Blog | Called to Write

Share your input + be entered to win

August 12, 2015 by Jenna Avery Leave a Comment

I’m working on prepping a class called “Called to Write: How to Align Your Daily Actions with Your Soul’s Deeper Purpose” and I’d love to have your input.

If you can spare a few minutes of your time to fill out a short survey, I would be grateful!

Everyone who participates will be entered into a random drawing to win a print copy of The War of Art or Turning Pro, two of my favorite books by Steven Pressfield. Multiple copies are available, courtesy of the lovely Callie Oettinger at Black Irish Books, so there will be multiple winners!

The drawing will be held on Wednesday, August 26th and winners will be announced then.

You can enter the drawing and participate in the survey by clicking here.

Thank you so much!

Filed Under: Announcements, Writing Tagged With: called to write, calling, Jenna Avery, survey, teleclass, turning pro, war of art, write, writer, writing

What if you treated your writing like a business?

August 5, 2015 by Jenna Avery 4 Comments

I seem to have a business mindset at the forefront right now (see my post from last week about criteria for bestowing grants), which isn’t surprising when you consider that we’re going through a marketing phase in my screenwriting master class at ScreenwritingU right now. Sonya commented on last week’s post saying, “[this] is very […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: fixed mindset, growth mindset, investment, professional writer, turning pro, writer-entrepreneur, writing as a business, writing project

What would you require to give a writing grant?

July 30, 2015 by Jenna Avery 8 Comments

I got to thinking today, after hearing about a writing grant opportunity recently, that it would be amazing to one day be able to fund and operate a writer’s grant program. Maybe even a residential one. And instantly I started contemplating what I would want to see come in from prospective candidates with their applications. Here’s […]

Filed Under: Vision, Writing Tagged With: marketability, writing, writing grant

About this “there’s no such thing as writer’s block” thing

June 18, 2015 by Jenna Avery 4 Comments

I get kind of pissed off when people say there’s no such thing as writer’s block. People say “you don’t ever hear of plumber’s block, do you?” And, “Writers write. If you’re a writer, write.” Which, yeah. I agree with that. Writers write. But not when they feel stuck. But if you think about it […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: shame, writer's block, writing

What to do when you come up empty

May 28, 2015 by Jenna Avery 4 Comments

Note from Jenna: This is a guest post by Naomi Dunford, my friend and business consultant who runs IttyBiz.com. Although she’s writing from the perspective of business writing or blogging, her wonderful ideas for how to cope with “coming up empty” are useful for writers of all sorts. Take a look and see what resonates […]

Filed Under: Creativity, Writing Tagged With: creative well, Creativity, empty, recharging, taking a break, writing

Every writing project is an investment

May 8, 2015 by Jenna Avery 4 Comments

Every project I work on – especially when it’s a long-form piece – has begun to feel like an investment: In myself, in my writing, in my future. Each one starts out seeming so simple. Just an idea. But it builds over time into a complex story. With questions and puzzles and logic challenges and logic […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: bright shiny object syndrome, investment, second novel syndrome, writer's journey, writing

How I rebooted my blogging habit after baby #2

May 1, 2015 by Jenna Avery 2 Comments

Pre-baby #2 last May, I was blogging on a weekly basis. I had a precision system in place. Every week during one of the 60-minute writing sprints we run for my Writer’s Circle, I would knock out about 1000 words in 40 minutes, edit, proof, and polish it in the remaining 20, then grab an […]

Filed Under: Find Your Voice, Writing Tagged With: baby, blogging, byword, design your writing life, find your writing voice, scrivener, syncing, voice, writing

Are you writing fast enough?

April 22, 2015 by Jenna Avery 10 Comments

I’m learning to write faster. With blogging I’m already fairly quick, though my recent writing voice recalibration has slowed me down a bit (more on this in a future installment). But in terms of screenwriting, I’m learning to be faster and looser, to let go a little more, and to refrain from perfecting until the […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: Corey Mandell, counting police, fast enough, pitch perfect authentic, quality, quantity, speed, writing

What I really think when you’re not writing

April 16, 2015 by Jenna Avery 8 Comments

When someone signs up for the Writer’s Circle, and doesn’t participate, I am always fascinated to know why. I don’t assume that the person is lazy or just not writing. And sometimes there are real reasons, like a sudden death in the family or an unexpected deadline at work. But more often than not, when […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: not writing, perfectionism, procrastination, resistance, writing

The burden of being a writer

April 6, 2015 by Jenna Avery 16 Comments

My best friend reminded me the other day that I have chosen an artist’s career. Her words hit me over the head like a metal bucket, with all the accompanying reverberations one might expect. Wait. I did? An artist’s career? But she’s right. By choosing to become a writer, I chose an artist’s lifestyle. Sure, […]

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: burden, Chuck Wendig, parenting, quit writing, terrible privilege, writing

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