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Craft Issues
A Halloween Story Challenge So Good It’s Scary
<p>Just in time for Halloween, I share a trick and treat designed to get writers writing (and having fun) in spite of work/life demands.</p>
Jennifer Mason
Oct 31, 20204 min read


The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith
<p>Within these pages, I encountered something I doubt I’ve seen in any other children’s book; something I never though I’d run across; something so shocking, I almost didn’t write this post.</p>
Jennifer Mason
Sep 3, 20203 min read


Lone Author vs Coronavirus Chaos
<p>The challenge: 105,000 spoken words. 110 unique voices. Can I pull it off?</p>
Jennifer Mason
May 21, 20202 min read


My Bearings
<p>The bear track halted my run. It and a string of identical cousins imprinted the sandy trail ahead of me. If I paid no attention to the crescent moons pressed by the claws, the tracks resembled a child’s delicate footprint. Rounded, plump indents. Chubby toes. The cherubic tread traveled north on the trail, the same… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2018/11/21/my-bearings/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">My Bearings</span></
Jennifer Mason
Nov 20, 20183 min read


When the Words Breathe
<p>A five-week beginner meditation class? Right now? In the middle of letting go…processing loss…the death of my wildest dreams? Yes, please! For the first class, I and fifty other beginners settled on the zafu cushions at the local Dharma Center and listened to the instructor’s lectures on mindfulness, the Four Noble Truths, accepting the inevitability… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2018/04/19/when-words-breathe/">Continue reading <span class
Jennifer Mason
Apr 19, 20184 min read


Apocalyptic Planet by Craig Childs
<p>Gearing up to see Al Gore’s return in An Inconvenient Sequel? Be sure to add some good mental trail mix to your rucksack. Childs, Craig. Apocalyptic Planet: Field Guide to the Future of Earth. New York: Vintage, 2012. Print. Genre: narrative nonfiction Summary: Craig Childs travels around the world to showcase the impacts of climate… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/07/25/apocalyptic-planet-by-craig-childs/">Continue reading <span class="
Jennifer Mason
Jul 25, 20173 min read


Bad Girls in the New Age of Wonder Woman
<p>The little girl was mean. She enjoyed being mean. She cussed. She picked fights. She bossed adults around. She was everything a girl is not supposed to be. Girls are supposed to be sugar and spice and everything nice, but this child? Zero grams sugar. Absolutely nothing nice. Spice factor? 100% cayenne pepper. I’m talking… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/06/28/bad-girls-in-the-new-age-of-wonder-woman/">Continue reading <span class="scree
Jennifer Mason
Jun 28, 20175 min read


Chef’s Table (hint: look under the table)
<p>Chef’s Table. Produced by David Gelb, Andrew Fried, et al. Boardwalk Pictures, City Room Creative, FINCH, 2015. Genre: docuseries (cooking…and so much more) Summary:The promoters and producers would have you believe that every episode of Chef’s Table profiles one of the world’s leading chefs for 45-55 minutes accompanied with pleasurably slow, sensuous, sumptuous shots of… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2017/01/05/chefs-tab
Jennifer Mason
Jan 4, 20173 min read


The Pinball Plot
<p>Let’s play a game! A what-if guessing game. What if all your dreams came true in the New Year? What if, instead, your worst nightmares actually happened? What is something you’d never imagine befalling you and what if that very thing occurred? I know. I know. The zen-ists find it terribly unfashionable to play such… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2016/12/30/the-pinball-plot/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">The Pinbal
Jennifer Mason
Dec 29, 20163 min read


Wild by Cheryl Strayed (with a look at structure)
<p>Strayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. New York: Vintage Books, 2013. Print. Genre: memoir (specifically, one of those young-woman-in-crisis-goes-a’-traveling memoirs) Summary: This book is Eat, Pray, Love meets A Walk in the Woods. Despite a mostly impoverished, sometimes rough childhood, Cheryl grew up generally loved by everyone but herself. Soon after… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2016/12/14/wild-by-chery
Jennifer Mason
Dec 14, 20163 min read


When the Sharks Gather
<p>When the Sharks Gather: How Rituals Can Make Us Better Writers Before I write, there’s this little thing that I do. Call it a ritual. I do it the same way every time. And according to neuroscience research, my little ritual is actually priming my brain to deliver a focused and confident writing session. Here’s… <a class="more-link" href="https://jynnemason.com/2016/06/03/when-the-sharks-gather/">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">When the
Jennifer Mason
Jun 3, 20165 min read
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