Know Thyself.

“Let Them Find You Writing”

Day 2

It all started in yesterday’s post which you can read here.

It’s a new day with new problems, but let’s stick with Know Thyself and see where it takes us.

Writers typically have a pretty good understanding of themselves.

Some humans could easily drift through this life without an ounce of understanding of who they are and what they want. But we writers are not that type of people. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that we want to write. Knowing what you want to do with your life is the best place to start. T. S. Eliot once said, “The only good reason for writing is that one has to write.” I think that’s well said and probably why his name is still around.

We aren’t wandering around wondering what we’re going to do or who we’re going to be.

We are writers who will be writing.

I don’t think writing is really about which genre. The story that sticks, that’s the one. It’s not always the story that screams the loudest. I have a good handful of loud stories that didn’t stick. I have even less that did stick. So we don’t even really need to be worrying about how to start, what genre to start in, what time period, whatever. You just write. That’s all. And that’s enough.

Let them find you writing.

That’s all you need to worry about.

I published Writer’s Quest to inspire writers to start writing and to keep at it. There is such a big world out there, and the impact of your writing, even if small, can make a big difference.

If you’re looking for a reason to finally sit down and write, this is the book for you.

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

Let Them Find You Writing

This is a call to writers.

We have put our craft off for long enough. It’s time to get back in the game and act like we’re writers. Or maybe you’ve stayed in the game, but you’ve been feeling like you’re dragging yourself along, like you’ve lost that inner flame.

It’s time to find it again.

Since this is the first blog in this series, we are going to start with you.

The flame resides inside you. Yes, you!

Which means today’s theme is “Know Thyself.”

First things first, you need to get back inside your infinitely amazing self and find it.

Dust that journal off and start going through those values you have.

Find your top three.

Put ’em on a post-it note where you write.

And tomorrow, we’ll take it a step further.

If you’re looking for further reading, here’s a post that has 6 Steps to Finding Your Passion As A Writer by Barrie Davenport

If you’re looking for an inspiring read Writer’s Quest is the book for you!

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

I Can’t Hear You

A poem

I opened the window and it all went out.

It –the remanence of us

The poetry, the novel, the memories.

out with a whoosh. I stopped listening.

Drowned myself between the legs of a feral woman

What am I? Am I a woman

left to contemplate life and how I make anything of it

of art

of us

Not alone. There’s not a lonely bone in my body

What were we?

What are we?

The galaxies blaze with compounds that ignite the darkness

Is that us?




Unlocking Your Inner Idea Machine

You are an idea machine.

There was a time when I had no idea what to write. That’s what I thought, at least. I searched high and low for the next best story. I started quite a few and abandoned them.

The truth
it wasn’t that I had no idea what to write.
It was that I had…. Read On Substack

Writer’s Quest is an experimental fiction
all about a woman learning to trust herself

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

Never Leaving

A Poem

He didn’t know what kind of love hers was

Hers was the kind that tears you

apart and holds you together with red string

That sinking feeling. That feeling like

she’s made it to the pit of his stomach

And if she wiggles just enough

your shame will pour out the same

content the ocean holds, it’s her.

Between his teeth and

Blood lined gums

A whisper breaks through

“Come back.” Those words wrap around him.

“Don’t give up.” It studies his sadness.

A cool breeze hits his

face to remind him

he’s not alone.

Letting Go Through Writing: A Personal Journey

There’s a time for hanging on and a time for letting go.

We are the type of creature that loves to hang on to the things that seemed to keep us safe in times of great stress. It doesn’t really matter what relieved us in those dark moments. We circle back to it every time the stress rises again. There are healthy coping mechanisms, and writing is mine. Writing is mine. I had to say that twice to lock it in.

See, writing is so versatile. It helps you increase self-awareness. It helps you understand the people around you. It often requires you to face your own demons, and it doesn’t really ask for your permission. I believe that’s often the root of writer’s block, but that’s another conversation for another day. This craft is a really healthy tool you can learn to lean on in times of great stress.

Some go out there and blow all their creative energy away. And gain less in return. Bad habits. Shame, the same problem sitting there that they avoided. But writing…

But writing

It will be there. Arms wide open, ready to accept you exactly as you are. The place where you can lay back and let it all go.

It’s one of my favorite places.

That and under the moon.

It’s real.

Here’s what came out of me when I
used writing as a coping mechanism

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

A little bit of Philosophy

Today I did spend a lot of time writing a paper about free will and determinism. Are we making our own decisions, or are our experiences making our decisions for us? I feel it’s a little bit of both. I used to get caught up in these discussions, but then I realized it’s probably a little bit of both, and I was fully satisfied with that understanding. It’s like that Nature vs Nurture argument. We’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s both.

What you do think?

Also I wrote a book.
It’s about a woman who goes through her own
fantastic metamorphosis.
If you’re into that type of thing, Writer’s Quest is
the book for you.

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

Embrace Your Voice: The Path to Writing Success

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” -Octavia E. Butler

There’s a million ways to write a story. There’s a million stories to tell, maybe even more. No matter what they tell you, there’s no limit to what you can do as a writer.

The world really will take advantage of your writing dreams by giving you a long list of things you have to do to reach them.

But that list is yours to decide, and how you approach it is yours to control.

One thing I’ve learned from writing workshops is that you can take the feedback that works for you and the vision you have for your story and leave the rest that doesn’t work. That’s the same when it comes to the long list of things people demand of you to be a writer.

And through all of that, you have to remember this:

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision.” -Neil Gaiman

And I hate to say it, but I must: people who are not striving to live up to their own creative dreams cannot provide clear advice to people who work day in and day out to live their dream writer’s life.

It doesn’t matter their title,
their income,
or their life story.

If they are not making the sacrifices it takes to step boldly into the unknown that houses their creative dreams, they are not equipped to guide you into yours.

Let them provide you with what allows you to move forward and keep going.

Write your story.

If you’re looking for inspiration to answer the call,
Writer’s Quest is a beautiful place to begin.

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

From Waiting to Writing

“If you wait for inspiration to write you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” — Dan Poynter

I used to say if my author opened their book to find me writing, I’m a writer in their story. That’s a fun way to think about the consistency of writing. There will always be a million other things we could be doing. And some of it may even be writing homework. But at the end of the day, the best way to finish your story is by writing the words. That’s why this quote is important. The entire trick to becoming a writer is writing.

There was a time in my life when I told everyone I wanted to write a book. I tried collaborating. I read books on writing. I went to libraries and stared at the bookshelves. None of that gave me a book, and the desire still beat inside my heart. When someone told me it was my job to give myself permission to write, it slowly changed me. I started blogging, joining workshops, and connecting with other writers. After I had given myself permission for some time, I stopped looking for inspiration to give me permission to write.

Fast forward to now:

Instagram: Jayne_Press | Facebook: JaynePressWriter | Medium: JaynePress

My Child’s Birthday: The Power of Kindness and Support

“People will forget what you said… but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Today I’m going to just say, I’m so grateful for humans who are compassionate and understanding. My little one had her first real birthday party with all her friends, and I was so anxious, but all the parents were so kind and supportive. There are still so many good people in the world and today, I met a handful of them.