Jen Telling Stories

 I mentioned that I was working on a second murder mystery party for the Steampunk Society. And then I dropped off the face of the earth because it turns out working a full time job and writing a murder mystery party for 18 people takes up all my time management skills. But I hosted the event on Saturday so now things are slowing down a bit. The event was... well, chaotic. I shouldn't call it a failure because the players had a good time, but things were a lot messier than my previous mystery party. All in all, it was a good learning experience. I'm glad that editing my first mystery party has been taking so long because this second party taught me some valuable lessons that will improve the first one.  Still, it's always disappointing when something you plan doesn't go as planned. As I've mentioned before , I struggle with that perfectionistic streak that makes me want to get things right the first time. To make a perfect experience for the readers or players, so t...

A few weeks ago I ran a beta test on my Murder Mystery Party. It was a good test; I got a lot of useful feedback from it. The players had a great time and correctly solved the mystery. But I think it’s worth acknowledging that sometimes “got a lot of useful feedback” feels like failing. I do value the critiques I get on my writing, I really do! Feedback is vital in trying to improve at any skill, particularly writing. And I am always grateful when people are willing to give me the time and effort to look at something I’ve made and tell me honestly what they think of it, what I’ve done right, and where I can improve. But—I’m also a very sensitive person. In a lot of ways; I have sensitive skin, I have sensitive teeth, I have sensory defensiveness as a symptom of sensory processing disorder, etc. And like many artists and writers, I’m emotionally sensitive. This comes with pros and cons. For example, it helps me to be empathetic and to appreciate beauty. But it also means that I’m sens...