Jennifer R. Hubbard's Blog, page 28
August 14, 2015
New projects
When I have trouble focusing a new project, or even choosing what to write about, these are some questions that help me:
What do I find to be true?
What matters to me?
What subject will not leave me alone?
What character must be heard?
What have I always wanted to say?
What ground have I not covered yet?
Whose voice is speaking to me right now?
If I knew I could only write one more book, what would I want it to be?
What do I find to be true?
What matters to me?
What subject will not leave me alone?
What character must be heard?
What have I always wanted to say?
What ground have I not covered yet?
Whose voice is speaking to me right now?
If I knew I could only write one more book, what would I want it to be?
August 10, 2015
Solitude
"... I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before."
"And for me, the core, the inner spring, can best be refound through solitude."
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
If we live and work with others, time alone can be hard to come by. Nowadays, with social media, we may not be truly alone even when we are physically alone, if we're hooked into the internet.
But I find, as Lindbergh describes, a potent sense of groundedness, wholeness, and--paradoxically--connection when I am alone. After a long time of being with others, I may find the first moments of solitude disorienting, even scary. But then, as Lindbergh says, "life rushes back into the void."
Sometimes I need to be alone to figure out what I think. I need to come back to the center, to reunite with myself, to pay attention to whatever has been bubbling up in my mind and slipping to the back burner amid the busy days.
"And for me, the core, the inner spring, can best be refound through solitude."
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
If we live and work with others, time alone can be hard to come by. Nowadays, with social media, we may not be truly alone even when we are physically alone, if we're hooked into the internet.
But I find, as Lindbergh describes, a potent sense of groundedness, wholeness, and--paradoxically--connection when I am alone. After a long time of being with others, I may find the first moments of solitude disorienting, even scary. But then, as Lindbergh says, "life rushes back into the void."
Sometimes I need to be alone to figure out what I think. I need to come back to the center, to reunite with myself, to pay attention to whatever has been bubbling up in my mind and slipping to the back burner amid the busy days.
August 6, 2015
Bookitcon on August 9
Here's where I'll be on Sunday:
Bookitcon, an event composed of author signings, meet-and-greets, and an after party and dinner. as well as a book drive. The majority of the profits from ticket sales will be used to revitalize a library in a low-income school in Camden County, New Jersey.
If you're in the vicinity of Moorestown, NJ, we'd love to see you there! Follow this link for more information.
Bookitcon, an event composed of author signings, meet-and-greets, and an after party and dinner. as well as a book drive. The majority of the profits from ticket sales will be used to revitalize a library in a low-income school in Camden County, New Jersey.
If you're in the vicinity of Moorestown, NJ, we'd love to see you there! Follow this link for more information.
August 4, 2015
Stretching
Every so often, it's time to stretch in writing, to try something new.
Things I've tried in the past:
Taking poetry classes.
Writing YA novels. (I formerly wrote mostly short fiction for adults.)
Writing short nonfiction.
Trying experimental forms of short stories.
Writing flash fiction.
I'm thinking maybe it's time to stretch again, but I haven't figured out how yet.
Have you tried anything new lately?
Things I've tried in the past:
Taking poetry classes.
Writing YA novels. (I formerly wrote mostly short fiction for adults.)
Writing short nonfiction.
Trying experimental forms of short stories.
Writing flash fiction.
I'm thinking maybe it's time to stretch again, but I haven't figured out how yet.
Have you tried anything new lately?
August 2, 2015
The puzzle frame
I've been reading more and more nonfiction over the years. But one thing I love about fiction, whenever I return to it, is that there's a definite ending.
There are some ambiguous endings in fiction, but for the most part, every piece of the story has a purpose, and the main plotline reaches some sort of conclusion. In nonfiction, there are no guarantees; there are loose threads. What we can know is limited by reality. There is no truly omniscient narrator, and some mysteries remain unsolved.
It's a comfort to know that every piece in a novel will, eventually, fit into the puzzle frame, even if it's not in a way we anticipated.
There are some ambiguous endings in fiction, but for the most part, every piece of the story has a purpose, and the main plotline reaches some sort of conclusion. In nonfiction, there are no guarantees; there are loose threads. What we can know is limited by reality. There is no truly omniscient narrator, and some mysteries remain unsolved.
It's a comfort to know that every piece in a novel will, eventually, fit into the puzzle frame, even if it's not in a way we anticipated.
July 31, 2015
Strong stomach
"It didn't take long for me to learn one of the most basic requirements to become a successful book writer. One has to have the stomach to take the roller-coaster lurches from failure to success and back to failure."
--Gail Sheehy, Daring: My Passages
--Gail Sheehy, Daring: My Passages
July 29, 2015
Slow reentry
It's always disorienting to come back from time spent in nature, away from the internet and most media. Most of the time, I had no shelter other than a tent. I've barely heard a commercial in 10 days. I have no idea what is going on in the world.
Getting ready to go away is always such a pain that, while I'm packing and making dozens of arrangements, I question whether it's worth it, but I trust that it is. During and after the fact, I can confirm that yes, it absolutely is worth it. I really need that time to hike, to get away from electronics, to simplify.
Every afternoon, after the day's hike and before dinner, I would lie in my tent and stare out at the sunlit trees, feeling the afternoon breeze. I had nowhere to be and nothing I had to do right then. Those moments alone would have been worth it, even if I hadn't also had beautiful scenery while hiking, good companions, and brilliant stars at night.
I always want to hold on to the vacation experience when I return to my "real life." Sometimes I think the vacation part is my real life, and my working life is too cluttered up.
I'll keep trying to figure it out. Slow reentry.
Getting ready to go away is always such a pain that, while I'm packing and making dozens of arrangements, I question whether it's worth it, but I trust that it is. During and after the fact, I can confirm that yes, it absolutely is worth it. I really need that time to hike, to get away from electronics, to simplify.
Every afternoon, after the day's hike and before dinner, I would lie in my tent and stare out at the sunlit trees, feeling the afternoon breeze. I had nowhere to be and nothing I had to do right then. Those moments alone would have been worth it, even if I hadn't also had beautiful scenery while hiking, good companions, and brilliant stars at night.
I always want to hold on to the vacation experience when I return to my "real life." Sometimes I think the vacation part is my real life, and my working life is too cluttered up.
I'll keep trying to figure it out. Slow reentry.
July 15, 2015
Summer break
A couple of times a year, I unplug from the internet for a week or so. It's feeling like a good time to do that again. In the meantime, have a pretty picture:
See ya later!
See ya later!
July 12, 2015
Bio lines
Authors have to provide bios for a variety of features: some long, some short, some serious, some funny, etc. I've written dozens of different versions of mine.
I've been reading the back issues of magazines I have lying around the house. In issue 61 of The Mindfulness Bell, I find this line in the author bio of Brother Chan Phap Nguyen: "He enjoys drinking tea and lying on a hammock."
This is one of my favorite bio lines ever, especially since it follows an otherwise serious and straightforward recitation of biographical facts. I've certainly read more overtly hilarious bios, but I just like the gentle simplicity of it. Especially since bios often devolve into a long list of awards and accomplishments.
Another bio line I'm partial to is this one from Jon Gibbs: "When he's not chasing around after his three children, he can usually be found hunched over the computer in his basement office. One day he hopes to figure out how to switch it on."
I've been reading the back issues of magazines I have lying around the house. In issue 61 of The Mindfulness Bell, I find this line in the author bio of Brother Chan Phap Nguyen: "He enjoys drinking tea and lying on a hammock."
This is one of my favorite bio lines ever, especially since it follows an otherwise serious and straightforward recitation of biographical facts. I've certainly read more overtly hilarious bios, but I just like the gentle simplicity of it. Especially since bios often devolve into a long list of awards and accomplishments.
Another bio line I'm partial to is this one from Jon Gibbs: "When he's not chasing around after his three children, he can usually be found hunched over the computer in his basement office. One day he hopes to figure out how to switch it on."
July 10, 2015
Five years
My first book was published five years ago, and I got to know many authors whose first books also came out that year. I belonged to four debut groups (two that focused on 2009 releases because my book was originally supposed to debut in 2009, and two for 2010 releases), and I've followed the careers of many of those authors with interest.
What I've seen is a variety of paths since then. Many of those authors have published again under their own names: some traditionally, some independently, some both. Some have published under pseudonyms. Some have switched genres; some have tried work for hire. Many have taken breaks from writing, and returned to it. There have been changes in agents, editors, publishers. Some of those authors have had bestselling books; others have vanished from my radar.
Most of us hoped, when we were starting out, that we would beat the odds and become the major bestselling authors, the household names. We knew most of us wouldn't, but that any of us could. Failing that, we hoped to do well enough that we could keep on publishing what we wanted to write.
After my debut novel came out, Borders closed, ebook sales increased, and self-publishing became easier. Social media platforms have mushroomed. My first agent left the business. My first editor left my publisher. I've received negative reviews and starred reviews. I've had a book translated into German. Like many other authors, I have now self-published a book ( Loner in the Garret: A Writer's Companion ). My first book is out of print, except for the ebook version. My second book didn't sell as well as my first initially, but does better than the others nowadays.
Most of this stuff, I didn't predict and couldn't have seen coming. The funny thing is that publishing is a very slow business--it can take a long time to write a book, and even longer to see it through the publishing process--and yet so much has changed in just five years. I wonder what the next five years will bring?
What I've seen is a variety of paths since then. Many of those authors have published again under their own names: some traditionally, some independently, some both. Some have published under pseudonyms. Some have switched genres; some have tried work for hire. Many have taken breaks from writing, and returned to it. There have been changes in agents, editors, publishers. Some of those authors have had bestselling books; others have vanished from my radar.
Most of us hoped, when we were starting out, that we would beat the odds and become the major bestselling authors, the household names. We knew most of us wouldn't, but that any of us could. Failing that, we hoped to do well enough that we could keep on publishing what we wanted to write.
After my debut novel came out, Borders closed, ebook sales increased, and self-publishing became easier. Social media platforms have mushroomed. My first agent left the business. My first editor left my publisher. I've received negative reviews and starred reviews. I've had a book translated into German. Like many other authors, I have now self-published a book ( Loner in the Garret: A Writer's Companion ). My first book is out of print, except for the ebook version. My second book didn't sell as well as my first initially, but does better than the others nowadays.
Most of this stuff, I didn't predict and couldn't have seen coming. The funny thing is that publishing is a very slow business--it can take a long time to write a book, and even longer to see it through the publishing process--and yet so much has changed in just five years. I wonder what the next five years will bring?
