Writing is self-directed, so reaching out for support is essential. It can, however, invite unhelpful comparisons with other writers who have different strengths and who are at different stages.
In this episode I explore the writing life through the lens of Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology and think about the ways we can celebrate our triumphs at every stage.
When do better when we feel better…so let’s put some habits in place to help us celebrate every step we take towards our writing goals!
LINKS
Success in writing is about so much more than the external trappings (publication, adulation, recognition).
Every day that you sit down to write, it’s important to feel successful. This week’s episode talks about some ways to do that.
Writing Prompt: Write a Twitter-length story every day this week, to exercise your storytelling muscles, then tag me @storyadaymay
Links:
How To Write Twitter Fiction: https://storyaday.org/2016-16-twitter/
Problems with writing are often not problems with writing: they’re a battle with focus and with our own insecurities.
In this episode I talk about some of the ways to focus (especially if you find yourself working from home all day for the first time) and some ways to shake up your writing routine to outrun your insecurities.
How do YOU create focus and motivation for your writing, especially now? Leave a comment:
https://storyaday.org/episode174
There is so much information about writing out there…it can be hard to figure out what you should be working on. In this episode I walk you through one way to figure out (and focus on) your very next step.
Leave a comment: https://storyaday.org/episode173
Writing Prompt: Write A Seasonal Story https://storyaday.org/prompt-seasonal-story/
Part of the art of making progress in your writing is knowing what stage you’re in, and what you need to study and practice, to move to the next stage. And that’s what I’m talking about today.
Sign Up For The Serious Writers’ Accountability Group reminders
StoryADay’s annual showcase, StoryFest 2020, is happening on June 27-28. Here’s how you can get involved.
How To Get Involved
https://stada.me/sf20
How To Write Author Biographies and Story Summaries
https://stada.me/summary
Sometimes it’s as important to take an effective break from our writing as it is to keep putting words on the page. Find out how and why, in this episode.
LINKS
DIYMFA Summit of Awesomeness: https://members.diymfa.com/
In this fourth week of StoryADay May 2020 I talk about the importance of celebrating every win in your writing life.
LINKS: NaNoWriMo YWP Flash Fiction Workshop with Julie Duffy: https://youtu.be/ecYq1CHqArw
We’re heading into Week 3 of StoryADay May 2020. What can you do this week to make the most of all this creative energy? I have some suggestions…
Whether you’ve been writing this month, are still thinking about jumping into the challenge, or are working on other writing, this episode is full of tips for staying motivated to write week after week, month after month. Do’t skip this one!
Today the author of “Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays: the Essential Guide To Getting Your Work Published” AND frequent StoryADay participant, Windy Lynn Harris joins me to talk about Flash Fiction: what it is, 7 different ways to approach it, and how it can help your career, even if you’re a novelist.
We’re a week away from StoryADay May. Take the WRITER Code workshop here: https://storyaday.org/writer-code
Find out more about StoryADay Superstars, our writing community: https://www.storyaday.com/superstars-2020
Today’s episode is a conversation with Tammy Breitweiser whose flash fiction has been published in The Ninja Writers Monthly, Spelk, Clover and White, and Elephants Never. Her essay is in the I Wrote it Anyway anthology. You can connect with Tammy through Twitter @TLBREIT or through her medium page https://medium.com/@
In this interview she mentions Windy Lynn Harris’s excellent book “Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays”
In this conversation with writer Michele Reisinger, we talk about bad advice from writing teachers, her process for placing stories with publications, what a successful writing day looks like, and how she writer in traffic!
In which I talk about prepping for StoryADay May and what to do if you’re having trouble writing right now.
Premee Mohamed is an Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction writer whose first novel, “Beneath The Rising” has just been released. But I discovered her through her wonderful short stories.
In this conversation we talk about what a good writing day looks like (and what to do on those other days), the inspiration for some of her stories, her writing process and how she organizes her ideas, why short stories are like tattoos, and how the phrase “it’s just photons” makes writing easier.
LINKS
Twitter: @premeesaurus
Curious Fictions: https://stada.me/cfpm
Buy Her Book: https://stada.me/bkpm
In which I talk about the live writing sprints I’ve been running and the importance of stories in times of stress.
So we’re in a pandemic. Does that mean we have to stop being creative? Quite the opposite. The world needs more art, right now.
As well as running DIYMFA, Gabriela Pereira often speaks at conferences about issues other than the writing craft, including entrepreneurship and mental illness.
Today, we have a frank discussion about Gabriela’s history with mental illness as one part of a very full life that also includes running a business, having a family, and being a creative person.
We also talk a little about writing emotion when you struggle with your own.
(If you need help and live in the US, please text HOME to 741741. In Canada, 686-868, In the UK 85258. In the UK and Ireland, call 116 123. In Australia, call 13 11 14)
What are we really talking about when we talk about sex? Join me for a conversation with sexuality educator Dr. Lanae St. John. We talk about how to portray true intimacy on the page (without any weird noises), how to make consent sexy, and where to find a model for your next villain.
LINKS:
The Mamasutra – https://www.themamasutra.net/
Read Me: A Parental Primer For ‘The Talk’ – https://www.amazon.com/Read-Me-Parental-Primer-Talk
We talk about the pillars of a writing life, why Gabriela wanted to create a do-it-yourself DIYMFA, and that old favorite: Imposter Syndrome.
Continue reading “157 – Gabriela Pereira from DIYMFA Part 1”
Sometimes what used to work for us no longer works.
In this podcast I talk about the benefits and downsides of your writing commitments, I encourage you to scare yourself, and I revisit the subject of habits, and check in to see how you’re getting on.
Also: I preview some coming changes to the podcast
LINKS:
The StoryADay Short Story Framework, in case you want to write a story today but aren’t sure how to get started: https://storyaday.org/framework
The StoryADay 3 Day Challenge, in case you need a little extra accountability and you work best with a curriculum: https://storyaday.org/3DC
Listening and reading are wonderful things, but what if they are holding you back from writing and finishing stories?
We learn writing by writing. Isn’t it time you stop stalling?
LINKS
“Listening” by Bob DeRosa on Escape Pod: https://stada.me/listening
The 3 Day Challenge: https://stada.me/3dc
Today I’m going to show you a system for delighting readers (and editors), so that you get great reviews and raving fans who will share your work with other readers who also love what you’re writing.
Links:
https://stada.me/ssf – The StoryADay Short Story Framework
Here at the end of January, I take a mini look back at the first month of the decade and talk about writing habits, reading habits, Alexa skills, Medium and more.
[1:20] My Short Story Reading Challenge, The Bradbury Method, my method.
[9:30] Good luck to the NYC Midnight contestants
[10:00] New ways to access StoryADay content – Medium & Alexa
[10:55] 10th Anniversary
[11:46] The StoryADay Podcast
[14:00] February’s theme at StoryADay and what’s special about Leap Day
Links:
If you want to know more about Alexa skills, contact Raphael Schaad on LinkedIn
Here’s a list of my favorite stories from January 2020
It’s not a character flaw. If your resolutions have slipped and you haven’t kept up all those big plans you made for this year (already!), it’s not that you’re a loser. It might just be that you haven’t built the behaviors into your day in the best way.
This week I apply the Fogg Behavioral Method to real writers’ problems and help them troubleshoot (and fix!) the most common sticking points.
Free downloads:
https://stada.me/openingsreport
https://stada.me/creativitybundle
Languages evolve from the cultures that produce them, which offers a fertile world for writers to explore, whether you are writing contemporary, realistic fiction or futuristic and fantasy worlds.
This week I talk with Seumas MacDonald a linguist and ConLang (constructed languages) expert, about language, culture and how you might think about using linguistics in your fictional worlds.
[LINKS]
Do you already think about spoken language in your writing? What was your ‘aha moment’ from this podcast? Join the discussion:
https://stada.me/151
Tiny Wins (a combination of Tiny Habits and Epic Wins) and how you can use them to reinforce your good habits, along with an explanation of Stanford University researcher BJ Fogg’s Behavioral Method — a framework that explains why we do what we do (and sometimes don’t!)
In which I give you a peek into what I’m working on at StoryADay and encourage you to take a clear-eyed look at how far you’ve come, and what’s next for you.
LINKS:
Annual Review Worksheet: https://stada.me/annualreview
A title is the sizzle that sells your story, but too many writers still struggle with this important part of the writing process.
Today’s podcast helps you level up your title game.
LINKS:
Get the free download: https://stada.me/500titles
Get Tobias S. Buckell’s It’s All Just A Draft (clicking this Amazon affiliate link helps support this podcast) https://amzn.to/2PH31Fu
This week’s podcast features a clip from an episode from two years ago, in which I talked about the different cycles in a writing life. And I apologize in advance for making you crave some freshly baked bread…
Try this StoryADay Annual Review Worksheet to help you review your year, assess which phase you’re in, and plan for the future.
A supportive group of committed writers, who meet virtually, support each other’s efforts, and
become better writers today, not ‘some day’.
The only qualification to be a ‘Superstar” is a desire to write and support your fellow writers.
The only qualification to be a ‘Superstar” is a desire to write and support your fellow writers.
A supportive group of committed writers, who meet virtually, support each other’s efforts, and inspire each other.
Registration for 2024 open now-June 8, 2024
A 6-part journey through the short story.
Starts July 28, 2023
