Episode 19: Creating vs. Consuming with Jenny Bravo

Jenny Bravo is the self-published author of These Are the Moments and the blogger behind Blots and Plots, a motivational blog for readers and writers. We're chatting with Jenny about being intentional with your time, balancing creation with consumption, building the dreaded author platform, and crappy first drafts.
Here's where you can find Jenny:
Check out Jenny's website, Blots and Plots, for plenty of writing resources. Don't forget to download your free book at Jenny Bravo Books! You can also catch Jenny on Twitter and Instagram.
Here's where you can find Abbigail:
Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbigailekriebs/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inkwellsandimages/
Here's where you can find Ashley:
Website: www.brookseditorial.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial
Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial
Quotes from the episode

“If you want to write a novel, you really should be writing something
that means a lot to you.” --- Jenny
“Once I made the decision to write something I knew and was confident
in, I went from there.” --- Jenny
“You’re not going to learn how to write a novel until you’re actually
writing through it.” --- Jenny
“[Writing sprints on Twitter] really motivated me to get the writing
done.” --- Jenny
“If you want to actually make all these things happen, you’re going to
have to find space in your day.” --- Jenny
“If it’s something you really want to do and you really care about,
you’ll find the time.” --- Jenny
“We can’t always be consuming stories if we ever want to create our
own.” --- Ashley
“If I’m writing a book, I’m not going to be reading another
contemporary romance book because I don’t want that to filter into my
own writing.” --- Jenny
“Just have some quiet time where you can be with your own thoughts and
not with other people’s thoughts.” --- Jenny
“Consuming too much content can really put us at a disadvantage when
it comes to creating our own.” --- Abbigail
“I like to put in at least an hour of work/writing time per day.” ---
Jenny
“Being honest and having conversations with the people in your life.
Saying ‘Look, this is important to me, and maybe you don’t fully
understand what it is, but I need time to work and to write.’ “---
Jenny
“Being by other people gives you new ideas and new perspectives.” ---
Ashley
“Everyone has a unique experience and relationship with the world. I
would be doing a disservice to people who are reading my book and to
the art itself if I were cocky enough to think I could create
everything on my own and not have this dialogue with other people who
have had way different life experiences.” --- Jenny
“Our first drafts are just going to be really awful . . . After I got
that out of my system, I could write something people would actually
want to read.” --- Jenny
“If you don’t at least start something, you’re never going to be able
to work to improve it.” --- Ashley
On blogging: “I never wanted to be teaching people things that I
hadn’t experienced myself.” --- Jenny
“Instead of focusing on ‘How do I build this big following?’ focus on
‘How do I meet people who are really inspiring, and how do I meet
people I can have honest conversations about writing with?’ “ ---
Jenny
“Those are my two main things: Having a website where people can find
you, and being on Twitter where people can have a conversation with
you.” --- Jenny

Mini Book Club
Now and Again by Jennifer Ellision
Vinyl by Sophia Elaine Hanson
Secrets Don't Keep by Elora Ramirez
Write without Crushing Your Soul: Sustainable Publishing and Freelancing by Ed Cyzewski
The Charismatics by Ashley R. Carlson
The Color of Water in July by Nora Carroll