Lit Lessons on Flight School

Welcome into Flight School:

When All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr released, the hype drew me in. Like many others, I invested in the hardcover and zoomed through this oh-so-promising book. Near the end, I noticed something that seemed impossible. The story fell apart.

What happened?

Fast forward many years:

* I’m now crafting my own historical novel.

* I’ve taught creative writing for ten years.

This teaching is about what I’ve learned by doing both, and yes, All the Light fizzled because Doerr did not understand the crucial underpinnings of structure and plot. He missed the mark.

You will not learn about “missing the mark” in your MFA, you will not hear an editor or a book doctor explain it, and you’ll never hear a publisher talk about it (publishers hit the mark with hype and getting you to buy the book).

But if you are a writer (like me) who wants to create a memorable and life-changing book, you want to know this. Watch this teaching and learn.

Handouts:

A few books that go the distance:

The Underground Railroad & The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (genius)

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Jane Eyre by C. Bronte

Tale of Two Cities by C. Dickens.

✍️Your turn:

Can you name a book that you felt flopped near the end? Share, and share what you think went wrong.

Or, share a book that you felt totally went the distance for you, and why.

My greatest hope is to save you from making the same mistake in your own work. Thank you for being with me for this teaching.

~ Jennifer, 🐦‍⬛

Welcome into Flight School:

I hope you enjoy watching this rich, insightful, touching conversation of the six-week Light Keeper’s Challenge.

I created the Light Keeper’s Challenge to help myself and others shine the light on our creative lives amidst darkening days and a flurry of festivities. I was able to finish a draft of my novel, read the whole of it and set my revision plan. I also finished The Summer of ‘72. All the chapters now in and posted with a surprising up-twist in the final chapter not even I saw coming.

Six Key Takeaways for Your Creative Journey:

SAVOR CONSISTENCY: Tracy evolved from "background participant" to fully engaged creator, developing a deep understanding of her creative rhythms and practical tools for managing overwhelm - from barefoot grounding walks to intentional rest periods.

CLAIM THE WORK: Karina embraced her challenging memoir work with a powerful mantra: "The work I am not at liberty to quit." Her discovery of silent group writing sessions provided both structure and community, helping her push through self-doubt.

UNDERSTAND RHYTHMS: Amy recognized her early morning creative energy while learning to embrace writing in smaller moments throughout the day. She's now ready to move beyond article writing to tackle deeper, more challenging work.

BUILD FOUNDATIONS: Jill transformed her book from idea to reality by prioritizing writing over morning social media. Using concrete tools like the W chart from Bones and scene from Scene & Exposition teachings, plus evening reading of her work to spark next-day creativity, she's created sustainable progress.

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY: Kristi courageously accepted being "on the bottom rung" again with her newsletter, drawing wisdom from her past as a nursing teacher - remembering that mastery comes through consistent practice.

TAKE THE LEAP: Kat made the bold decision to resign from freelance work to fully commit to her writing, viewing creativity itself as an act of resistance while reclaiming her artistic identity as a mother. Jennifer noted the exceptional quality and momentum already present in her work.

The Light Keeper's Legacy:

Surging into the holiday ahead, here are a few key takeaway to consider:

* Find strength in community by taking a class. Bones is coming in Feb

* Find the courage to prioritize creative work

* Give yourself permission to begin again, as often as needed

Your Turn:

You may have missed our last meeting, or have been in the background and not yet ready to join in but I’d still love to hear from you. Let me know some of your own “light keeping” strategies.

BONUS: Let me know what you need in the form of support in the next year and I’ll shape my next challenge around those needs.

Thanks for being here, Jennifer 🐦‍⬛

Hi and welcome into Flight School:

There's a moment in writing when the world cracks open. Not with the thunderous drama of revelation, but with the quiet gasp of recognition. As a New York Times bestselling author and writing teacher these two decades, I've witnessed this countless times - writers pause mid-sentence, their voices catch, and tears welling up as they read work they themselves created.

"How does this happen?" they ask, bewildered. "I wrote this. I know this story. I didn't weep when I created it... so why now?"

The quiet gift of your creation

Your work holds the power to knock on the door of what lies beneath. When our words carry more weight than we expected, when they break us open in ways we didn't anticipate, it's an invitation to step closer, to explore more deeply, to enter into relationship with parts of ourselves we may have been too busy, too afraid, or too distracted to fully witness.

Writing, particularly in scene, then becomes an unexpected act of compassionate, witnessing love. Every scene I've written has broken my heart open to the person I used to be - not because that person was lacking, but because I can finally see the full dimension of my lived experience. Not just the thoughts, but the complete expression of that moment of time.

Busy, busy, too busy to feel

In a world where we maintain impossibly high standards for ourselves, where self-criticism often drowns out self-compassion, scene writing offers a profound opportunity to be fully present with ourselves, to capture the wholeness of who we are and were. this is why I've never gone back to read anything I've written, even pieces I once judged harshly by my admittedly exacting standards as a writing teacher at the time, without falling absolutely in love with the person on the page.

It's the kind of love a mother offers - unconditional, seeing beauty in every stage of growth, cherishing both the stumbles and the triumphs. Perhaps this is why I'm so deeply drawn to scene work: In a life where visibility felt scarce, writing scene became my way of truly seeing myself. It is, I've come to realize, the ultimate act of mothering - creating a space where every part of our story is witnessed, held, and loved.

Cope with the reality of what creative writing offers

When writing cracks us open, when it carries more emotion than we anticipated, it's not a flaw in our craft. It's an invitation to draw closer, to explore more deeply, to write our way into greater understanding. Every word becomes a love letter to our future self, every scene a moment of profound witness to who we were and who we are becoming.

This is the unexpected medicine of creative work - not just what it produces on the page, but how it transforms the writer in the process. When we answer that knock at the door, when we follow where the emotion leads, we often find ourselves in territory more sacred than we imagined possible.

💌 Your turn:

I'd love to hear your story of being truly seen - either by your mother or by someone who offered that mothering presence in your life. Head over to the subscriber chat (below) and share a photo of your mother or that special person who saw you, along with:

* A moment when you felt completely seen and held in your truth

* Or a time when someone unexpected stepped into that mothering role and gave you the gift of recognition

A turn toward our writing: What story is gently (or not so gently) asking for your attention right now? What piece of your journey feels ready to be witnessed on the page? Share a single line in the comments (or on the chat) about what you might explore if you gave yourself permission to write it.

Remember: Sometimes the stories that make us most nervous are the ones that hold the deepest gifts.

Thanks for being with me, Jennifer 🐦‍⬛

Welcome into Flight School:

There's a moment in every writer's journey when the fantasy of being an author collides with the reality of becoming one. It's like stepping into a cathedral of creativity where the stained glass windows are made of your own vulnerabilities, each pane illuminating a different shade of your creative truth.

The Evolution of Artistic Growth

The path from aspiring writer to published author isn't a sprint—it's a carefully orchestrated marathon. As Ernest Hemingway once noted, "The first draft of anything is garbage." But what happens after that first draft is where the real transformation begins.

Our writer's journey begins in Flight School, where raw talent meets structured guidance. This foundation leads to the Blackbird Studio, where writers undertake two pivotal programs: Bones of Storytelling and Scene and Exposition. These aren't just courses; they're initiations into the sacred art of storytelling.

The Workshop Experience: Where Vulnerability Meets Growth

"Writing is a solitary act, but becoming a writer is a communal journey."

- Annie Dillard

In our curated workshops, twelve writers gather in a creative crucible that spans 15 to 30 weeks. Every three weeks, they present up to 1,500 words of their work—raw, honest, vulnerable work—to be examined under the careful eye of experienced mentors and peers.

The feedback process? It's not for the faint of heart. Picture yourself as a writer standing nose-to-bark in your forest of words. The workshop is the hand that gently pulls you back, allowing you to see your creation through twelve different pairs of eyes. This perspective shift can be jarring, even painful, but it's where true growth begins.

The Emotional Laboratory: Processing Creative Feedback

What makes receiving feedback so challenging isn't just the critique itself—it's how it resonates with our deepest insecurities. When feedback touches these tender spots, it can trigger what I call the "not-enough-ness" response—a feeling that may have roots in our earliest experiences of inadequacy.

Here's a transformative exercise for when feedback feels overwhelming:

* Pause and breathe

* Ask yourself: "When did I first feel this 'not enough' sensation?"

* Journal about that first memory

* Transform that vulnerability into character development

This emotional archaeology isn't just therapeutic—it's creative gold. Your deepest wounds often become your most powerful stories.

The Promise of Transformation

Having published five books, a passel of essays, and now working my tenth draft of a novel, I have taken this journey many times and have guided countless writers along the way. I can testify that the suffering of creation is profound, but so is the reward. Like a phoenix rising from creative ashes, each workshop cycle brings writers closer to their authentic voice…if they hold steady, if they trust, if they carry on.

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, remember that every great writer you admire has walked this path of creative transformation. The workshop isn't just about improving your craft—it's about becoming the writer you're meant to be.

Thanks for being here, Jennifer

PS: Post a comment about your own workshop experiences! Or join us on the subscriber chat!

Welcome into Flight School:

The holiday season arrives like clockwork, beginning with Thanksgiving's starting pistol that sends us racing toward our families. While these gatherings bring joy and connection, they can also threaten to dim the creative light we've worked so hard to maintain in our Light Keepers Challenge. What if this year could be different? What if your writing practice could actually enhance—rather than compete with—your holiday experience?

Your Family Gathering→A Writer's Laboratory

Instead of seeing family time as an interruption to your writing, consider it your personal writer's laboratory. That quirky uncle, the tension-filled dinner table, the way your sister gestures while telling stories—it's all creative fuel waiting to be captured.

How to Transform Family Time into Creative Gold:

For Dialogue Masters-in-Training: Bring your journal and become the family conversation collector. When someone asks what you're doing, be honest: you're recording literary gold. They might raise eyebrows at first, but soon enough, they'll forget you're documenting their words—and that's when the real gems appear.

For Character Development: The more challenging the relative, the richer the opportunity. That person who drives you crazy? They're giving you a masterclass in character development. Notice their mannerisms, their choice of clothes, their gestures.

For Setting and Atmosphere: Practice being the director of your holiday scene. Look up, down, left, and right. What makes this space unique? Document the knick-knacks, the worn spots on the furniture, the way light falls through windows. These details aren't just decorative—they're the fabric of your future scenes.

For Emotional Storytelling: Watch the arc of your gathering unfold. Notice how the energy shifts from arrival ("We've missed you so much!") to departure ("Finally, some peace and quiet!"). This is the stuff of story—the hope, the reality, the moments where dreams and truth collide.

Embrace the Creative Opportunity

You're not just attending a family gathering—you're conducting field research. By keeping your writer's eye active, you never lose track of your creative self in the holiday whirlwind. Instead of fighting against the season's demands, you're using them to fuel your work.

The most successful writers are keen observers of life. This holiday season, don't just survive your family gatherings—use them. Let your creative light shine even brighter by finding the stories within the chaos.

To help you out, join our subscriber chat and keep the conversation going. Check in over your holiday! Share those moments of victory and challenge!

Thanks for being with me and keep on writing, Jennifer 🐦‍⬛

Welcome into Flight School:

Through these recent chapters of The Summer of '72, first Lungs and now Closing the Gates, we've witnessed how true healing often works—not as a single dramatic moment, but as a carefully charted journey through the body's own wisdom.

The First Landmark: Breathe and Release

When Abrams first "unfolded" me, I discovered that my own healing began with oxygen. Like mountain climbers adjusting to altitude, we must take in air before we can climb higher. Those first needle pricks weren't just about physical pain I experienced in the past—they were about releasing years of held breath, held trauma, held life.

The Second Station: Heart's Guardians

In that second session, Abrams worked on the heart's territory—not just the physical muscle, but the spiritual center where boundaries are both created and crossed. Through Abrams' simple drawing, I learned that some gates need closing before others can safely open. That loving others doesn't mean leaving our hearts unguarded.

Third Stop: The Gut

Next week, picking up on the story, there’s another stop on my healing course, the gut, and that chapter will drop soon, but I wanted to pause so that this memoir (and any decent memoir you read) can do it’s primary job which is help you think about your own inner map. Lungs. Heart. Gut. Are all well in your interior landscape? Do they work in harmony? Or are they at war?

Healing is a journey. A long one. Longer than I could have ever imagined but I’ve learned that it’s also a lot like teaching people to become great writers. It’s one lesson at a time, and each builds on the one that came before. With healing, it’s like this: Conquer one territory and, in doing so, prepare for the next.

Teaching Points from The Summer of ‘72:

True healing is reciprocal:

* The healer as guide, not savior.

* The body's wisdom as compass.

* Trust rebuilt through gentle attention.

Signs you're on the right path:

* Tears that come without story.

* Breath that reaches deeper.

* Boundaries that feel like protection, not imprisonment.

* Strength returning in unexpected ways.

A Note to Fellow Travelers

You might recognize this landscape where trauma has redrawn your internal maps, where trust feels like a foreign country, and where healing seems impossibly far away. I want you to know: your body remembers the way home. Like my journey with Abrams shows, healing isn't about forcing new paths but about rediscovering the ones that were always there.

Sometimes we need guides—not to tell us where to go, but to help us read the maps we already hold. To remind us that tears can be coordinates pointing toward home, that boundaries can be beautiful, that breath itself can be a compass pointing toward healing.

For Those Still Finding Their Way

Remember: This map is both ancient and new. Your journey will have its own landmarks, its own pace, and its own revelations. But the territory of healing follows patterns we can learn to trust. Let your breath be your first guide. Then, let your heart show you which gates to close, which to open. Trust that each step prepares you for the next.

The path through trauma isn't linear but spirals like breath, circles like protection around a heart, and delivers healing through the body. You can heal. You can find your way home.

Thanks for being with me, and please, share your own discoveries on the healing journey. I’m listening.

🐦‍⬛, Jennifer

The Light-Keeper's Challenge: A Creative Anchor

When the holiday season threatens to dim your creative light, Flight School offers soul-level sustenance for your writing practice. Join me and a community of dedicated writers as we maintain our creative connection during the year's most challenging season.

Save the Dates: November 1 - December 15

* Daily creative touchstones to keep your writing flame burning

* Soul-nurturing writing tips and insights that go beyond craft

* A supportive community of fellow truth-seekers maintaining their creative practice

* Intimate glimpses into my own journey as I craft my WWI Italian novel

* The accountability and encouragement needed to emerge from the holiday season with your story further along, not forgotten

Why This Challenge Matters:

The holiday season often becomes a creative black hole, swallowing our writing intentions whole. But your stories matter too much to lose momentum. Fresh from our successful summer "Get It Done" challenge (which filled our Blackbird Studio foundation classes!), we're creating another sanctuary of purpose and practice.

Who Should Join:

* Writers seeking soul-level sustenance during the busy holiday season

* Storytellers who know their work deserves consistent attention

* Creative spirits wanting to transform potential holiday disruption into productive writing time

* Anyone ready to be part of a community that values depth over empty encouragement

Ready to Keep Your Creative Light Burning?

I’ll launch this challenge with a hello meeting Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:00 a.m. We’ll say hello, introduce ourselves, detail our project and our hope for this challenge and get to work!

A serious writer recognizes she needs community and accountability. Join us for six weeks of soul-deep storytelling support and emerge from the holiday season with your creative spirit not just intact, but flourishing.

Can’t wait to get started? Write in the comment box NOW, tell me you’re in and what you need to keep your light shining on for next six weeks.

I’m here and will write back soon,

~ Jennifer, 🐦‍⬛

PS: Flight School is soul-level sustenance for serious writers. My goal is to nourish both craft and calling, and to transform passionate writers into purposeful storytellers. Being part of this challenge and my growing community helps you and the world via the work you create. If you find value here, please help by Share Flight School with three creative writing pals. Thanks.

Welcome into Flight School:

On a structure chart The Summer of ‘72 has passed the inciting incident or the moment when the hero’s journey changes due to a shocking incident that creates chaos: Attack on Rick after he made Josephine throw up. We’ve also hopped the first plot point when the hero makes a decision: After the car wreck, Jennifer resolves to go it alone and fix something within herself that is broken.

Summer now moves into First Level Response which shows the hero using the same strategies, in different forms, from Part One.

In Part One it was calling on her former husband for help despite their unresolved past, leaning into Fran, seeing a nutty couples therapist, and stress-knitting.

In the First Level Response, Jennifer now lets go of her belief in her former husband’s support (after the power is shut off by Rick), she ignores debilitating pain from the car accident that takes away her knitting habit, continues her reliance on Fran who is clearly pulling away, maintains old routines like keeping Rick’s manic chickens, and hires a flip-flopping attorney.

First Level Response is a short but necessary part of all story and should be a swinging pendulum of tension. When Jennifer steps into Abrams office, doing the opposite of what she claimed she would ever do, things change once again.

The Power of the Midpoint

All midpoints are about the same thing: The hero is leveled by the antagonistic forces and must learn new skills in order to overcome those forces in the climatic action.

* The reader now learns the story behind the story and gets necessary context for the hero’s unnerving and perplexing behavior.

* The reader realizes the story is not about a marriage on the rocks, or bad decisions a particular type of woman makes, but about the very foundations of our protagonist who has a big, unsolved problem: Complex PTSD (coming next week).

* The reader is gifted with a fuller sense of the ominous dark forces at work and shows you the actual battle the hero faces.

New tools are also given to our hero. This is why I have the chicken whisperer (Trish) and Gus Abrams join the story. They replace former and ineffective allies: Fran, Steve, and Rick.

Gus Abrams also enables Jennifer to expand her greatest (but latent) superpower shown at Plot Point One, her foundational relationship with a higher divine power. She admits to Abrams she’s given up on the God of her childhood despite being baptized, confirmed, married and then given an annulment in that tradition. But has she given up?

Maybe not!

Character Archetypes

As I was editing for publication this week, I thought a lot about Fran who might come off like a bad person for this act of betrayal, but in truth, she’s playing a vital role as light alter-ego/friend/companion to Jennifer.

“…these types are always characters of roughly similar age or status to the hero or heroine who stands as the light equivalents of the Dark Rivals or the Dark Alter Ego. They’re not rivals, but friends and allies who help the hero or heroine toward their goal. The real point of these allies is that they act to reinforce the hero’s own powers and qualities. The role in the story is to act as an extension of the hero himself.”

~ Christopher Booker, The Seven Basic Plots

🐦‍⬛ Other character archetypes are here if you want to check them out and I hope you will because they are amazing.

Fran’s decision to tell the truth about the beer…

* Reinforces the hero's powers and qualities (Jennifer didn’t want to lie, as you might recall).

* Holds Jennifer to a higher moral standard.

* Ultimately pushes Jennifer to find more effective allies.

Look, in real life, Fran did pull this flip, and yes, you can bet I was hurt, and bitter, but now I understand the inner workings of story, I am so grateful she did that. It makes the story so much better and I didn’t have to invent or massage anything! It happened. Plus, Fran’s withdrawal now frees Jennifer to rise above being a victim and be truly heroic which is the whole point.

Thanks for being with me,

🐦‍⬛ Jennifer

Hi Flyers:

“You can be as mad as a dog at the ways things went, you can swear and curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.”

~Captain Mike’s death speech in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I was as mad as a dog. I swore. I cursed the fates. It wasn’t a battle on the high seas but the rejection of a novel I felt sure would sell.

Here’s what the powers that be at over two dozen major publishing houses had to say:

2020-2021

The Home Tree was in it’s ninth revision when the world tipped off its axis into lockdowns. My agent and I forged ahead driven by the motto: "Done, dusted, and sold.”

Meanwhile, my daughter lost her senior year in high school and all social connections. Then, she faced a difficult health decision before college, one that conflicted with her pre-existing condition.

Engaged in complex, life-altering discussions, I was far less than my best self—yelling, crying, pleading (and this was mostly me, not her) fueled by my maniacal desire to finish and sell the damn book.

Then came the rejections.

Game over.

Today: The Lessons of Rejection

#1: Feel the pain. There is clarifying pain in rejection, especially around a project that’s taken years. If you can face that sharp pin-point of rejection, you will emerge a better person—and writer.

#2: Change. Be honest with yourself. Was it about the book, some inhumanity within yourself, or a combo of both?

#3: Distance. Walk away until the voices go silent—your agent’s, your editors’, your own.

#4: Regroup: Eventually, decide if you want to take another swing at it or be done. If it is the former, re-group from the initial enthusiasm that made you want to write the book in the first place. Cultivate that enthusiasm, nurture it, see how it has changed, evolved, matured.

#5: Go. Get back to work!

2023

I applied all five lessons. The first two were brutal but transformative: I moved to a cabin in the woods, deepened my spirituality, healed deep set reactive patterns, and atoned with my beautiful daughter.

Last summer, I took my next swing and rewrote with only two POV characters and a tighter plot. At 70,000 words, it fell apart. I realized I was writing about Catholic characters in a Catholic country and knew very little about Catholicism. This meant reading the Bible and the Catechism which took the rest of the summer. Then I discovered my years of deep, unhealed fury at that same Catholic Church, and even God. I had to stop writing and do more internal work around spiritual reconciliation and growth.

2024

This summer I started again with my favorite and primary character, Vincenzo. I am now rewriting his story that parallels my own: Immature spirituality and a hard conversion via the pain.

New title, new focus, new plan.

I’m 46,000 words into the re-write of The Man Born with Seven Shirts. Which is dialect term for someone who is born lucky.

I’m now re-reading all those editorial comments from 2021, ready to fully digest the important feedback offered by the pros.

All of this personal growth, reconciliation, maturing of my creative process, and overcoming setbacks happened thanks to rejection.

Today, I’m no longer cursing but giving thanks.

Your Turn:

* When were you rejected in a way that brought you to your knees?

* What did you do with that moment?

* Post in the comments and I will write back.

Thanks for being with me, Jennifer 🐦‍⬛

Welcome back:

…every author attests to the two states of writing—inspiration and waiting for inspiration.

These words from the chapter titled A Novel of Your Own (I) of 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley become the overarching truth for our ten week “Get it Done" Challenge that launched July 1. Rather than waiting, we create inspiration through accountability.

What you have here is a collective of writers who have detailed their project, set word count goals and check in each day.

Working on what I hope is the final draft of a historic novel I’ve worked on (and off) for ten years, I’ve set the bar pretty high at 12,000 words a week, or 2000 words a day. Others come in a few hundred.

The above video highlights the work of a some of the writers (we have a dozen here) and at the end are some thoughts about the evolving process of creation.

On drafting your novel:

Continuing with Jane Smiley and her terrific book, she writes a couple more things worthy of sharing.

One is that to do this kind of writing, it’s helpful to have a clear understanding of what she calls the “novel writing pyramid of skill”:

It might seem daunting to imagine you need to learn all this as part of your creative writing, but the point is more that when you hit the wall (or ceiling), it could be because you need to do a bit of study on a particular area of the pyramid.

Hint, hint, come take Bones of Storytelling where we cover all of Smiley’s categories and more! (Here’s a free first class so you don’t feel I’m trying to lure you. I’m not. The class simply rocks.)

Snippets of advice from Smiley:

* The trick is to make your material so fascinating that you cannot stay away from it, so intriguing that you ignore negative feelings and second thoughts, so rich with interest that the concepts of “good” or “bad” hardly occur to you.

* I advise against rewriting, except for grammar and clarity until you have the whole arc of the novel complete.

* Each day, you sit down to your work, re-read what you wrote the day before, correct the spelling and untangle thoughts you no longer understand…and get on with it.

* A novel comes alive, even to its author, as it precipitates on the page. If you prevent it from going forward by polishing each bit, it’s much hard for it to take on its own being.

* …write through to the end of the rough draft, in spite of time constraints, second thoughts, self-doubts, and judgements of all kinds…

***Note, if you are writing creative non-fiction, simply apply that term in place of novel.

If you need support, the challenge is going strong. Come on over.

🐦‍⬛ See you there, Jennifer