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Building a Regular Writing Practice

Morning Writing Challenge Wrap-Up

Morning Writing Challenge Wrap-Up

We’ve reached the end of the Morning Writing Challenge! This week has not been an easy one to do this in, what with everything going on with the election and all, but we did it anyway. You have all my respect and admiration for sticking with your writing through...

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Morning Writing Challenge Tips 9 & 10

Morning Writing Challenge Tips 9 & 10

Welcome back to the Morning Writing Challenge Tips series.   Regardless of whether or not you’ve participated in the challenge, these tips are useful for building and sustaining a lasting writing practice.      Morning Writing Challenge Tips #9 & #10 Today...

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Morning Writing Challenge Tips 7 & 8

Morning Writing Challenge Tips 7 & 8

Welcome back to the Morning Writing Challenge Tips series.   If you haven’t joined the challenge, it’s (really!) not too late to join us. You can still find benefit in participating for the next two days. Find all the details here.    Either way, these...

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Recovering From Creative Burnout

7 Steps to Recovering From Creative Burnout

7 Steps to Recovering From Creative Burnout

Over the last few weeks I’ve been writing about creative depletion and the cycle of creative burnout, and creating a cycle of creative renewal. Today it’s time to talk about recovering from creative burnout. As I said to one of my Called to Write members...

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Creating a cycle of creative renewal

Creating a cycle of creative renewal

In my last post, I wrote about the cycle of creative burnout and how our creative inspiration becomes depleted when we push ourselves too hard and for too long. I’m well acquainted with burnout; it’s a cultural norm in the field of urban design, my last...

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When you have nothing left

When you have nothing left

In my Called to Write community we periodically talk about creative burnout. In our Western culture we work hard, driven by puritanical work ethics, cultural programming, keeping up with the Joneses, guilt, etc. It’s no wonder we’re exhausted. We push and...

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Handling Digital Distractions

The Inner Game of Writing

Do you have accomplishment amnesia?

Do you have accomplishment amnesia?

Accomplishment amnesia is a common ailment that strikes many of us, particularly those of us that are highly conscientious, responsible, talented, and highly sensitive. It seems to run in parallel with these traits. What is accomplishment amnesia? Accomplishment...

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Why it requires courage to write

Why it requires courage to write

This is part of a series on “How to Find the Courage to Share the Stories You Are Longing To Tell.” Today’s post starts the series with thoughts on “Why It Requires Courage to Write.” Why it requires courage to write I’ve dreamed of writing for years, since I was a...

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Handling Writer’s Block

Getting Out of Writing Overwhelm and Into Action

Getting Out of Writing Overwhelm and Into Action

Let’s talk about writing. And overwhelm. First, a story.  When I was a kid, my parents used to take us on high Sierra backpacking trips. They were hard. We’re talking about high-altitude, have to hit 10,000 feet before you get to the lake kind of hard....

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Writer Success Stories

Author Insights: On Publishing Personal Essays with Janis Brams

It’s time for another installment of our “Author Insights” series. In this series, I’m introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and they share their “lessons learned”...

Author Insights: Barbara Jacksha on Journeying With Our Writing (+ an Autographed Book Giveaway)

It’s time for another installment of our “Author Insights” series. In this series, I’m introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and they share their “lessons learned”...

Author Insights: Elaine La Joie on Making Peace with the Possibility of Bad Reviews (+ an Autographed Book Giveaway)

And we’re back! It’s time for the next installment of our “Author Insights” series. In this series, I’m introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and they share their...

Author Insights: 7 Lessons Learned From First-Time Non-Fiction Author of “The Horse Leads the Way” (+ an eBook Giveaway!)

And we’re back! It’s time for the next installment of our “Author Insights” series. In this series, I’m introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and they share their...

Author Insights: 5 Lessons Learned from a First-Time Memoirist (+ an Autographed Book Giveaway!)

And we’re back! It’s time for the next installment of our “Author Insights” series. In this series, I’m introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and they share their...

Author Insights: How Writing a Book Is Like Raising a Child (+ an Autographed Book Giveaway!)

And we’re back! It’s time for the next installment of our “Author Insights” series. In this series, I’m introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and they share their...

Author Insights: 7 Tips From a First-Time Novelist (+ an Autographed Book Giveaway!)

Happy New Year, writers! We’re kicking off a new year here at Called to Write with a new author insights series featuring book giveaways. I’ll be introducing you to writers who’ve taken their writing all the way to the finish line of publication, and...

This Writer’s Life: A San Franciscan Middle Grade Novelist Breaks Down the Work Into Manageable Chunks

Today we’re continuing my “This Writer’s Life” series, in which you get to meet some of my Called to Write Coaching Circle members and take a look inside their writing lives. If you’re just joining us, I encourage you to also check out...

This Writer’s Life: A Swedish CIO Writes His Historical Thriller at Dawn

For your Christmas reading pleasure, today we’re continuing my “This Writer’s Life” series, in which you get to meet some of my Called to Write Coaching Circle members and take a look inside their writing lives. Hopefully the holiday fervor has...

This Writer’s Life: A Texas Psychotherapist Revamps Her Life to Write

Today we’re continuing my “This Writer’s Life” series, in which you get to meet some of my Called to Write Coaching Circle members and take a look inside their writing lives. Next up is Frani, an action-adventure novelist who joined the Circle...

This Writer’s Life: A Berkeley Mama Writes a Historical Fiction Trilogy in 15 to 60 Minutes a Day

It’s December, the end of the year. In a continuation of my goal to help you Start 2017 Off Write, I thought you might like to meet some of my Called to Write Coaching Circle members and get a look inside their writing lives. We’ll kick off this series...

This Writer’s Life: Overcoming perfectionism and finding the love of writing

Note from Jenna: This guest post from one of the fabulous writers in my online Writer’s Circle coaching program: Sonya Sigler. In this article Sonya talks how she’s set herself up for ongoing success with her writing, despite her “love-hate”...

Author Insights: The Power Of Showing Up To Write

Note from Jenna: This guest post is from Terri Fedonczak, a parenting coach, author, and Writer’s Circle coach. I’ve loved working with Terri through the Circle over the last few years, first as a participant, then as a coach. She knocked our socks off by...

Author Insights: It’s Never Too Late to Finish Your Book Now

Many people have unfinished writing projects that linger for years, but it’s never too late to finish your book. And the time to get restarted might just be now. I reached out to Terri Fedonczak, a long time Writer’s Circle member, to talk to us about her...

This Writer’s Life: How 5 Minutes of Daily Writing Can Change Your Life

Writers who tend to join the Called to Write Coaching Circle — and get the most out of it — often have both a deep call to write (whether they’re doing it consistently or not) and a specific project they want to work on, perhaps one half-completed,...

Jenna’s Articles Around the Web

Jenna’s “Weekend Writing Inspiration” column on FinalDraft.com

Jenna’s “Get a New Story” column on ScriptMag.com

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