I know I say you should set your own rules for StoryADay, but the truth is, committing to writing daily, can be…easier. Here’s why…
What We Crave
“In a digital world saturated with technicolor brilliance and filtered, unobtainable beauty, modern humans seem unmoored and at sea. We crave stories to tell us who we are.” – Min Jin Lee, Best American Short Stories 2023
When I first logged on to the Internet in 1993, I was thrilled by the possibilities of connection.
When, some time later, I clicked on my first hyperlink (on a page that gloried under the catchy address of something like “74.6.143.25”) I distinctly remember thinking,
“This is exactly how I want life to operate,”
and, at the same time,
“I am in sooooo much trouble.”
Picture me, hunched in front of a mushroom-colored 14-inch monitor, clicking and reading, and clicking and reading, and leaping down the rabbit hole
We Were Warned
That first hyperlink was the start of something that changed the world and I was there for it.
But it turns out I was Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer’s hat, summoning a wave I couldn’t control.
I was the old woman with the magic porridge pot.
I was King Midas.
We all were.
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice thought he wanted power. What he really needed was control.
- The old woman with the magic porridge pot thought she wanted an endless supply of food. What she needed was ‘enough’.
- We thought we wanted endless facts, exposure to more people, more ideas. What we need is the wisdom that comes from enough knowledge.
The stories tried to warn us.
Writers Have A Head Start
Yes, we get distracted by the glossy online world sometimes, but writers really do have a huge advantage over other mortals.
We go out of our way to make time to create worlds and characters who wrestle with big human questions:
- What if I break the rules, just this once?
- What if I had everything I ever lacked?
- What if they won’t love me?
- What’s beyond the fence at the end of the garden?
Believe it or not, most people are rushing through their days NOT staring into space and thinking about these things.
But when they do have time to unwind, they all want to do it with stories: in books, on screens, in song.
Because stories — not facts, not reels, not personality quizzes — tell us who we are.
Your Turn
Make some time for your writing in the next three days.
Use this prompt if you need a nudge.
And please believe me when I say
“You are a writer. Stories are what make us human. Stories keep us safe. Stories show us how to be human. Stories are the way we learn. No matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ your stories and your subject matter, your stories matter.”
What’s your biggest distraction from your writing? How did you last conquer it. Leave a comment!
Never, Never Give Up On Your Writing
When a catalogue of disasters struck, one writer used the power of her writer’s group to keep her on track…
Why do you need a writing support group?
Two weeks ago, I chipped the end of the femur where it enters my ankle (4-6 months recovery); my dog split her nail (so it had to be cut back even with the end of the toe); and my daughter’s 10-year relationship ended. (She is far away so I cannot hug her) …
But I kept on writing.
This week I had to cancel two lunches, one supper, a dental appointment and a hair appointment. My husband and I have RSV (respiratory ~something, something~ virus). Mine started with razor blades in my throat and hasn’t really changed. Larry is getting progressively sicker…
But I am still writing every morning.
Then, last night, my two young dogs got into a scuffle with a porcupine (they lost). Larry has been nursing a shoulder injury for months (from when he tripped over the old dog) and in our flurry to get the pups back to the house, into the truck and to the vet, he reinjured his shoulder and I messed up my foot (again).
Daisy had 35 quills and Eddy had 20. They are both doing fine.
And this morning, I still showed up for my writing.
For long time I wrote alone. I would get up in the morning, have coffee and then sit at my desk and write for an hour. I liked it, it worked for me; but the events of the last couple of weeks would have knocked me off my schedule and I would have spent at least a month getting back on track.
A couple of years ago, I tried StoryADay May, then I joined Superstars. (one of the best things I ever did for my writing).
As luck would have it, they had a regularly scheduled writing sprint at the exact time I like to write. (I try to host on Tuesdays.)
So, this morning (Tuesday), when I woke up and my foot was throbbing and the dogs were whining and my husband moaned and coughed on the couch I sipped my first coffee, played a game on my phone, fed the dogs, and refilled my cup.
Then I limped up to my writing desk (12 stairs) and wrote for an hour with the other Superstars.
It was my turn to host and even though I didn’t “want to” I DID want to (if you know what I mean). I knew people would show up “in the squares” and I would be inspired.
So once you have sufficiently felt sorry for me, (because that is really what I was going for) remember:
Never, Never Give Up on Your Writing
(Thank you Superstars ~ you are the bestest)
Brenda Rech is happily married with two beautiful daughters, three dogs, two cats and a bird named Amy Farrah Fowler. Her flower gardens are forever at the beginner’s stages as she would rather hike with her husband and dogs or explore her writing. Her favorite breakfast is crispy bacon and strawberry jam on white toast. She is currently working on her first novel and has a monthly newsletter, Thru the Window.
Who Do You Talk To About Writing?
When my fellow writer—let’s call her Amanda—popped onto my Zoom screen, she was hunched in her chair, listless, and slightly cynical.
For months, she’d been trying to work on her novel.
She knew what she had to do.
She knew the scene she wanted to work on.
She had a writer friend she checked in with weekly…and still she was spending her writing time checking email and looking at social media and feeling the self-loathing grow like a thorny hedge, choking out her creativity.
The Heart of the Problem
As we started to talk it became clear to me that the problem wasn’t with her work ethic (she’s worked as a writer for decades) or her identity (“writer” is central to her identity and she has no problem saying it out loud).
The problem was technical: she didn’t know enough about the structure of the story she wanted to tell; about reader expectations; about how to arrange her beautiful writing into a compelling, novel-length story.
And that is a problem that can be fixed.
But it’s hard to fix alone at your desk (or alone inside your brain).
As I asked more questions, and Amanda answered, I watched her sit up straighter, lean in towards the camera—she may have even clapped her hands in glee—as the true problem emerged.
What Happened Next
With the problem diagnosed, it was a snap for us to put together a plan of action to tackle it.
She’s ready to write, again.
Better than that, she’s excited to write again.
She was so happy she called me a genius.
Not A Genius
I’m (probably) not a genius.
But I am a coach.
I study and practice storytelling all day long.
And I ask really good questions.
Your Turn
- If you’re stuck on your writing, and you don’t understand why
- If you’re making progress slower than you’d like
- If you don’t know what the next step is, for you
Do you have someone you can talk to about your writing, and who asks excellent questions?
Leave a comment and let me know
Happy People-Watching Season!
During the busy holiday season (when did October-Jan become ‘the holiday season?!) we’re all overwhelmed with inboxes full of holiday greetings, people trying to sell us things, and the inevitable (endless) invitations to social events. (or a feeling of nostalgia for the days when we used to get more invitations…).
This is just a quick love-note from me to encourage you, in case you’re feeling like you’ll never have time to write on your work-in-progress again.
This is actually a great time for writers:
- All those people getting together and interacting in ways they wouldn’t on a normal day? Fuel for your next crowd scene!
- All those smells and tastes and sights that only come around once a year? Grab a notebook and capture the exact words that you can use later to recreate a similar scene in your fictional world (a quick trip to the bathroom can be your friend, here!)
- All the feelings inside you, as you wait anxiously or excitedly for your celebration to begin? Pinpoint where they are happening in your body and how they manifest. Write them down and give them to a character (a great way to go beyond ‘she gasped’ and ‘his eyes widened’!)
Grab your notebook. Stay hydrated. Take breaks (get outside if you can) and try to remember: it’s all material!
Keep writing,
Julie
P. S. I often run a tiny, 5-Day Challenge at this time of year. Are you signed up?
SWAGr for November 2023
It’s that time again: time to make your commitments to your writing for the coming month. Join us!
Welcome to the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group!
Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.
(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)
Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.
And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!
Download your SWAGr Tracking Sheet now, to keep track of your commitments this month
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Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months
- Finish first draft of story and write 3 articles for my school paper. – Courtney
- Write on seven days this month – Clare
- Extend my reading and to read with a ‘writers eye’- Wendy
- write 10,000 words – Mary Lou
So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below
(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)