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Jennifer Roland is a writer living in Oregon. She holds bachelor’s degrees in magazine journalism and political science from the University of Oregon. Her education also focused on history, economics, linguistics, and educational policy and management.

Before embarking on her freelance career, she was a staff member of the International Society for Technology in Education, a nonprofit educational technology membership association. She served on various ISTE periodicals, including Learning & Leading with Technology, the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and the targeted journals and newsletters. She also helped edit program materials for the National Educational Computing Conference and ISTE books.

Thank you Jennifer for answering a few questions for us! To start, please tell us about the latest project you've worked on.

I edited a collection of the best articles in The Best of Learning & Leading with Technology magazine, which was released in July 2009. Because of my long history on the magazine, the book acquisitions editor asked me to work on the collection.

How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing
career? Or conversely, how has your writing success helped you in your
profession?

I decided in high school that I was no good at fiction, so I decided to pursue journalism as a career path. Journalism study is really important for those who want to learn how to write clear, informational copy really fast. In fact, in one of my classes, we never had any homework. All writing assignments were completed in class, often with a deadline of 10 or 15 minutes.

That ability to compose quickly helped me so much during my days with ISTE. In particular, when I was working on the conference newsletter for the National Educational Computing Conference, being able to gather information and get it into printable form was important.

The other thing a good journalism education teaches is lifelong learning. A journalist is a student of the world, learning about a topic quickly so that he or she can share that information with the reading public. I learned so much about educational issues and pedagogy from the educators I worked with and from the reading I did on the magazine and the research journals. And, sometimes when I want to learn more about a topic, I will write an article about it.

As I have transitioned from strictly nonfiction to writing fiction, too, this ability to continue learning in all situations has helped me tremendously.

What kind of other works have you had published?

I've published numerous articles with ISTE and other periodicals (you can find a sampling on my website at jennifer-roland.com).

In addition to ed tech and my fiction, I write about pop culture at Pop Culture Curmudgeon (http://popculturecurmudegon.com), writing at Jen's Writing Journey (http://jennifer-roland.com/blog) and for independent writing periodicals, and pets.

Is there any aspect to your profession that gets you in touch with your readers directly?

I have embraced Twitter as a means of connecting with readers and potential readers. It helps me not only share my projects but also find interview subjects and topic ideas.

I also just started an ed tech blog at edtechjen.com. It will allow me to share some of the information I pick up from research on my bigger projects and to get direct reader feedback.

What will your next project be?

I am currently co-authoring two more books for ISTE: 101 Great Web Sites for Educators and 101 Great Web Sites for Administrators. I'm also working on some fiction short stories and a novel, so I'll keep you posted when those get picked up!

What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?

Writing is a nice profession to get into because the tools we need are freely available. Story ideas abound. Resources to help you write better are available online and at your local library. And you can use the Internet and simple face-to-face networking to find sources and to market your services.

The key is to find your niche and your passion. When a writer loves his or her subject, it shows. The writing is livelier, and the reader begins to feel that same passion.

Also, a beginning writer needs to learn how to handle criticism and rejection. That is where the detailed mark-ups I received in journalism school helped me so greatly. I learned not to take feedback personally, and I learned that rejection is simply part of the industry. If you are hurt when someone rejects your idea, writing may not be the right profession for you.

Which is your favorite book/work published? Is there a favorite?

It is so hard to narrow it down. I started reading when I was three, so I've read a lot of books over my life. I love a good novel, so most of my favorites are fiction. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. Any of Judy Blume's kids books.

For nonfiction, I love Stephen King's memoir/writing guide On Writing. King is an excellent writer and has a self-deprecating sense of humor that I find quite charming. I also remember a series we read for a political science class in college about the life of L.B. Johnson.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I have a full-time job in addition to my writing business, so a typical work day is long. After I get home, walk the dogs, and eat dinner, I sit down with my laptop and get in about one hour of networking and administrative work and two hours of writing each night. Then I go to bed and try to get some sleep so I can do it all again the next day.

Who is your favorite writer/author?

It's so hard to narrow down a favorite. Probably Stephen King for sheer skill and production. He has published so many books and with so many different twists on paranormal ideas. I'm not sure I'd like to live in his imagination, though.

Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out
loud when you were by yourself?  :)

Either "Spear and Magic Helmet" by The Gits or "Another Heart Calls" by the All-American Rejects. I was in kind of a crummy mood, and sometimes angry music is the only cure.

Thank you Jennifer! We wish you great success on your current and upcoming books about technology and education!