What if Your Writing Could Help Somebody?

No, really?

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This week I’m sharing a surprising example of how writing (and writers) can help people in the real world, inspired by a project announced by Brandon Sanderson. It leads to one clear lesson about what it actually takes to build a sustainable writing life — especially if you want to write consistently, keep your momentum, and grow beyond the “solitary writer” myth.

Plus: a quick writing prompt about conflict you can use right away.

Transcript

Resources & Next Steps:

Build your writing practice with the Handbook : https://storyaday.org/challenge-handbook

Join the Superstars Group: Join the StoryADay Superstars for year-round support

Take the 3-Day Challenge

The Work Is the Point: Refining Your Writing Life for the Long Haul

No prizes without practice!

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A short meditation on why sustainable writing comes from small, repeatable choices. We touch on Coetzee, Tom Stoppard, and the quiet ways stories ripple outward—then land on the core: build the habit, revise bravely, and let the work be enough.

Transcript

Resources & Next Steps:

Build your writing practice with the Handbook : https://storyaday.org/challenge-handbook

Join the Superstars Group: Join the StoryADay Superstars for year-round support

Take the 3-Day Challenge

SWAGr for December 2025

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 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!)

Silencing the Mean Voice: How Writers Can Quiet Self-Doubt and Keep Creating!)

how to build confidence as a writer

Listen to the Audio

Watch now

Watch the video

We all have that voice that whispers, “Who are you to think you can write?” In this episode, I share why those inner critics feel so convincing—and how to move past them. From celebrating small wins to journaling the negative voices into submission, this is your prescribed dose of calm, practical ways to rebuild confidence and keep writing.

Transcript

Resources & Next Steps:

Explore more writing challenges: https://storyaday.org

Join the Superstars Group: Join the StoryADay Superstars for year-round support

Take the 3-Day Challenge

SWAGr for November 2025

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 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

****

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!)

SWAGr for October 2025

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 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

****

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!)