Jessi Cole Jackson

About a month ago I received a very nice surprise in my inbox: an email from Orson Scott Card’s assistant informing me that I had been accepted into Uncle Orson’s Literary Boot Camp this summer. I will spare you the details of what happened next because they are not exactly flattering. Suffice it to say that after some celebration I accepted my spot and secured it with a decent chunk of change.

The timing is perfect–it’s the week before I go back on contract, and I found out the news immediately after receiving the balance of a design fee for an extra gig that almost killed me this spring. That extra work is paying for the entire experience which keeps us from having to nickel and dime daily life for the next 6 months.

Over the last few weeks I’ve made plans, secured a hotel room and booked flights (plural because Kyle’s coming out with me the weekend before so we can go esplorin’– I’ve never really been out west!).  I’ve read lot of alumnus(ae)’s blogs about their experiences and, while it’s not a direct preparation because I will take none of it with me, I’ve been using my summer to write like crazy. 

I hadn’t said anything publicly about any of this because…well…I don’t really know. Part of me was afraid they’d gotten the wrong girl? Maybe people would find it strange that a costume professional who’s actually making it also wants to be a writer? That one professor from my early college years will be right and I have no real talent and you’ll all want to know how it went after I’m done and it will have been awful, awful, awful? Whatever the specific reason: it was fear based. I was scared.

But you can’t move forward if you’re consumed with terror, and I’m not interested in spinning my wheels. So here it is again:

I am one of 12 (or so) writers who made it into Orson Scott Card’s Literary Boot Camp. I am proud and amazed the first page of my little story showed enough promise to get me through those doors. I am also incredibly grateful that I get to participate in such a cool workshop. It’s going to be a long, exhausting, emotional week, but I’ll be ready. Those Midwestern farmer and manufacturer genes are good for something– I’ve never been afraid of a lot of hard work.

For a description of what I’m about to go through you can check out the official page, or do some google research. There are many amazing authors who have been through the whole process before.

Allons-y!