In which Julie updates you on her (imperfect) progress this May
In which I talk about perseverance during the StoryADay May Challenge
And finally a remainder that know you can support this podcast, if you would like to, which some people have asked me about and to do that, you go to glow.fm/storyaday, and you can make a one-time or recurring donation to keep the show going. And I really appreciate your support. That’s it from me this week. Happy writing. And I’ll see you again soon.
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
Watch the video
Watch video with full transcript here
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)
Download the free Short Story Framework and write today, not ‘some day’. Go from ‘idea’ to ‘the end’ without getting lost along the way!
Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
Take the 3-Day Challenge and write three short stories this weekend!
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:
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)
Download the free Short Story Framework and write today, not ‘some day’. Go from ‘idea’ to ‘the end’ without getting lost along the way!
Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
Take the 3-Day Challenge and write three short stories this weekend!
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
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)
Download the free Short Story Framework and write today, not ‘some day’. Go from ‘idea’ to ‘the end’ without getting lost along the way!
Weekly writing prompts and lessons in your inbox, every Wednesday with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
Take the 3-Day Challenge and write three short stories this weekend!
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
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
Get writing prompts and lessons in your inbox every week with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
Download the Annual Planning Bundle and always know your next, smallest step as you chase your writing goals.
This simple phrase changed everything for me, this week.
This was a massive (and kinda obvious) disruption to my thought processes this week. It goes deeper than simple fixes, but is much more likely to have a real impact on your writing life…and your quality of life. Enjoy!
Listen to the Audio
Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the Podcast
Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode269
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 writing prompts and lessons in your inbox every week with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
Download the Keep Writing Workbook and always know your next, smallest step as you chase your writing goals.
I wrote this story on the blog this week, but in this week’s podcast you get a more complete version, along with some thoughts about what to do if you’re In The Pause
I wrote this story on the blog this week, but in this week’s podcast you get a more complete version, along with some thoughts about what to do if you’re In The Pause
Listen to the Audio
Watch the video
Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode268
Get writing prompts and lessons in your inbox every week with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
Download the Keep Writing Workbook and always know your next, smallest step as you chase your writing goals.
Everyone you know seems to be preparing for National Novel Writers’ Month. Are you?
I’ve done a few challenges in my time (from StoryADay to NaNoWriMo) and I have some questions for you about how you’re preparing and what you’ll do instead-of/as-well-as outlining to sustain you through the month.
Listen to the Audio
Watch the video
Link to this episode: https://storyaday.org/episode267
Get the Creative Challenge Workbook
Save The Cat Writes A Novel, Jessica Brody
Dan Wells’s 7-Point Story Structure
Romancing The Beat, Gwen Hayes
(some of these links are Amazon affiliate links, but you should feel free to look for these books wherever you like to buy/borrow books.
Join the Critique Week Waitlist
Get writing prompts and lessons in your inbox every week with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
P. S. Want to read about That Time I Met NaNoWriMo Founder Chris Baty, and how, sometimes, doing a scary thing turns out to be wonderful?
In which I tell you what my critique partners said about my latest pages…
Listen to the Audio
Watch the video
It’s dangerous to allow rejections, acceptances, marketing budgets or any other business-related nonsense to determine your worth as a writer.
So who should you be listening to? In this episode, I have some thoughts…
LINKS
StoryADay Critique Week: https://stada.me/critique
Get writing prompts and lessons in your inbox every week with the StoryAWeek Newsletter
In which I read you a short story prompt
Listen to the Audio
Watch the video
How to soar in your writing life…and as a result, the WHOLE of your life.
Listen to the Audio
What do you need to do to help you soar in your writing life? Join me for a Lesson in Creative Thermodynamics!
See the illustration and leave a comment on the Lesson In Creative Thermodynamics
There is a lot going on in a writer’s life.
Make sure you are designing the one you actually want.
Fun-Size Challenge: https://storyaday.org/fun-size
StoryAWeek Newsletter: https://storyaday.org/storyaweek
StoryADay September is coming! What’s it going to look like, this year? Tune in and find out.
PLUS I got some great advice this week on how to write a sequence that was stalling me. I’ll share it in this episode.
LINKS
Sept Challenge: https://storyaday.org/fun-size
StoryAWeek Newsletter: https://storyaday.org/storyaweek
This week we take a look at the publishing industry, your goals, and how you can become endlessly inspired and creative…
Learning about the realities of the publishing industry can free you to create your own definition of success (that may or may not include traditional publishers). Step 1 towards success is to imagine your vision. Step 2 is to turn up for your writing, something the new StoryAWeek newsletter can help with!
For industry perspective: Jane Friedman’s The Hot Sheet: https://hotsheetpub.com/
Leave a comment about this episode: https://storyaday/episode259
This week I talk about the creative boost I got from my recent travels, and how you can get a similar boost in your writing life, without even leaving home.
This week I talk about the creative boost I got from my recent travels, and how you can get a similar boost in your writing life, without even leaving home.
I also tease some of the upcoming events at StoryADay as we look towards the change in seasons.
Want more?
Join me at the Writer Unboxed OnConference 2022: https://writerunboxed.com/2022/08/05/writer-unboxed-onconference-community-focus/
Get the StoryADay Short Story Framework: https://storyaday.org/framework
Writers don’t just write for themselves, we write to be read, and with that we leave a legacy. in this episode I tell the story of two writers who left an impact on me, and invite you to think about your legacy
LINKS:
The 3-Day Challenge – https://storyaday.org/3dc
I, WRITER Waitlist – https://stada.me/iwriter
Music credits: Alan McPike, https://standardstrax.com/
Video credit: (Tony Conaway) Gary Zenker, Main Line Writers’ Group (full video https://youtu.be/1R0rqla54hk)
It’s not just your protagonist who must change!
In a story your protagonist faces the possibility of change before they can solve the problem they face, win their true love, or defeat their enemy…in short, achieve their heart’s desire.
Funny thing is: as writers, we face that moment of decision too.
That’s what I’m talking about on the podcast this week.
What if you could slide up to your desk, knowing that you were going to have a good time, with your writing?
What if, when you sat down to write, the words just flowed? What’s the secret ingredient that makes this possible?
LINKS
Part II of the StoryADay debrief process, which helps you assess what you learned during the challenge and what to focus on next. This process is useful after any big writing project or push, so don’t skip this episode, even if you didn’t take part in the StoryADay Challenge
::LINKS::
Comment on this episode here: https://storyaday.org/episode211
Get a printable version of these questions: https://storyaday.org/debrief
Last week’s episode: https://storyaday.org/episode210
Perfectionism is a creativity killer, and today and I’m talking about how StoryADay May can help you find a way forward.
LINKS
The Challenge: https://storyaday.org
The Challenge+ (even more support): https://members.storyaday.org/join-challenge-plus
Why the story we tell ourselves is the most important we’ll ever tell…and the impact it has on our ability to manage our inner critic, imposter syndrome and to get our work done.
Dr. Julie Helmrich, psychologist and founder of Iron Psych specializes in change fluency and narrative, and is my guest this week, talking about psychological fitness for writers.
Links:
Dr. Helmrich’s site: https://juliehelmrich.com/
Writing prompt: https://storyaday.org/wow-customs
Should you take part in NaNoWriMo this year? Should you attend that conference or take that class? Should you buy that new writing craft book?
Here’s a process to get you started figuring out whether or not you’re looking at a shiny object or a shiny opportunity.
Links:
This week on the podcast, I interviewed Seumas MacDonald about the importance of culture in the development of language, and about ConLangs (or constructed languages) in fiction.
Write a story where two or more characters come from different cultures and have difficulties understanding each other
It can be hard to write endings (So many logistics! So tired from writing the whole story!), but the ending is the thing that sends your reader off into the world feeling good about your story…or deflated because you let them down.
In this week’s episode I talk about the importance of endings, and a powerful way for you to think about them so you can delight your reader.
Also: I talk about StoryADay’s writing prompts for November and my impressions of the 2019 edition of the Best American Short Stories anthology, edited by Anthony Doerr.
LINKS:
Penny For The Guy Writing Prompt
A writing prompts about openings & endings
Happy January!
This month’s theme has been ‘Practice’ (as in setting up and maintaining a healthy writing practice).
Here’s what you might have missed:
The January 2017 episodes covered:
Listen to me and Gabriela Pereira of DIYMFA run through all the tips, tricks and really great reasons to give it a shot.
Her podcast, DIYMFA Radio is a great listen. If you’re not subscribed yet, you should!
To create a regular writing habit (and stick to it), try scheduling it immediately after something you already do regularly…
There is a very helpful technique for creating new habits, known as ‘anchoring'[1. I didn’t make this up. It’s being studied by Dr BJ Fogg, a human-behaviour scientist at Stanford University].
The idea is this: you don’t think about brushing your teeth before you go to bed at night, or showering when you get up. It’s just something you do.
If you want to create a new habit (and stick to it), try doing it immediately after something you already do by rote.
So, if you want to remember to floss your teeth, say you’ll do it after your morning tooth scrub. If you want to brainstorm ideas for stories, say you’ll do it as soon as you’ve poured your first cup of coffee.
Your anchor has to be something that works for you, specifically. Continue reading “Anchoring Habits For A More Productive Writing Life”
