We recently connected with Jennifer Lauer and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
Well, they say something like 80% of people want to write a book, but only 3% actually ever do. My desire to do it was not rare, and my first attempt to write a book lasted ten years. And that book went into the drawer. I was writing a lot of other projects (plays, poetry, and screenplays), but I didn’t want to take another ten years to write the next book. Every year it was on my New Year’s Eve resolution list to “finish a book.”
In 2019, I’d been toying with the idea of A.I. and what it meant to us, how it was going to change our lives much like the internet did. And then Covid happened, and I knew I wanted to write about being contained. My observations about being at home and how certain things became more beautiful and how I longed for things I could not do or see. There was a lot of yearning during that time, of what we had before and what we wanted to have, but couldn’t. I wrote a fast draft of ‘The Girl in the Zoo,’ but I knew it needed work. I threw myself into research mode about all things publishing. I found amazing resources that led me to hiring a book coach to help get my book where it needed to be.
After two years of hard work and collaboration, ‘The Girl in the Zoo’ was released. A dystopia about the last woman on earth, being held captive in a zoo by an A.I.
Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m from Massachusetts, where I attended Emerson College, before moving to LA to pursue an acting career. While pursuing tv/film work, I loved trying new methods of storytelling. I did improv with Second City and Improv Olympic, and Karly Rothenberg. Performed a sci-fi one-woman show called, The Great Impact Hypothesis, and at told stories at The Moth. Was a volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival for years, and even did standup at the Comedy Store.
After writing my first feature film, I started writing television scripts, and that’s where I learned my love for genre writing. I wrote the first season of a fiction podcast called, The Strange Chronicles. It’s a short, cozy paranormal mystery show. And my newest novel, Start Somewhere, is the first in a book series based on the podcast, about a female detective solving supernatural mysteries. It has an X-Files vibe.
My work generally tends to focus on the emotional side of sci-fi and fantasy. I’m currently pitching two tv dramas and taking meetings about making my books into tv/film.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I wish I had learned not to fear being messy. As a recovering perfectionist, I know now that no one has it all figured out. We are all doing our best and learning on the fly. There are many things I would have started sooner, and maybe ditched my drawer novel at year two, rather than year ten.
I was so busy trying to perfect something that I’d lost passion for, and then I was disappointed when it didn’t work after all. That lesson took a long time to learn, and hey, I’m still learning.
I remind myself all the time – just do it messy. Be the 3%, even if it’s flawed.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Other people are my greatest resource. Writing can seem like a solitary thing, but it doesn’t have to be. The greatest resource I have are the incredible writers, editors, designers, and artists I have met on this journey. I wouldn’t have the opportunities and career highlights that I have without them. I wish I knew to foster and prioritize a writing community earlier.
For any writer, that would be my number one thing I’d hope they find, even if it’s just one online contact. It helps to feel connected to others. And personally, I think including others in your process makes better art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jenniferleelauer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferleelauer/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lauer-344996b
- Twitter: @jenniferscifi
Image Credits
The two headshots: James DePietro Photography
The group shot (Blackmagic Collective Fellowship): Bahareh Ritter