Busy, Busy, Busy! In my previous blog post, I wrote about celebrating successes, little and otherwise. In that vein, I want to share briefly what I’ve been up to over the past few busy months. July In July, I took a five-week flash-fiction workshop through Cleaver. It was a fabulous Read more
Process Vs. Product I’ve been thinking a lot about process lately–particularly in how it relates to “success.” Writing is typically taught as a process: brainstorm, draft, edit, revise, submit. But even while emphasis is put on the process, the real emphasis is still generally on the final product. And that Read more
So, You’ve Written a Book If you’ve completed a full draft of a book, congratulations!! Writing is hard work, and to persist until you have a manuscript of (roughly) 60,000 words is quite an accomplishment. So, what’s next? You might be thinking: Am I ready for an editor? How do Read more
Hiring an Editor Is an Investment As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to better understand the value of investing in oneself. For example, a little over a year ago, I started working with a personal trainer at a gym. I don’t have far-reaching goals for the weightlifting and strength training Read more
Introducing JEK Writes on Substack If you read my previous blog post, you might recall that I listed a few specific goals for 2023. The year has not gone as planned thus far, but that’s often the way life is. And that’s not always a bad thing; it keeps us Read more
Happy New Year! Like many, I’ve entered 2023 cautiously—with controlled optimism—with an eye on creating positive change in my life. The last two years have been very difficult for me, and I struggle daily with unrelenting anxiety. Sometimes working toward change is the only option for improvement, the only way Read more
It’s Been a While To state the obvious, it’s been quite a while since my last blog post. Rest assured; it’s not because I haven’t been writing. In fact, in June, I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger for Atticus Review. And this month, I had a new Read more
Too Busy Like many, I am often “too busy.” And for the most part, it’s true. At any given time, I have multiple editing and writing projects in process for clients. Additionally, I have my own creative writing work, which, while separate from my client work, is still a high Read more
A Weekly Writing Workshop (aka Critique Group) In 2005, I was attending a free weekly creative writing workshop (also referred to as a critique group) at a community college. Funding was eventually cut for the workshop, but many of the writers I connected with there are people I’m still connected Read more
Happy New Year! Happy New Year! I hope this post finds you well. The fact that we’ve already come upon 2022 when so many of us are still trying to process 2020 feels surreal. It’s almost unfathomable to me that so much can change in just two years. I’m not Read more