My latest essay is up! A family memory of how three women in the 1950's stood up to the racism of a small Texas town and created change.

open.substack.com/pub/jessicag...

Being a writer means confidently opening a document…
…then staring at the blinking cursor like it personally betrayed you.
Eventually words happen. Usually after snacks.
What’s your pre-writing ritual… intentional or accidental?

Writing has been teaching me something lately.

Progress doesn’t always feel strong or confident.
Sometimes it feels quiet.
Sometimes it feels tired.
Sometimes it’s just showing up anyway.

And maybe that still counts.

What does progress look like for you right now?

Five great humorous quotes about writing
#amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #author #writerscommunity #indieauthor
inventingrealityediting.com/2...

OMG! Holy shit!

That thing where my brain seizes on a few lines of a song, dialog from a film or conversation and brings it back randomly for days or weeks? The random song lyrics I haven’t heard in 10 yrs? The conversation from 5 years ago? It has a name! Internal echolalia.

“I’m beginning a new essay tonight, and the hardest part is always choosing which memory to listen to. Some stories feel quiet but persistent, like they’ve been waiting patiently to be understood. Writing is how I finally answer them.

What memories keep returning to you?

I sat down to work on my next essay and immediately needed:
• tea
• a different chair
• a blanket
• a snack
• silence
• background noise
• emotional clarity
• a new pen
• a snack for after the snack

Anyway, I wrote one sentence.

How’s your productivity going today?

One of the most unexpected parts of publishing personal narrative work is realizing how much of writing is an act of collaboration with your reader.

Readers often engage with it in ways that reveal emotional layers I hadn’t fully articulated, even to myself.

Have you experienced this?

I write personal narrative essays about family and emotional truth — and I share them weekly on Substack. I’m also working on a children’s picture book series about empathy and belonging.

Here for storytelling, process, and real conversations about writing.

What are you working on lately?

My latest post is up!

open.substack.com/pub/jessicag...

Some days writing feels like flying. Today felt like digging. Both still count. Progress doesn’t always feel inspiring while it’s happening.
Do you measure writing success by output or by showing up?

Last night, I stared at my draft until it apologized and started behaving. Writing is mostly psychological warfare.
Does anyone else negotiate with their document?

This morning I moved an essay from idea to interview notes — not glamorous work, but it’s where the story actually starts. Writing is mostly preparation disguised as procrastination.

What part of your creative process looks slow but is secretly essential?

A group of friends of mine and I are going to get together to do a Zoom “party” we’re calling “Slay the List.” the basic idea is we force (support) each other to finish a task or two that we’ve been putting off during the party. I think it’s going to be great.

Would you try something like this?

@booksky.club 📚💙

I am an aspiring children’s book writer, but I also run a free Substack where I post essays about the life stories of the strong women in my family. Check out the introductory post to see if it’s something that interests you. All feedback welcome.

open.substack.com/pub/jessicag...

I sent out my first batch of query letters to literary agents two weeks ago for my children’s book series. I’m already going stir crazy. What’s the best way to make use of my time while I’m waiting for responses?

I'm going to talk about something personal for a sec, which I don't do here very often because I try to keep things bookish, but it relates to my upcoming Valentine's Day webinar. It's a bit ironic, but when I started planning Query Unrequited, my life was in a very different place. Now... 1/4