Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

#85: Student Spotlight: How She Overcame Her Fear of the Blank Page (and Indie Published Her Novel) with Jennifer Lauer

Feb 14, 2023

Guest Jennifer Lauer shares how she overcame fear of the blank page to indie publish her debut novel. Topics include genre change, Twitter pitch contest success, lessons learned, and advice for aspiring writers.

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ANECDOTE

Early Writing

Jennifer Lauer wrote her first book at age six about trees surviving a windy day.
As an adult, she started novel writing seriously ten years ago, transitioning from acting after having kids.

ANECDOTE

Story Inspiration

The initial zoo idea came from observing a child's interaction with a monkey exhibit.
The AI element was inspired by the movie Ex Machina and the idea of reversing the roles.

INSIGHT

Initial Writing Process

Jennifer Lauer initially focused on the psychology of a captive last woman on Earth.
Starting chapters were lists, exploring the mundane and psychological effects of isolation.

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In today's episode, I’m sitting down with Jennifer Lauer to talk through how she overcame her fear of the blank page and indie published her debut novel. Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[03:00] An introduction to Jennifer Lauer and her story, The Girl in the Zoo

[09:30] What the beginning of the writing process looked like for Jennifer—and when she finally realized that her fear of the blank page was preventing her from writing

[14:45] What happened when Jennifer finished the first draft of her book (and changed her genre from love to action)

[26:00] Jennifer’s experience entering a Twitter pitch contest—and how it gave her the courage to submit her pages for a critique on TSNOTYAW podcast

[30:35] Why Jennifer ultimately decided to indie publish her novel (even after getting a positive response from a few industry professionals)

[43:35] The 3 biggest lessons Jennifer learned from this experience (and the advice she’d give to her past self when embarking on this writing journey)

[47:00] Final words of wisdom and advice from Jennifer

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Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Jennifer’s website or follow her on Instagram @jenniferleelauer
Jennifer’s debut novel, The Girl in the Zoo on Amazon
Jennifer’s fiction podcast The Strange Chronicles
The Spun Yarn Beta Reader Service
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Podcast
Dyna Kau (cover designer) and Barbie at Monocle Editing
Joanna Penn’s website
Jane Friedman’s website
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