First Cup of Coffee – July 12, 2024

On having shining boundaries to protect your sacred, creative spaces, even if it makes people angry, which it will. Also, gardening as an extended analogy for writing, how we keep learning and recreating.

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - July 12, 2024

July 12, 2024

Jeffe Kennedy

On having shining boundaries to protect your sacred, creative spaces, even if it makes people angry, which it will. Also, gardening as an extended analogy for writing, how we keep learning and recreating.

The preorder links for RELUCTANT WIZARD, out August 27, are here https://www.jeffekennedy.com/reluctant-wizard

The posture-correcting sports bra I love almost more than life itself is here https://forme.therave.co/37FY6Z5MTJAUKQGA

You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://www.wildandwindybookevent.com/phoenix-authors

Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset

You can always buy print copies of my books from my local indie, Beastly Books! https://www.beastlybooks.com/

If you want to support me and the podcast, click on the little heart or follow this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jeffekennedy).

Sign up for my newsletter here! (https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r2y4b9)

You can watch this podcast on video via YouTube https://youtu.be/NB4I_2hf6J8

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!



First Cup of Coffee – May 27, 2024

Happy 10th Anniversary to THE MARK OF THE TALA! I’m talking about why that was a milestone book for me and the journey from crack ho to the rise of #Romantasy. Also being an intuitive writer and how that impacts my process, especially revision. And balancing a traditional publishing career with an indie one.

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - May 27, 2024

May 27, 2024

Jeffe Kennedy

Happy 10th Anniversary to THE MARK OF THE TALA! I'm talking about why that was a milestone book for me and the  journey from crack ho to the rise of #Romantasy. Also being an intuitive writer and how that impacts my process, especially revision. And balancing a traditional publishing career with an indie one.

The posture-correcting sports bra I love almost more than life itself is here https://forme.therave.co/37FY6Z5MTJAUKQGA

You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://www.wildandwindybookevent.com/phoenix-authors

Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset

You can always buy print copies of my books from my local indie, Beastly Books! https://www.beastlybooks.com/

If you want to support me and the podcast, click on the little heart or follow this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jeffekennedy).

Sign up for my newsletter here! (https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r2y4b9)

You can watch this podcast on video via YouTube https://youtu.be/qA3iKjzDdLk

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!



First Cup of Coffee – May 24, 2024

I’m filling you all in on my editorial meeting with my Tor editors and my agent and, as requested, explaining what it’s like to discuss an upcoming contracted book with only an amorphous idea, as I don’t/can’t outline ahead.

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - May 24, 2024

May 24, 2024

Jeffe Kennedy

I'm filling you all in on my editorial meeting with my Tor editors and my agent and, as requested, explaining what it's like to discuss an upcoming contracted book with only an amorphous idea, as I don't/can't outline ahead.

The posture-correcting sports bra I love almost more than life itself is here https://forme.therave.co/37FY6Z5MTJAUKQGA

You can buy tickets for Wild & Windy in Phoenix (February 2025) here https://www.wildandwindybookevent.com/phoenix-authors

Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset

You can always buy print copies of my books from my local indie, Beastly Books! https://www.beastlybooks.com/

If you want to support me and the podcast, click on the little heart or follow this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jeffekennedy).

Sign up for my newsletter here! (https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r2y4b9)

You can watch this podcast on video via YouTube https://youtu.be/BIVt2EOuskc

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!



First Cup of Coffee – January 29, 2024

The TWISTED MAGIC audiobook is live! Also sharing a call for authors influenced by Tanith Lee. And why I think classes teaching “plotting for pantsers” are damaging to intuitive writers, and other thoughts on process.

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024

Jeffe Kennedy

The TWISTED MAGIC audiobook is live! Also sharing a call for authors influenced by Tanith Lee. And why I think classes teaching "plotting for pantsers" are damaging to intuitive writers, and other thoughts on process.

Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset

You can always buy print copies of my books from my local indie, Beastly Books! https://www.beastlybooks.com/

If you want to support me and the podcast, click on the little heart or follow this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jeffekennedy).

Sign up for my newsletter here! (https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r2y4b9)

You can watch this podcast on video via YouTube https://youtu.be/Z_dTS6Rxvts

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!



First Cup of Coffee – September 15, 2023

Great week for me! Talking about being up front with my new editor on how I *can’t* write an outline, a bit about knife-throwing and learning to relish failure as much as success, and the monsoon rains of autumn.

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023

Jeffe Kennedy

Great week for me! Talking about being up front with my new editor on how I *can't* write an outline, a bit about knife-throwing and learning to relish failure as much as success, and the monsoon rains of autumn.

Join my Patreon and Discord for mentoring, coaching, and conversation with me! Find it at https://www.patreon.com/JeffesCloset

ROGUE FAMILIAR out now! https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar The Audiobook is also out here https://www.audible.com/pd/Rogue-Familiar-Audiobook/B0CB1Y9B7Q?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-357495&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_357495_rh_us

Read the Falling Under books  in Kindle Unlimited! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1ZMDW1Y

If you want to support me and the podcast, click on the little heart or follow this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jeffekennedy).

Sign up for my newsletter here! (https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r2y4b9)

You can watch this podcast on YouTube here https://youtu.be/Vk-PdkBHRY8

Support the show

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!



Chapters and Scenes: Determining How Long They Should Be


This week at the SFF Seven, we’re talking about Managing Word Count. Do we rewrite to hit a certain number? Do we have a chapter/scene word allotment?

So, a lot of you know that one of my nicknames is the Meticulous Volcano. This comes from me being born on the Leo/Virgo cusp, which a friend informed me makes me a meticulous volcano and they’re not wrong. I really am half and half – and this shows up in many ways. Yes, I have the passionate Leo nature, but I’m also the detail-oriented lover of spreadsheets. In my writing, this manifests in my total, far-end gardener/pantser/write for discovery process, which I track down to the tiniest detail, with charts.

Do I have a chapter/scene word allotment? Yes, I do. It varies from book to book – something I land on intuitively – with some books and series running to longer chapters and some to shorter. The shortest chapters, which creates a brisker pace, are generally about 6-7 pages long, or about 1,700 words. Longer chapters give a more epic feel, a more luxurious pace, and can be as long as 23 pages (my record) and about 7K words long. On average, however, I keep longer chapters to around 16 pages or 4,500 words.

For scenes, I follow the 3-Act 8-scene structure, which looks like this:

Act 1 Scene 1 12.5% Initial set-up, establishing shot, life before
Act 1 climax Scene 2 25.0% All stakes are set
Act 2 Scene 3 37.5%
Midpoint Scene 4 50.0% Midpoint pivot
Scene 5 62.5%
Act 2 climax Scene 6 75.0% All is lost
Scene 7 87.5% often the same as Act III climax
Act 3 climax 90.0% Final climax
Scene 8 100.0% Denouement, life after

Mostly I use this structure as a series of guideposts, to know where I am as I write the book, which is always linear, from beginning to end. And this helps me to predict when I’ll finish. Once I have Scene 1 complete, I can predict the final word count (8 times the word count of Scene 1). This number is solidified once I have Act 1 in place. Generally my books are 85K – 120K words long, so how long the individual segments are varies from about 11K to 15K words.

In truth, “segment” is probably a better word than “scene,” as applies to my novels. This structure is from screenwriting, so scenes can be more or less a single sequence. For me, a scene in this context is a contiguous segment of the story, one where a particular mini-arc is begun and completed.

As for rewriting to tighten the shape? Sometimes I do that. Usually not. I often worry that some segment will bulge out and need trimming, but it usually is fine by the end. Sometimes I break up chapters or trim parts that go on too long. Mostly I let the numbers be a loose guideline and I decided intuitively how to edit.

 

Learning to Love the Winter Garden

Our topic this week at the SFF Seven is, verbatim, On Your Mind (Winter).

So, I’m posting a photo I took this morning from the winter garden. We’ve had a mild winter, and the secret garden is walled and makes a protected microclimate, so I actually have a winter garden.

Some of you may know that I love to garden. I mention it in interviews when I’m asked what I do that isn’t reading or writing. Gardening is a big piece. It sounds like a small thing when I say it, but nurturing a garden, planning it, spending time in it, all shape how I live.

I became interested in the concept of a winter garden back when I lived in Wyoming and winters were so very bleak. The idea is to plan a garden with the entire season in mind. It’s easier to envision the spring flowers, the midsummer lushness, adding in the plants that bloom in the autumn, but thinking toward the largely leafless winter is a different kind of vision. What plants bring visual interest in their starker, hibernating states? What offers spots of color in a more monochromatic landscape?

Part of the trick is loving the winter garden for what it is, not trying to replicate the garden of warmer seasons.

I think this is a metaphor for a great deal in our lives, as gardens tend to be.

First Cup of Coffee – August 20, 2021

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - August 20, 2021

August 20, 2021

Jeffe Kennedy

A shout out to L. Penelope on the release of REQUIEM OF SILENCE. Also repairing Grace Draven's rep and a discussion of process types and why pre-plotting and outlining isn't the only or even best way to write a book.

You can find Leslye Penelope's REQUIEM OF SILENCE here (https://lpenelope.com/book/requiem-of-silence/).

Check out the gorgeous cover for THE DRAGON'S DAUGHTER AND THE WINTER MAGE! You can preorder the book here (https://jeffekennedy.com/the-dragon-s-daughter-and-the-winter-mage).

Find DARK WIZARD and BRIGHT FAMILIAR here (https://jeffekennedy.com/series/bonds-of-magic), the Forgotten Empires trilogy here (https://jeffekennedy.com/series/forgotten-empires), and the Heirs of Magic books here (https://jeffekennedy.com/series/heirs-of-magic).

If you want to support me and the podcast, click on the little heart or follow this link (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jeffekennedy).

You can watch this podcast on YouTube here (https://youtu.be/Wac8cE6Wt64).

First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!



First Cup of Coffee – February 9, 2021

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - February 9, 2021

February 09, 2021

Jeffe Kennedy

What to do when the well runs dry (and other analogies for writer's block). Also news on print copies of THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE, love for DARK WIZARD and why I didn't post yesterday.

You can check out the Freethinker's Corner bookstore here.

First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!

First Cup of Coffee – December 10, 2020

First Cup of Coffee with Jeffe Kennedy

First Cup of Coffee - December 10, 2020

December 10, 2020

Jeffe Kennedy

Geeking out over structure today - of a book and a series - and extending the analogy of being an architect or a gardener. All spurred by being nearly done with THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE.

First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Support the show

Contact Jeffe!

Find me on Threads
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!