SWAGr for July 2025

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 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

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

SWAGr for June 2025

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 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

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

SWAGr for May 2025

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 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

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

Choose Your Challenge Vibe

Earlier this month I asked you to think about what kind of mood you like in stories 

Today I’m asking you to consider the mood, or ‘vibe’, you want to create during the challenge.

Are you aiming for:

  • Experimental?
  • Ambitious?
  • Playful?
  • Energized?
  • Confident?
  • Focused?
  • ‘Determinedly outrunning your perfectionism and getting something written’?

What do you want to feel on the 1st when you look back at your month?

Journal about it, and then post your target ‘vibe’ below in the comments. Let it set the tone every time you start a writing session).

Superstars Invitation: Want to guarantee you’ll finish the challenge with that feeling? StoryADay Superstars provides the scaffolding you need to keep your vibe high — and your stories flowing — long after the initial excitement fades. Then, we’ll spend the next five months building on that success to create a writing habit that fits your life today, not ‘some day’.

SWAGr for April 2025

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

  • 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

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

Maybe You SHOULD Be Writing

Some weekend reading and listening to inspire you to write…

I’m in the midst of asking writers I admire to contribute prompts for this year’s StoryADay Challenge. It’s nerve-wracking, and takes a little courage, but I do it.

Then, inevitably, when they say ‘yes’, I experience Big Emotions: Happiness and, weirdly, overwhelm. And I want to run away from my computer!

Today I caught myself feeling those feelings. I took a deep breath and asked:

What if I don’t let the Imposter Syndrome rage?

What if, by creating StoryADay May, I really HAVE created something awesome that people love to support and take part in?

What if I am doing good, and that’s good enough?

And so, I ask you the same question: what if you ARE good enough, as a writer?

Some Weekend Reading/Listening For You

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Creative Guilt Trip

Discussion Time: How Do You React?

  • Do you ever struggle with receiving positive feedback on your writing?
  • Do you ever demur and dismiss people’s praise with an “oh, go on, you’re just being nice…”?
    What if you could stand your ground, sit in the discomfort, and let their praise sink in?
  • What would it do for you, if you could truly believe that your writing is good enough, of service to readers, and that you can accept praise?
    Would you become an arrogant monster? Or would you become invigorated and want to write more stories for people to enjoy (Hint: it’s not the first one).

Leave a comment and let me know