Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez writes about The Book You Were Born to Write. I recently read The Martian, by Andy Weir. It’s a unique, thrilling, and detailed survival story described as “Apollo 13 meets Cast Away.” I thoroughly enjoyed the book, in spite of all the math equations and the use of the metric system (English Lit. major here). But I’m not writing about Andy Weir to review his wonderful book, I’m writing about him because of something he said in an interview: “I love reading up on current space research. At some point I came up with the idea of an astronaut stranded on Mars. The more I worked on it, the more I realized I had accidentally spent my life researching for this story.” Andy Weir (Book Browse online interview) You see, Mr. Weir is a self-proclaimed space and science fanatic inspired by the idea of humans…
Tag: THE PET WASHER
“Magic happens in rewriting.”
“Muse still comes in a rewrite. Magic happens in rewriting. As you chip away, themes appear. Start the story on the day the character’s life changes. Use your first draft to explore characters.” — Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, author of The Pet Washer and Guardian Herd – Starfire Jennifer says this about Starfire: “It wrote me. I did not come up for air until the first draft was finished. I’d always been warned not to write ‘talking animal’ books — that publishers don’t like them — but as I edited STARFIRE, I realized it was the book I’d always wanted to read as a kid.” “In hindsight, I’m grateful STARFIRE is the book that broke through because this book, my fifth, is the book I was born to write. It is the sum of me and my interests—flying horses and underdogs, heroes and bullies, and a special colt watching his herd,…
Publishing is a journey, not a destination. — Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Publishing is a journey, not a destination. — Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, author of The Pet Washer and Guardian Herd – Starfire. Jennifer was an amazing presenter at Writers Forum in Petaluma, summer of 2014. If you have an opportunity to hear her speak, or attend her author’s event . . . go for it! She’s warm, friendly and has a herd of information about publishing . . .both traditional publishing and self-publishing. She has done both and has stories to tell! She is welcome back at Writers Forum anytime! She’s a good writer, too!
Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez talks about the importance of daily writing
The Importance of Daily Writing, by Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez Writing is an exercise that requires practice and training to build the muscle required to become a “finisher.” When I set out to write a novel after a fifteen-year break, I struggled to trap my imagination on paper. I wrote a few days a week, and it was mentally agonizing, similar to how I feel when I begin a new exercise routine for my body. However, I was happy to be writing again, and so I kept at it, but my writing routine was sporadic. I finished a middle-grade book, THE PET WASHER, in about a year, and it’s only 33,000 words. In January of 2012, I made a decision to write something—anything—every day. I announced this on my blog, and like any new routine, it was difficult to keep up at first. I didn’t have a book contract…