I’ve been planting a lot of seeds in the last year and a half. Some are real seeds: In March, I seed-started cherry tomatoes and jalapeños for what will be my first attempt at a vegetable garden, as well as basil, cilantro, and rainbow coleus. I stratified the tiny ‘Lauren’s Grape’ poppy seeds I harvestedContinue reading “Planting Seeds / Publishing Stories”
Author Archives: hannahkarena
10 Years Working in Book Publishing / Writing on the Weekends
2021 marks my ten year anniversary of working in book publishing. The aluminum anniversary! (I have no idea what I could thematically gift myself to celebrate. A six-pack of craft beer, maybe?) It’s weird to think that it’s been ten years since I was in undergrad workshops at my creative writing program, shaping words intoContinue reading “10 Years Working in Book Publishing / Writing on the Weekends”
Ghosts (and Lessons) of Shelved Manuscripts Past
Editor/writer Ashley Hearn posted recently about how “it’s easy to feel stuck after multiple stories without a ‘success.’ But when you look at [your projects], you really come to understand how no story is a wasted effort.” Goodness, wasn’t that exactly the adjusted perspective I needed in the year 2020? Despite being proud of theContinue reading “Ghosts (and Lessons) of Shelved Manuscripts Past”
Reading in 2020
’tis the season for book giving! I love to comb through my Goodreads Challenge in December to figure out which books I’m going to buy for the loved ones on my gift list. The silver lining of going nowhere and doing nothing this year is that my husband and I finally have the time toContinue reading “Reading in 2020”
How to Write a Book Synopsis (and Know When a Book is Ready to Query)
I wrote my first book report in third grade and it was a disaster. Like the little homework-lover I was, I’d prepared: I read the book well in advance and wrote a portion each night (I distinctly recall it being chunked into requiring a paragraph or two write up about setting, characters, maybe “new toContinue reading “How to Write a Book Synopsis (and Know When a Book is Ready to Query)”
Plotting, Pantsing, and Meal Planning
Meal planning was once a tool exclusively to organize budget- and health-friendly meals that reduced the likelihood that I’d panic-order pizza delivery multiple nights a week. It’s taken on an entirely new art form during pandemic: we stretched our bi-weekly grocery run to three weeks, innovated new aisle routes to maximize efficient shopping and minimumContinue reading “Plotting, Pantsing, and Meal Planning”
Stay Calm…and Focus on What (Writing) You Can Control
With everything spinning out of control—routines, plans, the world, etc.—I’ve found a lot of comfort and calm focusing on smaller-scale things 100% within my control: a neatly trimmed lawn, a weed-free garden bed, a freshly organized closet, a tricky recipe followed to the letter. No surprise, a lot of people have found home renovations aContinue reading “Stay Calm…and Focus on What (Writing) You Can Control”
How to Procrastinate Until Your Book Writes Itself
It’s been a long time since I wrote a brand new story idea. I’ve been in revision land a looooooong time. The blank page can be awfully intimidating, writing something rough and misshapen and new, especially after working on something that has years of polishing, and I found myself avoiding some serious butt-in-chair writing time.Continue reading “How to Procrastinate Until Your Book Writes Itself”
The 5 Stages of Accepting and Integrating Critique Partner Feedback
In the last post, I detailed the process of writing and revising (and revising some more) until my manuscript is as good as I can make it by myself. Now, it’s time to get a few second opinions! Enter: critique partners! If you don’t have any yet, here are some suggestions on how to find them. CritiqueContinue reading “The 5 Stages of Accepting and Integrating Critique Partner Feedback”
How to Revise a Novel (Before You Waste a Year Fixing 300 Pages That Never Get Any Better)
Writing is rewriting is rewriting is rewriting. After years of reading craft books about how to shape hooky opening chapters and structure A+ plots and experimenting with nearly every revision process an author has ever posted on the internet—handwritten index scene cards taped to the wall, printed out chapters sorted like puzzle pieces on the floor, color-coded highlighters, color-coded sticky notes, red ink markup onContinue reading “How to Revise a Novel (Before You Waste a Year Fixing 300 Pages That Never Get Any Better)”
Hannah Karena Jones 