Epic Inklings

Jenny L. Cote frequently hears from aspiring young authors who have been inspired by her books and who seek mentoring in their own writing journeys. Borrowing from the legendary "Inklings" of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien who met with other authors at the famed Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford, England, Jenny now offers an online "Epic Inklings" meeting for aspiring authors. We'll meet once per month for 90 minutes for an open-ended discussion and Q&A on all things writing, publishing and marketing. It will be driven by the attending Epic Inklings and Jenny will share and discuss items from her research, writings, workshops, and travels that interest the group. Young authors will receive professional mentoring while gaining friends who share their writing goals and dreams. Meetings will be held at 7:00 p.m. EST. on the dates for each group.

There will be two separate Epic Inking Groups:

• Group Tolkien is only for young authors who attended the Winter 2026 Epic Inklings Session, to maintain continuity of the tight-knit friendships that formed. Dates for this group are September 8, October 6, Novermber 5, and December 1st.
• Group Lewis is for new Epic Inklings beginning Fall 2026. Dates for this group are September 15, October 13, November 10, and December 8.
• Extra Critique Sessions with fellow Inklings allow everyone time to thoroughly discuss their writing projects, receive feedback, and enjoy fun fellowship. Jenny will not attend these extra sessions, so if any of the group desires to meet separately, one of the Inklings must step forward to host. This is a beneficial addition to the general sessions with Jenny, but you must give permission for Jenny to share your email with the other members in order to participate. If you are interested/willing to host one of these extra sessions by setting up a Zoom, please indicate that with your registration.(This will teach leadership in working with writing colleagues.)
• Inklings will be able to share samples of their work in process in a group Dropbox folder, if they desire to participate in critiques. Jenny will provide a critique for each Inkling, up to 3,500 words. All submissions must be formatted in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double spaced (per publishing industry standards - this will teach working with editors!).
• Upon receipt of payment, you will receive instructions for joining the monthly Zoom meeting via email.
• If you have questions about the Epic Inklings, please email Jenny at jenny@epicorderoftheseven.com.

Testimonies from Epic Inklings, Group Tolkien:

"The Epic Inklings has given me more encouragement, motivation, and clarity in my writing journey than I’ve ever had before. I came away from each session with such hope and inspiration to keep going, I cannot even describe. I’ve learned so much about the behind–the–scenes experience from everything you’ve taught us, and these opportunities to hear personally from you and meet with a group of young writers have been the highlight of every month for me." - Ava Collins

• Motivation comes from commitment; no one can achieve your dream for you. If you actually want to make progress with writing, you need to be intentional with it. You need to budget time for writing in your schedule, and you need to commit to it wholeheartedly.
• Iron sharpens iron. Meet with other writers who are like-minded.
• Start with the end in mind. In the first session I asked, "What can I do now to best impact my writing future?", and your answer stuck with me: know where you want to end up.
• Let God be your boss. The biggest and most important! He knows where you're going and what's going to happen next. Pray about it, always! Proverbs 37:3-5.