Day 5 – Mary Robinette Kowal Opens A Portal

THE PROMPT

Freewrite from this opening sentence:

“Of the things that could go wrong while crocheting, opening a portal had seemed like a low probability.”

THE AUTHOR

Hugo Award-winner Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of: The Glamourist Histories series, Ghost Talkers and the Lady Astronaut series. Her stories appear in Uncanny, Cosmos, and Asimov’s.

Read A Book, Support An Indie

Reads & Company Logo

This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.

MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL, THE CALCULATING STARS

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Day 4 – Joe R. Lansdale is Murderous

THE PROMPT

It was easy to repair the clock in the tower after the headless corpse was removed from the gears. Before that, it was thought to be a problem due to the age of the machinery, but except for the decapitated body, its mechanics were functioning perfectly.

THE AUTHOR

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His most recent novel is The Elephant of Surprise.

Read A Book, Support An Indie

Reads & Company Logo

This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.

JOE R. LANSDALE, MORE BETTER DEALS: A NOVEL

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Day 3 – Naomi Kritzer Twists Fairy Tales

The Prompt

Think of a fairy tale you like. It can be a well-known one, or one that’s not well-known. (If it’s one you’re familiar with mostly from Disney movies, though, you should probably do a quick re-read of the original fairy tale, because those movies have been known to change a lot of stuff.) Now write a scene from that fairy tale, but reset in some way — you could move it to the present day, or the future. You could also move it to another culture (make sure it’s one you’re very familiar with) or find some other way to turn it upside down. Think about what the story is saying, and how that message changes when the story gets moved. 

The Author

Naomi Kritzer

 Naomi Kritzer’s novelette “The Thing About Ghost Stories” was a finalist for the 2019 Hugo Award; her short story “Cat Pictures Please” won the 2016 Hugo and Locus Awards and was nominated for the Nebula Award. Her YA novel CATFISHING ON CATNET came out from Tor Teen in November 2019.  naomikritzer.com).

Read A Book, Support An Indie

Reads & Company Logo

This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.

NAOMI KRITZER, CATFISHING ON CATNET

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Day 2 – Hallie Ephron Is Mysterious

The Prompt

Suppose your character returns home from work, parks their car, rides up in the elevator, walks down the hall. Usually, by now the dog is barking and scratching at the door, but today he’s not. As they get closer, they realize the door to their apartment is ajar. They inch closer, listening. Silence. Write the story, and what happens next.

The Author

 Hallie Ephron is the New York Times bestselling author of Writing & Selling Your Mystery .Novel: How To Knock’Em Dead With Style. A suspense writer, she is An Edgar Award finalist and a four-time finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Read A Book, Support An Indie

Reads & Company Logo

This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.

Hallie Ephron's Mystery handbook cover

HALLIE EPHRON, WRITING AND SELLING YOUR MYSTERY NOVEL

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Day 1 – Joanne Harris Is Eerie

The Prompt

Jennifer Smith was never quite sure of the time at which she actually disappeared. She had been aware for some time that she was fading a little, but only in the last twelve months or so had she become increasingly conscious of those flickering intervals, like a television with a failing tube, or a radio on the verge of losing its signal.

The Author

Joanne Harris is the author of many novels, including Chocolat and last year’s The Strawberry Thief, now out in paperback, as well as many wonderful short stories. Her stories encompass magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. She is a master of Twitter (@joannechocolat) where she issues dispatches from the Writer’s Shed, which should not be missed.


Read A Book, Support An Indie

Reads & Company Logo

This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.

Joanne Harris, The Strawberry Thief


JOANNE HARRIS –  THE STRAWBERRY THIEF

HARDCOVER 
PAPERBACK PRE-ORDER

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SWAGr for September 2020

Welcome to the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group!

Post your goals for this month and let us know how you got on with last month’s goals.

SWAGr logo

Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.

(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)

Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.

And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!

Download your SWAGr Tracking Sheet now, to keep track of your commitments this month

****

Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months

  • Finish first draft of story and write 3 articles for my school paper. – Courtney
  • Write on seven days this month – Clare
  • Extend my reading and to read with a ‘writers eye’- Wendy
  • write 10,000 words – Mary Lou

 So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)

(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)

179 – StoryADay September – Join us?

If you want to discover your best process for writing, you might want to join us for the StoryADay September challenge.

And if you want to keep that progress going all year, consider the Superstars group. 

LINKS: 

Sign up for prompts this September: http://stada.me/sept20

Find out more about the Superstars: http://stada.me/Super20

 

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

178 – A Writing State of Mind

What’s the most important skill in writing? Is it plot, character arcs, dialogue, description, pacing?

In this episode I argue that the thing that will dictate your level of success is your state of mind.

Links:

Eric Platenberg: http://stada.me/eric

Seth Godin: http://stada.me/seth

StoryADay September Sign up: http://stada.me/sept2020

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

177 – Enjoy Your Writing More

Writing is self-directed, so reaching out for support is essential. It can, however, invite unhelpful comparisons with other writers who have different strengths and who are at different stages.

In this episode I explore the writing life through the lens of Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology and think about the ways we can celebrate our triumphs at every stage.

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

[Writing Prompt] Party of Many or Party of One

I’m bringing you two very different writing prompts from the archives this week.

party balloons
Photo by Sagar Patil on Unsplash

Read through them both and see which one calls to you more strongly. Both offer different ways to cope with our current, rather contracted social circles, either by imagining a party or by focusing on delighting one person.

The Prompts

Continue reading “[Writing Prompt] Party of Many or Party of One”

A Bit of a Facelift

Now that StoryADay is 10 years old, I’ve been doing a bit of tidying up around the site.

You’ve already seen the refreshed logo, but how about the refreshed shop?

Fancy taking a StoryADay course, grabbing an ebook full of prompts or advice, or ordering a StoryADay notebook or mug, to keep you company as you write?

Now you can find them all in the reorganized StoryADay store!

new storyaday shop image

175 – Triumph! Success & Your Writing Life

Success in writing is about so much more than the external trappings (publication, adulation, recognition). 

Every day that you sit down to write, it’s important to feel successful. This week’s episode talks about some ways to do that.

Writing Prompt: Write a Twitter-length story every day this week, to exercise your storytelling muscles, then tag me @storyadaymay

Links:

How To Write Twitter Fiction: https://storyaday.org/2016-16-twitter/

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

SWAGr for August 2020

Welcome to the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group!

Post your goals for this month and let us know how you got on with last month’s goals.

SWAGr logo

Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.

(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)

Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.

And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!

Download your SWAGr Tracking Sheet now, to keep track of your commitments this month

****

Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months

  • Finish first draft of story and write 3 articles for my school paper. – Courtney
  • Write on seven days this month – Clare
  • Extend my reading and to read with a ‘writers eye’- Wendy
  • write 10,000 words – Mary Lou

 So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)

(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)

174 – Fears and Focus

Problems with writing are often not problems with writing: they’re a battle with focus and with our own insecurities.

In this episode I talk about some of the ways to focus (especially if you find yourself working from home all day for the first time) and some ways to shake up your writing routine to outrun your insecurities.

How do YOU create focus and motivation for your writing, especially now? Leave a comment:

https://storyaday.org/episode174

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

173 – What’s Your Very Next Step?

 

There is so much information about writing out there…it can be hard to figure out what you should be working on. In this episode I walk you through one way to figure out (and focus on) your very next step.

Leave a comment: https://storyaday.org/episode173

Writing Prompt: Write A Seasonal Story https://storyaday.org/prompt-seasonal-story/

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

SWAGr for July 2020

Welcome to the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group!

Post your goals for this month and let us know how you got on with last month’s goals.

SWAGr logo

Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.

(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)

Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.

And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!

Download your SWAGr Tracking Sheet now, to keep track of your commitments this month

****

Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months

  • Finish first draft of story and write 3 articles for my school paper. – Courtney
  • Write on seven days this month – Clare
  • Extend my reading and to read with a ‘writers eye’- Wendy
  • write 10,000 words – Mary Lou

 So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)

(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)

Why It’s OK That You Didn’t Submit That Story

This past weekend we celebrated StoryFest, here at StoryaDay.org.

StoryFest is our annual ‘recital’, our celebration of the work we did in May.

Some of our writers shared stories, others liked, commented and posted on social media about them. Others…didn’t.

And that’s OK. Because not everyone was ready.

  • Perhaps you weren’t ready to engage in the community.
  • Perhaps you didn’t feel ready to call yourself a writer.
  • Perhaps you were past the point where you were willing to post a story for free, because editors are clamoring to pay you.

(and yes, we have people in each of those stages here in the StoryADay community)

Do You Know What Stage You’re In on Your Writing Journey?

Continue reading “Why It’s OK That You Didn’t Submit That Story”

What Does A Vampire Eat During A Plague by Jerry Harwood

Read The Story Here

About the Story

Johan, a traveling salesman, returns to his medieval village during the black plague outbreak. As he enters, he meets a stark, hungry man on the village’s outskirts. The storyline follows the verses of “Ring Around O’Roses.”

About the Author

Jerry Harwood was born in Ooltewah, TN. His mother was an elementary school teacher and he spent his afternoons reading books in her classroom or the nearby library. He currently is a writer, which makes sense based on the fact you are reading this here. He has experimented with other occupations: camp director, program director at a counseling center, college professor and middle school teacher. Jerry has backpacked Europe, taught in a Ukrainian University, worked in Rwanda after the genocide, is a first responder, sort-of remodeled a VW Thing, and has a love for Cherry Coke Zero that is only surpassed by his love for his wife, six children, and grandson.

The Glowing Embers by Urvi Roy

Read The Story Here

About the Story

I fixated upon a stout and pudgy elderly man in front of me. His demeanor looked awfully rigid and his eyes flitted unwittingly. It must have been his first-time.

About the Author

Urvi Roy is an avid writer of realistic fiction and opinionated pieces on societal events. When she’s not scribbling out the words to a creative piece of flash fiction, short story, or poem, she can be found devouring the works of Kiera Cass or the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, dancing to classical Indian or contemporary pieces, practicing lines for a theater performance, or trying to sew with a new piece of fabric. She was wholeheartedly inspired to write this piece of flash fiction by her preoccupation with cliff-hanger ending, mysterious, and suspenseful episodes that leave viewers or readers, like herself, thoroughly insatiable!

The Time-Traveller’s Strife by Alan Grant

Read The Story Here

About the Story

Jason Mourn, still struggling to recover from a bad breakup has a chance to change his future by altering his cringeworthy past.

About the Author

Alan Grant is a writer from Ireland with a focus and emphasis on humorous fiction.

Right There by Anneliese Schultz

Read The Story Here

About the Story

A young woman decides to take a Covid-era chance. (Not a screw-social-distancing chance; more like a he-may-Unfriend-me-for-this chance.) Now all she has to do is bring her past, hold the present, and have faith in future as she meets him first time amidst these fading gravestones.

About the Author

A Bread Loaf Scholar and Pushcart Prize nominee, Anneliese completed her MFA in Creative Writing at UBC, and was shortlisted for the 2016 HarperCollins/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction. The prompt for this story was one she mightily resisted—until the character showed up and suggested she get out of the way. Anneliese works on her YA climate fiction, a Middle Grade ghost story, and lockdown flash fiction in Vancouver, BC. Pre-border closure, much of her writing time was spent in Boulder, CO, and points between on the train. She can also be found at http://laughinginthelanguage.com/

The Spot by Claudia Hauter

Read The Story Here

About the Story

Abbi is cooking up yet another dinner party, but this one may turn out the be different.

About the Author

Claudia Hauter is a writer of no wrongs – a moniker she adapted from Don Quixote. When she’s not reading books and writing about them, she’s working in South African television creating digital content. She also loves movies, coffee, and saving planet Earth.

Morning Glory by Isha Bakar

Read The Story Here

About the Story

About how a daughter is coping with her mother’s death.

About the Author

I love writers who play with characters’ view points to tell a story from different angles. For the previous StoryADay, I explored writing stories written in the voices of different characters over a central theme.

When To Talk To Strangers by Sharon X. Wong

Read The Story Here

About the Story

What if talking to strangers is the right thing to do? A different take on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

About the Author

Sharon lives in Perth, Western Australia, but spends most of her time in completely imaginary worlds. She has worked as a translator and language tutor and enjoys symphonic music and stories in all their forms.