It’s time for a new installment in my A Leap of Wonder column at Script Mag. This time I've written about making peace with my writing pace, in my latest article, "Faster Than the Speed of ... Something?"
Though this column publishes every other month, I didn't manage to get out an announcement about my June column since our household was laid up with covid, annoyingly. However! The article is (and was ;)) live, so you can check it out here: "Enough to Go On." You may want to read that one first, if you're following along with ye olde writing journey.
The Latest
Writing plans never quite work out the way we expect, do they? I was recently reminded that it's not sticking to the plan that's important (something something no plan survives first contact with the enemy etc. etc.) but rather that we plan at all. Planning and adapting our plans to reality is what's important.
Alongside our household setbacks — and some lovely time spent with our kids over the summer — I've learned a ton through the screenwriting classes I've been taking, and I’ve adapted my plans to use the classes to develop my current script, rather than trying to do both separately in parallel. Though that was my original intent, I got too behind between the covid-summer-from-hell and the amount of classwork. So... onward!
And, at the same time, it's hard when we don't write as fast as we might wish we could, yeah? One of my biggest ah-ha moments this summer was through feedback from my instructor about how much I second-guess myself and my writing. So the deep work I'm doing alongside my coursework is delving into the why of that, into the specific self-protective mechanisms getting in my way. It's already proving valuable and I will be very curious to see if clearing out some of those mental cobwebs helps me with my writing and development pace.
Extra Extra Read All About It
You can read more about this exploration and conundrum in my latest article, "Faster Than The Speed of ... Something?" or by clicking the image below. You can also check out the full "archive" (all three articles, whee!) for A Leap of Faith & Wonder, at Script Mag, here.
Check out the full article by clicking here ⇣
What Else I'm Up To:
I'm still (still!) reading! My reading pace is still slower than last year — mainly because I don't have a book series I'm locked into, I realize. Most recently I read The Midnight Train* by Matt Haig (which nearly killed me), Here One Momentby Liane Moriarty (not my most favorite of hers, but my word, she is a genius when it comes to posing narrative questions), Master Alvin by Orson Scott Card (a disappointing installment in the Alvin Maker series), and Starter Villain by John Scalzi (loved it!). I also picked up a copy of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner and I'm slowly working my way through that one. I'm waiting for the first book in the Robin Hobb series to become available through Libby, then I'll likely get lost in that series.
I've been playing oodles of games with our 12 year old and really enjoying it. We've got a little routine of playing some NYT games (we subscribe every three-ish days through our public library) and play, in order (very important!), Wordle, Strands, Mini Crossword, and Connections. Then we venture over to parseword.com to do a cryptic puzzle — so tricksy! — and after that we've been playing an iPad game called Slay the Spire. However, we just got Slay the Spire II on Steam so I'm getting left behind, LOL.
On the watching front: mainly TED LASSO. There's a new season of Ted Lasso but we got caught up in rewatching the last three seasons so we're doing that before fully committing to the new season. So fun! I've also been rewatching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to improve my learning of "heart of darkness" and "bisociation" (two concepts from the screenwriting classes I've been taking). And I white-knuckled my way through Widow's Bay (not a horror fan, but wowza so good). Also, we LOVED the new Spider-Man movie and saw it in theaters.
I’m running FREE writing sprints on Thursdays at 9 a.m. Pacific Time through the end of October in my Called to Write Community. This is a powerful way to get help making writing happen, and get a feel for what our Monday through Saturday writing sprints are like. If you’d like to join us, please message our community manager Sarah at support@calledtowrite.com and she’ll send you a link to join us. She can also answer any questions you have about how our writing sprints work. (Hint: via a private online chat room, no zoom, so come as you are.)
I've been enjoying doing a fair amount of editing lately, including providing script notes for many fantastic screenwriters. I expect to have more space in my editorial calendar again in September, if you're looking for support in the editing department. Find out more here: https://jennaavery.com/for-writers
Thank you for reading, and happy writing!
* Any book links herein are affiliate links for Bookshop, which means I earn a small referral fee if you purchase from them, and which helps me keep my writing ship afloat. Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my new column for Script Mag: A Leap of Wonder. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Continuing with the peek behind the scenes of my writing journey, this month I'm sharing the self-reinforcing actions I'm taking as part of making a critical mindset shift to "Jenna as screenwriter."
The Mindset Shift to Jenna as Screenwriter
The big shift I’m most happy about is an internal one, and that’s the one I’ve been most wanting to make. I’m now farther across the bridge to Jenna as screenwriter than I was when I last wrote to you. Back then I’d say I was standing at the edge of the chasm, thinking I’d have to entirely Indiana-Jones-it across.
Sure, I had plans, but now I have actions and steps I’ve been taking (more on this below).
Now I feel like I’m, I don’t know, maybe 30% of the way across the bridge? What’s happened is that I’m less and less thinking of myself as a coach or editor (though I’m still doing and loving those things — I’ve read three scripts for clients lately, two about AI, so interesting, so different!), and thinking of myself more and more as screenwriter.
The Choices I’m Making About Where to Focus
For me, at least, this mindset shift feels critical because it informs what I’m doing with my day, the choices I’m making about where to put my focus and spend my money. It’s also a result of those things. So, here’s what’s happening.
I’m working on my “second” script.
I’m taking a series of classes that are blowing my mind.
I’m entering my market-ready script into contests.
I’m (further) developing marketing materials for my market-ready script.
I’m working on developing my “personal narrative” talking points and a new more “writerly” bio.
I’m keeping up with my screenwriting immersion.
I’m staying connected to my faith, wonder, and awe.
You can read details about these actions that are helping me make this mental shift in Enough To Go On, at Script Mag, here or by clicking the image below.
It’s been a minute since I last posted — and I’m back now with the first installment of my brand new column for Script Mag: A Leap of Wonder.
This column is meant to be a behind the scenes kind of deal — a look at my (continued) writing journey since I’ve made rather a large shift in the way I’m approaching both my writing and my coaching business.
The TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) is that I’ve spent a chunk of time redesigning my business and life (again) to make more space for my own writing.
Faith ... and Wonder
If nothing else, this requires a pretty significant leap of faith.
It also takes a leap of wonder into the world of story — and particularly with sci-fi and fantasy. This is what I love about sci-fi — the awe, amazement, and expansiveness the genre lends itself to so well.
This Big Shift got started when I taught my “Step Into Alignment with Your Writing Life” class last year. As I walked through the process myself, it became pretty clear, pretty fast, that my desperation to write more, to have more time to write, and to do that with some urgency was feeling rather pressing in a way I couldn’t ignore.
What I've Changed (So Far) & Plan to Do Next
I canceled a bunch of stuff (you can read about that in the article). I also made some big screenwriting craft and business decisions (ditto). And right now I’m in the midst of putting them into action (whilst also getting my older child sorted out for college).
You can find out more in my first article, A Leap of Faith & Wonder, at Script Mag, here or by clicking the image below. You can also read a little more there about what I expect to write about for future articles.
I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
Check out the full article by clicking here ⇣
What Else I'm Up To:
I'm still (still!) reading! Last year I posted about the resurrection of my reading habit, which has continued, though at less of a brisk pace. By the end of December, I’d read about 66 books for the full year. This year, so far, I’m at about 12, so far fewer on a per month basis. I’ve been reading John Scalzi’s books lately, and continuing my serial author monogamy, which has been fun. I have in mind to read a female author next, maybe Ursula K Le Guin or NK Jemisin or Premee Mohamed or Julie Cznerda or Annalee Newitz (they/them). We shall see! Maybe all of them.
I’ve been traveling more than I have in ages, mostly because of college touring, but I have to say, it’s pretty fun. I used to travel more, pre-kids, but lately we’ve been jumping on planes in a way I haven’t done since forever ago. This may or may not die down, depending on what happens with screenwriting (trips to L.A.?) and my college-bound child’s location.
For fun, here's what I've been watching, too. I'm catching up on the latest from Outlander, which I have mixed feelings about. I'm not up to date on the books so I don't know if it's matching the book series any longer or if it's gone off on its own track. I hesitate to look anything up because (if you know me, you know this about me) I strongly dislike spoilers and the worst kind are those I inflict on myself!
Thank you for reading, and happy writing!
In other news:
If you're looking for support making writing happen day in and day out — including regular writing sprints — check out my Called to Write Community, now available at a new lower rate: https://calledtowrite.mn.co
I've just finished a delightful edit for a lovely client and have space in my editorial calendar. Please reach out if you're needing support in the editing department. https://jennaavery.com/for-writers
* Any book links herein are affiliate links for Bookshop, which means I earn a small referral fee if you purchase from them, and which helps me keep my writing ship afloat. Thank you!
A new article over on Script Mag featuring insights from my interview with ‘The Ark’ co-showrunners Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner. Topics discussed:
A new article over on Script Mag with my key takeaways after viewing time-travel romance Needle in a Timestack through the lens of what can be learned from both a storytelling and structural standpoint.
1. Begin with a compelling, personal, emotional opening
2. Study the art of efficient explainers
3. Explore big ideas in a personal context
4. Don’t let time travel questions unravel the story
5. Reckon with universal themes
6. What stories do we want to tell about women?
7. A different take on a villain
