First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 13: On the value of daydreaming, and - though only writing counts as writing - how this is the great cheat if you don't have unlimited time to write. Also, a poem about poets and windows. The poem I read is "Monday," from Billy Collins' 2006 poetry collection The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems . You can read it here. First Cup of Coffee is part of the F...

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 12: Why competition can be toxic, having faith in your work, and why comparisons are invidious. And why my motto is "Keep your eyes on your own work." First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 11: A bit on Romance tropes and the One Rule in Romance. Also how writing a novel is laying bricks. Keep at it! First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 10: Gardener vs. Architect vs. Archaeologist vs. Sculptor - what's your metaphor?  First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

 #PantsNaNoWriMo day 9: Subconsciously understanding story structure and why you should read, especially in your own genre - and how you can't accidentally steal ideas. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

 #PantsNaNoWriMo day 8: Learning to listen to your subconscious, recognizing burnout, and knowing when to take a break.  First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 7: The magic trick of square brackets, also evaluating opportunities - and opportunity cost. L. Penelope's podcast is here : https://lpenelope.com/2019/11/running-uphill-my-imaginary-friends-episode-39/ First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 6: True confessions today on how well I practice what I preach. On hitting walls, letting things ferment, and abandoning Poldark. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 5: A bit about word count and how long novels really are, plus a funny story about how I figured that out early on.  Also, some super exciting news about an event for THE FIERY CROWN at George RR Martin's Jean Cocteau Cinema! Save the date: May 17, 2020. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Fro...

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 4: Creating a story as a leap of faith. Knowing that angst is okay. And, as in our lives, trusting that even our mistakes bring us to where we should be.  First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 3: Honoring and protecting the writing process. To embrace creative flow, you must ignore other opinions and ideas, refining YOUR process and owning it. I've also added information to my SFF Seven blog post today on incrementally building up wordcount if you're doing NaNoWriMo. You can find that here.   First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You ca...

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 2: Evaluating success - and viewing it as an ongoing process. Also some advice on gradually increasing wordcounts to build a solid writing habit. (Also, I totally cleaned out my car after I took this picture!) First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

#PantsNaNoWriMo day 1: On creative flow, Taoism, and other advice on letting go of white-knuckling the story. And being more one with the universe in life in general. Today is also the cover reveal of THE FATE OF THE TALA - and also the reveal of the protagonist! Can you guess who it is from the image? See the cover here.  First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find mor...

Announcing that I will be doing a daily podcast to #PantsNaNoWriMo, with an eye toward teaching embracing creative flow in the future. Also an indignant rant on "ideal" Fantasy heroes and the absurd assertion that Fantasy is inherently conservative as a genre. L. Penelope's podcast, Making an Impact, is here. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find mo...

Giving some updates today on submissions of a new project - with insight into that process and some happy feedback. Jim Sorenson's book is here. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

Discussing the psychological aspects of setting wordcount goals. Also about yoga, a "good practice," and deciding what we want to get out of efforts like that.  First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

A bit about how the publishing industry can be weird: release dates, author copies, and being orphaned when an editor leaves. Also musings on whether angst is necessary for creativity and what choosing the happy means. For those interested, here's Peter Senftleben's freelance editing website. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcast...

Talking today about building up the writing habit again after a long hiatus. Also why L. Penelope is *wrong* and Good Omens is brilliant . And news on THE FATE OF THE TALA cover reveal. (It's November 1st, not 5th. Meep.) First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the show

About pantsing vs. plotting, and why I prefer "'gardening vs. pre-plotting" as a descriptor. Also protecting and nurturing creativity as a fragile thing, and more thoughts on success as a progressive realization of a worthy goal. First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts! Support the sho...

About MileHi Con and more on success as the progressive realization of a goal. Also on the care and feeding of the writer in your life - and Exciting News on the Frolic Podcast Network! Article here . https://deadline.com/2019/10/frolic-podcast-network-romance-genre-launch-1202764475/ First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to...

I delve deeply today into what "failure" means - and also "success" - and why I feel we shouldn't regard failing with fear or dread. Also deciding when to reveal a secret to the reader, as opposed to when I know it, or when the characters know it.  The correct quote I paraphrased is: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal." Earl Nightin...

Thoughts on choosing an agent, especially as regards creative choices. Also choosing which ideas are good ones, whether inspiration & opportunity hang around, and visiting with a sorority sister.  Support the show

Reflecting a bit on reviews and how fandom communities work. Also cat wrangling and saving of bluebirds. How I'm loving Grace Draven's DRAGON UNLEASHED, and a bit about kayaks! Support the show

Recognizing the difference between finished work and early drafts, perceived time while writing vs reading time and how that affects pace, and being in the world but not of the world. That is: what to do when you get knocked off your pillow. The blog post I reference is here . https://blog.jeffekennedy.com/2019/10/09/writing-beginnings-again-and-again/ Support the show

I'm keeping it short today because it's been a chaotic morning and I'm almost out of minutes for the month! Talking about struggling with this draft, having faith, talking heads - and a vote on dream interpretation! Support the show