Around here we’re all about creativity. I don’t talk much about publishing because:
a, there’s plenty of material online about how to publish/get published and
b, Worrying about the publishing part before the writing part seems like putting the cart before the horse.
However, many of you have come along on the StoryADay May creativity binge a few times now and are starting to wonder “What Next?”
I strongly advocate trying many different things to get your work into the hands of readers, from submitting to traditionally-published magazines, publishing online, and yes, even self-publishing.
This summer and autumn I focused on putting together batches of stories that could be packaged together and sold as ebooks. Then I published them myself.
I’ve never felt more inspired, so I wanted to share the steps with you.
Why Write & Publish A Short Story Collection eBook?
It imposes deadlines and a finite end to each project
It can inspired you to finish and polish your stories
Setting my own them and writing my own ‘themed anthology’ helped me focus on what to do every time I scheduled a writing session.
Because I was sick of only writing to someone else’s specifications and then spending weeks waiting to hear back to hear that I hadn’t quite hit what they needed [1. I won’t stop submitting to magazines and online publications. I just needed another outlet too!]. I wanted to feel like I was spending more time writing than researching markets.
To build an audience of readers, not just other writers (much as I love my online writing buddies, we all need readers!).
To build a track record of publications with reviews and feedback.
Was It A Success?
A resounding success.
My experiment is still a bit of a work in progress as I have only released a few things, and my marketing is designed to produce results over the long haul. But I can tell you that I have never been more inspired or productive in my writing life. Just the thought of taking control, seeking feedback from trusted writing friends, polishing and releasing these stories, has filled me with drive and broken through any number of writing blocks in the past few months.
Because my marketing plan isn’t fully in place yet (and relies on more collections being released over the next year), I’m not going to talk about sales figures yet.
Get The Blueprint – Free!
I am, however, going to share how I got the books out into the world, created mechanisms for gathering reader feedback and began to share my stories with the world.
If you’re already on the StoryADay mailing list you should have received a copy of the lesson I put together, sharing what I did (check your email).
It contains everything from:
How (And Why) To Write & Polish a Themed Batch Of Stories
My Timeline For Putting Together An eBook
Preparing for Publishing (including preparing the text and cover, and what you must include to ensure readers connect with you)
Working with Amazon to Create A Kindle Edition (including a walk-through of the publishing process)
Working With Smashwords To Create Other eBook Formats (including technical details and tips on how to use Smashwords to increase your book’s reach)
What I Did To “Release” The Book (includes how I sought reviews, spread the word and gathered feedback)
What Next? (Includes tips for ongoing marketing, and planning the next collection)
Your Turn (A pep-talk on the three most important steps you must take if you’re going to try this)
Resources (includes links to all the services I use for publication and promotion.
If you’re not on the mailing list you can add yourself now and receive your free copy of my detailed guide to Publishing Your Own Short Story Ebook Collection
It’s back: the ever-popular (no really, it is!) exercise where we all write stories using the same list of words.
It’s silly, it’s low-stress, it is, frankly, ridiculous and it makes for a great way to break blocks or take a break after a longer or more serious project.
So here goes:
The Prompt
Write a story containing the following words
Monthly
Cute
Shortest
Wolfish
Plot
Master
World
Valuable
December
I’ve decided not to host an official StoryADay September here, but don’t despair!
Starting on Tuesday (Sept 3) I’m going to bring you prompts five days a week and will be inviting you to check in here at the site on any days that you’re inspired to write (or determined to). We’ll be here with congratulations, encouragement and, of course, more prompts.
Here’s a quick summary of the first week’s prompts:
Prompt 1 – Word Challenge
This writing prompt — a list of words to incorporate into your story — is an extremely silly one, designed to help you take your writing not-too-seriously and get back into the swing of writing for the joy of itPrompt 2 – The Fair
This prompt provides a scene and a suggested formula for writing a story set at a country fair. Bet you no two stories turn out alike though!
Prompt 3 – Little Old Lady
An opportunity to examine (or reinvent) the stereotype of the little old lady…
Prompt 4 – The Locked Room
Four people in a locked room with a frightening thunderous noise outside? What the heck is going on?
Prompt 5 – Inciting Incident
This prompt takes a look at one of the elements of story structure writing teachers are always banging on about: the inciting incident.
I do a lot of reading about writing, sifting through the fluff and the downright wrong, so you don’t have to. Here’s what I’ve found in the past month or so that you should find pretty inspiring. Dive in.
Start reading websites for writers and you’ll inevitably find a whole bunch of articles about how you *must* be developing a ‘platform’ so that readers will flock to your books. Dan’s article introduces a little sanity into the debate.
And on that note, I particularly enjoy Chuck Wendig’s quote on the topic of platform: “Here’s the thing: a writer without a platform can still get published if he has a kick-ass book, but a writer with a great platform isn’t likely to get published if his book is better off being dragged out behind the barn and shot in the head.”
Not directly about writing, but if you’re looking for some motivation to help you stop stalling on your next (or current) story, take a deep, cleansing breath and go and read Leo’s article.
A short article about how a TV writer reminds herself to write characters who are more than cardboard cutouts. Really useful. (Your list may vary from Mindy’s but it’s an exercise you might want to try.)
Related: Elizabeth S. Craig’s recent post about voice. She give a great piece of advice about how to hold onto a character’s voice once you’ve found it and then gives you a rabbit-hole of further reading links to fall down. Go, enjoy!
This is an exercise I have long advocated (It’s part of the Copycat Writing class in the StoryADay Warm Up Course). Liz’s writes about it in a way that will make you want to try it! (This page loaded oddly in my browser. You may need to scroll down.)
“What you put your attention on, grows”. Seems simple when she puts it like that, huh? Tips and tricks for turning your writing habit into something you focus on and relish.
Looking for a plot or a crisis ripped from, well, not the headlines but a Department of Defense list of its own cock-ups? Read through this instructional manual produced by the DOD and I defy you not to get a story idea or two!
One of my main aims with StoryADay.org was to get you (and me) writing again. It’s about productivity, creativity and becoming the person you were meant to be: a writer.
But after you’ve been writing for a while a new worry creep in. You’re no longer worried about making time to write, or whether you’ll be able to finish stories. You’ve proved that you can do that. You’ve probably found that you’re much happier when you’re writing than when you’re not.
Then comes that next niggling worry.
(And yes, it hit me too, after I’d first used StoryADay to jumpstart my own short story writing).
And what is that worry? All together now:
“What if my writing isn’t good enough?”
Facing Reality/Changing Reality
If you’ve been writing for a while now, you’ve probably sent a story or two away to a publication, a contest, a friend. Maybe you had some luck and got a good response. Chance are though, you to a ‘sorry but’, or an empty inbox.
It’s hard to know why. Maybe it wasn’t what that person was looking for. Or maybe it really wasn’t good enough. So now what?
As I see it, you have three choices:
1. Give up (but that’s not a real choice because you already know you want to be writing. So let’s forget I ever mentioned it.)
2. Never show your work to anyone again (but this isn’t realistic either. We write to connect. You WANT to find an audience for your work.)
3. Become a better writer.
Let’s Do It
Every writer has to face this reality, when the first euphoria wears off: we’re not as good as we want to be. Everyone. From Stephen King to Junot Diaz (who got a McArthur “Genius” grant this year. Think that’s going to make feel like he knows what he’s doing? Nope!)
It’s all just part of the process of becoming a writer.
So it’s noses to the grindstone again: write, read, revise, learn, do it all again. The only way forward is, well, forward.
A Free eBook For You
Earlier this year I posted a long series of articles on the subject of Becoming A Better Writer. They were so popular that I decided to expand them, compile them, and release them as an ebook: the second in the StoryADay.org Guides series.
This guide to becoming a better writer is packed with tips, techniques and exercises you can use to improve your writing– even when you’re away from your desk. With StoryADay’s trademark brand of inspiration, practical help, and humor, this is your go-to guide for whenever your writing life needs a boost.
What’s The Catch?
Well, none really. You need to have a Kindle or download the free Kindle software from Amazon, and I’d love it if you’d leave a review so that more people can find the book next week when the price goes back up to $2.99 (Any kind of review helps. I think it potential readers like to see a balanced set of opinions up there) .
Which reminds me, it’s only free until Friday, July 19th, so get your copy today.
I’ve been reading a lot about marketing recently. One of the techniques that strikes me as a double-edged sword is the advice to create an elevator pitch for your story that goes like this:
It’s like Alien meets 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea It’s Sleepless in Seattle but with dogs
(Can you tell why I think it’s a double-edged sword?!)
The Prompt
Write A Short Story Mashup
Let’s have some fun with this idea, and go literal:
Take a character who is suspiciously like another character from literature or film (an Indiana Jones-like explorer, a Tess of the D’Urbevilles-like victim, a Ferris Bueller-like rogue).
Drop this character into a completely different environment (put your Indy-alike in a cyberpunk thriller; Pseudo-Tess on Wall Street; Ferris-esque into a made-for-TV-movie plot about a football team…hmm, maybe not that one).
Write your tagline first, then write whatever you like. Use this as a chance to try something new and a little bit whacky.
It’s filed under ‘humor’ and it definitely made me laugh out loud a few times, in a black-humor kind of way.
The story begins,
“It’s a hot day and I hate my wife.”
There: that’s funny already. It’s the juxtaposition, the unexpectedness. I love it.
The story goes on in the same vein. The couple play Scrabble together and all we get is a torrent of emotions from the man who … hates his wife. He blames her for everything, despises everything about her and begins to fantasize about ways out of the situation.
It’s not the situation, nor the conclusion, nor even really the characters that make this such a great story. It’s the writing.
If you ever think up a scenario for a story then shoot yourself down, thinking ‘it’s been done before’, take a break and read this story. Only Charlie Fish could have written THIS story this way. Take heart from that, writers!
Our friend Simon Kewin[1. past participant and recent Guest Prompter] has just announced that the first six chapters of his new novel ENGN are being released free at Wattpad.com.
Over the next six weeks Simon and his publisher will be releasing a chapter a week and soliciting feedback from readers via Wattpad’s comments stystem.
It’s great use of the new publishing technologies to help writers find and interact with readers. Why not pop over and take a look?
The 7DayStory is a new short story writing challenge, from the creators of StoryADay May and the DIY MFA:
Write and revise a story over the next seven days
Use the hashtag #7DayStory to connect with other working writers.
Why Write A Story in 7 Days?
We believe that it is by writing that we become writers. But it’s not just by writing. It’s also by finishing, revising, releasing our work, and connecting with readers and other writers, that we become writers. So we’re encouraging writers to sharpen their writing skills by writing, revising and releasing short stories in seven days.
Finishing your first draft in a day or two, before you lose momentum
Revising the story over the next few days in several passes
Connecting with other writers to find sources of support and feedback.
Releasing the story to trusted readers, or perhaps even publications.
Repeating the process often, to learn from your experiences and reinforce the writing habit.
Sign up now to join the #7DayStory challenge and get daily updates to keep you on track through the writing and revision process
But That’s Not All
Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to stumble through this process alone? What if someone put together a guide for gathering ideas, writing that first draft and working through the somewhat overwhelming process of revising and releasing your story?
Coming Soon: The 7Day Story eBook
Write, Revise, Release, Repeat: Your Blueprint for Short Story Success
by Gabriela Pereira and Julie Duffy.
Join the challenge today!
What are you waiting for? Enter your email below and join the 7DayStory Challenge!
Thank you for taking part, for paying attention, for commenting and for sharing, you great big Winner, you.
You Win
If you wrote a story this May,
If you wrote a story every day,
If you wrote, but you missed a few days,
If you learned anything at all about your writing journey,
You win.
If you did write every day, then you don’t need me to tell you how much you won. You’re already bubbling over with awesome and excitement and all the lessons that you learned. And I am so happy for you. Now go forth and keep writing.
If You Did Not Complete A Story Every Day…
…this bit is for you. (And I’ll be honest: I am one of you!)
You still win (and b, go and write a story using today’s prompt “When One Door Closes” or any of the other prompts including one of your own).
No matter how your StoryADay May went, there is a sense of achievement at having *tried*. And there are certainly lessons to be learned if you’re willing to take a little time and analyze what happened over the past month.
I encourage you to take some time today or tomorrow and assess what worked and what didn’t in your writing life this May.
Write down the answers to these questions, now, while it’s fresh in your mind:
Were there days it was really hard for you to write? (Sundays are bad for me.)
Were there times when writing worked best? Morning? Evening? Lunchtime? 10 minutes sprints in parking lots between sales calls?)
Did you discover you could start a story and come back to it later in the day? (This was one of my revelations the first year I tried the challenge.)
Did you find ways to write even when you weren’t in the mood? (Hint: you’re going to need them. Write them down!)
What did you learn on your best, worst, and middling days? (Mediocre days are plentiful. Pay attention to how you got the work done on those days, for future reference.)
Did you discover a style, a voice, a genre or a length that fitted you best? (Was it the style/voice/genre you *thought* was going to be your best?)
Today or tomorrow, write yourself a blog post or journal entry that captures these lessons.
Write a pep talk, as if your writer self were your best friend, for when you are having trouble in future. (You will have days when looking up this pep talk totally saves you!)
Grab the graphic to remind yourself of all you accomplished and all you learned (even if you ‘missed’ some days, or ‘failed’. You learned a lot in the attempt. Pay attention to that.)
I would love to hear what you learned, so, if you post these lessons anywhere online send me at link at julie at storyaday dot org and I’ll share the best with the rest of the gang.
Just because StoryADay May 2013 is ending soon, don’t think I’m letting you off the hook. You’ve developed some great writing habits this past month and you shouldn’t let those go.
To encourage you to continue with your short story writing, I’ve teamed up with Gabriela Pereira of DIYMFA.com and, next week, we’re bringing you:
The 7DayStory Challenge
Write and revise a story in a week;
Check in online to connect with other people taking the #7DayStory challenge.
Why Take Part In The 7DayStory Challenge?
It’s an opportunity to:
Challenge yourself
Reinforce the good writing habits you developed during StoryADay May (or make up for what you missed out on!)
Connect with other writers.
Gabriela will also be sharing some of her DIY MFA revision strategies, which will be a huge help to us around here, sitting on piles of first drafts as we always are at the end of May.
The #7DayStory Challenge starts June 3, 2013. Check back here on Monday for details.
We are officially half way through StoryADay May 2013.
Just think, if you write a story today, you’re over half way there!
Some Reminders
It’s Not Too Late | Courses & Books To Help | Prompt Preview Exclusives |
It’s Not Too Late To Start
OK, you meant to start writing at the beginning of May but you didn’t quite get there. Or maybe you started on May 1 and fell off the wagon at the first bump.
It’s not too late. Really, it’s not.
Just start writing today. Forget about the past, don’t worry about the future. Write a story today. Even if that’s all you do, you’ll still be one story ahead of where you are now. That’s one more story you can revise, and submit, or just point to and say “I did that”.
Then, if you want to, come to the site and brag — you can post an “I did it!” on each day’s writing prompt blog post, or you can register for the community and brag in The Victory Dance group.
Trust me, if you write something — anything — today, you will feel sooooo good.
Courses And Workbooks That Can Help
I have workbooks and courses and videos available to help you get over the hump, out of a slump, or whatever else you need (that ends in ‘ump’).
All are available instantly online. Check them out.
Every year I provide writing prompts for the challenge. You can find them on the site or subscribe to receive them by email (they go out everyday at midnight in my time zone (GMT -5) for the next day’s writing).
This year I’ve introduced a popular new feature: The Prompt Preview.
If you subscribe to the Prompt By Email mailing list you get a sneak peek at the next week’s upcoming prompts, each Saturday. This seems to be helping people come up with Story Sparks in advance. No more panicking about what today’s story is going to be!
There are still two Saturdays left in this year’s challenge, so sign up now if you haven’t already.
And remember, the prompts are optional. You can use today’s, use another prompt from the past, or write your own story entirely.
I think that’s it for today. Now excuse me, I have a story to write. Don’t you?
Write a story in the Third Person, Omniscient style
Tips
Think of a Dickens novel if you’re struggling to zone in one this style. The narrator of your story can know everything about everyone, and even interject with thoughts and judgements.
It is perfectly fine to ‘head hop’ in this style: i. e. follow the thoughts of one character in one scene and another in the next. In a short story you probably don’t want to do too much of this, but why not try it a little?
Write A Story Based On A Character or Scenario From A Game
Tips
This could be a scenario from a video game or a board game (what if you WERE Mario — or met him on the road? What if you were Miss Scarlet. Were you framed?)
What if you really were living on a farm, trying to meet all its demands, like Farmville?
What if you were a character in a Sims-like game and gradually started to realize that was the case?
Think of any game you’ve ever played and use it as a jumping-off point for a story.
If you think you might publish the story, be sure not to step on anyone else’s copyright (you could use a different “colored” character from a mystery board game that was definitely not Clue/Cluedo)
A story about a paedophile priest in Ireland? My heart sank at the mere thought. Not really my usual cup of tea.
However, I’d heard enough about Colm Tóibín to be curious. I hadn’t read any of his work, so when this story popped up on the Selected Shorts Podcast, I decided to give it a try (albeit with my finger poised over the ‘skip’ button).
I’m so glad I did.
The story centers around Molly, a septuginarian mother-of-three, who has that traditional symbol of respectability, “a priest in the family.” Not that she shows any great reverence for the idea — or the church.
Molly, modern enough to be learning to email her grandchildren and with a social life better than that of her grown daughters, lives in a village in Ireland, the kind where your neighbours know more about you than you do yourself. Which, in this case, turns out to be true.
Tóibín goes into the excruciating details of Molly’s day and routine — something that would irritate me if handled by a less deft-writer, but which instead spun a web of suspense and reality that made the quiet end to the story pack such a punch.
I’m not a fan of stories where ‘nothing happens’. In this story you may have to watch carefully for the somethings that happen, but they’re there. The story is as restrained as its main character, and just as impressive.
I often find myself growing impatient with ‘literary’ stories, but this is an excellent example of how to write a quiet, literary story without losing readers who love a great character and a good ending.
So, were you furiously writing all through November? C’mon, I know you guys. You can’t resist a challenge and NaNoWriMo is the granddaddy of them all.
Well, if you were, I hope it went well. If you weren’t, well that just means you’ll have all the more creative energy for the inevitable New Year’s Resolution writing you’ll be doing in January!
What’s New At StoryADay.org?
The bonus StoryADay September went quite well, and I met some great new folks during it, but I think I’m probably going to go back to only hosting StoryADay during May from now on. I’d like to get us all together for a few events during the year (how about a Google Hangout short story slam? Or a weekend intensive?) so let me know what you’d like to see happening over at StoryADay.org when it’s not May.
A New Tool For You
It’s coming to the end of the year, so I put together a new tool to help you review your progress during the year and capture some ideas for next year. It’s the StoryADay “My Writing Year” quick planner and you can download a free copy here.
(It’s a worksheet for people who don’t like worksheets, and a list-maker for people who aren’t linear thinkers. I think you’ll like it!)
A Quick Thought On Revision
How do you approach revision? Do you go through the whole story at once and try to catch everything that’s not working, from line 1 to the final word? Or do you make several passes, starting with one aspect of the story and only then looking for others? Do you start with the copyedit or end with it?
If you’re having trouble getting to grips with the revision process it may be because your ‘process’ is a little too scattershot. If this sounds like you, stay tuned for a series of articles coming in the next month or two. I’ll be focusing on revision and a new, non-scary approach that’s going to make a lot of sense to you. So dig out a few old stories and get ready to polish them up with me.
Books For Your Holiday Wish Lists
I’ve read some great books this year and, since I know you all are sick of people buying you notebooks for whatever holiday you celebrate, I thought I’d share some of my favorites for you to add to your wish lists.
(These are all Amazon Affliliate links and any purchases you make through them help support StoryADay.org. You are, of course, free to request these books from your favourite neighbourhood indie bookstore, chain or audio book purveyor)
Keep Writing
And that’s all I have for you this time. What ever else you do this month, make some time to write a story or two, won’t you? They don’t have to be long, but write something. If you do, tweet them, or link back to them from the Write On Wednesday posts at StoryADay.org and I promise I’ll come over and read them.
All the best,
Julie
P.S. Help Spread The Word?
Way back in 2001 & 2002, when I ran another writers’ website (The 21st Century Publishing Update), I was delighted to find that Writer’s Digest’s editors had listed it as one of their 101 Best Websites for Writers. Well, they’re taking nominations now for the 2013 list and I think our little writing hub here might fit, don’t you? If so, send your nomination of StoryADay.org along to Writers.Digest@fwmedia.com (put “101 Best Websites” in the subject line) as soon as possible. They’re deciding on the list now!
I’m not asking this for my own ego (though, seeing the site on the list WOULD be cool), but the more publicity we get, the more writers join and the more accountability, feedback and fun YOU get to have next May. Send that email now and tell them you’d like to see StoryADay.org included on their 101 Best Websites for Writers list. Thanks!!
Worksheet Alert! I have a new, free worksheet for you! Take a few minutes to look back at what you’ve done this year. Spend a little time patting yourself on the back on this new worksheet for those of us who like lists but aren’t linear thinkers…[read more]
Worksheet Alert! I have a new, free worksheet for you!
We all love the New Year: the retrospectives, the ‘where are they now’s, the ghoul pools, the feeling of starting afresh and of possibilities.
Well, the end of the year is nigh and it’s time to take a look at your writing life. And I have a printable worksheet to help you do just that.
Introducing The StoryADay.org “My Writing Year” Quick Planner
It’s a one-page, 8.5″x11″ printable form without any straight lines — perfect for those of us who like lists but aren’t linear.
(If you’re not using a US printer and paper, you’ll need to check the ‘resize to fit page’ box in your printer options, but it should work out OK.)
Take a few minutes to look back at what you’ve done this year. Spend a little time patting yourself on the back as well as taking note of opportunities missed, or where you could do better next year. Capture where you were and how far you’ve come. Scribble down a few plans for next year.
Fifty years ago this week, the US discovered that the USSR was building nuclear missile bases in Cuba. The two weeks that followed brought the two countries closer to disaster than ever before or since.
Public domain photo from CIA records
The Prompt
Write a story set in an alternate history where the Cuban Missile Crisis turned out differently and someone did launch a strike.
Tips
If you want to read up on the actual events, this Wikipedia article seems pretty good. I particularly liked the part (well, not ‘liked’, but you know what I mean) about the Russian submarine, the facts of which were only disclosed in 2002. What if the commander had made a different decision? What if Miami had been hit by a nuclear bomb.
You don’t have to write a Tom-Clancy-style military thriller here. Imagine anything in the alternate history of the world, from a mother trying to find clean water for her kids, to a history lesson for Fourth Graders.
Your story could treat the subject tangentially. It could be the kind of story you normally write, only with a few details in this world different: maybe there are only 49 states now (or maybe there are 52), perhaps Disneyworld was relocated to Pennsylvania “after the big war”…
You don’t have to be too serious. People lived and loved and laughed through the Blitz. People in an alternate timeline after Cuba would have to find ways to do the same, or humanity wouldn’t survive!
The Rules:
1. You should use the prompt in your story (however obliquely you use the ‘want’, it should be there in the character and all their reactions).
2. You must write the story in one 24 hr period – the faster the better.
3. Post the story in the comments — if you’re brave enough.
4. Find something nice to say about someone else’s story and leave a comment. Everybody needs a little support!
Optional Extras:
Share this challenge on Twitter or Facebook
Some tweets/updates you might use:
Don’t miss my short story: After Cuba #WriteOnWed #storyaday https://storyaday.org/?p=2648
This week’s #WriteOnWed short story prompt is about the Cuban Missile Crisi #storyaday https://storyaday.org/?p=2648
Come and write with us! #WriteOnWed #storyaday https://storyaday.org/?p=2648
See my story – and write your own, today: After Cuba #WriteOnWed #storyaday https://storyaday.org/?p=2648
You can get your copy FREE until Sunday, Sept 2 just by clicking ‘buy’.
What’s Inside?
The tips are arranged by section:
Creativity Exercises
Physical Comfort
Goal-Setting
Accountability and Rewards
Examining The Problem
Boot Camp (Just Do It!)
Prove It To Yourself
Seeking Inspiration
You can read the book through once or dip in and out whenever you need a boost.
Why Free?
Honestly, it’s a blatant attempt to rise higher in the Amazon rankings and improve the visibility of my book. Every copy downloaded by you (or someone you tell about it) in the next few days, boosts its sales rankings and helps future, paying readers find it. This, in turn, helps me pay for StoryADay.org and keep it free to you. Oh, and it’s DRM-free, so you should be able to share it between devices freely.
Why Kindle?
Ebooks are easy and Amazon makes it particularly easy to get your book into the distribution stream. They offer 70% royalties, which was unheard of in the publishing world before they came along. And I love my Kindle.
Also, I’m researching the whole process and writing it up, and will release a report on it a few months from now. You’ll be able to use this report to figure out whether or not it’s worth your time to put together your own ebook (a collection of short stories perhaps?) and how to avoid making mistakes along the way. This report will be free to members of the StoryADay.org Advance Notice List.
What You Can Do
You are welcome to download the book and do nothing more. But I would really, really appreciate it if you would consider doing some of the following steps. It really helps.
“Buy” the book during the free promotion period (before Sept 2)
Share the link with writer friends and tell them to buy it while it’s free.
Repost the link at Facebook, Twitter, your blog, whatever other social media you use,
Leave a review at Amazon. 20 words is all it takes and it makes a huge difference tot he book’s visibility.
If you’re NOT doing the StoryADay Sept’12 challenge, no need to unsubscribe. This list will not be flooded with daily prompts or chatter about the challenge. You’ll have to get on the Daily Prompt email list or go into the community for all that stuff. You’ll just get a nice, helpful writing-related post now and then, and news about upcoming challenges.
But, even if you’re too busy with other projects, why not goad your writing friends and challenge them to take part? It’s not too late! 😉
If you ARE doing the September Challenge here are a few things you might want to be checking:
Have you subscribed to the Daily Prompt email? You don’t have to, and you certainly don’t have to write to them, but some people find it useful. If you don’t want a nagging, I mean “inspiring”, email in your inbox every morning, you can still find the prompts on the blog every day if you ever need them.
Have you joined the community? It’s a great place to check in and post your Victory Dance every day, or get encouragement from others when you are lagging.
Have you added your name to the blogroll? There’s nothing like a little publicity to keep you honest!
Are you collecting story sparks? Keep collecting them every day during the challenge and you’ll always have something to write about.
Apart from being quite beautiful, the picture is a study in subtlety. According to the accompanying text, the artist is supposed to have surrounded his model (his wife) with subtle signs of his affection for her.
The Prompt
Write a story in which the objects surrounding your characters reflect how they feel about each other.
Tips
Your characters don’t have to love each other. They might be enemies with jagged, broken window in the background of your scene.
Don’t overload your story with details like this, but pay attention to the surroundings and include one or two clues.
Or, alternatively, you can go crazy with this. Be silly. It’s just an exercise!
The Rules:
1. You should use the prompt in your story (however obliquely you use the ‘want’, it should be there in the character and all their reactions).
2. You must write the story in one 24 hr period – the faster the better.
3. Post the story in the comments — if you’re brave enough.
4. Find something nice to say about someone else’s story and leave a comment. Everybody needs a little support!
Optional Extras:
Share this challenge on Twitter or Facebook
Some tweets/updates you might use:
Don’t miss my short story: Subtle Signs #WriteOnWed #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-CW
This week’s #WriteOnWed short story prompt is all about subtle signs in the background #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-CW
Come and write with us! #WriteOnWed #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-CW
See my story – and write your own, today: Subtle Signs #WriteOnWed #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-CW
StoryADay May is such a success that we’re going to do it all again … in September! Join us for StoryADay Sept’12
For the past three years we’ve been getting together in May to write A Story A Day. It has been some of the most creative, inspiring, productive writing time I’ve ever had and I’m not alone:
“I love this challenge…” – Marta
” I reached most of my goals and learned more about my writing habits.” – Chit
“I have discovered that I do believe in myself as a writer – as cliched as it seems, writing regularly really does make you a writer. So, here’s to discovery…without which I would still be stumbling alone in the dark rather than enjoying the sunshine with my muse.” – Cat
So this year I asked around and discovered that you lot are crazy.
You want to write even more!
So, just for fun, let’s do it all again: in September
Are you finding it hard to find time to write?
Are you bogged down in the middle of a novel and need to refresh your sense of possibilities?
Are you a lover of short stories and the possibilities they offer?
Come and write with us this StoryADay September!
How It Works
The Rules are the same as ever:
Write (and finish) a story a day for a month. That’s it.
The Options:
Join the community and hang out with us,
Use the prompts (or not),
Set your own definition of what ‘a story a day’ means to you. (Need to take Saturday’s off? Hey, it’s your challenge, you make the rules. But once made, stick to them!)
The Victory Dance group in the community, or on that day’s blog post, to say you have written.
Share links to your story online if you want to. Don’t if you don’t.
What’s Different?
I’m not giving anyone the option to start a new StoryADay blog for the September challenge. It’s just a matter of administrative time. We’ll see how it goes. If you already have one, feel free to use it. Otherwise, post StADa-related news (and stories if you want) on your own blog and link to your posts in StoryADay’s blog comments and forum posts.
How To Sign Up
A, You don’t have, but it helps keep you honest. You can sign up at the site (see below) or just announce your participation to your friends.
B, If you want a username for the StoryADay.org community I’m opening up registration again now. A username gets you into the Community area where you can find friends and discuss writing with some other incredibly dedicated writers. It’s a wonderfully supportive community and I recommend signing up (it’s free and optional).
C, I’m going to post a ‘blogroll’ of participants on the front page of the site. If you’d like to be on it (optional) fill in this form. You can add your name to this list even if you don’t have or want a StoryADay username. If you plan to write, you’re in.
The More The Merrier
Remember, one of the reasons StoryADay works so well, is because you are part of something. Please, please tell your friends, blog about StoryADay Sept’12,
Tweet about it,
Mention it on Facebook,
Tell your real-world writers’ group.
The more people you enlist, the more likely you are to have an amazingly productive month. Trust me. I know 😉
So, hey, quick question: would you be interested in doing a bonus StoryADay September?
Why September?
*It’s that time of year when years of school timetables have conditioned us (in the Northern hemisphere at least) to think about fresh starts and buckling-down-to-work.
*It’s far enough away from NaNoWriMo, for those of you who participate, that it won’t eat into your novel-planning time in October.
*It’s a full calendar-quarter since May. Our creative batteries will be recharged (and frankly, we might have fallen back into some old, bad habits, yes?)
I’d be thrilled to prep for a StoryADay September if people are excited about the idea, but frankly, I don’t want to waste my time (and pepper you with unwanted emails) if everyone feels ‘meh’ about the idea. I’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to click on the poll and let me know. Is it “Meh, I’ll wait until May” or “Oo, yeah, I’m SO going to need this by September”?
[poll id=”2″]
And please feel free to leave a comment saying how you feel about this 😉
Even if you haven’t written a single story yet this month why not write and finish a story today? Writing and finishing one story in a single day is quite an achievement. You’ll be proud, I promise.
To those who have been writing every day: wow! You are awesome and every other writer on the planet envies you. Well done!
(Seriously. This is your party. I don’t have email addresses for all the people you’d like to invite. You’ll have to do it!)
WHAT NEXT?
I’ll still be writing away, bring you interviews with writers, the Tuesday Reading Room, the Write On Wednesday writing prompt and regular Kick-In-The-Pants articles on Thursdays, with the newsletter serving as a regular digest of articles.
Take a moment today (or maybe tomorrow) to recap. Write an End of StoryADay report for yourself detailing any or all of the following:
how you felt at the start,
what you did,
what you failed to do,
how you kept going,
what you learned,
what you’re proud of
how you plan to use the lessons learned this month to keep moving on your journey to literary superstardom (no wait, fulfillment. I meant to say ‘fulfillment’).
If you do write a recap and would like to share it, please post a link to it in the comments or simply send me a link in an email. I’d love to read about your experience.
Then get back to writing, polishing and submitting your short stories.
Further Reading
For help on developing the craft of writing, I suggest checking out DIYMFA.com.
For accountability and camaraderie in the year-round world of writing and submitting short stories, I refer you to Write1Sub1.
(Both of these sites have been started by former StoryADay writers since their first StADa experiences. I’m so proud!)
COME BACK EACH WEEK AND WRITE ON WEDNESDAY
Every Wednesday throughout the year I post a Write On Wednesday prompt. (If you are subscribed to the Daily Prompt email list you’ll receive these Wednesday prompts in your inbox).
The ‘rules’ for the Write on Wednesday prompt are: write a rough and ready story to the prompt within 24 hours, post it IN THE COMMENTS and comment on someone else’s. You don’t have to write it on Wednesday, but you’ll probably get the most feedback if you do.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has talked about StoryADay, taken part, read stories, left comments, sent me an email, or written in secret. It is an absolute honor to have been your ringmaster again this year and I will be bereft … until we do it all again next time!!
This is for everyone – whether you wrote or you didn’t. If you wrote in a previous year; if you wanted to write but couldn’t make it; if you wrote one story; if you simply read and enjoyed someone else’s.
This is our chance to celebrate, and boost both the short story and our friends in StoryADay.
StoryFest 2012
June 8-10
storyaday.org
How To Celebrate StoryFest
Come to the site June 8-10, follow a link to a story, read it and comment on it.
If you wrote even one story in this (or any previous) StoryADay, submit one to be featured on the site’s front page June 8-10.
Nominate someone else’s story to be featured.
Spread the word: from Jun 1-10, tell everyone you know on every social network (especially the ones with readers in them) about StoryFest. Tell them to come to the site June 8-10 to read new and exciting work by up-and-coming future stars of the literary world!
Post the graphic on your blog, your Facebook timeline, tattoo it on your leg, whatever! (Get your graphics here)
What is StoryFest?
StoryFest is a weekend when the stories take over StoryADay.org.
On Jun 8, the front page of StoryADay.org will change to one dedicated to you and your stories. It will be full of links to your stories, online, until June 10.
It’s our end-of-year party, our recital, our chance to share our work with readers.
Be ready to supply your storyaday username, your real name or psuedonym, a link to the story you’re nominating, its title and a summary, a link to a story by someone else (optional but karmically recommended).
Deadline: Tuesday, June 5.
This gives you a few days to pick your story and possibly polish it a bit. If you can get it to me before the deadline I’ll love you forever, though, as it’s going to take me a while to organize all the submissions.
StoryFest FAQ
Does my story have to be online?
Yes. We want to create a reader fanbase for you. Stories must be posted somewhere online, in full.
Is it OK if my story is on my personal blog (or other site).
Absolutely. Just supply the link.
Will it be considered published?
Your story is not being published by StoryADay, but you should be aware that some editors still consider a story that has been posted online, as having been previously published. If you think this is your last good story ever, by all means guard it with your life. Otherwise, I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about this.
Does It Have To Be A Story I Wrote During StoryADay?
Yes. I’ll have to trust you on this. But it can be a story you wrote in a previous year.
Why Do I Have To Select A Genre Label?
Try not to agonize over this. I know most fiction is really cross-genre. It’s just short-hand for readers. I know I’m more likely to plump for a Speculative/Sci-Fi story or a mystery before I will read a fantasy story. As a reader, you don’t want to scroll through a long list of stories with no clues as to which you might prefer. Genre labels simply help readers make a quick decision, rather than being paralysed or overwhelmed and not clicking on anything. Just think like a reader, grit your teeth and pick a genre.
Can I Submit Erotica/Horror/TheWierdStuff?
Um, okay. But I’d appreciate it if you’d label it as such, so as not to scare the grownups.
Can I Revise My Story?
Absolutely. Polish it up, shine its little shoes, put a bow in its hair and send it into the world looking its best. But don’t take too long! And remember, you’re unlikely to ever be 100% satisfied. Polish it a bit, then let it go.
Sending out an SOS to writers who are struggling with StoryADay this May
Maybe you haven’t started yet. Maybe you’re eight stories in. Maybe you started and then, well, life got in the way and…
But where ever you are, there are still 23 days left in May.
What will you do – in the next 23 days – as your gift to your Writing Self?
Here are 9 Ways To Save (or Support) Your StoryADay May:
1. Reset Your Goals
Only you know what’s going on in your life. If you know (or have discovered) that you simply can’t write a story a day, ask yourself what you could write. Three stories a week? One story, but worked on four days out of the week?
This is your challenge. Make it what you need it to be.
2. Forget The Past
Missed a day (or eight)? Forget it. Forgive it. You have today. Write something today.
3. Forget The Future
31 stories in 31 days sounds like a lot – and it is. What if you’re tired? What if you can’t face the idea of having to do another story tomorrow?
Well, what if the world ends and there is no tomorrow? What if aliens abduct all the writing materials on Earth tonight?
Just write for today.
4. Forget Your Audience
Nothing is more paralysing than thinking about what someone might think of your writing. On a first draft you must shut out all those voices. Don’t worry about the snooty woman in your book club who thinks First Person stories are lazy. Don’t worry that your sister will recognize herself in the portrait of the uptight pain in the posterior you are writing. Write to entertain or amuse yourself, to exorcise your demons, to distract yourself from having that drink or eating that fourth slice of pie. Whatever.
You do not need to share these stories with anyone. Write for yourself.
5. Write Rubbish
Really. You are allowed to write something truly terrible. Because if you allow yourself to write badly, you can laugh at yourself, and laughter is powerful voodoo. And then you can learn what not to do tomorrow.
And, the chances are, somewhere in that steaming midden of middling prose, will be a phrase, a clause, a character, an image — something — that you’re just a little bit proud of and that will make you come back and try again tomorrow.
6. Read & Comment On Someone Else’s Stories
Go to the StoryADay blogs and pick one. Read a story. Leave a comment. Admire the double bravery of your fellow writer who both wrote a story and put it out into the world. Encourage them. Imagine how it might feel to get a little of that love in return. Want it? Write something!
7. Get A Buddy
If you do read and comment on some other StoryADay participants’ stories, you’ll probably find that you’ve just built yourself a personal cheering squad.
It’s a pretty awesome, supportive community over at StoryADay.org. Comment on someone’s story and they’re liable to come looking for yours. Ask them to check in on your progress and they will. Knowing that someone is waiting for your story (or to see your post in the Victory Dance group) can work wonders for your productivity!
8. Use The Prompts
Even if you hate the idea and sit staring at them for ages before anything comes, prompts can be a great way of getting you started on your day’s writing. Even if it’s just to shout, “This is stupid. I’m writing X, instead!”
I’ve run this course in April for the past two years, with good results. It’s a guided writing course with lessons and a dedicated private forum. You write three stories each week, starting with micro-mini stories and building on your successes. If you are really having trouble knuckling down and writing, this might be just the jump-start you need.
I’m going to run the course again starting this Friday, May 11, and it will run through until May 31 as a Save Our StoryADay Rescue course.Click here for more details.
BONUS CONTENT: I’m including in a weekly one-to-one Accountability phone call with me – a 10-15 minute check-in each week to chat about how you’re getting on, and what might be holding you back.
(If you have a username from a previous year, it should still work. Just sign in, above, and make yourself at home.)
What is StoryADay May?
It’s my challenge to you: to challenge YOURSELF to write every day, not “some day”.
Write and finish a story every day this May. That’s it.
Of course that’s not ‘it’, really. There’s a very welcoming online community I’d love you to be a part of, there are prompts, there is hand-wringing and high-fiving, and an amazing sense of discovery as you push yourself be a more productive, better writer.
Would You Like To Know More?
The Rules are here and there’s a nifty FAQ here, to tell you all about the StoryADay challenge, how to use the site, and where to get you awesome Participant Badge for display other places on the web.
If you would like to register a StoryADay/yourusername blog you can do so during registration. Because of Evil Spammers, however, I’ll turn this feature off when the challenge actually starts (I can only spend so many hours policing this).
So get your blog now if you want one.
Note: you do not have to have a StoryADay blog. Feel free to post about your StADa progress on your personal blog, on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, wherever you like to hang out. You’re more than welcome to simply get a username and drop in to the StADa forums and hang out.
I’ll be posting (optional) daily prompts at the site. You can find them on the home page. If you’d like to receive them by email every day, you can sign up for that here. You should, however, be coming up with your own ideas, too, because a lot of mine will focus on form or a particular technique, and you’ll still need your own Story Sparks for the content.
If you have questions, comments, concerns or find a bug in the site, please email me at julie at storyaday dot org.
I’m getting excited! How about you?
Keep writing,
Julie
P.S. Do you have your complimentary Creative Challenge Workbook? Go through it now, to keep you fuelled up throughout May!
A guest post by regular contributor Jami who is reading a story a day throughout 2012.. This week: “A Telephone Call” by Dorothy Parker.
This week’s post is a guest post by regular contributor Jami
who is reading a story a day throughout 2012 over at Worth The Effort. This week: “A Telephone Call” by Dorothy Parker.
Suffering.
A woman questions God about why a lover hasn’t called her at the time he said he’d call. The pleading and negotiating she does which is clearly inner dialogue is painfully realistic and honest and it exposes the vulnerable side of every woman when she is in the first phase of a relationship.
Will he call?
Should I call him?
What will he think if I call him?
Will he hate me if I call?
How long should I wait for his call?
What happens if he doesn’t call?
Why didn’t he call?
WOW, Dorothy Parker really blew me away with this story. It was made more potent with its brevity and with an ending that leaves the reader counting down the seconds until the woman makes a decision and answers her own questions.
My guess about the ultimate resolution?
She calls.
He doesn’t answer.
Here is a link:
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/teleycal.html
Pinterest is a bookmarking site that lets you save images, rather than text links.
Find a page (or picture) you like on the web, ‘pin’ it and add one of its images to a visual pinboard
Pinterest is also a social network: find interesting images and links based on what friends with common interests are ‘pinning’
Images on Pinterest automatically link back to the original page where the images was posted (creating the ‘bookmarking’ part).
As you browse Pinterest it becomes clear that most people are using it to create ‘idea vision boards’ for projects like home-decor and craft projects. But there are plenty of ways for a writer to use Pinterest to, from building a collection of inspirational quotes to building a following as a high-quality ‘pinner’ in a particular niche.
So, how do you use Pinterest? As well as browsing Pinterest and repinning other people’s images, I recommend grabbing the ‘bookmarklet’ and putting it in your browser’s links bar. Then, as you browse the web, ‘pin’ images and arrange them in boards, adding new material to Pinterest.
As with every hot new social network, building a reputation early is key to becoming influential on that network. Allocate some time every day to building quality links and soon you’ll be a Pinterest guru. People are inclined to feel personally invested in the ventures of people they ‘know’, so gathering a large audience on a social network can ultimately lead to sales of your work.
Here are 17 ways you can use Pinterest to inspire and improve your own writing, and build an audience for your work.
1. Create an Ideas board
Never again sit down at your desk and think “I don’t know what to write!”.
Browse the web and ‘pin’ pictures that suggest an intriguing starting point (or climax) for a story.
Browse other people’s boards on Pinterest, always thinking about characters, settings and story.
Lots of people collect and pin posters of inspirational sayings. You can create your own writing related board.
You can also easily create visual version of favourite quotes that you come across while reading.
Fire up your image software
Create a nice background,
Overlay some text in a nice clean, readable and a large enough size that it’ll catch someone’s eye when they are browsing lots of little thumbnails.
Post to a page on your own website.
When people click on the pin (and the repins) they will be brought to you site, so make sure there is something good for them to discover on the page as well as the picture!
To see an example of how I used this technique click here, then click on the image.
5. Build a board full of pictures of your mentors
*Collect pictures of authors: those you love, those you aspire to be like. Look at them for inspiration
I recommend collecting three tiers of mentor. (Some days you won’t be able to stand looking at anything but the bottom rung…)
Writers you know you must be able to equal,
Writers who are more practiced than you, but who you don’t hold in complete awe,
The gods of your writing life. You can’t imagine being like them, but reading their work always inspires you.
6. Collect pictures of beautiful libraries and bookshelves
You’re in this business because you love books and reading, right?. There’s nothing like gazing at a beautiful space filled with books to fill you with dreams of seeing your book among them. (Also, these are popular pictures, often ‘repinned’ by avid readers, and isn’t that your target audience?
Start your own “writing spaces” board on Pinterest by pinning this picture!
7. Collect pictures of authors’ workspaces, for inspiration
There’s nothing like a little solidarity to make you feel you’re not alone in your writing journey. Why not pin some pictures of other writers’ workspaces? Or start your own board with this one ->
8. Collect funny comics or pictures to give yourself a break
9. Create a vision board for your story’s antagonist
Back to the writing! Start working on your antagonist. Collect pictures of
People (mean people, nice people, overbearing parents, sweet grandmothers. Antagonists come in all forms)
Expressions of emotion
Mean-spirited quotes
Places that typify your antagonist or evoke the difficulties your characters get into.
10. Collect beauty
Who says everything in your pinboards has to be connected to writing?
For inspiration – to get you in the creative zone – collect pictures of things that you consider really beautiful. Art and beauty tend to feed each other.
If you only focus on books and writing you’re inviting creative block. Look at all the beauty in the world and art, and feel those creative juices flow again.
11. Collect cover art of books similar to your story
It can be easy to lose your way while writing, and lose the ‘tone’ you were striving for. A quick glance at a board full of the covers of books written the style you’re aiming for can get you right back on track. (Imagine looking at a screen full of hard sci-fi books versus a screen full of historical romance covers. Instant mood-change!)
12. Create a board for pictures of your work ‘in the wild’
If you have already published work, appeal to your fans for pictures of your work out in the real world. (You can do this through Twitter or Facebook or some other social network if you have a following there).
Collect pictures of your book being read, on shelves, on benches, in boxes arriving from Amazon.
Sharing these pictures oing this creates ‘social proof’ that other people are reading your work: a powerful marketing tool to encourage readers to try your work.
13. Create a board for fan art
Sure they’re dinging your copyright, but you’ll create more raving fans with a compliment than a ‘cease & desist’ letter
Best-selling author Neil Gaiman regularly posts links to fan art, and his following is the kind of cultish, raving fans you want to create!
Allowing not-for-profit derivative works gives people a sense of ownership of your characters. They will love them (and you) all the more if you acknowledge them.
14. Create a board about something you really love, whether or not it’s related to writing
Yes, it’s off-topic but there are two very good reasons for doing this:
Readers like to get to know the authors, to get a look behind the scenes
You’re more likly to keep updating a board filled with things you are passionate about, rather than one you think you ought to be doing
15. Don’t go, ahem, overboard with this
One or two off-topic boards are great – they let readers see another side of you. However, if eight out of ten of your Pinterest boards are off-topic, you risk your followers missing the message your’re trying to send (“I write. You might want to read my stuff if you like my taste”.)
16. Create a board of other books like yours
*This might seem counter-intuitive, but you’re not really competing with other authors. If someone is a dedicated reader, they’re always looking for more titles like the ones they love. If you become a valued source of recommendations, they’re going to learn to trust your taste, and are more likely to give your books a try.
17. Create a board that will appeal to a particular interest of your readers
Promoting yourself and your work doesn’t necessarily mean talking about yourself and your writing all the time (in fact, I would argue that talking about yourself and writing shoudl be the least of what you do). Think about what your readers like, and pin those things.
Debbie Macomber, an author who knits and often inclues knitting in her books, could create a board of beautiful kniting patterns, accessories or humor (yes, there is knitting humor!)
Sophie Kinsella might create a board full of images from the latest fashion shows and blogs
If you like to read in the genre you’re writing in, think of the other things that interest you. Chances are your fellow readers in that genre are also interested in some of them. Create an awesome board in that niche and start building followers.
WARNING COPYRIGHT ISSUES
There is a brewing controversy with Pinterest since people are taking and repinning other people’s (possibly copyrighted) images. Also, Pinterest’s terms of service have all kinds of silly things in them that say they can reuse and sell anything pinned on Pinterest. I remember a similar controversy back in the stone age of the intenet when Yahoo took over Geocities. These things usually get sorted out when a few stroppy creatives stand up to the lawyers writing the terms of service. (I’m not downplaying the importance of this issue, but I do believe it will be sorted out by a change in the language in the terms of service). UPDATED 3/24/12: Pinterest has announced an update to its terms that addresses the silly “we can sell your stuff” clause and have announced tools to make reporting of copyright infringement easier. These are good signs that Pinterest is evolving and should survive, and is therefore worth putting time into.
More damaging, however, is the idea of using other people’s work without permission. The consensus so far seems to be that you should only
Pin artwork from the page where it was originally posted (this way, the ‘pin’ leads back to the original site and the original artist gets credit. For extra credit yourself, look at any images on pages and try to make sure that they are not violating someone’s copyright before you give that page more publicity by pinning the image’. If the image is clearly from a professional photographer yet is on a 13 year old’s fan site, with no attribution, you’re probably looking at a copyright violation.)
Create your own artwork
Find images that are marked as being available under the Creative Commons license (for example, you can do an advanced search at Flickr and check the box that says ‘search only within Creative-Commons licensed content”)
So that’s it. Now you have no excuse to say “Oh that Pinterest thing? I don’t know, maybe I’ll get to it later.”
Go now, start pinning!
How are you using Pinterest? I’d love to hear your comments!
Don’t even think of telling me you can’t think of anything to write.
Not with a site like Pinterest at your fingertips.
What is Pinterest? It’s a virtual scrapbook where people grab and save images from the web, all neatly categorized and ready for your browsing pleasure. It’s like looking over the shoulder of everyone in the world, but being able to choose only the topics that you’re interested in right now.
This week we’re going to use Pinterest to create the elements of a story that you will write.
The Prompt
First, your setting. Choose a picture of an interior or an outdoor vista, and use that as your setting.
Next, characters. Click here to find the face of your characters in the story. Choose at least two (one can be minor, one should be your major character). If you choose a celebrity, just steal their face for your story. Look at their features, forget about the persona. Use their features in any descriptions in your story.
Now that you have your character and setting, something needs to happen. Browse this eclectic page until a picture jumps out at you, and suggests a question or an event. I found this picture of a teacup and saucer and immediately saw an opportunity for a story — some kind of inter-generational story with the teacup coming down to a young woman from an elderly relative; the story behind it; life lessons; redemption; who knows? But it’s a spark on which to hang a story.
Tips
Don’t worry about your audience and who might read it
Make sure your story travels from start to end: don’t just write a scene, make someone or something change between the first word and the last.
The Rules:
You should use the prompt in your story (however tenuous the connection).
You must write the story in one 24 hr period – the faster the better.
Post the story in the comments — if you’re brave enough.
Find something nice to say about someone else’s story and leave a comment. Everybody needs a little support!
Optional Extras:
Share this challenge on Twitter or Facebook
Some tweets/updates you might use:
Don’t miss my Pinterest-inspired short story: #WriteOnWed #storyaday bit.ly/xk1FwJ
This week’s #WriteOnWed short story prompt is all about Pinterest! #storyaday bit.ly/xk1FwJ
Come and write with us: #WriteOnWed #storyaday bit.ly/xk1FwJ
See my story – and write your own, today: #WriteOnWed #storyaday bit.ly/xk1FwJ
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