Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Dickinson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jennifer , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
When I was a little girl, I had a stutter which grew more pronounced when I was nervous. I spent a lot of my childhood scared of being called on in class or having to place an order in a restaurant. Then, my mother bought me an IBM Selectric typewriter when I was seven and I escaped into my imagination. I typed hundreds of short stories and as I wrote, my belief in my abilities magnified. I might not be able to say “pepperoni,” but I could create a world with words.
I wrote about teen girls in Malibu who were secret Russian spies with brawny boyfriends. I wrote the words I couldn’t say, creating characters free to say any word, who eagerly read aloud in class. I kept a daily diary, recording my feelings for Christian Slater, but also documenting the days I got teased. My imagination became my most sacred place, my anchor. I found a refuge in Malibu and the gold-lined pages of my diary. Words gave me confidence.
When I was eighteen, I enrolled at Hollins University, a women’s college in Roanoke, Virginia. Surrounded by supportive, women whose encouragement made me believe in my own power, I began reading my work aloud. This was always hard, and even now, I struggle to work up the nerve to do it. But I love making an audience laugh during funny moments in my work, and I always inject my stories with empathetic moments which hopefully move my readers, and encourage them to be more empathetic in their lives.
My empowering experiences at Hollins led me to start my business in 2015. I wanted to foster a nurturing environment like the one I had in college in a big city like Los Angeles. I wanted to inspire women to love writing the way I do, to feel saved by it like I did as a kid. I’ve seen women’s confidence grow as they share their stories, just like mine did as a little girl.
In a few weeks, I’ll deliver a speech to a large group of women and I know I’ll be nervous, but I don’t doubt I can do it. Whenever I speak in front of a group of people, I will often flash back to the little girl typing and the young woman reading her stories aloud at her beloved college. I want to make those versions of myself proud of the woman I’ve become, a woman who isn’t scared of her voice anymore.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The focus of my business is on helping women tell their stories, in whatever form of writing they choose– memoir, novel, poetry, screenplay. I do this through teaching group workshops, working one-on-one with clients, and leading retreats in beautiful locations outside of LA. I always strive to amplify women’s unique voices. I never want them to write like me. I want them to write like them.
My favorite part of my job is gathering groups of women together, often from very diverse backgrounds, and watching them become friends and become inspired by each other’s work.
In addition, I relish the process of helping a woman go from a seed of an idea to fully-formed project. This requires a ton of revision on their part, and I love encouraging them along the way.
There’s currently one spot left in my writing retreat in the outskirts of Los Angeles May 17th-19th, and I’ll be able to take on two new clients in the summer. My most popular offering, Writers’ Nest, is always open for new participants. This is a weekly one hour class on Zoom during which I send each woman a poem and she reads and responds to it in 20 minutes and returns to room to share. Women write the MOST incredible things in that short amount of time and friendships have grown out of it.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1.) Quality: Empathy. I was teased a lot for having a disability when I was a small child. This led me to having a great empathy for others, and I think this is what makes my writing stand out, and why I get stories published often. My work is full of empathy. The best way to develop empathy is to listen to people. So often, we are focused on what we’re going to say, rather than really hearing what another person is going through. A huge part of my job as a coach and teacher is listening to my students, and trying to understand what they’re striving to do in their stories. I also think empathy can be greatly developed by watching documentaries, traveling, and reading.
2.) Skill: Writing. This doesn’t mean you need to write a novel or a poem. But I’d encourage anyone to keep a journal. I’ve kept one since I was a little girl, and I don’t write in it every day anymore, but I do a few times a month. I can track my progress in many areas of my life and see areas of my life that need improvement by going back and reading earlier entries. Journal entries also give you a window into the person you once were, and you can ask yourself: am I honoring her dreams/goals through my current actions?
3.) Quality: Humor. I laugh a lot. At my dogs. With my husband and friends. At myself. This has helped me IMMENSELY when dealing with rejection for my work, which is ongoing in my life because I am constantly querying my writing. One December, I got a rejection on Christmas and then on New Year’s Eve. At first I wanted to scream and then I laughed because what the hell are the odds? I think this quality can be developed by making friends. If you live an isolated life, I’d encourage you to take a class and meet new people or at the very least, strike up a conversation with a stranger. I believe that through community, we take ourselves and our problems less seriously.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Definitely my female friendships. And in 2024, this most often happens for me online. On any given day, I’m either Zooming, talking on the phone, or texting with a friend. I have friends all over the world and I never feel alone. One of the reasons I started my business in 2015 was because I wanted to make friends. LA is a sprawling city where it’s hard to meet people. We’re in our cars. We’re overworked. Driving to the opposite side of town to meet up with someone is hassle. But we can Zoom! Or call one another on our commutes. Maintaining friendships is work, but is essential to me. It is how I maintain my sanity, keep my sense of humor, and how I reach my goals. My friends support me, and remind me of who I am at heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: jenniferdickinsonwrites.com
- Instagram: Chapteroneworkshopla
- Twitter: Pinktreesj
