Category: Writing

How I’m Making Writing More Fun

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I go through cycles of my author journey where writing feels really carefree, fun, amazing, and then there are downright muddy, painful, and just plain hard times too. I’m in a hard phase right now, as you know from last month but I’ve decided instead of just staying in the muck, I’m going to pull from my bag of tricks and work on making the writing more fun!

Music

I need music to write and edit but with my husband working from home and my son doing remote learning and our apartment being just a tiny bit too small it’s hard to find a space to play music, but since I’ve started writing more in the morning before everyone wakes up, my headphones have become my new best friend. It’s been so nice to listen to my Etta and Gina playlist while I work on my novel again. 

 

Timers

I’ve talked about timers before but seriously, playing beat the clock and doing quick sprints creates so much fun. Set a fifteen-minute timer and I try to see how many new words I can write, or how many paragraphs I can edit. Or even how many toys I can pick up or how many dishes I can clean. Pair this with music and my next tip – rewards – and you have a quick burst of energy and some good work getting done.

 

Rewards

Coffee is my number one reward when I write in the morning, but I also like to have weekly rewards for hitting my writing session goals. Time with a cup of tea and a magazine, time to just lay on the couch and watch an old movie (the Back to the Future trilogy is on Netflix – FYI), or just time to put on a face mask and lay down with my eyes closed. Lovely!

 

Location

The old joke about real estate (location, location, location) is true – if you’re used to writing in a certain spot, or going out of your house to write, and that isn’t feasible or working right now – switch it up. Usually write at your desk? Write on the couch! Usually head to a coffee house and that’s not possible right now?  Find a jazzy radio station, brew up a fancy coffee in your own kitchen, and try sitting at your dining room table! Typing not working? Try a quick walk in your neighborhood while you dictate some words to your phone. Write in bed, write on paper using a pen, just try something different. Take notes and think of it like an experiment – you never know, you might find a place or a situation that just works!

 

Mindset

Sometimes, the only thing you can do to get out of a funk is work on your limiting beliefs. If I’m thinking, “This isn’t fun anymore!” then I’m not going to have fun the next time either, it becomes harder to start writing. I use daily affirmations that I write down to help me stay on track, but when I get into a real funk sometimes I have to journal my thoughts out and see what’s going on. Lately, I’ve realized that I was more worried about the end result and not about the process – which is a real problem for me. So I worked on those issues with daily affirmations.  For example, Writing is fun. My writing is a joyous process, an adventure I get to take. My characters are friends who I love hanging out with. You get the idea, and it’s cheesy but if you’re writing them down in a notebook or journal – no one is going to see them. 

 

Story

Also, related a little to my mindset and the fact that I was stuck on results and thinking way too far ahead, I gave myself permission to work on whatever made me happy during that writing session. I’ve hopped around and written new chapters instead of working in a linear fashion, chapter one to chapter two, and so forth. If I feel like editing, then I go backward that morning. If I wake up and really just want to work on a blog post or some Instagram posts, then I do that without guilt. If I wake up and really just want to jot down a bunch of ideas for a new story or quickly write a short story (or some bad poetry) – then I do that. Anything to keep writing and to make the whole process FUN.

 

If you’re a writer – how’s the whole process feeling during this time? If you’re feeling mucky, can you infuse a tiny bit of fun into your writing again?  And if you’re a reader – how are you infusing fun into your day?  This isn’t just for writers, this is a hard time for everyone and I think we all need some levity, self-care, and rest in our days.

 

 

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Who And What Inspires Me

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

The other day I dropped one of those Question boxes onto my Instagram story so that I could do a big Q&A style blog post, but I only got one real honest-to-goodness question, the rest were spammers and bots. I was a bit disappointed until I realized that the human question that was asked was sooooo good! I decided to dedicate a whole blog post just to it. So thank you so much Amira at @GoalSetting101

 

She asked me — Who Or What Inspires You?

 

To be honest, that answer can and has changed throughout my creative life and depends on which story or project I’m working on, but today I wanted to sit down and really think about overall, who and what inspires me on a day-to-day basis.

 

Who Inspires Me?

 

My son inspires me every day to keep trying, to never give up, even when things are hard. He makes me smile and laugh and is just the sweetest 8 year old ever!  My Mom inspires me by how hard she loves, how much she cares, and how much support she gives me. My husband inspires me by his strong work ethic, his wonderful sense of humor, and how much he wants me to succeed.  

 

For my first book, The Art of Lying, a random young woman walking through Central Park inspired the character of Rachel. Other writers, both people I know and people I just read, inspire me to keep moving forward, hands on the typewriter, butt in the chair.

 

What Inspires Me?

 

Coffee – first and forever. Modern Art. Before Corona, I would just go to MoMa or the Guggenheim and walk around soaking in the colors and lines. New York City, in general, inspires me, but Broadway and Time Square specifically. Just sitting with a coffee watching the whole city walk by was always fascinating. The energy and the electricity of the whole scene just filled me up with some kind of frenzy I can’t get anywhere else. TV and movies inspire me to write better characters, to deepen plot lines, to create more. 

 

The young adult experience inspires me in my writing – what they go through, the issues they have to face, and the decisions they have to make. Solving puzzles and figuring out the psychology of the human condition definitely inspires me to write compelling people, creating characters that my readers can fall in love with. And on a more whimsical note, tarot cards and astrology inspire me to keep reaching for the stars while keeping my feet on the ground. 

 

So, now I have to know – who or what inspires you?

 

 

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How The “New Normal” Is Affecting My Writing Life

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

“How’s the novel coming?”

 

This question, to be honest, leaves me feeling cold lately.  The writing is just not flowing. Editing feels like I’m trying to create a beautiful statue from a giant slab of marble, slow and meticulous. Kinda tiring really. 😞

 

We discussed a few weeks ago the concept of new normal, well today I’d like to tell you how that new normal is affecting my writing routine.  Before Covid-19 I was just getting into editing my novel, doing my morning stuff and then writing before coffee. Then quarantine happened, kid and husband were home, work duties, school stuff, and general uneasiness threw off EVERYTHING!

 

It took me a month of lockdown to just get back into a morning routine, figure out how school and work could happen at the same time and keep everyone happy (including my clients).  Now, I’ve got to figure out when to write – not just the time of day or week, but how much energy do I have to expend to pursue my creative projects.

 

I ❤️️ writing, but it’s not what pays the bills and feeds my family.  It’s not going to help my 3rd grader with math (but if you know what will – send help because math and I don’t always get along). It can’t be my sole focus right now. I have to find a balance. 

 

Before I valued the weekends with my family, relaxing and catching up on things around the house and playing games of Roblox, but I have found that weekends are the perfect time to get my weekly editing sessions in now.  I had to learn to be flexible and think a tiny bit of the box.  

 

Weekends are so perfect because there’s no client work to worry about, no school to think about, my husband doesn’t have to be tied to his computer all day, and my son is happy doing his own thing sometimes.  I can get a few 20-minute sessions in and still have time for gaming, household cleaning, movies, and baking.  

 

So how’s the new normal affecting you? Are you using a more flexible schedule? Can you celebrate even the tiniest of wins this week, even if you’re not getting all the things done?

 

For me, I’m celebrating writing this post and writing the new ending of my novel! 🎉

 

 

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Why I Write Coming Of Age Stories for Young Adults

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I write contemporary coming of age young adult novels.  

 

It’s a mouthful and it might not even be the correct terminology – I have no idea – but it’s what I write. I write books set in the now, in a real city in the real world with fictional characters going through things that real people would and do go through.  

 

They are not set in space (although I have a crazy idea for a police series about a human cop on an alien space station…but that’s for another time and place). There’s no dragons or witches…not the kind that fly on brooms anyways. My characters don’t travel through time, battle demons with swords, or play sports in mid-air. They go to school, deal with first loves, and have really big decisions to make.  I write about the small everyday things that are huge for that person and character.

 

And I love it!

 

I recently filled out an Author Business Assessment sheet for a class I’m taking and one of the things we worked through was our mission statement.  Who are we writing for and why? 

 

I answered that I write realistic, relatable characters for young adults who feel misunderstood, lonely, are bored sometimes, love their families and friends, and wish they had all the answers. 

 

My mission is to let them know they are not alone, that everyone goes through heartbreak, laugh so hard they cry, fear people laughing at them, and that horrible sick feeling in their stomach when they lose.  My books are pure escapism and entertainment, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make my readers feel something – they should…if I’ve done my job right.

 

Writing YA takes me back to when I was young and had decisions to make that would change the course of my life. To when I was first living on my own in Manhattan and I felt alone and scared, but also feeling hopeful and alive and loving the pulse of the city. Creating these characters keeps me young, keeps me up on what’s cool and what’s in – I mean, I can’t really figure out TikTok, but I know it’s a THING! 

 

Why do you like reading Young Adult novels? Do you stick to one niche or are you a voracious reader across multiple genres? I pretty much stick to YA at this point, but I was also in love with Stephen King for a while and James Patterson’s Alex Cross series.  I would love to know your answer so let me know in the comments below.

  

 

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An Interview With Etta And Gina

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Today I would like to introduce you to Henrietta and Virginia, the two main characters in my current novel.  I thought it would be fun to do a little interview and see what these two are up to.

 

“Excuse me, did you just call me Henrietta? Only my Mom calls me that,” Etta says as she sits down across from me.  

 

“Yeah, we go by Etta and Gina.  Virginia? Wow, only my twin calls me that and only to annoy me,” Gina says and she sits down next to Etta.

 

“I’m very sorry.  I will remember from now on.  Shell we start with an easy question first?” I ask them.  The nod and giggle. “Etta, what is Gina obsessed with?”

 

“Oh, that’s easy — boys.”

 

“That’s not true,” Gina says, interrupting. “Cute boys!”

 

“Sorry, cute boys,” Etta says. “I forgot.”  

 

They playfully bounce against each other.  “Gina, what is Etta obsessed with?”

 

“Duh…baseball!” Gina answers.

 

“That’s right. I’m going to play pro, you know? The first woman to play for the St. Louis Cardinals!”

 

Etta raises her hand for a high five, Gina responds with a hard slap. “She’s amazing…we play together and I’m okay, but Etta is just phenomenal – I have no doubts she’ll play pro.”

 

“What do you want to do when you grow up?” I ask Gina.

 

Gina looks up at the ceiling and then down at the floor, “I have no idea. What do you think?” she asks Etta.

 

“Probably run a whole country,” Etta says, throwing her arms around her friend’s shoulder. “This girl is organized, brilliant, and can basically tell anyone what to do.”

“Wait, are you calling me bossy?” Gina says, giving Etta some serious side-eye.

 

“Yeah, kinda.”

 

I’m worried they are going to start fighting so I interject, “Etta, is it easy for Gina to admit she’s made a mistake?”

 

“Sometimes. It depends on the mistake. She owns up when she hurts someone’s feelings, she apologizes and tries to make things right.”

 

Gina leans forward and says, “Etta is stubborn though, she won’t admit anything.”

 

“That’s not true!” Etta yells.

 

“Remember when we were 10 and you accidentally broke my favorite plate and you tried to blame it on our dog?”

 

“It was the dog!”

 

“Etta,” Gina says slowly, “we didn’t have a dog!”

 

“That’s not my problem,” Etta says and then they both start laughing.

 

“Ok, I have a question,” Gina says and grabs the little microphone I had sitting on the table. She shoves it into Etta’s face. “Etta, who’s your current crush?”

 

“Ew…boys are gross still,” Etta sticks her tongue out and shuts her eyes. “They are good to play against but crush? No thank you.”

 

“Seriously? No one?  We have such cute boys at our school!”

 

“Name two?” Etta asks Gina, taking the microphone from her hands and putting it into her face.

 

“Easy…Todd and Mikey.”

 

Etta rolls her eyes so hard, that I think she’s now looking at her brain, which just makes Gina laugh. Which in turn makes Etta start laughing.  She puts the microphone back on the same table between us.

“Ok, I have a question for you,” Etta says again pointing toward Gina.

 

“I’m an open book.”

 

“Does Libby sometimes annoy you?” 

 

“Of course,” Gina says, flipping her hair back behind her, “she’s family – we all get on each other’s nerves. Don’t start about Libby, not here – we’re being interviewed.”

 

“Who’s Libby?” I ask.

 

“She’s my cousin – we are only a few weeks apart so she’s always around.  Our mothers are sisters and very close. Libby is an only child and most people call us the Templeton triplets instead of twins because we’re in the same grade.  I think teachers would get us confused except that we look nothing alike.”

 

“She’s always around.  ALWAYS!” Etta says crossing her arms. She reminds me of a toddler when she does this.  Gina matches her arm for arm and huffs.

 

“Do you have another question?” Gina asks, but I’m not sure if she means that for me or Etta.  I decided to jump in and take my chance to ask something else.

 

“Okay…Etta, what do you think Gina’s favorite memory of you two is?” I ask.

 

Etta looks over at Gina, drops her hands and smiles.  “Probably last summer, we went to the movies and saw three in a row (we paid too because Gina is very honest) and we ate popcorn and drank these huge sodas and just had the best day.”

 

Gina smiles too and uncrosses her hands, “That was a good day. I think Etta would say it was the day we met. Little league baseball mixed-gender something or other – I forget what it was called but my Mom signed us up – and by us I mean me and Carl (the twin).  Carl hated it from day one, but he finished that summer up.”

 

“Yeah, you and I were right next to each other for the line-up and you said, “Hi I’m Gina, what’s your name?” in this squeaky voice,” Etta said.

 

“And you said, “Etta!” like it was a cheer. And we’ve been friends since that day.

 

“That’s right! Best friends.” Etta says and she leans over and puts her head on Gina’s shoulder.  Then they start talking about how in the world Gina can think Mikey can be cute and I realize that the interview is pretty much over. 

 

“Hey, thanks for letting me talk to you today,” I say.

 

“No prob, this was fun,” Gina says.  Etta nods and smiles and goes back to making fun of the boys of their school. 

 

 

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Tarot cards laid on green background

The Long, Twisting Road From Writing Exercise To Third Draft

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

A long, long time ago (almost two years now) I decided to do a fun writing exercise here on the blog and created a character based on tarot cards. The thing is, I liked the idea and the character so much I decided to turn it into a full-blown novel, but halfway through the first draft I realized I didn’t like my main character, Leo, all that much and really wanted to write about his sister, Etta.

My editor agreed and I “tossed” Leo and started outlining Etta’s story. I wrote a whole new draft and sent it to my editor, but it still felt like it wasn’t quite right – it turns out, my editor thought the same thing and together we decided it needed another character to flesh out the story. 

Enter Draft #3 and now I’ve added Gina as a new, second point of view character and revamped almost the whole outline. She was always there, but more in the background and now she’s definitely foreground.

Now I have new characters (Gina’s parents for starters) and a new set of problems – which, as an author, is great news! Conflict = Story after all and my very first version of this idea was severely lacking in conflict. Let’s just say it was kinda boring and Leo was kind of annoying.

Why am I telling you this? Because sometimes writers get inspiration from a person walking through the park (my first novel) and that keeps them focused for a few years (!!!) and sometimes we have to take a kernel of an idea and work hard to get it right – making sure it’s the real story we want to tell. That it’s the best story we are capable of telling.

If you’re a writer, what journey has your latest story taken? If you’re a reader – do you like dual POV books? Or do you prefer one single narrator that tells the whole story?

 

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My Author Journey: How I Went From “Oohhh NaNoWriMo Sounds Fun” To “Self-Published Author”

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Grab a beverage, sit back and get comfy because I have a story to share.

It all started about ten years ago when I decided to try writing a novel in one month during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which gave me the writing bug something fierce, so I decided to take a writing class here in NYC and then an online correspondence course in writing and then I outlined a whole book using another course. (I love taking courses yo!)

Around this time I also had the cutest baby in the world and quit my day job. I had dreams of writing while he napped – which I sometimes did, other times I too naped because although he was adorable he was not the best sleeper.  Momma was tired. 

Let’s just say, what I thought would take 2 years tops took 8 years from start to finish.  This included outlining, writing the first draft, buying another course to teach me how to edit my novel, doing that very long process, and getting so sick of my own book that I wanted to scream.

Once I called it done or at least done for me, I started researching agents and got super overwhelmed.  I had joined a Facebook group for writers and the vast majority were starting to look into self-publishing.

I was still skeptical because the world hadn’t really changed yet and some people still looked down their noses at indie publishing thinking it was like those vanity presses where you just want to get your book made so you can hand it out to friends and family (which no judgment from me – you still wrote a freaking book, I’m proud of you!)

So, I did what I do best – research and reading and I bought a course. HA! I learned all about self-publishing and got a professional editor (who’s amazing) and hired a professional book cover designer (who’s also amazing) and I self-published my novel using Amazon’s publishing tools.   

For me, I decided I was too impatient to wait another few years for an agent to pick me, for that agent to send the manuscript around to publishing houses, for someone there to pick me, and then the whole process of turning that into a book. I didn’t want to wait that long after taking 8 years to write the book.  

And I love being an indie author.  

Some days are really hard as I wear all the hats and have the final say in all decisions but then again – I wear all the hats and have the final say in all decisions.  Meaning, I get to be in full control of my novel and how it looks online and out in the world.

I’m really glad that we, as writers, have options. So, if you are a writer what’s your opinion? Do you dream of having a publisher guide you along this journey or are you excited to try things out on your own, discover things, make mistakes and try again?

And I have a question for my readers – how do you find out about books? Especially indie books? Do you let the bookstores guide you or do you have a favorite resource for discovering your next great read?  Hit me up in the comments below (scroll down to where it says Leave a Reply) or email me here and let me know!

 

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Coffee as a Reward? It works!

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Well, I had thought I was going to talk about how I use timers and rewards to fuel my writing life, but yesterday I realized I don’t use timers and rewards. I want to and I used to, but I haven’t added that back into my routine this year YET.

Late last year, while I was working on the second draft of my novel, I was using my lovely Alexa to set a timer for doing word sprints. Once I was done with my session then I could either do another one (if I had time) or I would stop for the day feeling quite proud of myself and give myself a reward or a treat. At the time it was drinking my coffee. That’s right, I was delaying coffee (one of my absolutely favorite things) until after I had gotten in my writing session for the day. And it worked!

What happened? I got done with the draft and sent it to my editor and decided I needed a break. And I did need a break from writing and editing and all that, but I should have kept up with the timer/reward system in some way because I am having one heck of a hard time getting back into the swing of things this year now that I have a third draft to do. 

The other thing that happened is I created a new morning routine that I thought was working, but then I realized just yesterday that I don’t have time to write now. I was trying to do it in the afternoon after my son got home from school while he did his math homework, but that wasn’t working. I tried doing it before I started my day job but that wasn’t working either.

I knew something needed to change, so I thought through my morning routine and decided to switch things up going forward. I wake up at 5:30 am and wash my face, brush my teeth, grab a glass of lemon water and meditate. That takes a little less than 30 minutes. Last month I would then journal and scroll my phone for another 30 minutes before waking my son up. NOW I’m going to take my laptop with me into the living room and write after I meditate. AND I will add back in the coffee as my reward if I write for at least 15 minutes.

How about you? Do you use timers and rewards in your everyday life? Are your routines working for you or are they causing you stress? Is there any way you can make a tiny (or big) change and try that for a week or two – as an experiment – to see if it makes a difference?  Let me know by commenting below and we can do this together!

 

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How To Get Into The Head Of A Character

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I’m getting ready to start the 3rd round of revisions on this current WIP and with that comes some new characters (and revisiting old characters) and getting to do something I absolutely love – using my acting skills!

If you didn’t know, I have a BFA in Theatre Performance, and although I no longer do any acting, I still use the skills I learned when I create characters. To create a character I have to become the character. I have to get inside the character’s head and think about what they would do, how they would say things, and how they would act in certain situations. I need to make them as real as possible.

To start, I close my eyes and visualize what the person looks like. How are they dressed? What does their hair look like? Where are they? What are they doing? Then slowly, I become them. I picture myself wearing their clothes and doing what they are doing.  Seeing the world through their eyes. Then I start writing

 If I’m interviewing a brand new character then I write the questions as me, but I answer as them. If I’m revisiting an old character, I have them write a diary entry. I pick a time or place within my book and just let them tell me something.  If I’ve visualized them long enough it really does start to feel like someone else is writing. This is both very cool and a bit freaky.

For example, my new POV character, Gina, has a cousin named Libby, who is really upset in one part of my story, so when I did her diary entry she just dumped everything on to the page stream of consciousness style. But Gina’s twin brother, Carl, who is very smart and organized, wrote almost like a Twitter version of his day with times, dates, and complete sentences and proper grammar. Two very different characters with very distinct personalities. 

This feels like magic to me and reminds me of the absolute best part of my old acting life – becoming someone else to tell a story. When I can use my brain to create a person out of thin air, it’s literally awesome. 

What part of the writing process would you like to learn about next?  Would you like to know more about revision? Self-publishing? How I found my editor?  Seriously, let me know and I’ll add it to my list of topics I want to talk about over the next few months.

 

 

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A Few Of My Favorite Things…When I Write

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

It is now firmly into 2020, almost the middle of January and you know what that means? It’s time to get some writing done!

As I gear up to start revisions again I thought you might like to see a list of the things I need to start writing.

☕️ Coffee – mmmm, coffee

📕 My beat-up project notebook (see image – this thing has been in numerous bags and flung all over my desk/office area)

🖊 Various blue pens – my pen color of choice for most things (like I’m lowkey upset that the emoji is a black pen)

☕️ Coffee – ok, I’m all set up, I’ll grab a 2nd cup

🎼 Music, I actually created a playlist specifically for this revision/draft to help get me into the mind of not one but two teenage girls

💻 Scrivener and GoogleDocs – I did a lot of my outlining and pre-writing for this draft over in GDocs so I could share with my Editor/Writing Coach but now I need to get those notes back into Scrivener where I do most of my actual writing

☕️ Coffee – can never have too much!

Are you a writer or creator of some kind, tell me in the comments below what you need to start working on your projects?

 

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