What I’ve Been Doing

by Jen Storer

Researching and writing

The main character in my new middle grade novel is from ‘old money’. She lives in a rambling country mansion. Indeed she does.

So I went to Buda in Castlemaine and had a poke around. Got the ‘old money vibe’.

Fantasised.

Pretended.

Reminisced. (I have past life memories of the 1800s. I do, I do! On occasion they leave me quite breathless. Catch me off guard and such…

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Course Creation

Character Creation and Development

I’m brainstorming, fine tuning, designing, writin’ and recordin’ a character intensive. OMG! This is FUN! Sometimes I can’t believe I get to do this stuff!

I get to write books.

AND I get to talk to others about how I write books!

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Learning. Filling the Well. This Writing Life.

So, writing books and talking writing.

It don’t get much better than that.

Actually it does!

Last week I got to hang out with Anna Walker!

Her Duck Pond masterclass was stunning. Anna shared her processes, her daily routine, her career journey (the ups, the downs, the fears and anxieties) as well as her unstoppable and intense passion for creating picture books. Her class was magical. And sooooo pretty!

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Since dancing out of Anna’s class I am reminded once again of this observation from Vicki Peterson and Barbara Nicolosi:

‘Writers acquire the “family resemblance” of storytellers in the same way that kids start to act like their parents. The talent is partially embedded in a writer—the way kids inherit genetic material. But starting to look and act and think like a storyteller is equally rooted in hanging around other storytellers…’

Hanging out with fellow storytellers is one of my favourite pastimes. It never, ever grows old and there’s always and forever something more to learn. Which, for a nerd like Jen, is HEAVEN.

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The girl&duck Podcast

I recorded an episode about ‘determination’. About writing and rewriting and what learned from stencilling my hallway way back in the 1990s. A disaster that was packed with priceless lessons. If you’d like to listen, click the link.

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Cottage Diaries

I want to bash out a wall but I can’t get a tradie for love nor money. Every man and his dog is movin’ to the country and they all want TRADIES to fix their houses and build extra shit. Eye roll. If you’re licensed to bash out walls, call me.

Meantime, I have my fingers crossed for a wallpaper man. Hoping against hope to find a guy to cut and paste some pretties onto the lounge room walls. I’ll keep you posted on that adventure.

I have been LOVING the spring garden.

What I’ve been Reading

It by Stephen King (scary as shit. Of course. Like, der!)

Paranormal Romance. Bingeing. A librarian introduced me to Amanda Quick. There is a whole world out there. I had no idea.

Middle grade horror. Tales of Terror from the Black Ship. And, Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror (this one’s a re-read for me). Both by Chris Priestley. (With super cool illos by David Roberts)

Beyond the Hero’s Journey, by Anthony Mullins.

Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth.

See you again soon, dear reader.

Thanks for hanging out with me, I just love our chats!

Jen xo

PS For more catch-ups and chinwags, join my mailing list. Clickety click here