Bethany A. Jennings's Blog, page 3
May 6, 2017
I’ve Opened a Society6 Shop!
I’m thrilled to share that I’ve opened a Society6 shop this week!
Graphic design is one of my loves, and a bit of a hobby on the side, so it’s exciting to be able to use a platform like this to design actual products that other people can enjoy. 
April 28, 2017
Original Poem: “Blaze”
I can’t stop the story:
The movement,
The pain,
The dancing of visuals
Carved in my brain,
The eager compulsion,
That cry of my soul,
The frenzy,
The vision that’s burning a hole
In my mind.
I can’t shake it.
It’s mine, this I know—
My quest, not another’s,
For only I’m full
Of this racket,
This chaos,
This burdening fight
Of characters, stories
That scream for the light,
This rabbit hole,
Endless,
That calls me to war
To fill barren pages
With worlds from my core—
And I fidget;
I bite
On my lip in the dark;
Am I a creator?
And is this my spark?
Or is this insanity?
Should I give in
To this spellbinding blaze
Captive under my skin?
What if I’m deluded,
My passions misled
By this thing,
This enigma
That dwells in my head?
Am I stubborn,
A fool,
To think this could be gold?
But I’m sick
At the thought of my heart left untold.
Perhaps I’m obsessed
And should let it all go…
But a prayer leaves my lips.
And my soul whispers:
“No.”
The post Original Poem: “Blaze” appeared first on The Simmering Mind.
April 6, 2017
The MBTI Types of Halayda – And How to Ruin Their Lives (Guest Post by Sarah Delena White)
Today I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for my friend Sarah White’s incredible fantasy novel, Halayda. (Seriously. Pick Halayda up!! It’s one of the best books I’ve read all year! Also, have you seen the gorgeous cover?? *drools* My print copy is coming in the mail any day now and I CAN’T WAIT!)
Sarah’s taking over the blog today to talk about two topics close to my heart: the Halayda characters (who are amazing and you should get to know them), and Myers-Briggs typology.
March 25, 2017
Guest Post at Brianna Merritt’s Blog
Brianna Merritt invited me to guest post on her blog today. I wrote on how having a “thick skin” isn’t the most important thing when it comes to sharing our creative work:
What if, in spite of all my logical mental preparation, I can’t handle negative reviews? What if I’m a pathetically oversensitive snowflake after all, and bad feedback breaks me??
Formerly so excited about debuting a story, I began to have second thoughts…not about the value of the story or my decisions in revising it, but about my ability to put such a raw piece of my heart in front of the world and open myself to inevitable criticism.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something.
Read the rest
Also, Laura A. Grace interviewed me on her blog yesterday to celebrate the release of my short story, Threadbare. Check it out!
The post Guest Post at Brianna Merritt’s Blog appeared first on The Simmering Mind.
March 22, 2017
Threadbare: A Short Story
It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!!!
I am so excited to announce the release of my first short story ebook, Threadbare. Writing this story has been a gift to me, and I hope it blesses you too!
March 16, 2017
Exciting Author News!
Hi, everyone!
As you may have heard through Facebook or Twitter, I have some exciting news to share –
In the next few days I will be releasing my first short story ebook!
February 8, 2017
What Really Happens When You Set Aside a WIP After 10 Years of Revisions
Last June I set aside the trilogy I’d been striving to revise for 10+ years, because I could no longer see the forest for the trees and it had problems I could not see a way to fix.
It’s gone about like this…
Step One: First, you realize that what you’ve actually done is ripped out a chunk of your heart and left a gaping hole of raw, bleeding soul.
Step 2: You feel like you don’t know your purpose anymore, or where you’re going in life. You’re not even sure if you’ll ever want to write again.
Step 3: Suddenly God provides you with a new story idea, and it’s actually exciting to you and you want to write again!
Step 4: You start writing your new idea and are getting pretty excited about it. And your friends like it!
Step 5: You hit a snag in your new story. You start to have doubts. I couldn’t make that other WIP work after 10 whole years!! What makes me think I’m ANY good at this whole writing thing??
Step 6: And all you want to do is go back to that beloved WIP and talk to those characters and hug them and never let them go…
Step 7: You spend months trying and dropping WIP after WIP. Nothing is coming together. Each new writing project feels like a fresh experiment in discovering your own inadequacy.
Step 8: But you try to have a good attitude about it all. You’re learning, right? You’re growing, right?? This is a GOOD THING, RIGHT?
Step 9: Finally you reach a kind of peace. You’re still not sure where you’re going anymore, and you still think wistfully about the project you can’t go back to yet…but you’ve found assurance again that God has a purpose for your writing and you’re not a failure.
Step 10: Confidence boosted, you charge forward with purpose toward new possibilities.
Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success. – C.S. Lewis
I haven’t quite reached Step 10 yet…I’m still repeating Steps 7, 8, and 9 (with occasional fallbacks into earlier steps). 
February 1, 2017
#WIPjoy Is Over…NOW WHAT DO I DO?
Awwwww, the fun of the January edition of #WIPjoy is over, and the giveaway too. Now what???
Well, #WIPjoy is coming back in April, Lord willing!
January 31, 2017
The Joy of Writing Giveaway WINNERS!
Drumroll, please!
And the winners of the January 2017 Joy of Writing Giveaway are…
Partial Edit and Review Prizes
Winner of the 10-page partial edit from Katie Morford: Clare Dugmore
Winner of the 15-page partial edit from Ralene Burke: Andie Biagini
Winner of the 3-chapter general critique OR 1-chapter comprehensive critique from Mirtika Schultz: Alyson Bowen
Winners of a 15-page edit (and a 25% discount on a complete edit of their choice) from Sarah White: Anna Bourassa and Benjamin Kocher
Winners of the 10-page comprehensive manuscript reviews from Janeen Ippolito: Diana Alisa Sanchez Costin and Sarah Yoon
Winners of a 15-page edit (and 20% discount on a complete edit of their choice) from Bethany Jennings: Jennifer Acres and Jean Pace
Coaching Prizes
Winners of the half-hour manuscript consults from Katie Morford: Mollie Reeder and Emily Hayse
Winner of the 25% discount on Katie Morford’s 8-week fiction writing mentorship course: Hannah Givens
Winner of the coaching sessions (2 half hours OR 1 hour each) from Janeen Ippolito: Jessi Elliott and Cathrine Bonham
Blurb Prizes
Winner of the blurb critique from Katie Morford: Rachel Kennedy Harbour
Winner of the fully written blurb and revision from Mirtika Schultz: Jason Dailing
Books and #WIPjoy Swag
Winner of the World-Building From the Inside Out textbook and workbook from Janeen Ippolito: Jessica Springer
Winners of the #WIPjoy posters from Bethany Jennings: Drea Lee and James Holstein
Winner of the “Don’t Lose Your #WIPjoy” mug from Bethany Jennings: Nicola Rose
Grand Prize
And the winner of the giveaway Grand Prize (20-page edit from Bethany Jennings, #WIPjoy poster, and $10 Amazon gift card) is…Jacy Merrill!
*
Congratulations to all the winners! The editors you won prizes from will be contacting you soon.
Thank you, everyone, for participating in this giveaway, and for joining in the fun of #WIPjoy! Whether you won a prize or not, I hope this month has refueled your enthusiasm and given you hope and enthusiasm to press on with your writing.
If you are interested in the services offered by the editors who held this giveaway, check out the links below to our business pages. 
January 16, 2017
The Joy of Writing Giveaway & Editing Launch!
SURPRISE! It’s a giveaway!!
A year ago, I created #WIPjoy as a way for authors to connect, support each other, and rediscover their passion for their WIPs. Many of you have told me over the past year that #WIPjoy helped you plug into the author community and find enthusiasm again. That makes me so happy!
Now it’s a new year, and in 2017 I hope to begin helping my fellow authors in a new way – I’m excited to announce that I am now offering my services as a freelance editor! This is something that’s been in development for a few months, and it’s a thrill to finally, officially hang up my shingle.
