I thought I was a naturally talented musician.
Turns out there was more to it than that…
in which you get to hear me sing!
I thought I was a naturally talented musician.
Turns out there was more to it than that…
I know I say you should set your own rules for StoryADay, but the truth is, committing to writing daily, can be…easier. Here’s why…
Q. Are you ready for StoryADay May?
A. You don’t have to be ready. Just make sure you’re on the list to receive the daily prompts, decide how many days you want to write, and show up.
(A.2. You may want to warn the people you live with you’ll be writing more and vegging on the sofa less in May. You may want to finish up editing that other project you have on the go, to clear your brain for new ideas…but these are optional extras. Really, just have to show up!)
What are YOU doing to get ‘ready for StoryADay May’. Leave a comment (and the answer ‘nothing at all’ is a valid answer!)
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. Me? I’m neck-deep in writing prompts and soooo excited to show you what I’ve been up to. I have a new way for you to interact with the challenge this year and I think you’re going to love it. Details soon…
In which Windy Lynn Harris shares her genius about how and why to write Flash Fiction
1:16 Flash art comes organically when being open.
6:58 Flash fiction: creative, short, under 500 words.
12:28 Be specific in short flash fiction writing.
13:05 Editing is essential for shorter pieces.
17:37 Essential aspect of storytelling, representing a moment.
19:32 Facing fear, mystery, and self-discovery.
23:27 Enjoy working on soliloquies and rants in writing.
26:56 Background, training influence the form of writing.
29:13 Accessing your authentic voice is essential.
33:08 Writers adapting to shorter work during pandemic.
36:51 Creativity can flourish without lofty goals.
41:05 Distraction in the world, set timer, create.
43:12 First book on writing short stories.
46:12 Strategic shorts can boost writing career prospects.
49:43 Writing needs community for support, progress, success.
54:27 Exciting prompts for daily creative writing in May.
https://storyaday.org/superstars
In which I tell you the rules for StoryADay May 2024
ntrigued by the StoryADay Challenge but intimidated? Don’t be! In this episode I explain all the rules including the most important rule: Make Your Own Rules!
Sign up at https://storyaday.org/signup
00:00 History of the StoryADay Challenge
01:30 4. Give Yourself Permission To Have Fun
06:14 StoryADay May Rules
06:31 1. Make Your Own Rules
11:20 2. Don’t Try To Catch Up
12:12 3. Don’t Post Your Stories Online (Or Do)
13:30 4. Give Yourself Permission To Have Fun
14:47 5. Seek Out The Right Support At The Right Time
17:11 6. Dance Your Victory Dance, Every Day
19:56 7. Use the Prompts (Or Don’t)
21:43 Summary of the “Rules”
22:52 How To Sign Up
23:03 What To Expect from This Year’s Prompts
28:22 The importance of Community
https://storyaday.org/superstars
Do you ever start a story only to get stuck, and find yourself either abandoning it or wondering if it’s really a story at all? First of all: welcome. This means you are a writer. This frustrating phenomenon strikes us all, especially when we are just starting out or just starting to come back to our writing seriously. This doesn’t mean you “aren’t meant to be a writer”. It just means there are some strategies you haven’t discovered–or fully-integrated–yet. This week I have a technique for…
Do you ever start a story only to get stuck, and find yourself either abandoning it or wondering if it’s really a story at all? First of all: welcome. This means you are a writer. This frustrating phenomenon strikes us all, especially when we are just starting out or just starting to come back to our writing seriously. This doesn’t mean you “aren’t meant to be a writer”. It just means there are some strategies you haven’t discovered–or fully-integrated–yet. This week I have a technique for you, that will help you turn fragments, vignettes, and “I’m not really sure what this is”-se into actual stories. Go to the lesson >>> Try out the technique, using the writing prompt I provide, to feel te difference it makes to your Story Sparks. Then leave a comment to share what you learned. I can’t wait to hear from you! Keep writing, Julie P. S. If you want more of the nitty-gritty, ‘how to craft a story’ techniques like this, consider taking the 3-Day Challenge, which guides you through the art of writing great openings, middles, and ends, all in easy-to-consume lessons. |
Sign up for the I, WRITER Course today and build a writing practice you can love today, not ‘some day’.
LEAP DAY SPECIAL $229 (regularly $497) or 54% off! https://stada.me/leapday
Listening after Leap Day? It’s still a bargain and you can get started today: https://stada.me/iwriternow
“In a digital world saturated with technicolor brilliance and filtered, unobtainable beauty, modern humans seem unmoored and at sea. We crave stories to tell us who we are.” – Min Jin Lee, Best American Short Stories 2023
When I first logged on to the Internet in 1993, I was thrilled by the possibilities of connection.
When, some time later, I clicked on my first hyperlink (on a page that gloried under the catchy address of something like “74.6.143.25”) I distinctly remember thinking,
“This is exactly how I want life to operate,”
and, at the same time,
“I am in sooooo much trouble.”
Picture me, hunched in front of a mushroom-colored 14-inch monitor, clicking and reading, and clicking and reading, and leaping down the rabbit hole
That first hyperlink was the start of something that changed the world and I was there for it.
But it turns out I was Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer’s hat, summoning a wave I couldn’t control.
I was the old woman with the magic porridge pot.
I was King Midas.
We all were.
The stories tried to warn us.
Yes, we get distracted by the glossy online world sometimes, but writers really do have a huge advantage over other mortals.
We go out of our way to make time to create worlds and characters who wrestle with big human questions:
Believe it or not, most people are rushing through their days NOT staring into space and thinking about these things.
But when they do have time to unwind, they all want to do it with stories: in books, on screens, in song.
Because stories — not facts, not reels, not personality quizzes — tell us who we are.
Make some time for your writing in the next three days.
Use this prompt if you need a nudge.
And please believe me when I say
“You are a writer. Stories are what make us human. Stories keep us safe. Stories show us how to be human. Stories are the way we learn. No matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ your stories and your subject matter, your stories matter.”
What’s your biggest distraction from your writing? How did you last conquer it. Leave a comment!
In which I get excited about a project again…
In this on-the-road episode, I come to you fresh from a conference, full of new energy and ideas, and I encourage you to find ways to shake up YOUR practice.
LINKS
https://storyaday.org/superstars
In which I give you a writing prompt and talk about the perils of success beyond your wildest hopes
What do groundhogs have to do with getting better at skills? So much. Listen…
LINKS: Friday Freebie
https://storyaday.org/superstars
In which I try to persuade you not to persuade anyone this way…
In which I talk about Mary Oliver and the power of words to lift us out of the everyday.
I also invite you to take part in the January Challenge, a five-day exercise that will make you more decisive around your fiction and every aspect of your writing life.
Sign up here: https://storyaday.org/jan-challenge
Good morning. Good evening. Good afternoon, Julie from story a day here.
I’m going to be inviting you today to join me next week in a free mini challenge that’s going to set you up for the year ahead for the life ahead. And it’s, it’s a challenge that helps you get back in the groove with your writing helps you stay on track.
I’ll send you five tiny little lessons over the week and you’ll build a tool that will help you in your writing everyday.
Sign up right now and, and we’ll go from there.
But I wanted to. Read you something today that I wrote, this week. In case you are wavering in your commitment to your fiction, in your courage around your fiction, in case the world is beating you down and telling you that fiction doesn’t matter and you should be doing more important things.
I don’t think there’s much more. Important work than
stimulating peoples imaginations, giving them hope. Giving them a respite from the world. So here’s what I wrote one morning this week.
When it seems. Like everything in the world is terrible. How can I possibly justify writing about. Or playing with my imaginary friends. When there’s so much news to catch up on to care about. So many causes to champion. Persecuted groups to try and save. How can I possibly find the time and energy for creative acts?
It’s a real question.
But we creative people must be courageous enough to try.
Because we can write beautiful, inspiring. Terrifying. Hopeful things. That lift people out of their everyday experiences and show them how they are part of something bigger than themselves. Not everyone can do this. But you can.
This morning, I read an essay by the poet, Mary Oliver. In which she talked about Walt Whitman as if he really was her friend although I don’t think they ever met. She only met him on the page. She took him everywhere with her and he lifted her when times were difficult.
And I thought about all the times and places where I’ve heard Mary Oliver’s poems quoted, on social media, at business conferences. Poetry is possibly the most exalted and derided. Form of writing that there is: how are you ever going to make money from poetry? Nobody makes money from poetry.
And yet poetry reaches us in a way that sermons and lectures and essays can’t do.
I thought about the pause, the hush in the room, the sense of respite that her words provide.
In March of 2020, what did everyone reach for, to lift themselves out of the fear and uncertainty that the news was dishing up to us? Art. Stories. Stories made up by writers. Stories brought to life by actors. Stories sung by musicians. Wordless music shared from makeshift kitchen stages.
Humans can be rational creatures, but we don’t thrive on logic alone. So today, please, step away from the real world and create something true. Something that reminds me, that takes me into a moment of being human that I couldn’t experience otherwise.
Tell me about the sunrise over Martian mountains, or the houses where you live.
Show me a morning glory flower, unfurling.
Give me a moment of true connection between two characters when one finally learns the care, or terrify me as another character stands to lose everything that matters to them.
The world can overwhelm us and the only way to cope is to avoid or to shut down our feelings. So please write something that reminds me to feel. Remains me to fear. Reminds me to hope. Reminds me to love.
I realize the irony of delivering a kind of persuasive essay and then telling you that fiction is a much better way to persuade anyone of anything. And yet I’m doing it.
I think your teachers misled you. I don’t think persuasive essays should be called that they should be called. Informative essays. Because they don’t change hearts. Emotion persuades. And there is no better way to convey emotion, even though I’m doing it in an essay, than through the arts.
There’s no easier way to create empathy for others than by making me care for your characters.
So no, writing fiction is not an irresponsible use of your time, during difficult teams or any other times in the world.
It is necessary. It’s generous. It’s healing.
It’s a gift.
Thank you for writing.
https://storyaday.org/superstars
In which I’ve got blisters on my fingers…
In this episode I discuss the concept of discomfort in the journey of pursuing creative endeavors and explore the different types of discomfort, such as striving to reach one’s ambitions versus worrying about not having what it takes. I encourage listeners to embrace discomfort as a sign of growth and progress, and suggest a solid-gold way to make that less grim. I also invite you to the Story A Day Superstars, a supportive community for writers, and announce upcoming writing challenges and courses. Plus: a writing tip about making characters sound more realistic.
0:00 StADa133 When Writing Feels Hard
00:31 On Discomfort
13:02 StoryADay Support
14:37 My Annual Theme
16:11 Writing Tip on Character Voice
LINKS:
StoryADay Superstars: https://storyaday.org/superstars
https://storyaday.org/superstars
(…not if you’re doing it right. Sorry!)
I regularly talk to writers who confess to me that they’re not sure they’re ‘meant to be a writer’ because they find it hard.
So, should they quit?
When I started taking my physical health seriously (ahem, in my 40s) I found out that I had completely misunderstood what ‘getting fit’ meant.
I had always thought that, with enough practice, exercise was supposed to get easier. When it didn’t, I got discouraged and quit. Over and over again.
Eventually I started working with a trainer whereupon it dawned on me (at an embarrassingly glacial pace) that this was never going to be easy…and that was the point.
As I got stronger, my trainer would fist-bumped me…and then increase the weights.
Some training days are easier than others, but if I’m doing it right, they’re always a bit hard…and weirdly rewarding.
And occasionally, I pick up one of the ‘baby weights’ I started with, and marvel at how far I’ve come.
Being a writer means always wanting to do your best.
And that is hard.
It’s always going to be hard because, every day, your ‘best’ exists at the limit of your abilities.
Some days may feel easier than other days. But mostly, if you’re doing the best you can on that day, it’ll be a bit hard.
And weirdly rewarding.
And when, occasionally, you look back and see how far you’ve come from those first ‘baby stories’ you wrote, it will be marvelous.
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. And don’t forget that, as with physical training, sometimes the best thing you can do is to take an intentional ‘rest and recharge’ day…
A writing prompt from the archives, to prove that originality is not something you should worry about!
When I talk to new writers they are often concerned that their ideas aren’t ‘original enough’.
Of course, the more we write and the more we hang out with other writers, the more obvious it becomes that originality comes from you, not from the idea.
Ideas are everywhere.
Nobody will ever treat an idea in exactly the same way you will, so you can stop worrying about ‘being original’ right now. You ARE original. You can’t help it.
And to prove that, I’m sending you to a popular guest writing prompt from 2020, from author, podcaster and puppeteer, Mary Robinette Kowal.
So far, this prompt has sparked two very different stories that have been published and a whole novel that is still in progress…and those are just the ones I’ve heard about.
What can you do with this prompt, this week?
Keep writing
Julie
P. S. If you’d like more in-depth writing prompts, weekly, complete with a writing lesson and a jolt of inspiration from me, consider the StoryAWeek newsletter
How can you take advantage of the New Year energy without becoming overwhelmed? Read on…
Happy New Year!
If you set some writing goals for this year, why not take advantage of that New Year energy and figure out:
What’s the tiniest thing you can do, today, to support your image of yourself as the kind of person who take your writing seriously?
Could you:
Pick something tiny and do it for yourself today, with joy.
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. My Superstars group hosted a writing sprint at 8:30 this morning. (I slept through it. That was NOT the tiniest writing success I could manage today…),but it was a GREAT way to start a new year and a new day. We’ll be doing it again tomorrow. Join us?
In which I, rather unexpectedly, talk about dog training…
Are you setting goals for outcomes or simply turning towards your writing more?
Here are some ways I can help
https://storyaday.org/superstars
[00:00:00] Intro
[00:00:32] Where Are You Headed?
[00:03:16] Turning Towards Your Writing, Consistently
[00:05:12] Goals or GPS?
[00:06:26] More Successes
[00:12:02] No More Negative Voices
[00:13:54] Ways To Get Support from StoryADaym
[00:14:25] Short Story Framework
[00:14:35] The 3-Day Challenge
[00:15:51] StoryAWeek Newsletter
[00:18:50] I, WRITER Course
[00:19:39] January 5-Day Challenge
[00:20:18] StoryADay Superstars
[00:21:51] Coaching
[00:23:19] Wrap up
A young man sat at a piano, his fingers easily traveling over the keys…until a grumpy old guy with a vaguely Eastern-European accent, batted the younger man’s hand away.
“You have to breathe after this phrase, to bring life into the music.”
I was astounded.
The old guy was correcting the piano playing of Jon Battiste, who had recently been nominated for 11 Grammys and who is one of the country’s most beloved musicians.
And yet, Battiste listened to his old teacher, breathed, and nodded appreciatively as he heard the change in his playing.
Everyone benefits from expert coaching, no matter whether they are starting out, or scaling the heights.
If you want to make progress in your writing, faster, and with fewer wrong turns, it’s worth asking yourself if it’s time to get someone in your corner.
My superpower is that I can really hear what writers need, and what they may not be able to hear themselves say.
Your gift is your writing. What are you letting get in the way of that?
If you already like my style, and know you’re ready to commit to your writing, watch this video and then let me know you’d like to talk.
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. Where do you want to be this time next year? And what are you going to do, to ensure you get there? Let’s talk…
In this episode I talk about some of the publishing successes StoryADay Superstars have achieved this year, and invite you to share your own. Also, a special invitation for you, if you’re ready…
in this week’s episode I’m celebrating the successes of writers from the StoryADay Community, and our Superstars Group. Some of those successes are publication-related and others are more about the progress of the writers’ practice. Join us. I also extend an invitation to join our Superstar group in the coming year.
The Mothership, The Rumpus, Maery Rose
Elixir – Laura Porter
Bikes In Space Anthology – Monique Cuillerier
Sad Goose Collective Issue 2 – Astrid Eggar
Blink-Ink Issue 51 – Astrid Eggar
A Boat, a Bike, and a Balloon (Or What It Takes to Return a Stolen Sun), Bikes In Space Anthology – Marta Pelrine-Bacon
Bones In The Road, Pilgrimage Magazine – Peyton Ellas
Naming The Dead, Heartwood Literary Press – Walter Lawn
The Unguarded Moment , Active Muse – Astrid Eggar
Death Chips & Love Fries – Short Stories for City Lovers – Neha Mediratta
Make A Wish, Fiddlehead Folio – Robin Stein
From Nothing, Rise – Monique Cuillerier
Fixing The Books, a novel – Fallon Brown
The Garage Fridge Situation, a novel – Fallon Brown
The Warrior Defying Time And Space, Short Fiction Break Reader’s Choice Award – Neha Mediratta
The Painter Must Be Going Nowhere, Wingword Poetry Prize, longlisted – Neha Mediratta
Honorable Mention in NYC Midnight Short Story Contest – Kim Younkin
When a catalogue of disasters struck, one writer used the power of her writer’s group to keep her on track…
In which I share what’s been going on and what’s coming up at StoryADay AND talk about AI and you.
In this episode I explain where the podcast has been for the past few week, talk about the workshops I’ve been running and talk about what’s coming next for StoryADay, AND encourage you to understand the value of the work you’re doing.
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Updates
00:10 Creating Content and Workshops
02:08 Exploring the Use of AI in Writing
04:56 AI for Organizational Structures and Marketing
11:21 Reflections on Recent Events and Future Plans
11:40 StoryADay Superstars Group and Annual Planning Bundle
15:48 The Pressure of Milestones and Overcoming Blocks
20:19 The Importance of Writing and Encouragement
24:15 Conclusion and Future Podcast Plans
LINKS:
Holiday Stories Workshop 50% discount
Would you like the AI workshop?
What do you love/like/want in the podcast
Your stories from 15 years of StoryADay
When my fellow writer—let’s call her Amanda—popped onto my Zoom screen, she was hunched in her chair, listless, and slightly cynical.
For months, she’d been trying to work on her novel.
She knew what she had to do.
She knew the scene she wanted to work on.
She had a writer friend she checked in with weekly…and still she was spending her writing time checking email and looking at social media and feeling the self-loathing grow like a thorny hedge, choking out her creativity.
The Heart of the Problem
As we started to talk it became clear to me that the problem wasn’t with her work ethic (she’s worked as a writer for decades) or her identity (“writer” is central to her identity and she has no problem saying it out loud).
The problem was technical: she didn’t know enough about the structure of the story she wanted to tell; about reader expectations; about how to arrange her beautiful writing into a compelling, novel-length story.
And that is a problem that can be fixed.
But it’s hard to fix alone at your desk (or alone inside your brain).
As I asked more questions, and Amanda answered, I watched her sit up straighter, lean in towards the camera—she may have even clapped her hands in glee—as the true problem emerged.
What Happened Next
With the problem diagnosed, it was a snap for us to put together a plan of action to tackle it.
She’s ready to write, again.
Better than that, she’s excited to write again.
She was so happy she called me a genius.
Not A Genius
I’m (probably) not a genius.
But I am a coach.
I study and practice storytelling all day long.
And I ask really good questions.
Your Turn
Do you have someone you can talk to about your writing, and who asks excellent questions?
Leave a comment and let me know
During the busy holiday season (when did October-Jan become ‘the holiday season?!) we’re all overwhelmed with inboxes full of holiday greetings, people trying to sell us things, and the inevitable (endless) invitations to social events. (or a feeling of nostalgia for the days when we used to get more invitations…).
This is just a quick love-note from me to encourage you, in case you’re feeling like you’ll never have time to write on your work-in-progress again.
This is actually a great time for writers:
Grab your notebook. Stay hydrated. Take breaks (get outside if you can) and try to remember: it’s all material!
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. StoryADay’s 15th year is coming up in 2024 and I’d love to see it back on the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers list for the anniversary, so if you’ve ever taken part or gained any inspiration from the StoryADay blog, podcast, emails or challenges you can let Writer’s Digest know here.
September.
That was when I saw the first ‘holiday’ themed products in my supermarket (and yes, I mean the twinkling-lights, snow-covered, jolly fat-man type holiday),
And I know I’ll start seeing Valentine’s displays soon.
As a consumer it drives me a little crazy.
As a writer, it’s a great reminder.
When it comes to end-of-year holidays my personal bias is towards Christmas & New Year, but there are so many other holidays to celebrate. Which will you choose?
The great things about including a holiday in a story are:
One of the best ways to get to know people is to see how they act under stress.
One of the best ways to stress your characters and find out who they are, is to throw them into the mix with people they wouldn’t necessarily choose to be with.
Can you think of a better way to do that, than to send them a holiday party? 😉
What holiday will you include in your next story? Is it real or fictional? What is your favorite holiday? Leave a comment!
Have you thought about writing a holiday story?
In my world October 31 ushers in what feels like one big long holiday season: from Halloween, to Guy Fawkes in the UK, to Thanksgiving in the US, and then the headlong rush through Hannukah, Christmas, Diwali, Kwanzaa, New Year and Lunar New year…and blink! We’re almost at Valentine’s Day!
There’s no doubt these next few months are busy and freighted with expectations (have you thought about your end of year review? Your New Year’s Resolutions? If you’ll send holidays cards? Whose house you’ll go to for which family gathering? What topics are safe to talk about?!)
In simpler times*people used to gather round and tell stories at holiday gatherings.
(*times were never simpler. They were always full of complicated humans with complicated needs)
In Dickens’ time ghost stories were in fashion.
Hans Christian Anderson went in for tragic tales of noble poverty.
Nowadays we have the Hallmark Christmas Movie and the Holiday Disaster Film as our new ‘fireside’ traditions.
But have you given any thought to writing a holiday story of your own?
I started doing this a few years ago, sending each year’s story out to friends as an alternative to the dreaded family newsletter. I only sent them to people who I thought would enjoy them, and only when I had a chance to write something I felt good about.
Writing a holiday-themed story is a great way to
There are so many tropes and traditions to play with when it comes to Holiday stories, and I’ll be back soon with some ways for you to think about them.
But for now, I must dash and grab some brandy. I’m already late to soak the dried fruit for this year’s Christmas cake…
Have you written holiday stories? What holiday would you choose if you did? What would be your ‘must-have’ ingredients to make truly a holiday story? Leave a comment!
A new way to get to your writing faster and do better, more creative work
Life is busy and it’s hard to fit writing in.
And even when you do make time to write, it can be hard to adjust your brain’s settings from ‘life out there’ to ‘life in here’ quickly enough to make the most of your writing time.
I call this process ‘the commute’.
Finding the right way to commute from your daily life to your creative life, can make a huge difference to your productivity and happiness.
When my kids were babies and I was adjusting to being alone at home with them all the (very) long day, I really looked forward to their dad coming home.
Unfortunately for him, he had a very short commute. It didn’t give him time to transition out of being an orderly scientist in the lab and into being just another one of the clowns in the three-ring circus that was our toy-strewn living room.
The transition was jarring and, for a while, it didn’t go well…
…Until he learned to use his short commute consciously, to shift his mood and expectations. No more mental auto-pilot on the drive home.
Now, he deliberately prepped for his second job, and didn’t come in the door until he was ready to be pounced on (often literally, when it came to the kids) by three needy people who were ready for a break from each other.
Likewise, if you try to rush from ‘doing all the things in my daily life’ to ‘I must be creative immediately’, it’s a jarring transition and your brain will likely go on strike..
It needs a bit of a commute.
My commute from my last office job took well over an hour, meaning that I had plenty of time to unwind from the stresses of the day, before spending quality time with my husband...for the short amount of time we could spend together before it was time to go to bed, get up early and do it all again.
The long commute cut too deeply into how I wanted to be spending my time. Eventually, I left that job.
Many of us use practices and rituals to help us commute mentally from our daily lives to our creative lives. Maybe you use Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” or j you journal, or use some other ritual –perhaps involving scented candles, meditation or soothing music.
And while I love the principal behind all these ideas, it becomes a problem if you’re using all your time and mental energy to warm up, and leaving nothing for the projects you really want to work on.
And what if, like many busy caregivers, employees, and you know, living people, you only have 20 minutes here and there in which to get some writing done?
You can’t spend the whole time commuting or you’ll never get to the good part.
I love some stream-of-consciousness Morning Page writing to floss out my brain, but what would happen, I asked myself, if I didn’t have to write three pages?
It’s something that was so helpful as a concept when I first tried it out, that I hesitated to embrace the heresy that I might be able to warm up in less time. But I decided to try it and see what happened.
I started on a morning when I had a 25-minute block of time to work on my fiction.I didn’t want to spend the whole 25 minutes warming up, so I set a timer for 8 minutes (I love a deadline, don’t you?) and got to work.
Something that has really helped me shorten my ‘morning commute’ has been taking some time at the end of the day — or the end of the writing session—to do a similar process:
If you’re struggling to get your head in the game when you sit down to write, you may want to look about how you’re spending your ‘commute’ from one reality to the next.
I could give you a million and one tactics for fitting writing into your life…and none of them will matter a jot until you do this one simple (not easy) thing…
🎧 Listen now!
The Keep Writing Workbook https://stada.me/kww
The Short Story Framework: https://storyaday.org/framework
Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge
Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt
Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode
And finally a remainder that know you can support this podcast, if you would like to, which some people have asked me about and to do that, you go to glow.fm/storyaday, and you can make a one-time or recurring donation to keep the show going. And I really appreciate your support. That’s it from me this week. Happy writing. And I’ll see you again soon.
It’s that time again: time to make your commitments to your writing for the coming month. Join us!
Welcome to the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group!
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
So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below
(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)
Beyond Prizes and Awards: The True Value of Sharing Your Stories
Welcome to The StoryADay Podcast, where we explore the power of storytelling and the importance of writing every day.
In this episode encourage you to think about the significance of our narratives and the impact they have on the world around us. Drawing inspiration from a talk by former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, I reflect on imposter syndrome, internal motivation, and the responsibility writers have to capture the essence of human experience. Join me as we explore the value of our stories, regardless of accolades or recognition, and the role they play in helping others make sense of the world.
It’s time to embrace our unique perspectives and share our narratives with the world. So grab your pen and paper, and let’s get started on this storytelling journey together. Stay tuned!
🎧 Listen now!
[00:01:33] No one is asking for your story
[00:02:17] We are wonderful weirdos
[00:04:42] Who We Are Not Competing Withx
[00:07:45] How We Spend Our Lives
[00:08:49] What Stops You From Writing? (And Is It Worth It?)
[00:10:20] How Good Is Good Enough?
[00:12:53] Get the Short Story Framework or take the 3-Day Challenge
The Short Story Framework: https://storyaday.org/framework
Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge
Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt
Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode
And finally a remainder that know you can support this podcast, if you would like to, which some people have asked me about and to do that, you go to glow.fm/storyaday, and you can make a one-time or recurring donation to keep the show going. And I really appreciate your support. That’s it from me this week. Happy writing. And I’ll see you again soon.
The first restaurant I worked in was an American-style family restaurant – pretty exotic for the southwest coast of Scotland in the 80s, a place festooned with fish’n’chip shops, where ‘chicken tenders’ sounded like a new language.
One of my jobs was to set out bowls of condiments before the customers came in…and not just salt, pepper, vinegar, and the two sauces known to us (red and brown), but things like ‘hamburger relish (it was green! Who had ever heard of such a thing?!) and three types of mustard: one classic yellow, one fancy ‘Dijon’, and one totally alien grainy concoction that I fell in love with.
Tonight, I opened a jar of that grainy mustard and its tangy smell transported me back 38 years, to the service corridor between the kitchen and dining room of my first job, when mustard was an exotic new experience.
It reminded me of a truth in writing: we spend so much time in our own heads that we take for granted the way we think, the way we talk, and the way we write.
Sometimes, when we show our work to someone else they are thrilled by a throwaway phrase or a description that took no effort at all…because it’s normal to you.
Sometimes we need other writers to push us to try the mustard, when we’re accustomed to always reaching for the salt and vinegar.
And yes, this is my fancy way of letting you know that Critique Week is coming up, and that if you would like to get some fresh eyes on your writing you should consider joining us.
But more than that, it’s my way of encouraging you not to take your own writing for granted. It might be the new flavor someone else is looking for!
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. I’ll be opening up registration for this round of Critique week, soon. Get on the waitlist here.
In which Julie has opinions how to engage with the publishing industry…if that’s something you’re interested in doing
Are you looking to find success in the publishing world?
Join me on The StoryADay Podcast as I discuss the importance of engagement in writing and publishing.
In this episode titled “Lurk Your Way to Success in Publishing”, I share strategies and insights that can help you achieve your goals as a writer.
Here are 3 key takeaways from the episode:
1️⃣ Don’t rush into building an author platform: While it’s tempting to focus on social media presence and building a following, it’s crucial to prioritize the writing itself. Spend time honing your craft and creating compelling content before diving into the world of author branding.
2️⃣ Engage with the publishing world: Stay updated by following authors on social media, reading industry publications, and educating yourself about the realities of being a writer. Become part of the conversation, learn from experienced authors, and stay informed about industry trends.
3️⃣ Define your own success: Don’t let societal expectations or external pressure define your writing journey. Take the time to reflect on what success means to you personally and set realistic goals that align with your values. Remember, writing is a journey of personal growth and creativity, and your definition of success should reflect that.
🎧 Listen now!
[00:02:03] Engaging With The Publishing World
[00:03:42] Should You Even Pay Attention?
[00:06:54] Have a Strong Definition of Success For Yourself
[00:09:18] If You Want To Publish
[00:10:25] First Steps In Pursuing Publication – Lurk (aka ‘research’)
[00:11:53] Agents
[00:14:44] Queries and Book Proposals
[00:15:45] Why Submission Guidelines Matter
[00:18:33] Ways to Lurk
[00:19:35] Publishing Shorter Pieces
[00:21:56] Get Off My Lawn
[00:23:22] Be Human, Make Friends, Be Successful
[00:25:37] Where To Find Writers and Publishing Folks, Online in 2023
[00:29:04] Wrap Up
Kate McKean’s Agents & Books Substack Newsletter
The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing
Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge
Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt
Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode
And finally a remainder that know you can support this podcast, if you would like to, which some people have asked me about and to do that, you go to glow.fm/storyaday, and you can make a one-time or recurring donation to keep the show going. And I really appreciate your support. That’s it from me this week. Happy writing. And I’ll see you again soon.
In which Julie has opinions how to make your stories compelling and keep readers hooked.
Welcome to another episode of The StoryADay Podcast! I’m your host, Julie Duffy, from Storyaday.org, and today we’re diving into a topic that every writer grapples with: engaging the reader.
As we explore the importance of captivating our audience, we’ll also discuss the challenges that come with balancing our own creative process and the desire for validation from readers. \
Join me as we uncover strategies to make our stories irresistible and learn how to effectively engage with our readers. So, grab your pen and notebook, and let’s get started on this storytelling adventure!
00:01:27 Permission to create freely, fear of judgment.
00:03:58 Engaging stories and readers: tips and importance.
00:11:17 Structure, pacing, and character engagement in writing.
00:14:17 Direct contact without social media or ads.
00:19:58 Don’t overthink, write and engage with readers.
00:21:17 Writing challenge: 3 days to complete stories
Listen to Part I – How To Be A Writer
Listen to Part III – Lurk Your Way To Publishing Success
Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode
Sign up for the StoryADay September Challenge: https://storyaday.org
Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge
Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt
And finally a remainder that know you can support this podcast, if you would like to, which some people have asked me about and to do that, you go to glow.fm/storyaday, and you can make a one-time or recurring donation to keep the show going. And I really appreciate your support. That’s it from me this week. Happy writing. And I’ll see you again soon.