50 ratings | 4 reviews | avg rating:4.30

Jen Lynn Anderson’s Followers (4)

Jen’s Bookshelves

to-read (15)
currently-reading (2)
read (52)
favorites (0)

Jen’s Friends (54)

Jolene Anderson

776 books | 68 friends

Rhian Stotts

1,513 books | 108 friends

Nicole Robinson

852 books | 43 friends

Ryan Pusch

529 books | 185 friends

Devin Clarkson

67 books | 117 friends

Adam

380 books | 78 friends

Yasmin Pedersen

334 books | 22 friends

Rebecca Hass

20 books | 118 friends

More friends…

Jen Lynn Anderson

Goodreads Author

Born

in Minneapolis, The United States

Website

http://jenlynnanderson.com

Twitter

aJenwithaPen

Genre

Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Influences

Neil Gaiman, Veronica Roth, Barbara Kingsolver, Brian Jacques, J.K. Ro ...more

Member Since

July 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jenandersonwritesabook

edit data

Jen is a writer, dreamer, and imagination junkie, who is joyously fumbling through life while looking for the right words.

Visit jenlynnanderson.com for information about Jen's writing adventures, or head to Jen's Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/jenlynnanders... for exciting updates about her novel-in-progress, Stormriders!

...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Jen Lynn Anderson questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Jen Lynn Anderson The short answer is: not very well.

I recently wrote a blog post that slightly touches on this. It's more about distractions, and how it's sometimes ea…moreThe short answer is: not very well.

I recently wrote a blog post that slightly touches on this. It's more about distractions, and how it's sometimes easy for indie-publishing authors (myself included) to get lost in the marketing side of the process, without leaving much room for the actual writing. As a digital marketing manager in my day job, that definitely resonates, because I find myself bombarded by digital messages 8 hours a day, and it's hard to break from those distractions after your workday is over. I'll find myself doing something drastic if I feel like I'm getting stuck in the digital mire, like switching to my typewriter to really focus for awhile. Clearing away the distractions (easier said than done, of course!) can help get me back in the zone, and avoiding the distractions as a crutch when you already have writer's block is equally as important.

But with regards to writer's block in general, I have made it a practice to jump out of where I'm stuck (if it's a scene or a dialogue exchange) and put my character(s) in a completely new and different situation. It doesn't even have to make sense to the rest of the story. Just get them out of where they are, and see what happens. See how they react. Revisiting your characters is critical. They can tell you a lot, and a lot you weren't expecting. Oftentimes, I can glean some sort of insight into their story arc from their behavior in this new and strange situation. It recently happened with one of my characters, who I felt was too flat and one-dimensional, and thus was avoiding writing scenes for him. I plopped him into a completely different place, gave him something to do, and learned a lot about him in the process. So I'll say it again... if you're stuck, revisit your characters.(less)

flag

like
Comment

What are you currently working on?

Jen Lynn Anderson First up is a travel memoir of a volunteer experience in Moshi, Tanzania. It includes conversations about international volunteering, culture sharing,…moreFirst up is a travel memoir of a volunteer experience in Moshi, Tanzania. It includes conversations about international volunteering, culture sharing, community building, and what "home" means to different people in different places. Please visit my Kickstarter page for more information: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

I'm diligently working on the novel I plan to publish first, a story that I began during National Novel Writing Month (November 2015), called "The Bearers." http://jenlynnanderson.com/novels/the...(less)

flag

like
Comment

See all 3 answers from Jen Lynn Anderson…

Combine Editions
Jen Lynn Anderson’s books

Average rating: 4.0 · 4 ratings · 2 reviews · 2 distinct works

	off the page really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	View from the Shore: Selected Works of Waconia Writers by Barbara Zimmerman (Editor), Mary Johnson (Editor), Claire Dahlman Geistfeld (Editor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

48 posts
Jen Lynn Anderson's Blog

Part One: A Love Letter to Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a city of easy first impressions.

My first impression of Edinburgh was of darkness. The sun sets early in November in Scotland. My second impression of Edinburgh was one of welcome, and even on some level a strange familiarity with my surroundings. We arrived at our hotel, Ceilidh-Donia, folded cozily into a Midlothian neighborhood of buildings similar in appearance, w

Jen is Currently Reading

Jen Anderson is currently reading

The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)

by Angie Thomas (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Apr 23, 2017 07:04AM

Jen Anderson is currently reading

Flashfall (Flashfall, #1)

by Jenny Moyer (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Feb 07, 2017 08:28PM

rss
Jen’s Recent Updates

Jen Lynn Anderson wrote a new blog post Part One: A Love Letter to Edinburgh Edinburgh is a city of easy first impressions. My first impression of Edinburgh was of darkness. The sun sets early in November in Scotland. My se Read more of this blog post »
Nov 27, 2024 04:01AM · like

More of Jen's books…

Quotes by Jen Lynn Anderson (?)

“Write. Write write write write WRITE. Write. Now.

(This is an inspirational writing quote.)”
― Jen Anderson

tags: humorous, writing

0 likes

“Karibu, dada wangu. Hapa, wewe ni nyumbani.

Welcome, my sister. Here, you are home.

Home.

And to this home, may you always return.”
― Jen Anderson, off the page

tags: poetry-quotes

0 likes

“I am a poem in progress
with no clear beginning or ending
just a middle
untended, unintended,
unfinished, hanging there
like the breath before a question”
― Jen Anderson, off the page

tags: poetry, poetry-quotes

0 likes

See all Jen Lynn Anderson's quotes »

Jen’s Quotes

“Remember your name. Do not lose hope--what you seek will be found. Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn. Trust dreams. Trust your heart, and trust your story.”
― Neil Gaiman, Instructions

82 likes

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
― Neil Gaiman, Coraline

tags: books, dragons, fairy-tales, inspirational, paraphrasing-g-k-chesterton

45221 likes

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
― Neil Gaiman

11114 likes

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes...you're Doing Something.”
― Neil Gaiman

8111 likes

“Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections

10981 likes

More of Jen’s quotes…

Jen’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.