out of the office…” he wanted to go on but stopped himself. He knew she’d never say yes.

“Can I contact you again, for more, information if need be?” she asked.

“Of course, you have my phone number.”

She smiled.  He smiled.  She walked out and he watched her.  Maybe he didn’t do the right thing right away, but he felt good.  He was going to lose his friend, that was a guarantee.  But growing up sometimes meant leaving people behind. 


x

Behind The Scenes: Locations in The Art of Lying

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
I thought I would start a new series here on the blog called Behind the Scenes.  I’m finishing up my final round of revisions on my current novel, The Art of Lying, and I will be sending it to an editor before self-publishing later this year.  I thought it might be fun to do this Behind the Scenes look at my book and how I’ve been writing and revising it.  Today I wanted to start with Locations.  My book is set in Manhattan, mostly, with some scenes in New Jersey.  When I started this book, I was living in Manhattan so I don’t have a ton of personal pictures to add, but I will add some links to the NYC parks department pictures, Wikipedia, and my own personal Pinterest folder for the book. 

Moving on Up

My main character and her family live on the Upper East Side in a fancy high-rise apartment building.  I lived for many years among those buildings and looked online for a few different types of floor plans before drawing my own – see below for the one I sketched of the apartment.  I adored the UES, Park Avenue with its median parks, and the historic feel to the area with the older buildings and store fronts.  I thought my main character’s Mom would have chosen the UES as the area to move from NJ once they had some wealth, ala The Jeffersons from the 70s sitcom.  When you’re moving on up, you move to East Side. To a deluxe apartment in the sky…..sorry, I was totally singing there, but I’m done now.

  

Below 14th Street

My main character, Rachel, is an up and coming modern artist with her own gallery show, new money, and a funky artist loft in Downtown Manhattan.  See below for the quick sketch I made of her loft setup.  Her favorite park in the city is Union Square Park.  This park is always bustling with activity from families, shoppers, tourists, and the like.  It has a weekly farmers market that has a ton of stalls and a very active community and neighborhood surrounding it.  Rachel goes on a first date with a young man in the book which I based on an actual restaurant that my husband took me to for our second date (after we saw one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies).  It has diners, bookstores, subway access, and many coffee shops around the area.

The Big Apple

So, Rachel has her artist loft in downtown and she lives uptown, so she spends some time either walking around or on the 4-5-6 subway trains.  This was my old train system that I basically spent my whole commute on so I didn’t need much help here either.  She’s addicted to coffee and right now, Starbucks is the name of the game (I mean, there are at least two spots in the city I can think of that have competing Starbucks either right across the street from each other or down the block from each other) so she does go there quite a bit, or have coffee in her hand from there. Manhattan, where I lived for 10 years, always felt like home and it seemed the perfect place to set my novel.  

Bridge and Tunnel

Rachel and her family came from a small town in New Jersey, but she’s only there two times to visit her Grandfather, so I spent more time on research for the one scene where she visits an old familiar family haunt, Wildwoods Amusement Park. I’ve never personally been there, but I have been to various Six Flags and Disney parks so I understand the basic theme park concept.  I did use their website and pictures found online for layouts and a few ride names. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has been amazing in terms of finding images and maps to use for this project.  If you click here you will be taken to my The Art of Lying board which has images of artist lofts, Union Sq Park, and other images that help me with my novel, including some celebrities that I chose to “cast” and help me “act” out my characters.  It will give you a bit of an idea about what my book and the characters are all like and some ideas about Rachel’s flavor of modern art.  I used this amazing site for everything and will be doing it again on my next big project (hint: it’s set in the circus). 
What else would you like to know about me and my writing process?  I have plans to talk about the music I write to, my favorite Modern Artists and how they inspired me (and Rachel), and possibly my writing space setup (which is still a mess, even though we moved practically nine months ago).  What else would you like to know more about?  Let me know and I’ll see what I can do.  Thanks! 

Career Day

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
It has been hard to call myself a writer in the past, but I’ve been pretty serious the last few months about changing my mindset regarding this word and how I apply it to my life, so when the opportunity came about to speak at my son’s school on Career Day as a Writer I hesitated at first, but then jumped at the chance.

I will be completely honest though – I was scared, terrified almost.  I was doubting myself and worried that the kids were going to see right through me.  I was going to be talking to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and I don’t remember much about being that age anymore. I was nervous that I would either talk over their heads or talk down to them.  So I asked my Mom and my husband for advice, and after lovely conversations (and mucho support) I jotted down quite a few notes and ideas the day before.

The big day arrived and I got dressed up – that means the clean jeans, a nice shirt, and makeup – and headed over to the school.  It was a full day, I talked to 6 classes and went from 9 am to 2 pm with a few breaks and lunch.  I got to meet other Moms and Dads (and a few non-parent professionals) in the break room and I noticed almost everyone was nervous.  That actually calmed me down. (Side note: Other people presenting to various classes were nurses, a sign language interpreter, FBI agents, the Fire Department, Police department with MacGruff the crime dog, a professional chef, a chocolatier, and a New York City government official that wore a batman mask!)

The first class was probably the hardest for me, but once I started talking and going through my bullet points in my head and relaxing into the moment, I felt good.  Comfortable even.  The thing that made it especially nice was, for the most part, the kids in all the classes listened really well.  They seemed eager to learn about the different jobs people had and they were prepared with really good questions.  My favorites were:

“Are you famous?” Uhm….no.  

“Do you know anyone famous?” Uhm….no

“What’s your favorite book series?”  The Ramona Quimby books 

“How long have you been writing your current novel?” About 4 years (yikes)

“What made you want to be a writer?” I was a theatre major in college and moved to NYC to pursue that dream, but when that stopped being fun I looked for something else that was creative and gave me the ability to entertain others – my main reasons for acting in the first place – and I’ve always kept a journal so I tried writing and fell in love.

One of the 5th-grade classes had just been involved in a novel writing contest and were especially eager to ask me questions about writer’s block, what to do when you have too many ideas or conflicting ideas, and how I brainstorm and revise my work.  That teacher even asked me if I would be willing to come back next year and help her class with that project again.  I was honored! 

I left the day feeling energized, excited, and exhausted.  I’m a true extrovert but even I left school tired and ready for a nap.  I was also ready to take my career to the next level…I joined an online mastermind group of like-minded newbie writers, I’ve been doing daily mindset journaling, and I’ve been getting my business stuff in order (like a newsletter – coming soon).  Those kids and their amazing questions gave me so much that day, I’m so proud of myself for saying yes in the first place and for not letting fear stop me.

A Journey through “Tarot for Writers” – Part 1 the Exercises

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
So, I just picked up Tarot For Writers by Corrine Kenner from the library (amazon link) and I already love it – seriously, it’s going on the To Buy list. 
I got Tarot cards this past Christmas and started learning all about the cards and how they were organized, Major vs. Minor Arcana and the different suits – Wands, Pentacles, Swords, and Cups. I started pulling cards in the morning and journaling. I started doing simple 3 card spreads for various questions I was thinking about in my life. This book though, takes the tarot cards and my creative life, to a whole new level.
The book is divided into three parts. Part one is about how the cards are organized and how to read them (simply and quickly). Part two is the writing exercises dealing with character, plot, settings, descriptions, and beating writer’s block. Part three is a guide to the cards with keywords, writing prompts, and things to think about for each card in a standard deck.
For fun, I thought I would go through two of the exercises – Character Creation and a 3-card spread for Beginning, Middle, and End. I’ll show you the cards I pull, what I write for each answer, and any other insights that come up. Then I will take what I write during these two exercises and I’ll compose a short story (1000-1500 words) and post that in a few days.  Okay, it sounds like fun to me. Lol  
Exercise 1: Character Creation (page 40 in the book)
Use the cards to answer the following questions. You can pull as many as you like to determine the answers. Note, I’m going to pull one card per question and I’m going to create a protagonist and an antagonist. If I need any further characters after doing Exercise 2 (the plot portion) then I’ll go back and do that on my own. Also…I named the characters after I pulled the cards, but put it at the top for easier ID.
PROTAGONIST – Elijah, goes by Eli
1. Is your character a man or a woman?
Card – Four of Swords
Notes – Man
2. How old is your character?
Card – Seven of Wands
Notes – 27 years old
3. What does your character look like?
Card – Ten of Cups
Notes – Medium height, brown hair, brown eyes, likes colorful clothing – oranges, blues, reds
4. What does your character do for a living?
Card – Ten of Swords
Notes – He was just fired, over a suspicion of wrong doing – the company he had just started working for says he stole proprietary information, he didn’t do it but he knows who did – but wouldn’t snitch
5. How does your character spend his or her free time?
Card – The Hanged Man
Notes – Carpentry, using his hands building things – it’s his passion
6. Does your character have a spouse, children, or a pet?
Card – Five of Wands
Notes – No, but he has a very tight-knit group of guys that have been friends since grade school
7. What are your character’s hopes and dreams?
Card – Two of Cups
Notes – A loving relationship, marriage even. Security and companionship.
8. What does your character fear most?
Card – Queen of Pentacles
Notes – Disappointing his mother and lack of money, he grew up poor and his Mom worked two jobs to make sure he got what he needed throughout his childhood. 
ANTAGONIST – Pansy was her given name but she changed it to Patricia to sound more lawyer-like
1. Is your character a man or a woman?
Card – Queen of Wands
Notes – Woman
2. How old is your character?
Card – Four of Cups
Notes –  40s-50s
3. What does your character look like?
Card –  Six of Cups
Notes – Younger than her years suggest, most people assume she’s 30 but she’s pushing 50. Bright colors look good on her, pale skin, blonde hair.
4. What does your character do for a living?
Card – Ace of Swords
Notes – Lawyer, Eli’s old boss, the one who accused him of stealing
5. How does your character spend his or her free time?
Card – The Chariot
Notes –  She secretly loves car races, like the Indy 500 and Nascar. She always wanted to be a race car driver, but her father wouldn’t hear of it – it was too dangerous for his only child. She was smart and her father knew she could go places with an education and a career.
6. Does your character have a spouse, children, or a pet?
Card – Ace of Cups
Notes –  Had. Past tense, now divorced. He slipped through her fingers. She was working all the time and they were too young to really appreciate what they had. He has since remarried and has children with his new wife.
7. What are your character’s hopes and dreams?
Card –  Knight of Cups
Notes –  State Supreme Court Justice…for now
8. What does your character fear most?
Card –  Two of Swords
Notes – Dying alone, never feeling love again – having to choose between love and her career again
Exercise 2 – Beginning, Middle, and End (page 69 in the book)
Just lay a card for the beginning, middle, and end of your story. Note, I laid all three as if in a regular 3-card spread with Beginning on the Left, Middle in the middle, and Ending on the Right – as shown below in the picture. Also, I used what I had gathered from the above Character creation exercise…meaning, this is the beginning, middle, and end of their story – not just a random plot. Okay, then here we go.
Beginning
Card – The Devil
Notes – The day Eli gets fired. We see him being grilled by his boss, Patricia about the stolen information and although he didn’t do the deed, he knows who did and he won’t budge. She uses all of her lawyer tricks on him, thinking since he’s just a lowly paralegal he’ll crack. Although she’s pissed off that he won’t tell her what she needs, she’s oddly attracted to his reserve. Eli confronts his friend, the one that got him the job, the one who is actually stealing information and begs him to come forward for his own sake.
Middle
Card – Judgement
Notes – Eli can’t convince his friend and starts to pull away from his group of friends. While visiting his mother he accidentally lets it slip that he lost his job and why. His Mom is both proud and saddened by his actions, and gives him some advice: do what’s right for his friend. Tell the truth. But will Eli just give up 20 years of friendship that fast, even when he feels betrayed?  Will he have to think outside the box and come up with a different alternative to help himself and his friend and his ex-boss out?
Ending
Card – Page of Cups
Notes – Our young hero has decided and with it has totally turned his whole world upside down. He is on his own for the first time in forever and must learn to fend for himself. He must decide what’s best for him and him alone without worrying about his Mom or his friends. He has to realize that his needs are just as important and how he feels about himself needs to come first. He talks to his ex-boss, Patricia – gives her just enough information to figure out the pieces for herself and decides to look into carpentry type jobs instead of corporate money-making opportunities.

Final notes from me….in all honesty, this was fun but I’m nervous. This is not something I would normally write about – which is some ways is exactly what I need, but in other ways I feel completely out of my element. I hope I haven’t given myself too much information for a short story. Right now, I have a lot of interesting ideas about how to proceed and how to write this story.  I’m going to jump in, like the Fool card might do, and just start – shitty first draft and then clean up a bit before I post. Part 2 coming soon!!!

Muse? Muse? Where are you Muse?

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
I’m stuck and feeling bored. I’m tired of revising my novel. I’m tired of not writing new words. I’m fed up and my muse has all but left me alone and desperate. I feel like a bad writer and I want to just give up. 
Luckily for me, I have amazing supporters. My mom and husband have both listened to me cry, bitch, and moan about this book for years. I love the main character, love the plot, the twists, and especially love the setting…but I’m starting to get anxiety when I come to the table to actually work.  Mom and Bradley have both told me the same thing, gently – Jennifer, take a break. Don’t throw it out, but push it aside for a bit.
I wanted to throw the thing away, but they were right, I just need a break. I need some time to have fun, rediscover my muse, rediscover my love of writing because lately it’s been felt like drudgery.  So….now comes the question: how to find my muse.
I’ve come up with 5 things I think I’ll try in the next few months:
1. Writing Exercises
I plan on using my tarot cards and some stuff I’ve found on the internet to help me come up with some different characters and plot lines for some short story ideas. I also want to use some pictures I’ve found on Pinterest to just write…for fun…for no other reason than to describe something, learn something, discover something.
2. Walking and Yoga
Now that the weather is feeling more like Spring, I want to get out and walk – we’ve lived in this part of Queens for almost five years and I still don’t know much about it. That’s sad. Also, my yoga practice is a great way for me to be quiet and listen to my body. Maybe my muse needs to be coaxed out a bit.
3. Other artsy stuff
I was a theatre major, but haven’t done much singing or acting in a long time on an actual stage but since finding the Hamilton soundtrack on Amazon prime music I’ve been listening and singing and acting out the show non-stop for days.  I feel more alive, more in touch with who I used to be. I also have some crafty type projects lined up – like finishing my son’s baby book (he’ll be 5 in September) and my wedding/honeymoon scrapbook (we have our 10 year anniversary coming up) to complete. 
4. Meditation
Like yoga, I’m hoping mindful breathing and visualization can help me chill out, become more mellow, and achieve a “go with the flow” type attitude about my novel and my writing career.
5. People
I think I also need to be around people more often. I work from home, just me and my computer all day long. I have a new day job, but it’s all online, virtual assistant…but that doesn’t mean I have to stay home. I can head out to Starbuck’s or St. Louis Bread Company (okay, here it’s called Panera’s…but I’m a St. Louis girl at heart still), ordering a latte and a muffin and write or work right? I’ve never tried this so it makes me nervous, but I think just being around other people, looking at them also working and eating might help me.

So…what else should I try? What do you guys do when you start feeling this way? Or….please don’t let this be true….am I the only one who gets this way sometimes?