Jenn Musing Finale

Well, bloggy friends, it's been real. It's been fun. And it's been real fun. But I think I've known for a while my heart wasn't in this blog anymore. My heart really isn't into writing young adult fiction anymore. I haven't even read a YA book since....well I can't even remember when.

I think I'll get back into writing at some point, but my heart is for my children right now who both have special needs and need a lot of extra time, appointments, and love. And so, that means it's time to stop blogging here at Jenn Musing. I've got a new blog over at www.embracing.life, so please do consider checking it out, where I'll be blogging about faith, special needs parenting, and praying Scripture.

Whether I know you in real life, or only in the blogosphere, I have truly appreciated you following me here. Thank you for the friendships, the conversations, the encouragement.  I'll still be on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  I'll still be blogging, but about my faith and writing and special needs parenting. Gotta blog what you know, you know? Gotta blog what you love, right bloggy friends?

Hope we still get to stay in touch!
Jenn

Cheesecake and Writing Organically

Image source: www.girlinthemini.com

Cheesecake Cupcakes: Writing Organically

Good ol' Wikipedia taught me the history of cheesecake.  Cheesecake has been around for about 4,000 years.  It was originally made using flour, wheat, cheese and honey.  It was believed to have made its debut at the first Olympic games and became such a favorite that it was served at Greek weddings.  Over the centuries, the recipe has been changed, using different varieties of cheese and adding different ingredients, such as eggs and butter.  In 1872, an American farmer was trying to reproduce his own version of a French cheese for his cheesecake and ended up making his own version of cream cheese.  He then decided to start selling the product in foil wrappers, much like we use today, which became the staple for cheesecakes sold in America.

When I hear the story about the origin and changes of one of my favorite cakes, I must admit it reminds me of my own manuscript.  I had a dream one night that inspired my story.  I wrote out the scene of my dream and planned the story around it.  But as the story took shape, characters began to do things differently then they did in my mind and my plans.  And as I revised the story, I realized more and more that the scene that had inspired the entire idea didn't even fit anymore.  I sadly had to cut it out.

We can brainstorm and plot and outline for a long time, but somehow, as we start writing and the words appear on the page, they seem to veer off in a different direction then we originally planned.  I think this is a good thing.  Organic.  It makes the story and the characters seem alive.  

Whether it was intentional or not, I'm glad for the changes to the recipe that helped cheesecake become the dessert we know and love.  I admire the farmer who tried to make a French cheese and ended up with something different.  Instead of tossing it out as a failure, he realized the value in it and made a new and improved product out of it.  It went on to become a bestseller.

How to Create Your Own Writing Conference

Any of you ever want to go to a writing conference, but other obligations or money or   (insert excuse here)     prevented you from going?  Yeah.  Me too.

Last weekend was She Speaks, a conference for Christian women writers and speakers.  I was so close to registering before I knew it just wasn't going to happen this year.  This weekend is the SCBWI Children's Writers' and Illustrators' conference.  I was on Twitter a lot, retweeting the stuff that inspired me, and just soaking in the little nuggets of the conference squeezed into a 140 character or less tweet.

And then it hit me.  I can be learning and growing right here in the comfort of my own home and my local Starbucks!

1)  Networking.  It seems a lot of people go to conferences to meet like minded people, maybe get to know the experts of the field in hopes they can help you succeed.  Since I couldn't meet them in person, I decided to do some online networking.  I started following on Twitter five new people I've admired for a while now, and started following two new blogs.  Plus I visited and commented on a few blogs I just haven't had time to check out in a while, but which I love.

2)  Learning About the Craft.  There's always a plethora of sessions you can attend at a conference to learn more, and so I decided to read some blog posts I've been meaning to for a long time anyway about writing, blogging, social media, etc.  I listened to Michael Hyatt's podcast Platform, which was pretty awesome, and made me feel kinda like I was at a conference.  Except I could pause to get some ice cream halfway through. ;)

3)  Working Time.  Some conferences leave time for working on your project.  Others do not, but you're so inspired you make the time.  Well, I made the time to brainstorm blog post ideas, which I've been meaning to do for a loooong time now.

I think it'd also be cool to get together with some of your writerly friends and create a conference together.  Each of you share a lesson you've learned about the craft, blogs you love, social media tips, etc.  And leave time for writing, brainstorming, critiquing together etc.

Anyone else ever created their own conference, or want to?