Tag: writing

What running taught me about writing

Posted May 9, 2016 by Jennifer Ellision in Self-Publishing, Writing / 0 Comments

I haven’t been running very long. In fact, if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I ran my first 5K just over a week ago. I started training for it in January or February. But while I haven’t been doing this long, I started drawing a lot of parallels between running and writing. I thought I’d share some of those here. Sometimes it’s hard… Running: My calves burn. I can’t get enough air in my lungs. God, it’s hot out here. Sweat is stinging my eyes. My clothes are soaked. What the hell just bit me?! Writing: This sounds so stilted. What happens next? Just. Write. Something. Oh God, not that. Delete, delete, delete. Will anyone actually buy this? …And others, it’s easy Running: You want me to run 40 minutes, training app? I’m going for fifty. Writing: God, […]

Choosing Done Lists Over To Do Lists

Posted December 7, 2015 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, Lists, Self-Publishing, Writing / 0 Comments

For most of my life, I’ve been a big proponent of To Do lists. If you’re like me, you know that there is very little in life that is quite as satisfying as highlighting or crossing out an item on a To Do list. Marking it as complete. Accomplished. Finito. But lately, I’ve chosen a different sort of list. Here’s the thing: my To Do lists lately include large tasks. Things like “Write your next book.” “Finish narrating an audiobook project.” Tasks that can’t be easily accomplished in a day. Sometimes, I think ahead. I break it down to “Write a chapter.” “Narrate a chapter.” But then an email will come in that needs my attention and I have to switch gears to work on that instead. Didn’t get to take something off my list there either. All of this occasionally […]

On the Porch with Jen – September

Posted September 5, 2015 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, Video / 0 Comments

Trying out a monthly video series where I recap news from last month and look forward to the upcoming one. Let me know what you think!

The Bowl Is Too Heavy

Posted August 25, 2015 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, Writing / 0 Comments

Ever since this video was introduced to me via another Kboards poster, I think about it a lot. “It’s too heavy,” this little girl says. She reminds me of myself when I struggle with a difficult scene or chapter. “It’s too hard.” “My words sound stilted.” “This isn’t working.” …It’s just too damn heavy. To be honest, I’m not one of those people who can write every day and still wind up with a serviceable draft. Maybe that’s because I reread it with my own memories and emotions clouding it. Maybe I remember what a struggle the words were to write, and so I can’t separate what’s written from how I felt. But this little girl and her bowl remind me of the importance to try– really try– anyway. Because it is really easy to find excuses not to write. Excuses will always be […]

The One With A Writing Metaphor

Posted April 25, 2015 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, Writing / 1 Comment

…And just like that, I had a video idea.

A moment of writing inspiration– courtesy of The Sims 4

Posted March 31, 2015 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, Writing / 0 Comments

I go through spurts where I play The Sims a LOT. I finally bought The Sims 4, so lately, I’ve been in the midst of one of these spurts. Meet Jane. She’s a writer. Now, Jane’s career started off slowly. She worked a Day Job as a Writer’s Assistant. She wrote a little bit, and self-published a couple of children’s books. She read a lot to advance in her career; it was her daily task. And then Jane got two promotions. To advance in her new position, her daily task was to write– EVERY DAY. To go to work in an INSPIRED mood. It was a new task set for me. Every morning, when Jane gets up, I have her eat breakfast and take a “thoughtful” shower so that she’ll be inspired. And then, with whatever time is left before […]

My first school visit

Posted March 18, 2015 by Jennifer Ellision in Author business, blog, Books, IRL, Self-Publishing, Threats of Sky and Sea, Writing / 1 Comment

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a high school book club, where the club read Threats of Sky and Sea this month. Equal parts nervous and elated, I left Day Job early and pulled up to a place that I don’t think I’ve been to since 2006– when I graduated from there. This was my first school visit and I tried to disregard the surrealism of the situation– along with the urge to cry out that “I DON’T EVEN GO HERE.” Not someone who is innately comfortable with attention, I was pretty dang nervous, but the informal setting quickly helped me relax. I’d estimate that about 20 students attended. We pulled together chairs in a loose circle around a table, and let the questions fly. The school visit was off, and moving fast. A lot of questions that […]

Turning a profit

Posted November 18, 2014 by Jennifer Ellision in Author business, blog, Books, Self-Publishing, Threats of Sky and Sea / 10 Comments

I have waited quite a few moons to be able to make this post– but this month has finally done it. Threats of Sky and Sea is finally earning a profit! (All you need for my emotions here are 0:20-026) Wait, what do you mean it’s earning a profit? You’ve sold books before now, right? Yes, thankfully I have! But between cover design, formatting, editing, and publicity, I tossed a good chunk of change into making Threats of Sky and Sea a success… roughly $2,000 worth. Though I released in May, it’s only now that I’m starting to actually profit, meaning I’ve earned back the money that I’ve invested. I expected that, and knew I was in this for the long haul, but man, it feels good to be officially earning from my writing. I’ve always found posts from fellow self-publishers regarding their […]

NaNoReMo– NOT NaNoWriMo

Posted October 27, 2014 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, Writing / 0 Comments

Yes, you read that right. No, I didn’t mean NaNoWriMo. Well, maybe I did. Kinda. Sorta. You see, I LOVE NaNoWriMo. But this year, it’s just not in the cards for me. Why? Honestly, while chances are slim that I can do it, I’d like to get Riot of Storm and Smoke (Book 2 in the Threats of Sky and Sea series) out to you guys in December. January at the latest. But I’m still revising in order to make it the best book possible, and since I don’t know for sure when I’ll be able to release it, I haven’t scheduled a cover reveal (this cover though… *squeals*), a blog tour, or really… ANYTHING. Because it’s not done enough. It’s not… fully cooked, y’know? It’d be like if I gave you a burger that was cooked rare when you asked for it well-done. THAT […]

Complicated thinkings.

Posted October 6, 2014 by Jennifer Ellision in blog, IRL / 0 Comments

I’m having a lot of them lately. Thoughts about motivation and perseverance. About time. And energy. About the things I love to do that engage my mind, about the social things I need to do to get outside my own head, and the things I love to do that… don’t engage my mind as much. About work– the day job and the author job. How one sometimes zaps me of energy for the other. About freedom. About traveling and new places and new things, and living somewhere new. I want to do it someday. Someday when I manage to make writing a full time gig. About change. Sometimes I feel stagnant. And then I look at the things I want to do– live somewhere totally new? Start over somewhere where I’ll have to make new friends? I’m shy. And I never […]