Jana Van der Veer
Bio
Book and mindset coach for writers. Book lover, chocoholic. Go to www.setyourmuseonfire.com to grab your copy of 10 Questions to Ask to Get Unstuck at Any Stage of the Writing Process!
Stories (13)
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Hello, Bear!
I hope I see some bears while I’m here. That was the main thought in my head as I pulled into a long dirt driveway in the backwoods of northern Minnesota. I’d flown to Minneapolis-St. Paul from Boston, rented a car, and driven the rest of the way. It had been a long day, and the late afternoon sun slanted through the branches of the surrounding trees.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Photography
Rebirth — from a Year of Chaos, Grief, and Uncertainty
On February 5, 2020, I raced through a blinding snowstorm in the middle of the night to be at my mother’s hospital bedside. I wasn’t sure she’d still be alive by the time I got there (a five hour drive turned into a seven hour drive by the snow). I’d last seen her two weeks earlier, writing in the Gratitude part of my journal, “Grateful Mom is still around to visit.”
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Viva
Was Interacting with People Always This Exhausting?
Between pandemic fatigue, the arrival of spring, and expanding access to vaccines, more and more of us are emerging from our homes and – gasp – actually spending time with other people. While many epidemiologists are saying this is a bad idea (a race between vaccinations and COVID-19 mutations, which according to the latest headlines we are losing) it hasn’t been enough to slow the tide of businesses opening up and people socializing more.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Longevity
3 Steps to a Kick-Ass MFA Program Application
As someone who formerly worked as an Assistant Director of an MFA program, I was often surprised that people did not always understand what they were applying for or what they would be getting into, or the application process worked. I'm here to clarify that situation, and prepare you to put your best writing forward.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Education
6 Steps to Emergency Preparedness
This time last year, many of us were focused on preparing for disaster. We didn’t know how the whole virus thing was going to play out. We stocked up on toilet paper, rice and beans, and acetaminophen. That’s all well and good, but how prepared are you right now to withstand an emergency situation? A fire, blizzard, earthquake, tornado, etc.? The spring equinox can be a great time to focus on reviewing your emergency preparedness and making sure you’re up to speed on what you need to have ready.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Lifehack
Don't Know What to Do with Your Life? Here Are 8 Strategies to Figure It Out
For many years I had two parallel lives: the writing world and the world of higher education. I did writing and book coaching on the side, while working in higher ed administration and teaching. I had a point not too long ago where I seriously thought about – and planned – to get a Ph.D. before realizing that, although I was interested in my potential research and its contribution to the field, it wasn't what I really wanted to do. However, it was not an easy decision to transition out of higher education into something that on the face of it is much less stable and more risky.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Journal
How to Create a Legacy Box
When I woke up on February 5, 2020, I had no idea that by 5:00 pm I would get a call from my tearful uncle and a somber ER nurse begging me to come to New York as soon as I could, or that I would drive seven hours through a blinding snowstorm to get there, knowing only that Mom might be dead before I arrived.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Families
Have You Decolonized Your Bookshelves Lately?
February is Black History Month, which is a great time to think about who and what you read, and open yourself up to more diverse perspectives. Many of us do, but not often in a systematic manner. It’s easy to keep reading the same authors over and over, or only pick up writers who don’t fit our usual brief when their work makes a big splash in the public consciousness for some reason. Over the last year, with more focus on Black Lives Matter and the need for more diverse books by diverse authors, more books by Black authors have gotten the attention they deserve.
By Jana Van der Veer5 years ago in Geeks
