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| photo by Leanna Dawn Photography |
“Dream big.” It’s the mantra that editor, writer, and novelist Jennifer Farwell lives to uphold. More and more, what used to be dreams are becoming Jennifer’s reality, and with each long-held goal realized comes the inspiration to set her sights increasingly higher, knowing she is bound only by where the limits of her imagination can take her. To quote her favorite phrase from the daily e-mail Notes from the Universe she swears by, “Thoughts become things. Choose the good ones.”
And so she has. By early morning and in her other spare hours, Jennifer is a novelist. By day, Jennifer is a content specialist, focusing on editing and product content. As Senior Manager, Product Content (Content Development) for Yahoo!, and the managing editor of a Yahoo! blog, she often writes about ecommerce and other small business topics. She has a Master of Arts degree in English, and an honors Bachelor of Journalism degree.
Becoming a writer and web designer: The early years
The writing bug made easy friends with Jennifer from the moment she could pick up a pencil, and her parents and teachers recognized it early on. At age 7, Jennifer attended her first Young Author’s conference; at age 11 she was published in her hometown newspaper, The Chronicle Journal, with an article appearing in the “Schools” section. By the time she was 17, she had reached thousands of online readers with her fiction work, built up a devoted fan base, and was voted Best Young Author by an exclusive online fiction group. At 18, Jennifer created her own music magazine, titled Sound Check.
During this time, Jennifer began trying on a second hat: that of web designer. In a sudden role reversal, she found herself and a web site she had designed the focus of not only print media, but broadcast and online media, and academic institutions, among others. During its initial online run from 1996-2000, the SPPNTCJ (Society for Preventing Parents From Naming Their Children Jennifer) welcomed over two million visitors, and received coverage from Yahoo! Internet Life magazine, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Thunder Bay Television News, 580 CKPR radio, California State University (Chico), and several “Cool Site of the Day” and “Cool Site of the Hour” web sites, to name only a few. The site was also studied on a U.S. college course, with Jennifer receiving interview requests once a year from students for a class assignment. Currently, the SPPNTCJ is noted in psychology textbook Psychology and the Challenges of Life: Adjustment in the New Millennium by Jeffrey S. Nevid and Spencer A. Rathus (in the 2007 hardcover edition, see page 203).
When the original SPPNTCJ closed its doors in early 2000, it was a decision prompted not only by Jennifer’s university studies, but also by her growing interest in music-related promotional writing. Since 1998, Jennifer has written promotional material on a freelance basis for musicians, producing press kit and web site bios, press releases, information sheets, and more.
Dream big: The life philosophy
Along with “dream big,” Jennifer’s approach to life is that of living it to the fullest, with the recognition that there is an entire world out there to explore, and no limits other than those we set for ourselves. Knowing this, she follows these guiding principles for living her life:
- Never be boring, and never be bored.
- Always have a sense of humor… it’s the most important tool you can have to successfully approach life.
- You get one chance at this lifetime. Anything you consider to be a dream or goal, go after that vision with every ounce of your being. Do it, don’t just talk about it or wish it could happen.
- Remember to be grateful for all that is — everyone and everything around you — and all that is to come.
- Spread sunshine whenever possible. There can never be enough positive energy in the world.
While in active pursuit of her dreams, but when not at work or writing, Jennifer can be found playing with her dog, Pico, with family and friends, at a Kundalini yoga class, at a live concert, traveling, occasionally working with photographers, and reading just about anything.