Author: jennygracespoetryandcreativewritingtechniques

I am a published poet and short story writer. I have been published in SNHU's the penmen review. https://penmenreview.com/author/jenny-andrews is the link where you can find my poetry and a short story. Currently, I am writing a collection of short stories, and a collection of poetry. I am trying my hand at writing a novel. Well, not a novel, actually. Make that two novels. My passion is writing. My inspiration is Franz Krafka because he managed to see the absurdity of life. Life is all about perspective and who is telling the story. We all see this life through the lens of our experiences. Literature should inspire us to think, to analyze, and to get lost in unfamiliar worlds in which we learn something new about this human existence. It is my hope that my writing challenges the reader to think, and to see a different perspective, as well as be entertained. My faith in Jesus strengthens me and gives me the courage to survive the twists and turns of this life. My faith influences a lot of my writing in that goodness always triumphs over evil, in that love conquers all. I hope you enjoy reading my blog.

A Quote to Consider

“A man must make his own arrow-“Native American Winnebago Proverb (www.idlehearts.com)

A few months ago, I stopped by my favorite coffee shop to have my favorite caramel macchiato latte. The young man behind the counter had a quote on his shirt that read “A man must make his own arrow.” In the area where I live there are many people who are descendants of the various original peoples of the Americas, primarily the Lumbee and the Waccamaw-Siouan.

As I drank my latte I thought of the meaning behind the quote that he wore on his shirt. “A man must make his own arrow.” Autonomy. Personal responsibility. Independence. Pride in self. Standing on one’s own two feet. So many words and ideas came to mind.

I watched him as he happily attended to customers and I thought of his people’s history, how they are still thriving despite the odds that had been stacked against them. He stood proudly there behind that counter in that small family owned coffee shop and looked out at a world that just a few decades earlier would have scoffed at and discriminated against him and his people.

I smiled and sipped my latte and thought of that quote and how it had probably inspired him to be in charge of his life, to be in charge of his destiny, and “to make his own arrow.”

I considered how I can forge ahead in my life and be in charge of my destiny. I thought of the choices I can make that will move me forward towards my goals.

We all have obstacles to more or lesser degrees in our lives. Some of the obstacles are of our own design; other obstacles are put in our path by others, by situations beyond our control.

But, I believe with perseverance we can overcome the obstacles that are in our path. We can stand proudly and not give into fear and discouragement. We can take charge of our destinies if we dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to our goals.

I think of the history of the Lumbee and Waccamaw-Siouan and how they are still proudly standing and thriving and I can only hope that I have their courage and perseverance to “make my own arrow” and to focus on my goals and not surrender to discouragement.

Tomorrow is another day; tomorrow is another day that the sun will rise.

Rise with it and turn your face towards the rising sun and its warmth and move forward.

Always move forward, after all this life is, like the arrow’s path, on a forward trajectory.

We cannot go back; we can only go forward (whether we want to or not).

Noni, Counting

Noni Francisca back in her day, scattered rose petals, called out each and every one by its scientific name.

Her memory faded like the shadows that fell across those distant blue hills.

On a bench, at the edge of her garden, wearing her pretty burnt orange cloche, the one she’d worn back in her heyday, she lifted her wrinkled hand and snatched at the memories that fled away.

One, two, three, and so it went, counting the rose petals, with the only words that she had left. . .one, two, three, the numbers that she had loved, the flowers that had been her passion.

Noni Francisca in her garden; her pretty burnt orange cloche a testament to her elegance.

Last Sunday in March, a poem

Overcast, grayness sticks to the sky; white dirtied by the rain, lurking, threatening to burst.

Sun struggles to reappear.

I Know Why:

Heaped together strung like imperfectly corded beads, my days slip and scatter to the ground; tapping far off is the thought hidden that dispatches those rude awakenings that all is not well on the outside of the cocoon in which I have sequestered myself.

Ordered pair:

Never existed, except in geometry.

Disorder is the caveat that has to be simply accepted.

Slope downhill from here accelerated by lack of energy.

Procrastination: Overcoming it!

I will be very, very honest here. . .

At the beginning of each year I purchase pretty planners in which I write my goals for writing. . .I even buy pretty, different color pens to go with my pretty planners.

Then. . .

I place the pretty planners on my desk next to my computer, next to my journals that are equally pretty and that are brimming with my handwritten poetry and short stories. I bask in the beauty of the floral covers and the magnificence of my literary aspirations . . .

But, then I get distracted by pretty much anything. . .

The leaves outside my window swaying in the early morning breeze, the chirping of birds, an old novel on my bookshelf.

I think you get my point.

I accomplish very little.

Time is short; I shouldn’t waste time. . .

So, here are some strategies I have decided to implement to motivate myself and hopefully you. . .

Actually write instead of just penciling in the time to write. Make no excuses. If you are serious about writing then just do it. Find a quiet space and write.

If you feel like your creative well has run dry consider this technique:

Get a word search book or a dictionary and pull out ten random words and write a short story or a poem from those words.

This can really get your creative juices flowing.

For example, what short story or poem can you write from this list of random words I pulled from a word search book?

Okra, Music Box, Delta, Disown, Meltdown, Half a Heart. . .Magnolia, Aurora.

This can be fun. Try it and let me know what poem or short story you might come up with.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Writing! (Not procrastinating!)

Bully Another Day: My Novel

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder that back in 2020 I self-published my novel.

It is available on Kindle, as well as in paperback. Please take a look at it and let me know what you think. In this great big world, there are so many writers and so many books. So many books address different issues. I believe that what makes my book unique is that I tell the story from the perspective of the alleged “villain.” Johanna is the main character and from some perspectives she might be considered the “villain.” The question I pose is at what point in our society does apathy lead to tragedy. Shouldn’t those people in authority, (teachers, pastors, and parents) have stepped in when Johanna was being bullied? Wasn’t she a victim before she turned into a “villain?” Or was she ever really a “villain”? My story begs the question, as well, how much exactly does our environment and genetic makeup play a role in how we react to our interpretation or misinterpretation of the world around us?

In this book, I examine the impact of bullying on the main character who already suffered from mental illness. I also address the unique social strata in which those who grow up on the “wrong side of the tracks” are treated differently because of having grown up in a mobile home park. That societal discrimination against the poor in contrast to the more wealthy is also addressed in this novel.

I feel very strongly about my novel’s importance in its analysis of social and economic factors which impact those with mental health issues. Do the kids who grow up in a mobile home park (or in any poor part of town) get treated vastly different than those from the wealthier parts of town when they present with mental health issues?

I think we all know the unfortunate truth. Poor people are indeed treated differently. Those with mental health issues are at the mercy of an apathetic world.

How does this apathy pan out in the end?

Who is to blame?

Who is to blame when society fails to step in and care for those among us who are mentally ill?

Please read my novel and let me know what you think.

Thank you so much for your support.

Blessings.

Urgency

Window side world in a coffee shop; youth in fragments on a hot May afternoon.

Studying for college finals, sipping coffee, not grasping the urgency of time’s passing.

Outside, sun bears down on broken asphalt.

Voices spill out, laughter fills up the retreating spaces.

What is the balance of these moments, the passing of these youthful days?

Without Delay

“You may delay, but time will not-” Benjamin Franklin (Keepinspiring.me)

We all make excuses about why we cannot get started on a particular project. Either we have to watch a movie on Netflix we’d seen for the tenth time; either our tummy is growling and we need a quick trip to the nearest takeout restaurant; either our pet is in need of an ear scratching; either we need to scroll for the thousandth time on our favorite social media to see whether there really are seashells on Mars, et cetera and so forth. . .( I don’t think there are seashells on Mars. This is my imagination running wild as it often does!)

There is always an excuse as to why we just can’t get started.

But, as Benjamin Franklin so eloquently put it we may delay but time doesn’t.

Time moves on. Twenty-four hours for each and everyone of us.

It is up to us as to how we are going to prioritize our time.

Time marches on.

How can we maximize our time is the question.

I’ve started writing a schedule in a journal on my desk. I pencil in at least two hours to write on my new novel, poetry book, or short story collection. By writing down my goal I see it as a priority. It is there for me to read and to check off once I have devoted designated time to my priority.

Face it, time will not wait for any of us. For a variety of reasons we delay our movement to our goals. Maybe it is fear of failure that makes us delay.

I forget who said that the surest way to fail is to not start.

So, motivate yourself now while you have time. Unfortunately, time in this beautiful amazing world is limited for all of us. Appreciate the blessing that time is. If you are healthy and capable, be thankful.

Time marches on. Think about what you truly in your heart want to achieve and write it down. Plan and act.

Don’t delay.

Time doesn’t.

A Quote from Emerson

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be-” Ralph Waldo Emerson (keepinspiring.me)

Decisions and choices.

And, consequences of our decisions and our choices.

Some like to argue that we are at the mercy of invisible forces beyond our control: economic, societal, geographical, et cetera and so forth. And, of course, there is some validity to those arguments.

However, at what point do we take charge of our own destinies and put our foot down and decide how we shall live?

When do we decide our own destinies rather than relinquishing our power to invisible forces that tell us that we are weak and something else controls us?

It is certainly not easy in this life with so many factors influencing our lives, but we do have vast reserves of power in our souls. God gave each of us a spirit of courage; we are not to be afraid. We are to be joyous and we are not to give into despair.

We have power. We have power to decide our destinies.

So, the next time you feel that you have limited power remember that you do have power; you have power to decide your destiny.

But, remember there are consequences for each of your actions.

To chart your own destiny is to be prepared to make choices and to accept the consequences of your actions.

So, consider the words of Emerson. Think about your destiny. Who do you want to be? How do you plan to be that person? What daily steps do you plan to take to reach your goals?

Don’t give into despair and relinquish your power. Stand tall, plan, be strong.

Know that God is with you; you are not alone.

Be joyous. Be courageous. Chart your own destiny.

It’s within your power to reach your goals.

Step out on faith; get started.

Now.

Don’t Forget!

Okay, I have previously posted a few times about my novel “Bully Another Day,” I have previously posted about my other books I have written: “Spaces between the Pause” and “Life at the End of the Rainbow” (Poetry), and “Short Stories and Vignettes.”

I write because I love to express myself; I write because I hope that my words can encourage readers to see the world in different perspectives; I write to entertain in the sense that reading can help us escape from our own reality for awhile.

I love to read because it offers me the opportunity to understand the way someone else sees the world; I love to read because it is soothing to just escape sometimes through the pages of a book. A book opens our minds to so many possibilities. We don’t have to agree with everything we read, but we can learn from each book we read. Literature is about learning; it is about experiencing someone else’s view through their unique lens. It is the freedom to express oneself that makes reading and writing so very essential to our existence in this world. We learn from each other. We might not agree, but that’s fine. It’s our uniqueness that makes us all necessary to this beautiful tapestry called life.

So, don’t forget to read my novel “Bully Another Day.” It is on Kindle/Amazon. “Life at the End of the Rainbow” is on Kindle/Amazon, as well. “Spaces between the Pause” and “Short Stories and Vignettes” are available on Amazon but only in paperback at this time. I am still considering putting them on Kindle as an e-book, but I’m not sure.

Anyway, thank you for considering reading my books. Please let me know what you think.

My New Poetry Book: Spaces between the Pause

Okay, everybody, instead of thinking about self-publishing and thinking about how to promote my books, I’ve decided to just go ahead and go for it!

Last night, I wrote my blog about my novel “Bully Another Day,” and tonight I am going to tell you about my poetry book, “Spaces between the Pause.” This is my second poetry book. “Life at the End of the Rainbow” is my first poetry book.

“Spaces between the Pause” includes 50 poems that I have written over the years. It is mostly free verse. The themes include, love, disappointment, self-realization, reconciliation with the past, and the passage of time and how it has impacted me.

Here is a poem about love from the past:

Heartbreak

Plastic honeysuckles in a haphazard bouquet,

you presented to me behind the bleachers, wrapped me up in your team jacket, held me.

Kissed me softly beneath the third floor stairwell until the principal discovered us there and like a love-hating tyrant told us to stop.

Stop what?

Stop?

Stop loving?

What?

You and I were so innocent back then; neither one of us on that chilly January morning in nineteen, seventy-eight knew just how easily a heart could break.

This poem is included in “Spaces between the Pause.”

This poetry book is only in hardback. It is on Amazon books. I am still unsure if I want to include putting books on Kindle. I’d put “Life at the End of the Rainbow” on Kindle, and it was okay. What say you? Do you think I should put my books on Kindle?

I am just so in love with actual books that I can hold in my hand. Kindle is on a computer. I just can’t relax with a Kindle book. Maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, if you are interested in reading my book, you can buy it on Amazon Books. “Spaces between the Pause” by Jenny W. Andrews.

If you do, please leave a review.

Be kind, if you do.

Kindness is what this world is missing.

Thank you in advance for your support.

God’s blessings to you, always.