Women and Adversity, Jessica Strawser, Writer’s Digest Editor-at-Large, Novelist

I ran this blog in October 2017 but decided to run it again and alert readers to her upcoming novel. Her first novel, Almost Missed You, is the story of love, indecision and poor choices. Her second, Not That I Could Tell, is available for pre-order at https://jessicastrawser.com/not-that-i-could-tell.

Jessica’s association with Writer’s Digest, a magazine for writers for nearly a century, goes back to her college days. She was an intern for Writer’s Digest Books while attending the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, OH. As a senior, she was invited to apply for a position and was employed at the magazine upon graduation. She held various posts at Writer’s Digest, worked for other employers and came back to the magazine in 2008. In 2016 she was named Editor-in-Chief and as of September 2017 she scaled back her time and is now editor-at-large so can dedicate time to her family and writing novels.

She graciously answered questions for this blog.

JAM: What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome when you decided to write Almost Missed You?

JS: I wrote Almost Missed You while an earlier novel (one that never sold) was out on submission with my first agent (one who I’d part ways not long after finishing the draft). Crafting this story was, at its best, a fun and creatively freeing distraction from the rejections I was collecting, but of course there were times when it was difficult to soldier forward with self-doubt knocking loudly at the door.

JAM: How did writing it conflict with your job as editorial director at Writer’s Digest?

JS: I would never use the word “conflict” when discussing my personal writing and my professional role at Writer’s Digest. The magazine and its community have been nothing short of a blessing, helping me grow into the writer I am today. Think of it: I’ve spent nearly a decade reading and editing writing advice all day, and working with talented contributors, and interviewing writers I’ve long admired for our cover stories. My writing was of course relegated to odd moments and late-night hours as a result, but it was also ever more inspired thanks to my time at WD.

JAM: What is the biggest obstacle you face now as a novelist?

JS: The pressure that the story I just began must, if I want to honor my commitments, find its way to become a full-fledged, publishable novel takes some getting used to – especially since I’m not much of an advance outliner/planner when it comes to my fiction writing. All any of us can do is keep at it, apply all the muscle we can (but not to the point of fatigue) and keep faith.

Learn more about Jessica and her novels:

https://www.jessicastrawser.com

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2017/03/24/writers-digest-editor-pens-cincy-set-novel/99002150

www.writersdigest.com

https://twitter.com/jessicastrawser

https://www.facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor

Article By: Jo Ann Mathews

I published three ebooks in 2020: Women and Adversity, Honoring 23 Black Women; Women and Adversity, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers; and Women and Adversity, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. These books are meant to be study guides for all students from grade school through college to help in choosing topics for assignments and to learn more about these noteworthy women. Go to amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and goodreads.com to learn more.

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