The Writer’s Desk features the desks and writing practices of Gemini Ink faculty, visiting authors, teaching artists, volunteers, students, interns, staff, partners and more. Receive new posts in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter at bit.ly/geminiinknewsletter.
Join Jen Knox on Saturday, May 11 & 18, 10am-12pm; via Zoom, for her workshop: Wellness for Writers with Jen Knox. In this two-session workshop, we will combine writing and wellness practices to help writers develop a more mindful approach to their work.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us, Jen. We could not be more excited to learn more about you as a writer and a teacher!
Please introduce yourself and describe your first writing desk.
I am thrilled to be back chatting with you and teaching for Gemini Ink—my family of friends in San Antonio!
My first writing desk was likely a college classroom desk. While I wrote sporadic things as a child, I didn’t really think of myself as a writer until I was in a college classroom exploring the big questions on the page. Philosophy and psychology classes were where I started writing seriously. So picture those plastic or wooden chairs with the movable desk that drops down by one’s right or left side. Me. A notebook. A pen. That’s how it started.
Do you have a favorite place to write?
Anywhere but home. I love writing at writing residencies or on the road. I will even write at a friend’s house over writing at home. At home, I’m easily distracted, but there’s something about being elsewhere that perks up my brain. Perhaps it’s because I do so much other work at my home desk.
What are your habits or routines before writing?
As a writing coach, I preach the gospel of ritual in writing, and I find it incredibly powerful. We all go through phases, however, and while rituals (such as lighting a candle and grabbing a chai to set up to work) has worked for me in the past, I generally find now that my answer fluctuates. Getting myself out of routine sparks the most productivity and inspiration. Perhaps it’s pent up travel-lust after so many years couped up by the pandemic.
What is the one piece of writing advice that you value most?
I was once told that a writer’s strengths and weakness on the page are their strengths and weaknesses in life. I value this advice because I find it compelling and am still investigating the claim. It has given me so much to chew on and to challenge myself about in writing (and life).
What is the biggest misconception about being a writer?
That it’s romantic and not hard work.
When writing, do you carefully plan things out, or do you prefer to just go with the flow?
Depends on the day! I have definitely written some pieces that seemed to come from the muse herself, and I often sit down with no plan when I blog over at Here We Are. But I find for longer projects that if I do not plan at some point, I lose my focus altogether.
Is there any quality or element within your writing that you prioritize or always try to include?
An aim in all my writing is to be exploratory, never dogmatic.
What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?
The hardest lesson I had to learn and the most fruitful was advocating for myself and my worth as a writer. Of course I had to earn my place, so to speak, in the sense that it took years to build my capacity and ability, but I now value my writing and try to ensure I only publish with those who will best represent it.
What is your next project?
My current work-in-progress is a memoir in essays about work. I received an Ohio Arts Council grant to complete it, which is a great honor, and I plan to do so by the summer.
If people want to learn more about your work, where should they go?
My latest books are We Arrive Uninvited, which won the Steel Toe Books Award in Prose and The Glass City, which won the Press Americana Award. You can also connect with me on my blog, Here We Are, or meditate with me on Insight Timer. Also, here’s my website: jenknox.com
What inspired you to want to teach this particular workshop?
My aim in life, across my work in academia and as a writer and writing coach is to guide people to a clearer view of self and purpose by encouraging creative exploration. I do so by leveraging mindfulness along with my background as a professor in leadership science and creative writing. Ultimately, I am interested in supporting creative people to feel clearer about their messages by adopting a holistic perspective of who they are and what they have to offer the world. My offering “Reframe Reality” is about using life experience and current perspective as a way to open up new possibilities in the future.
How would you describe your teaching style?
I listen deeply and respond honestly. While caring, I am not coddling because I believe that with attention and focus, we are capable of so much more than we can imagine. My style is supportive, and I hope to empower writers to take the kind of step into the unknown that will give them momentum to better trust themselves in the future.
Jen Knox teaches at Ohio State University and is the founder of Unleash Creatives. She combines her love of creativity with personal development and leadership in workshops she hosts around the world. Jen’s debut novel, We Arrive Uninvited, won the Steel Toe Books Award, and her collection, The Glass City, won the Press Americana Prize. Jen’s short writing appears in over a hundred journals and magazines, including McSweeney’s Internet Quarterly and The Saturday Evening Post.
