Lemmon Society Magazine •Issue 004•
The May 2026 Issue of Lemmon Society Magazine
From the Editor
Jessica Lemmon is a #1 Bestselling Author and Founder of The Lemmon Society.
Welcome to Issue 004 of Lemmon Society Magazine!
Whenever I am in the middle of a long line of traffic or waiting for an incredibly slow cashier to ring up my groceries, the phrase, “Did you pray for patience?” flits through my mind.
Meaning: when you ask for patience, God doesn’t give you patience. God gives you chances to practice patience.
This month’s focus inside our membership is all about Holding the Vision, and let me tell you, I have already been given multiple opportunities to practice believing in the best while dealing with the not-so-best. 🤨
From being overcharged or simply charged when I shouldn’t have been, to asking myself “Is this even working?” this month has offered up plenty challenges.
Which is exactly why this theme is going to be one I wholeheartedly (and bullheadedly) pursue on your behalf.
But before we we can successfully hold the vision of what we want and watch it come into fruition, we first have to know what we want. And that is where you come in, my friend.
In our cover story below, I am going to walk you through how to figure out what you want—what you really want. We will view this from the lens of a writer, but even if you’re not a writer, this practice will still help.
If you know what you want already, or know what you used to want and feel yourself giving up, now is the perfect time to step inside the Lemmon Society membership.
As I continue practicing what I preach, I will bring you every story, method, and cheat code I use to level out this bumpy ride called life. Plus, you will be part of a community on which to lean for your work in progress. Interested? Click here.
Keep reading for help narrowing down what you want.
Happy writing,
Jessica Lemmon
Editor, Lemmon Society Magazine
Each month, Lemmon Society Magazine for Writers publicly shares the full-length cover story to support writers. To go deeper and get support in your writing, you are invited to join our paid membership.
Book Rec of the Month: One Wild Kiss
Addison Abrams has had a debilitating crush on her boss Brannon Knox for far too long. But the moment she decides to get over him, the universe steps in and puts him directly in her path.
Surely one little weekend with the boss won’t lead to too much trouble…
Tropes to love: Hot Boss, Workplace Romance, Masquerade, and One Bed.
Cover Story by Jessica Lemmon:
DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT
How to Harness the Power of theWriter You Are Becoming
What do you want?
It’s such a basic, simple question, and one we answer everyday in myriad ways:
What do you want to eat?
…To drink?
…To watch on Netflix?
But when it comes to our writing careers, the question becomes a bit more…thorny.
What do I want?! Well, I want a million dollars, but it’s not like I can have that, can I?
Actually, yes. (As long as that’s what you really want.)
In this month’s article, I will walk you through the question “What do you want?” and challenge you to answer it for yourself.
I want us to look at the end result version of you as if they exist for real (be delulu with me for a moment), and then I want you to live from that end result version of you.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s walk through the steps together.
Step 1: Make a Decision
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? When I ask you want you want from your writing career (whether or not it’s begun yet), you’re likely think from a space of “being realistic”.
Which is a terrible idea. 😅
“The limitations we perceive are not real. And that’s why we have to ignore them.”
The justifications happen so automatically, you might not even notice you’re doing it.
If past advances capped at $10,000 per book, you might think that you have to earn $15,000 then $40,000, then $75,000 over a period of time. But there is no ladder or incremental increase rule you have to follow.
There is no rule that states you can’t land $100,000 for your next contract.
The limitations we perceive in our minds are not real.
And that’s why we have to ignore them.
Somewhere along the way, a lot of us started absorbing other people’s opinions about what success is supposed to look like. Years ago I remember making a list of what I wanted to have in my life. Things like, “Buy a Ferrari. Live in Hawaii. Visit Rome.”
Later when I looked back at the list, I felt perplexed. I didn’t want to live in Hawaii. And I didn’t want a Ferrari. Those were just ideas I had picked up from people who were succcessful. I thought to be successful myself, I would have to duplicate what they did…and want what they wanted.
But the beautiful thing about life is that we all want different things.
When I got real with myself, the list of what I wanted looked more like this:
work from home
write and draw
wear pajamas all day
drink coffee
Not a Ferrari in sight!
Before we talk about strategy or productivity or publishing paths, I want you ask yourself one question:
What would you love?
To hold your finished book in your hands?
See your book turned into a film?
Build a quiet creative life away from the public?
There is no wrong answer as long as it’s authentically, genuinely yours.
The goal here isn’t to choose a practical or impressive dream. The goal is to be as honest as possible about what the experiences you actually want to have.
As the saying goes: we are here for a good time not for a long time.
Getting clear on what we want is the first step to manifesting it.
“Once you acknowledge what you want, forces outside of your perception will begin shifting to accommodate your vision. ”
Before I was published, I used to go to my local Barnes & Noble, find the L section, and remind myself, Someday, a Jessica Lemmon book will be sitting right next to Lora Leigh’s books on this shelf.
I had no proof that that would happen. But I knew what I wanted, and I held onto that vision.
Two and a half years later, I signed with an agent. Seventeen months after that I walked into that bookstore and signed copies of my debut novel Tempting the Billionaire.
In short: This stuff works.
Once you acknowledge what you want, forces outside of your perception will begin shifting to accommodate your vision.
Your job is to persist in holding the vision and take the inspired actions that help it come to life.
Try This ✍️
Set a timer for ten minutes and answer the following questions without censoring yourself. Sky’s the limit! Go big.
What kind of writing career would you love?
What life experiences would you love?
What material possessions would you love to own?
Step 2: What Lights You Up?
The things that excite you are worth paying attention to because they are clues. You were born with a hidden treasure map inside of you. The clues and symbols on that map will point to the life you truly desire.
It’s easy to feel jealousy and comparison when we see other writers get what we want. But this is actually a sign that you are capable of it too! Shift from comparison to gratitude for what they are accomplishing, and feel your vibration raise.
So when you hear about:
a debut author hitting the NYT bestseller list
an author announcing her movie deal
an author with a gorgeous new hardback book with sprayed edges and a foiled cover…
Shift into gratitude for her. She went first and showed you what is possible. We are not in competition with one another, we are in collaboration. (I wrote a blog on this topic if you’d like to go deeper. You can read it here.)
Now that you know what to look for (feelings of joy or jealousy), let’s transform this into awareness…
Try This ✍️
Make a list in a notebook or on your phone called:
Things That Light Me Up
Every time you’re enjoying something, jot it down. It doesn’t matter how arbitrary it seems: eating ice cream, watching a Godzilla movie, or picking a dandelion.
This list will help you become aware of what sparks excitement, curiosity, or creativity in you. The more you know about you, the more likely you are to pursue things that actually matter to you.
Step 3: Decide Who You Are Becoming
You need a clear vision of yourself “at the end” (aka, with your biggest dreams and goals accomplished) so that you can practice being her in your everyday life.
So, who is the end result version of yourself? How do they approach creativity? What beliefs do they carry about themselves?
You are going to go into your imagination and find out. You might discover things like:
Confidence comes naturally to her
She finishes what she starts
Being seen or speaking in front of thousands of people feels exciting and natural to her instead of terrifying
She creates with ease and trusts herself
So many of us are looking for outside proof that we have “arrived” when the truth is we can be that version of ourselves right now, without any proof at all.
Internal shifts come first. External evidence catches up later.
Years ago, I kept a Post-it note on my bulletin board that said:
I am a great writer.
That sentence grounded me during moments of doubt. Difficult chapter? I am a great writer. Unsure how to solve a story problem? I am a great writer. Feeling overwhelmed by the publishing industry? I. am. a. great. writer.
Your words can shape your belief. As writers, we know this is true! We spend our lives building emotional worlds out of carefully chosen words. Those words can shape us too.
Try This ✍️
Describe the version of yourself who has achieved your goals and dreams.
Include:
what she wears
what she loves
what she thinks about
what she owns
her accomplishments
her outlook on life
what dreams and goals she wants
Step 4: Hold the Vision While Reality Rearranges Itself Around You
Now that we know what we want, we kick back and wait for it to happen, right?
Not exactly.
You’re probably in one of two camps, either operating in your feminine flow (relax, it’s all working out), or heavy-handing it in your masculine (IF IT’S GOING TO GET DONE I NEED TO DO IT.)
Any fellow writers here tip into their masculine during times of uncertainty?
I do! 🙋♀️
It’s easier to hold your vision when things are going well. The day we sign a book deal, or finish the book, or when we feel proud and declare our dreams to anyone who will listen. (My decree in 2010 was: “I am going to be published by a NY publisher!”)
But what happens if the book deal falls through, we are delayed by life, or we just feel plain old tired? How do you hold onto your vision then?
That’s the topic we are exploring inside The Lemmon Society this month.
In life, there is no escaping contrast. We must face it head on, reframe our mindsets, and practice doing things in an effortless way.
You, my friend, are always in charge of what you’re thinking. And I am so happy to help you shift into a better way to think that serves you.
As you might have gleaned, we go way beyond writing tips inside this membership. Keep reading for more details, and join us this month to discover exactly how to hold the vision you’ve created.
♡
Jessica Lemmon is a former job-hopper who resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dogs. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing emotionally-charged stories, she spends her time drawing, drinking coffee, and laughing with friends. Her motto is Read for Fun, and she believes we should all do more of what makes us happy. Learn more here.
Come write with us…
Inside the Lemmon Society Membership, we show up and write, but we also dive into who we are as writers. The writer is more important than the writing.
I’ll provide craft knowledge, encouragement, and support.
You show up where you feel most called.
Let’s write.
There’s a difference between wanting to write a novel and becoming the woman who does. Each month inside The Lemmon Society, you’ll build a consistent writing habit, strengthen your storytelling, and move from ideas to completed drafts. Through live calls, community connection and accountability, you gain momentum, clarity, and confidence. Don't go it alone, storyteller.
A peek at what’s coming this month for members
Story Notes
I’m starting a new book this month! I’ll walk you through my process. This is the ultimate behind-the-scenes for writers.
Creative Inspiration
Learn how to hold the vision regardless of what is going around you. But we’re not white-knuckling it. We’re going to be in flow.
Pep Talks
This month I’ll be sharing a 45-minute workshop entitled: Human Being vs. Human Doing: Ease Over Exhaustion.
Live Calls
This live Zoom convo is where we dive into mindset alongside writing and author life tips. This is your chance to share where you are in the journey in person.