Jaclyn Paul / Lena George
author. mom. nerd. lover of mountains, rime ice, and cloud inversions.
Blog
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September writing retreat postcard
As I’ve been talking about in my email newsletter, I have three writing retreats on my calendar this fall: one each in September, October, and November. I got the first one on the books last week. While I’ll get into the details in Tuesday’s edition of Letters (sign up here if you want in), I…
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#AWP26
This year I discovered the only thing that would convince me to attend AWP, the massive publishing-industry conference put on by the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. AWP came to me in Baltimore. I’ve always found a reason not to travel for the 10,000-plus-person conference. I had no good reason to skip it as…
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A change of scene to break up writer’s block
I don’t really believe in writer’s block, but if I did, I might cure it at the gym. I joke, but how many times have I told myself, after I get [arbitrary amount of work] done, then I’ll go to the gym? A bunch. Afternoon trips to the climbing gym down the street are a…
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A few scenes from John Sayles at Bird in Hand
Last week I ventured out into the snowy city to see John Sayles read and speak about his new book Crucible. I have to force myself to attend book events even though I a.) know how much turnout means to the author and b.) never, ever regret going. Often I try to recruit a buddy…
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5 things I’ve done to feed my writing in 2026
After a whirlwind of travel and hosting two parties at home, I had a couple days at the end of winter break to prepare for the new calendar year. I dislike New Year’s resolutions and goals but I appreciate the opportunity to clear the decks. The fresh calendar year is a nice time to consider…