Join us for our signature challenge. Sign ups begin in August.
2019 Day 31 – Roll Call
This it! The end of StoryADay May 2019! You are an absolutely rockstar for being here today!
Do me a favor? Leave a comments below, and answer these two questions:
- How many stories did you write
- Did you meet your goal (or get close enough to feel proud of yourself)?
But don’t forget to write today’s story.
The Prompt
About A Writer
Normally I don’t encourage stories about writers because it seems kind of cheap (and uninteresting for the readers), but today I think you’ve earned it.
- Use this prompt to write a story about a writer like yourself who has just undergone a big challenge.
- Or satirize the idea of writing about a writer.
- Or use it any other way that occurs to you. (And hey, it worked for Stephen King, so who am I to question it?)
Use all the tricks you’ve been practicing this month to show us what a day in the life of a writer can be.
Planning Ahead
You’ve achieved so much this month. I’m so proud of you.
To keep the momentum going, mark your calendars for these StoryADay events throughout the year.
- Serious Writer’s Accountability Group (SWAGr) – 1st of every month (sign up for reminders here)
- Critique Week, June 21-27 – A chance to get your story reviewed by your peers and by me (more details coming soon)
- StoryFest, June 29-30 – where your stories take over the front page of StoryADay.org. Watch your inbox for details
- StoryADay September – wherein we do this all again! And your next chance to join Superstars for the rest of the year. Signups begin in August.
- Critique Week, October 20-17 – A chance to get your story reviewed by your peers and by me (more details coming soon)
- NaNoWriMo Support Group – for members of the Superstars group only.
- Critique Week, February 22-29 – A chance to get your story reviewed by your peers and by me (more details coming soon)
- And much more, including weekly writing prompts on Wednesdays, posts in The Reading Room, podcasts, interviews, and workshops.
- Use the StoryADay Events calendar to stay up to date
Go!
Don’t forget to leave a comment saying how many stories you wrote this month, and how you feel about it! Then come back tomorrow to record your June goals in the SWAGr post.
2019 Day 30 – Switcheroo
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
Take a story you wrote this month and rewrite it, differently
Sometimes a story works better in a different point of view, or told in a different order. If there’s a story you wrote this month, that you liked, and wanted to get back to, use today to rewrite it in a completely different way.
This will ease you into the idea of rewriting and revising (something I’ll be posting more about in June).
Consider these options
- Rewrite it from in a different voice (1st person instead of 3rd)
- Rewrite it from the perspective of a minor character
- Rewrite it without re-reading the original. Only write scenes/incidents that you remember. (When you compare them, if you find you’ve forgotten certain things, what does that tell you? Is it stronger or weaker without them?)
Go!
What did you rewrite about today? How did it turn out? Leave a comment.
2019 Day 29 – The One
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
Write The Story You’ve Been Waiting To Write
I’ve been making you jump through hoops all month, but there has to be one story that has been nagging at you, patiently waiting its turn.
Today is that day.
Take everything you’ve learned this month, about
- Setting limits to help you get to your writing desk
- Character
- Conflict
- Action
- Description
- Dialogue
- Openings & Endings
- The Middle
- Emotion
- Different Story Forms
- Writing to a provided scenario/external prompt
Use your favorite discoveries from this month, to set your story free today.
Go!
What did you write about today? Did you use any of the lessons from this month? Leave a comment.
2019 Day 28 – Closing Line
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
ENDING LINE: As the sun went down that night, I knew it would rise, tomorrow, on a very different world.
Think about this line and what kind of mood you would like it to convey. What kind of mood do you want your story to take today?
Sometimes our stories can veer off track: we feel like writing a funny story and suddenly we’re crying over our keyboards; or we want to write Gothic Horror and somehow end up with Clueless.
Starting with the end in mind, can help with that.
(Feel free to change the syntax and pronoun in this, to fit your story.)
Go!
So how’s it going this week? Are you tired or have you caught your second wind?
2019 Day 27 – Opening Line
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
OPENING LINE: NEVER TELL ANYONE YOUR REAL NAME
Start your story with that line today.
Go!
So how’s it going this week? Are you tired or have you caught your second wind?
Are you desperate to get back to novel-writing? Or have you discovered a new love for the short form?
What parts of this month’s successes will you take forward into your other writing?
2019 Day 26 – Two Directions
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
Two Different Directions
Today’s story should feature two characters or factions who want to go in different directions. Lots of room for character desire and conflict, here!
You can take this as literally or figuratively as you like.
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!
2019 Day 25 – Assembly
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
Write A Story Featuring an Assembly or Crowd Scene
You can tell the story of a song or simply use it in the story.
Normally I caution against having too many people in a short story, but today I want you to practice filling the scene with a crowd…but still focusing on your main characters.
There’s lots of potential for noise, color, and action in this one!
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!
2019 Day 24 – Song Title
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
Write A Story Inspired by A Song Title
You can tell the story of a song or simply use it in the story.
Here are a couple of resources
An A-Z of Song Titles – if you feel the need to pick randomly
Fantasy Song Title Generator – for those of you who like to play fast-and-loose with the rules
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!
2019 Day 23 – A Picture
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
The Prompt
Write A Story Inspired by This Painting
Unless you’re an expert in the time period, don’t try to write the historically-accurate story of this picture.
Instead, look at the details, the people, the expressions and see what it suggests for you.
Write about a family of laborers terraforming the first, off-planet colony, and entertaining a local dignitary for dinner
Write the story of a woman (any woman) whose husband brings home his boss when she’s had a full day at work and has just changed into her sweatpants and pulled her hair back into a messy bun, and she was in the middle of yelling at the kids for dragging in a stray kitten from goodness-knows-where and she’s just called out for pizza…
Tell the story of the bowl on the table. Where did it come from? Where will it end up, three generations from this moment.
The wonderful thing about using paintings as a prompt is that they represent one moment in time…just like short stories!
Our lives and our personalities are shaped by an accumulation of tiny moments. Never think that an idea or a moment is too small to be the spark for a worthy story.
Start practicing that belief with today’s story!
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!