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Welcome to Pairings
Pairings by Jann Alexander include creativity, inspiration, books, writing, photography, art, history, travel, Texas life, lore and more
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Jann Alexander
Mar 10, 20232 min read
What It’s Like
"The work never never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with" — William Faulkner


Jann Alexander
Mar 6, 20233 min read
Three Surprising Sources for Writers ISO Ideas
Inspiration strikes in strange and unexpected ways. But when it doesn’t strike, there are three tricks to juice it along.


Jann Alexander
Oct 29, 20223 min read
What Happens When You Let Go
When you let go, you create space for something else to move in to your life, as Holiday Mathis told me in my horoscope.


Jann Alexander
Apr 29, 20222 min read
Requirements for Writing Fiction
Embrace your dual gifts: you can inhabit two worlds, and you can slide between them with ease. It’s just what writers do.


Jann Alexander
Apr 4, 20221 min read
What Are You Doing This Morning?
In one short paragraph author Flannery O'Connor nails down her work ethic — one that will motivate your creative soul.

Jann Alexander
Mar 15, 20222 min read
Where Inspiration Comes From
Inspiration comes from many places. No use pretending it all comes out of our heads with no other stimulation. We rely on influences.


Jann Alexander
Feb 24, 20213 min read
Prescription for a Creative Funk
To ignore a creative funk is to imperil your creative stamina. Here's out to take a time out to tend to your creative soul.


Jann Alexander
Feb 24, 20203 min read
Location, Location, Location
There’s a saying in real estate, that it’s all about location. Location. Location. Location. It’s just as true in writing historical novels.


Jann Alexander
Jul 31, 20162 min read
When The Narrow View Widens Out, It Becomes Universal
The Narrow View | iPhoneography by Jann Alexander © 2016 Behind the camera lens, you’ve got a choice. Your view can be narrow, focused...


Jann Alexander
Mar 4, 20164 min read
Murder And Mountains: Two Books, Two Themes, Two Reviews
Last week I read two books in two days. Yes, that required putting a halt to all activities beyond eating and feeding the dog. Even...

Jann Alexander
Feb 21, 20162 min read
15 Ways To Succeed While You’re Hunting Agents
You’ve finished your epic novel and you’re querying agents. (You haven’t written an epic novel? No matter. Applying for a job? Same...


Jann Alexander
Dec 30, 20152 min read
2015 Measured By What You Liked Best
You voted with your eyeballs for your favorite Pairings this year ( Thank You! ), and your eyes revealed that my posts about the creative...


Jann Alexander
Aug 24, 20154 min read
All Heart and Soul: Anna Blake’s Memoir
Lifesavers: Stable Relations Nubè and Clara Anna Blake ©2015 Her heart had been broken , in many places, when she threw herself...


Jann Alexander
Aug 8, 20152 min read
Top 5 Things To Do With A Fractured Fibula
What’s Beneath My Feet: My Aircast Boot | iPhoneography by Jann Alexander ©2015 Ever since I fractured my fibula (left lateral distal...


Jann Alexander
Jun 23, 20154 min read
Making the Call: Go Big or Go Indie?
David Beheads Goliath, 1650 by Guillaume Courtois [ Public domain via Wikimedia Commons ] When you’re nearing the finish line with...


Jann Alexander
Jun 16, 20152 min read
Top 5 Things a Writer Learns at a Publishing Conference
Ah, elixir of life: I Need Coffee by Jann Alexander ©2014 1. Bring your own coffee. There may be none. Even if there is, there will...


Jann Alexander
Jun 14, 20152 min read
Platform. Got One? You Need One.
What You Need: An Author Platform by Jann Alexander ©2015 “Platform is a very helpful thing.” — Karlyn Hixson, St. Martin’s Press ...


Jann Alexander
May 22, 20151 min read
Strong at the Broken Places
Broken is from a 1980 road trip I made across the U.S., and gives me a chance to pair my photo with my favorite quote from literature.


Jann Alexander
May 16, 20156 min read
When Mothers Have Other Priorities
When a sudden virus kept me sidelined on Mother’s Day and for a few days thereafter, I turned to the only antidote that relieved my...

Jann Alexander
May 6, 20153 min read
The Three Critical Blogging Chores You’ve Probably Ignored
If you have ignored these three simple , but essential, chores to maintain your blog’s health, you’ve ignored them at your peril. The...
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