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3 Short Stories To Read Before May Begins

As we warm up for StoryADay May 2023, it’s always useful to read great examples of the kind of short fiction we might end up writing during May.

Here are three great (and a little weird) stories I’ve read over the past few months, to inspire you.

If you’ve ever thought “I can’t write a whole a short story,” maybe it’s because you haven’t seen all the weird and wonderful ways a short story can be built. It’s almost impossible to get it wrong!

Keep writing,

Julie

P. S. The free WRITER Code Masterclass is underway. If you want to write, but keep getting derailed, watch Lesson 1 now: in which I present a framework for a writing life that works for you, today, not ‘some day’.

Why You Should Write during StoryADay, This May

^^^ Watch (captions available)

Need the transcript?

˅˅˅ listen (mp3)

Of all the reasons you should join us in attempting to write a StoryADay May the best might possibly be because:

Don’t you want to be the kind of writer who writes?

Who writes so much they get good?

Who stands a chance of realizing those unreasonable-exciting dreams you’re not telling anyone about?

Don’t you at least deserve to try?

LINKS

Sign up for the StoryADay Challenge: https://storyaday.org/signup

Rachel Swearingen Interview Part 2

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Need the transcript?

˅˅˅ listen (mp3)

This time we talk about her favorite stories of her own and the writers she admires, working in short fiction now. We also talk about the importance of community for writers, and then Rachel turns the tables on me!

(You can find Part 1 of this interview, here)

Rachel Swearingen is the author of “How to Walk on Water and other short stories” which received the New American Press Fiction Prize. 

LINKS

This episode: storyaday.org/episode283

Rachel’s site: rachelswearing.com

Sign up for StoryADay May: http://storyaday.org/signup

Support the podcast: glow.fm/storyaday

Rachel Swearingen Intervew – on Writing

In this conversation with award-winning writer Rachel Swearingen we talk about how to build a writing practice that grows with you, the art of writing short and long fiction the importance of play, her residency in Berlin and about some of her short stories and how they came to be written.

^^^ Watch (captions available)

Need the transcript?

˅˅˅ listen (mp3)

Next time we’ll talk about her favorite stories of her own and the writers she admires, working in short fiction now. We also talk about the importance of community for writers, and then Rachel turns the tables on me!

Rachel Swearingen is the author of “How to Walk on Water and other short stories” which received the New American Press Fiction Prize. 

LINKS

This episode: storyaday.org/episode282

Rachel’s site: rachelswearing.com

Sign up for StoryADay May: http://storyaday.org/signup

Support the podcast: glow.fm/storyaday

If StoryADay May Was Cancelled

What if StoryADay went away?

If the month of May rolled around and there were no prompts, no daily email encouraging you to write, no friendly community to welcome your “Yay! I did it” posts at the blog, would there be a gap in your writing practice?

Would you have fewer first drafts to work on the rest of the year?

Would another month go by without a focus on your writing?

And, if this is your first year contemplating the challenge, what do you hope to get out of it?

Leave a comment below, and let me know!

Should I Do This, Again?

Every year, as the organizer of StoryADay May, I face the question: am I going to do this again?

(It’s a lot of work!)

And every year, I look at the comments and emails from past years to help me make my decision.

Comments like:

“I noticed something this month that’s been scarce while I was focused on my novel, story sparks! Sparks just started popping up out of no where…I feel like I’ve been freed!
Thank you, Julie, for the inspiration!! Yay for May!”

Christina

“My heartfelt thanks …for letting me enjoy every single one of the prompts for the last month.”

Rathin

“I have loved all the story prompts this month, especially the flexibility and possibilities they have, meaning I can return to them many times to write new and varied stories into the future.
I step towards more writing, more creativity and more ideas.”

Ran

“You’ve helped me hold my faith in my writing.
This is a spectacular achievement for me as I struggle to prioritise time for myself. Thank you for the motivation. It’s been awesome.”

Wendy

“I have learned so much not just about short stories, but writing in general.”

Calla

“I feel proud of myself!”

Grace

“ I discovered … how easily I could come up with new story ideas. Also, I feel more motivated to go back and revise the stories I wrote. I… feel more motivated to continue writing.”

Natalie

“I didn’t write for forty years…The horrible part was that I knew writing was my calling, and that I was capable of it. But I just didn’t do it…This has been a truly life-altering experience. It is huge. A titanic breakthrough. A door opening, chains falling away. I’m shocked and humbled and amazed, … I’m telling you the truth. This has changed my life.”

Dawn

And that’s why, every year, I find myself I find myself arguing with my coach about what is and is not a good investment of my time 😉

I’d love it if you would take a moment to think about what you hope to get out of the StoryADay May challenge, what rules you are setting for yourself (will you write every day? Once a week? Only on weekends?) and how you hope to feel at the end of the month.

Then leave a comment here. It’ll help crystalize your goals, which will, in turn, help keep your motivation high.

(And I can show them to my coach!!)

If you have questions for me, post them here, too.

Here’s to another May of ridiculous, glorious creativity!

Keep writing,

Julie, writing
Julie (signed)

Julie Duffy

P. S. If you want me to send writing prompts to your email inbox every day of the challenge, make sure you’re signed up here (yes, even if you’ve signed up in the past)

SWAGr for April 2023

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!

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

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

  • 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!)

How to Be A Writer Even When You Don’t Feel Like Being A Writer

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Need the transcript?

˅˅˅ listen (mp3)

What to do when life won’t get out of your way.

We all go through seasons where other concerns pull at us (family, friends, world events). It doesn’t mean you’re failing as a writer if you are less productive at some times than others.

And I have some thoughts on how you can stay connected to your writer self even if the words aren’t flowing.

Links:

storyaday.org/3dc

Getting Unstuck with K. B. Carle Pt. II

It’s really nice to know that there is still an outlet or a form of writing that I can do and still keep a full-time job while doing it.

And it didn’t really bend my schedule too much. So that’s how I really started exploring Flash

-K. B. Carle

In the second part of my conversation with author KB Carle (listen to Part 1 here) we talk about what attracted her to Flash Fiction; the challenges of moving from short to novel-length fiction; how to get unstuck ; and how being a writer includes building your community

There’s a ton of practical tips (and resources) to keep you going in this week’s episode. Enjoy!

Need the transcript? Click here

RESOURCES

In Exchange for the Final Pudding Cup, We Offer Our Inner Thoughts, from The Offing (includes a Venn diagram)

Hello, My Name Is Marley in CRAFT Literary Magazine (this one has a word search!)

Vagabond Mannequin in Jellyfish Review (crossword clues as story!)

How We Survived , in Lost Balloon

Grace Q. Song‘s website

Christopher Gonzalez

Tommy Dean

Cathy Ulrich

Kathy Fish

Meghan Phillips

Best Small Fictions 2021

I Keep My Exoskeleton To Myself by M. Crane

Smokelong Quarterly

Five South

No Contact

Atlas & Alice

Atticus Review

Keep writing,

Julie

About KB Carle

K.B. Carle lives and writes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her flash has been published in a variety of places including Lost Balloon, Five South Lit., The Rumpus, JMWW, and elsewhere. K.B.’s stories have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, and her story, “Soba,” was included in the 2020 Best of the Net anthology. Her story, “A Lethal Woman,” will be included in the 2022 Best Small Fictions anthology. She can be found online at kbcarle.com or on Twitter @kbcarle.

Want more?

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

A Conversation with K. B. Carle Part I

When I’m most relaxed, here comes the character…

That’s when everybody decides to show up and just interrupt my day like they don’t have a care.

-K. B. Carle

In this conversation with author KB Carle we talk about writing flash fiction and micro fiction, the importance of community, getting through the middle, and more

Need the transcript? Click here

K.B. Carle lives and writes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her flash has been published in a variety of places including Lost Balloon, Five South Lit., The Rumpus, JMWW, and elsewhere. K.B.’s stories have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, and her story, “Soba,” was included in the 2020 Best of the Net anthology. Her story, “A Lethal Woman,” will be included in the 2022 Best Small Fictions anthology. She can be found online at kbcarle.com or on Twitter @kbcarle.

I hope it’ll leave you inspired and ready to get to your own stories!

Keep writing,

Julie

P. S. You can listen to Part 2 here

Want more?

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

A Conversation with K. B. Carle

When I’m most relaxed, here comes the character…

That’s when everybody decides to show up and just interrupt my day like they don’t have a care.

-K. B. Carle

In this conversation with author KB Carle we talk about writing flash fiction and micro fiction, the importance of community, getting through the middle, and more

Need the transcript? Click here

K.B. Carle lives and writes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her flash has been published in a variety of places including Lost Balloon, Five South Lit., The Rumpus, JMWW, and elsewhere. K.B.’s stories have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, and her story, “Soba,” was included in the 2020 Best of the Net anthology. Her story, “A Lethal Woman,” will be included in the 2022 Best Small Fictions anthology. She can be found online at kbcarle.com or on Twitter @kbcarle.

I hope it’ll leave you inspired and ready to get to your own stories!

Keep writing,

Julie

Want more?

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

SWAGr for March 2023

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!

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

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

  • 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!)

SWAGr for March 2023

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!

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

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

  • 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!)

Forget the Hero’s Journey – a conversation with Gwen E. Kirby Pt II

In the second part of my conversation with Gwen E. Kirby we talk about developing characters that feel real to people, about writing at this moment in time, writing about women, and the question that Gwen Kirby doesn’t get asked often enough,

Gwen E Kirby is the author of the fabulous debut collection of short stories Shit Cassandra Saw. has a MFA from Johns Hopkins university. PhD from the University of Cincinnati and is the Associate Director of Programs and finance for the Sewanee Writers. Conference at the University of the South where she’s also teaching students about creative writing. Her writing has appeared in One Story Tin House Guernica. Smoke Long Quarterly, and many other places.

LINKS

Gwen’s book: https://stada.me/cassandra

This interview: https://storyaday.org/episode278

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

Forget the Hero’s Journey, a conversation with Gwen E. Kirby

“when we leave our characters in sort of these vagaries, these big emotions and these big ideas, we don’t have anything to hang the characters or the emotions on.”

-Gwen E. Kirby

In the second part of my conversation with Gwen E. Kirby we talk about developing characters that feel real to people, about writing at this moment in time, writing about women, and the question that Gwen Kirby doesn’t get asked often enough,

Gwen E Kirby is the author of the fabulous debut collection of short stories Shit Cassandra Saw. has a MFA from Johns Hopkins university. PhD from the University of Cincinnati and is the Associate Director of Programs and finance for the Sewanee Writers. Conference at the University of the South where she’s also teaching students about creative writing. Her writing has appeared in One Story Tin House Guernica. Smoke Long Quarterly, and many other places.

Need the transcript? Find it here

I hope it’ll leave you inspired and ready to get to your own stories!

Keep writing,

Julie

Want more?

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

How To Be A GREAT Critique Partner

There’s a memorable scene in the movie Silence of the Lambs, when Jodie Foster’s FBI supervisor points out that assumptions are treacherous “Because when you assume, you make an “ass” out of “u” and me…”

I was thinking about that today, as I prepare for another Critique Week, here at StoryADay.

When I interviewed Matthew Salesses, author of Craft in the Modern World, he talked about the difficulty of giving meaningful feedback to other writers if we don’t root out our unconscious biases.

Chances are, if you’re like me, most of the literary greats you were exposed to at school were white, male, and dead. 

“Good stories” were those that were modeled after Faulkner or Joyce, or Poe. 

But what if you’re being asked to read a story by your friend who is queer, 25, and an immigrant from Nigeria? How do you ‘judge’ that story?

How To Be A Sensitive Reader

In my experience, the best way to give helpful feedback is to get into conversation with the writer.

Some useful questions include:

  • Who are you writing this for? (Accepting, humbly, that I might not be the target audience.)
  • How do you want the reader to feel at various points in your story?
  • Are there any cultural storytelling norms you’re using that I might need to know (if I’m not your target audience)?

I hope this gives you confidence to say ‘yes’, next time someone asks you for feedback.

Keep writing,

Julie

P. S. If you’re interesting in getting great feedback from some talented and thoughtful writers, find out more about the StoryADay Critique Week.

Sh*t Cassandra Saw, an Inteview with Gwen E. Kirby

“So little of life is comprised of huge dramatic running out into the rain to cry “Stella!”  If we saved our short fiction for only those moments, not only am I not totally sure what we would write about, but I’m not sure it would be all that accurate a portrayal of what it is to be a person.”

-Gwen E. Kirby

On this week’s podcast I’m in conversation with author Gwen E. Kirby, whose debut collection Sh*t Cassandra Saw was one of my absolute favorites from last year.

In our conversation we talk about the stories in her new collection, the benefit of a fantastic title, how to take an idea and develop it into a story. 

Need the transcript? Find it here

Next week, in the second part of this interview, we will talk more about developing characters that feel real to people, about writing at this moment in time, writing about women, and the question that Gwen Kirby doesn’t get asked often enough.

It was a delightful conversation and I hope it’ll leave you inspired and ready to get to your own stories!

Keep writing,

Julie

P. S. Mary Robinette Kowal, who I interviewed a few episodes ago, is offering a class this Sunday on diagnosing (and fixing) story problems. I always leave her classes feeling as if someone has flipped my head open and dropped in a bunch of sparklers. You might want to check it out.

Want more?

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

What If You ARE A Good Enough Writer?

Therefore all should work. First because it is impossible that you have no creative gift. Second: the only way to make it live and increase is to use it. Third: you cannot be sure that it is not a great gift – If You Want To Write, Brenda Ueland

If You Want To Write, Brenda Ueland

We hold ourselves back.

We hold ourselves back because, what if our writing isn’t good enough?

What if we put in all this effort and we fail?

(First question: have you defined success for yourself, yet?)

Is Your Writing Any Good?

It’s hard to know the quality of our own work.

We’re too close to it.

That’s when critique groups and writing buddies can come in handy.

Sometimes the word ‘critique’ scares us, but in my experience sharing work with writing friends often means they spot the parts of my writing that are working…and that I take for granted.

Why are we so critical of our own work?

Lots of reasons.

  • When you’re in your own head all the time it’s hard to know when you’re being insightful or entertaining. Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say.
  • You were probably told not to brag about yourself by someone who loved you and wanted other people to like you. Who wanted you to be safe.
  • We are comparing our first draft with someone else’s 20th!
  • It’s safer to aim low than to aim high and risk failure.

What If Your Writing Is A Gift?

Today, I’m challenging you to ask yourself:

  • What if my writing really is good?
  • What if my words are exactly what someone needs to hear today?
  • Isn’t it a little bit arrogant to assume you know how your writing will affect others?

Isn’t it a little bit selfish for you to hold back?

↑↑↑ If that were true, what would you do, today? ↑↑↑

SWAGr for February 2023

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!

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

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

  • 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!)

Back To Writing

Today I’m talking about the struggle to get back into a writing routine after the winter holidays. I know I’m not alone in expecting that fresh start feeling to kick in, in January, but it hasn’t happened for me yet. The chaos of the holidays can make it hard to get back into a routine. But, I have learned over the years as a writer, that if you want to improve, you have to take action and actually write. I have some tips that can help, and an invitation to join me in a tiny challenge later this month… Thanks for listening.

LINKS:
January Challenge: https://storyaday.org/jan-challenge

Sign up for the Jan 5-Day Challenge

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

SWAGr for January 2023

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!

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

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!)

Creative Rebellion – Episode 275

Join us as we talk about building a productive writing practice, no matter what…..

It’s an end-of-year episode with a twist (hint: don’t want to set New Year’s Resolutions? Join the rebellious crowd!)

Listen to the Audio

Full transcript here

Watch the video

Watch video with full transcript here

LINKS:

LINKS:

Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the Podcast

Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode253

Join the discussion in the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group (SWAGr)

More Writing Help

StoryADay Short Story Framework

Download the free Short Story Framework and write today, not ‘some day’. Go from ‘idea’ to ‘the end’ without getting lost along the way!

Download now
StoryAWeek logo

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

Find out more
StoryaDay 3-Day Challenge

Take the 3-Day Challenge and write three short stories this weekend!

find out more

Where’s My Butler? An Interview with Mary Robinette Kowal about the writing life – Part 2

Join us as we talk about building a productive writing practice, no matter what…..

My conversation continues, with award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal as we discuss her new novel The Spare Man and the art of writing even in the face of challenges. Don’t miss it!

Listen to the Audio

Watch the video

Watch video with full transcript here

LINKS:

LINKS:

Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the Podcast

Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode273

Join the discussion in the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group (SWAGr)

More Writing Help

StoryADay Short Story Framework

Download the free Short Story Framework and write today, not ‘some day’. Go from ‘idea’ to ‘the end’ without getting lost along the way!

Download now
StoryAWeek logo

Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter

Find out more
StoryaDay 3-Day Challenge

Take the 3-Day Challenge and write three short stories this weekend!

find out more

Casper by Gwen Kirby

It made me want to come back for more stories from this anthology…

The Reading Room is a log of my “writer-as-reader” reactions to the short stories I’m reading now.

The author captures the voice and interior voice of teenage girls really well. In this story three teens are working at a store that resells items from lost baggage — the major industry in their town (!).

These girls don’t work at the most popular lost bagagge store, the one that draws all the visitors. Their is a down-market, knock-off version of it.

Each girl has her own place in the social pecking order, her own dreams for the future, and all this unspools quite naturally.

Interestingly, Kirby ignores the common wisdom that a story has to have a strong point-of-view character and that shifts in perspective must be clearly offset; that an omniscient narrator is a no-no….and it works. I’m going to have to go back and read this again to see why.

OPENING LINES


Kirby is a master of pulling me into the story.

“The girls of the Unclaimed Baggage Dept—Greenleaf, Alabama’s second-best and only other unclaimed baggage story– found Casper in a lime green suitcase.”

Look at the details!! It’s not just a store, it’s the “Unclaimed Baggage Depot–Greenleaf, Alabama’s second best and only other unclaimed baggage store.” It’s not just a suitcase, it’s a lime green suitcase.

We don’t know what or who Casper is. We have to keep reading.

Imagine if this read

“One Monday morning in summer, the girls who worked at an unclaimed baggage store found a [SPOILER ALERT] taxidermized albino wallaby in a suitcase.”

Still an intriguing premise, but ho-hum execution. You’ll have to work MUCH harder to get me to keep reading.

THE MIDDLE

We zig zag between the girls’ hopes and dreams as they first figure out what to do with Casper and deal with the consequences of their actions.

Each scene builds up a stronger picture the girls, individually, and in relation to each other and their town.

CLIMAX AND RESOLUTION

….was a bit unexpected and I’m not sure how I feel about it. My favorite way to feel about a short story!

THE ENDING

Takes us solidly into the perspective of the girl who is most active in the climax, and gives us a really interesting perspective to chew on (from her point of view; her reaction to events) as we close the book or turn the page. I wouldn’t call it a ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ ending, but I was satisfied.

It made me want to come back for more stories from this anthology…but not yet. I want to savor this one for a moment.

Find this story in Sh*t Cassandra Saw by Gwen Kirby

An Interview with Mary Robinette Kowal about writing “The Spare Man” – Part 1

Join us as we talk about writing, cocktails and the art of writing what you don’t know…

Murder! Cocktails! Adorable service dogs!

Award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal comes to the StoryADay podcast to discuss her new novel The Spare Man and the art of writing books you’d actually want to read. Don’t miss it!

Listen to the Audio

Watch the video

Watch video with full transcript here

LINKS:

LINKS
MaryRobinette.com
Mary Robinette Kowal’s Patreon
My Favorite Bit (10 best Fantine curses) 

Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the Podcast

Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode273

Join the discussion in the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group (SWAGr)

More Writing Help

StoryADay Short Story Framework

Download the free Short Story Framework and write today, not ‘some day’. Go from ‘idea’ to ‘the end’ without getting lost along the way!

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SWAGr for December 2022

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!

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

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

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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!)

It’s Annual Review Time!

Don’t be afraid!

it’s that time of year when you’re supposed to make goals, but how to do it without getting bored, scared, disappointed or terrified? I have some thoughts…

Listen to the Audio

LINKS:

Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the Podcast

Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode272

Join the discussion in the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group (SWAGr)

Need something to help you get closer to your purpose while setting or assessing your goals?

Get the Annual Planning Bundle

Read the accompanying article

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Annual Planning Bundle

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6 Weeks of Creativity

With six weeks left in the year, you may be looking to do a big push or you may want to chill. I have one tip that will make either of those options (or something in the middle) work.

Also in this episode, some updates on my Tidy Desk Challenge and what’s been going on around here at StoryADay recently.

LINKS

Read to write? Watch this peptalk

Want to build a slow, steady practice? What this

Want to finish one project this year? Watch this

Ready to chill? Watch this

Ready to write today, not “some day”?