Is One-Story September Right For Novelists?

I got a great question from a long-time StoryADay community member today: “Will One-Story September help me write my novel?”

Here’s what I answered:

On balance, I don’t think it’d give you enough support or direction for a novel project.
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Really, this challenge is designed to poke writers to keep working on a story throughout the month and to give some thought to what each part of the story is doing for the reader. It’s not designed to be a content-heavy course.
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Having said that, you could use One-Story September to help you flesh out the central spine of the novel’s story, or alternatively, to let you play in your novel’s world with less pressure.
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A short story set in the world of your novel could help you develop backstory, character development and voice, and let you fall in love with the world of your novel (as well as potentially giving you the bones of a chapter, or a standalone story that supports your novel when it comes time to market it).
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I’ve done this for several projects and enjoy it, but it all comes down to what you want to do.
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I’d hate to see you throw away money on the wrong thing, which could, in turn dent your confidence.
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I see two options: join this challenge and write a short story set in your novel’s universe that could stand alone or grow into something bigger; or put the money aside and begin saving for a more substantial “How To Write A Novel” course or cohort.
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All of which is to say, the One-Story Challenge might not be right for you—right now—and that’s absolutely fine.

But if you’re intrigued by the idea of crafting a complete story this month, come and play with us!

One Story Challenge 2026-09 TWS mockup showing the challenge on desktop, tablet and ipad.

We start Sept 1.

Keep writing,
Julie

StoryADay September 2018 Week 5

How did it go last week? How many stories did you write? How are you feeling heading into this week? Join the discussion below!

And don’t forget to come back when you’ve finished your last story to CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS!

Week 5 Prompts

So how did you get on? What did you learn during this challenge? Leave a comment here with your reflections, or share it on social media and leave a link.

In the meantime, I’ll see you in the comments!

Keep writing,

Julie (signed)

 

 

PS Want prompt by email throughout the year? Sign up below for the Write On Wednesday prompts.

StoryADay September 2018 Week 2

How did it go last week? How many stories did you write? How are you feeling heading into Week 2? Join the discussion below!

If you missed the start of StoryADay September or still need to set your rules, check out last week’s post. Don’t try to catch up and write 7 stories for last week, just jump in now and keep moving forward!

Week 2 Prompts

That’s it for this week. I’ll be next week with another batch of prompts.

In the meantime, I’ll see you in the comments!

Keep writing,

Julie (signed)

 

 

PS Want email reminders throughout September? Sign up, below:

StoryADay September Update

I’ve decided not to host an official StoryADay September here, but don’t despair!

Starting on Tuesday (Sept 3) I’m going to bring you prompts five days a week and will be inviting you to check in here at the site on any days that you’re inspired to write (or determined to). We’ll be here with congratulations, encouragement and, of course, more prompts.

Here’s a quick summary of the first week’s prompts:

Prompt 1 – Word Challenge
This writing prompt — a list of words to incorporate into your story — is an extremely silly one, designed to help you take your writing not-too-seriously and get back into the swing of writing for the joy of itPrompt 2 – The Fair
This prompt provides a scene and a suggested formula for writing a story set at a country fair. Bet you no two stories turn out alike though!

Prompt 3 – Little Old Lady
An opportunity to examine (or reinvent) the stereotype of the little old lady…

Prompt 4 – The Locked Room
Four people in a locked room with a frightening thunderous noise outside? What the heck is going on?

Prompt 5 – Inciting Incident
This prompt takes a look at one of the elements of story structure writing teachers are always banging on about: the inciting incident.

Keep writing,
JulieJulie Duffy

P.S. Everyone who comments this month will be entered in a drawing to win a free copy of the StoryADay Time To Write Workshop.

 

StoryADay September?

So, hey, quick question: would you be interested in doing a bonus StoryADay September?

Why September?

*It’s that time of year when years of school timetables have conditioned us (in the Northern hemisphere at least) to think about fresh starts and buckling-down-to-work.
*It’s far enough away from NaNoWriMo, for those of you who participate, that it won’t eat into your novel-planning time in October.
*It’s a full calendar-quarter since May. Our creative batteries will be recharged (and frankly, we might have fallen back into some old, bad habits, yes?)

 

I’d be thrilled to prep for a StoryADay September if people are excited about the idea, but frankly, I don’t want to waste my time (and pepper you with unwanted emails) if everyone feels ‘meh’ about the idea. I’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to click on the poll and let me know. Is it “Meh, I’ll wait until May” or “Oo, yeah, I’m SO going to need this by September”?

[poll id=”2″]

 

And please feel free to leave a comment saying how you feel about this 😉