Not ‘If’, But ‘How’

I could give you a million and one tactics for fitting writing into your life…and none of them will matter a jot until you do this one simple (not easy) thing…

🎧 Listen now!

Links:

The Keep Writing Workbook https://stada.me/kww

The Short Story Framework: https://storyaday.org/framework

Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge

Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt

Transcript is here

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Support the podcast

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.

How Good Is Good Enough?

Beyond Prizes and Awards: The True Value of Sharing Your Stories

Welcome to The StoryADay Podcast, where we explore the power of storytelling and the importance of writing every day.

In this episode encourage you to think about the significance of our narratives and the impact they have on the world around us. Drawing inspiration from a talk by former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, I reflect on imposter syndrome, internal motivation, and the responsibility writers have to capture the essence of human experience. Join me as we explore the value of our stories, regardless of accolades or recognition, and the role they play in helping others make sense of the world.

It’s time to embrace our unique perspectives and share our narratives with the world. So grab your pen and paper, and let’s get started on this storytelling journey together. Stay tuned!

🎧 Listen now!

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:33] No one is asking for your story

[00:02:17] We are wonderful weirdos

[00:04:42] Who We Are Not Competing Withx

[00:07:45] How We Spend Our Lives

[00:08:49] What Stops You From Writing? (And Is It Worth It?)

[00:10:20] How Good Is Good Enough?

[00:12:53] Get the Short Story Framework or take the 3-Day Challenge

Links:

The Short Story Framework: https://storyaday.org/framework

Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge

Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt

Transcript is here

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Support the podcast

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.

Engaging With The Publishing Industry

In which Julie has opinions how to engage with the publishing industry…if that’s something you’re interested in doing

Making Your Stories Pop and Connecting with Your Audience

Are you looking to find success in the publishing world?

Join me on The StoryADay Podcast as I discuss the importance of engagement in writing and publishing.

In this episode titled “Lurk Your Way to Success in Publishing”, I share strategies and insights that can help you achieve your goals as a writer.

Here are 3 key takeaways from the episode:

1️⃣ Don’t rush into building an author platform: While it’s tempting to focus on social media presence and building a following, it’s crucial to prioritize the writing itself. Spend time honing your craft and creating compelling content before diving into the world of author branding.

2️⃣ Engage with the publishing world: Stay updated by following authors on social media, reading industry publications, and educating yourself about the realities of being a writer. Become part of the conversation, learn from experienced authors, and stay informed about industry trends.

3️⃣ Define your own success: Don’t let societal expectations or external pressure define your writing journey. Take the time to reflect on what success means to you personally and set realistic goals that align with your values. Remember, writing is a journey of personal growth and creativity, and your definition of success should reflect that.

🎧 Listen now!

TIMESTAMPS

[00:02:03] Engaging With The Publishing World

[00:03:42] Should You Even Pay Attention?

[00:06:54] Have a Strong Definition of Success For Yourself

[00:09:18] If You Want To Publish

[00:10:25] First Steps In Pursuing Publication – Lurk (aka ‘research’)

[00:11:53] Agents

[00:14:44] Queries and Book Proposals

[00:15:45] Why Submission Guidelines Matter

[00:18:33] Ways to Lurk

[00:19:35] Publishing Shorter Pieces

[00:21:56] Get Off My Lawn

[00:23:22] Be Human, Make Friends, Be Successful

[00:25:37] Where To Find Writers and Publishing Folks, Online in 2023

[00:29:04] Wrap Up

Links:

Kameron Hurley Interview

Kate McKean’s Agents & Books Substack Newsletter

The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing

Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge

Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt

Transcript is here

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Support the podcast

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.

Engaging Readers

In which Julie has opinions how to make your stories compelling and keep readers hooked.

Making Your Stories Pop and Connecting with Your Audience

Welcome to another episode of The StoryADay Podcast! I’m your host, Julie Duffy, from Storyaday.org, and today we’re diving into a topic that every writer grapples with: engaging the reader.

As we explore the importance of captivating our audience, we’ll also discuss the challenges that come with balancing our own creative process and the desire for validation from readers. \

Join me as we uncover strategies to make our stories irresistible and learn how to effectively engage with our readers. So, grab your pen and notebook, and let’s get started on this storytelling adventure!

00:01:27 Permission to create freely, fear of judgment.
00:03:58 Engaging stories and readers: tips and importance.
00:11:17 Structure, pacing, and character engagement in writing.
00:14:17 Direct contact without social media or ads.
00:19:58 Don’t overthink, write and engage with readers.
00:21:17 Writing challenge: 3 days to complete stories

Listen to Part I – How To Be A Writer

Listen to Part III – Lurk Your Way To Publishing Success

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Sign up for the StoryADay September Challenge: https://storyaday.org

Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge

Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt

Transcript is here

Support the podcast

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.

How to Be A Writer

In which Julie has opinions how creative people should engage with their writing…and their identity as a writer

As we kick off StoryADay September 2023 I talk about how there is more than one way to engage with your writing…and your identity as a writer.

CHAPTERS
00:15 How To Engage with Your Writing Practice
15:16 Strategies for StoryADay

Listen to Part II – What About The Readers?

Listen to Part III – Lurk Your Way To Publishing Success

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Sign up for the StoryADay September Challenge: https://storyaday.org

Want to go deeper? Take the 3-Day Challenge

Want to go for longer? Let me send you a StoryAWeek writing lesson & prompt

Transcript is here

Video Version

Support the podcast

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.

Amazon, AI & Author’s Rights

In which Julie has opinions about AI and Amazon, and invites you to get in the habit of celebrating all your triumphs, this month

This week author Jane Friedman noticed that someone had used her name on a bunch of junk, AI-generated books about writing, and they had become attached to her profile on Amazon and Goodreads…and the kicker is that there is no due diligence done by these companies to make sure the books were actually hers. Their response? “Trademark your name, or there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Which is patently nonsense.

But, lest you get discouraged about having to monitor identity theft as yet another writing-adjacent task youhave to ad to your to-do list, I have some thoughts on what authors can do instead.

Also in this episode: the Importance of Celebrations, and some tips for how to do that.

Want to jump straight to the part where you’re celebrating your writing? Buy the workbook now!

The Importance of Celebrations Image BUY NOW

TRANSCRIPT IS HERE

LINKS:

The Importance of Celebrations Workbook: http://stada.me/wb-celebrations

This episode: https://storyaday.org/episode294

Some Author Advocacy Groups:

The Alliance of Independent Authors: https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/

The Author’s Guild: https://authorsguild.org/

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: https://www.sfwa.org/

PEN America: https://pen.org/

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Sign up for the StoryADay Anytime Challenge: https://storyaday.org

Want to go deeper?: Take the 3-Day Challenge

Video Version

Support the podcast

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.

How to Improve, as Writers

In which Julie has opinions how creative people should think about organization

All writers want to improve, but what does that mean and how do you, ah, do it?

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Sign up for the StoryADay Anytime Challenge: https://storyaday.org

Want to go deeper?: Take the 3-Day Challenge

Transcript is here

Video Version

coming soon…

Support the podcast

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.

Record-Keeping For Writers

In which Julie has opinions how creative people should think about organization

Do you struggle to keep records of what you read or write? Do you beat yourself up over it, because you’re sure it’d make your life easier? Maybe yes, maybe no. Let’s dig in to record-keeping for creative people: why it works, why it doesn’t, and what to do about it!

Subscribe to the podcast and don’t miss an episode

Sign up for the StoryADay Anytime Challenge: https://storyaday.org

Want to go deeper?: Take the 3-Day Challenge

Transcript is here

Video Version

coming soon…

Support the podcast

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.

7 Lessons from StoryADay in May 2023 – Part 2

In which Julie has opinions about someone else’s (terrible) opinions…

In part 1 of this 2-part podcast, I talk about the first 5 things I learned while writing a lot during a busy month!

In this episode I talk about the two most important things I learned (again) while writing A StoryADay in May. Listen in!

LINKS:

3-Day Challenge

Transcript is here

Video Version

Support the podcast

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.

Transcript available here

7 Things I Learned While Writing A StoryADay in May 2023

In which Julie has opinions about someone else’s (terrible) opinions…

In part 1 of this 2-part podcast, I talk about the first 5 things I learned while writing a lot during a busy month!

LINKS:

3-Day Challenge

Transcript is here

Video Version

Support the podcast

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.

Transcript available here

Truly Life-Changing

An Interview With StoryADay Superstar C.H. Schoen

C. H. Schoen

Before I found StoryADay I had been back to writing for three years after a long break.

I Had Ideas But Nothing On Paper

I was not confident in what I was writing and I was not consistent. I would start stories and never finish them. I had book ideas coming up left and right but nothing outlined on paper.

I came across StoryADay when I was randomly googling about short stories. I thought it was interesting to find a group that would be writing a story every day for a month.

I have always been up for a challenge so I joined. 

Sharing My Writing Again

Since doing StoryADay I am more confident and constant than I have ever been in my writing before. I am finally sharing my writing again with others and I’m putting myself out there for critics.

The writing I produce now is finished and more polished than it had been previously. Within the next few months, I will start sending out queries to get my stories into the world.

Confidence in My Creative Process

My biggest success in writing has been completing multiple short stories and finding confidence again in my creative process. I completed my first draft of a novel I had been working on for two years thanks to the encouragement of our NaNoWriMo group this last year. 

Being part of a writing community has changed my life”

It has been absolutely amazing to be part of the Superstars group and to have fellow writers at all different levels to talk to.

I haven’t had the opportunity to be part of a writing community until this last year and it has truly changed my life. It has been great to share my writing successes and struggles within this community. Everyone has been very supportive.

The progress I have experienced in this group has been a driving force to keep pushing my craft. Meeting up with blank pages daily can be daunting at times but when you know there are others doing the same thing it makes all the difference. This experience has taught me writing does not have to to be a lonely process  people have made it out to be when you have a community of writers to turn to.

Day 29 – The Story You’ve Been Waiting To Write

Here we are, the final three days of this extreme month of writing.

It’s so impressive that you’re still here, that you’re still writing, that you’re still coming back to this.

I know you have stories you want to tell, that the world needs to hear.

Your experiences, your outlook, your way of expressing yourself, are unique in the history of the world and I’m so glad you’ve come this far, and you’re still writing.

And I know you’re going to continue to write, because you’ve come this far.

Today I’m giving you a prompt that might seem a little lazy from me, but there’s a reason.

The Prompt

Write the story that you’ve been hungering to write.

I’ve been very proscriptive this month, telling you what you write, and you’ve been writing for four weeks. You’ve got stories in your head that are nipping at your brain, whispering “tell me!”, so today I’m setting you free.

Tell one of those stories.

Leave a comment to let us know what you wrote today

Day 24 – Disappearing Act

This week’s theme is, in part, to encourage you to try out stories that use each of the types of story threads from the MICE quotient.

The Prompt

Tell a story that features a disappearance

This could be an Intrigue/Idea story. At it heart it has a question, or a mystery or a big idea.

It could be the disappearance of a person, a cultural phenomenon, or of the bees, or of Arctic Ice. Or it could be something more nebulous. Your story could be serious or slapstick. What will you come up with?

What did you make disappear? What kind of story did you write? What tone did your story take on, today? Leave a comment and let us know!

Day 22 – A Rude Awakening

Welcome to Week Four!

This week I’m providing you with story starters, to give your imaginatiosn a little kickstart.

The Prompt

Your character wakes up in a space they don’t recognize.

They could wake up in a white van, a locked room, or anywhere that is completely different form their everyday. This gives you the opportunity to explore your character in interesting ways.

There may be other people inside the space, outside the space, interacting with them, or not.

Have fun with this, today!

Day 21 – News Flash

The Prompt

Write A Story As A News Report

This could be a TV report with a panel of pundits yelling at each other, a reporter on the street, the voice of a producer in your anchor’s ear…

Or, this could be a traditional newspaper report.

Remember to tell a story, though! Then tell us all about it in the comments.

Day 20 – I’m Gonna Sit Right Down

The Prompt

Write A Story In The Form Of A Series of Letters

Tips

  • You could do social media updates, conference call, letters, records.
  • In this story remember that each party in the story has an agenda, conflicts.
    You could tell three different sides of a story
  • Your format will affect the type of language that the characters use: in letters things might be more formal, in texts it’ll be more brief.

Remember to leave a comment to let us know how you got on!

Day 19 – Direct To Camera

May is far from over! Don’t give up now. And if you’ve just discovered StoryADay May, it’s not too late to jump in. Here’s today’s prompt, and you can find a new episode of the podcast here: Is It Time To Quit? (spoiler: no!)

The Prompt

Tell A Story ‘Direct To Camera’

This is probably going to be in first person.

Write as if you’re writing to your best friend, or talking directly to a police officer, or relaying this to a room of strangers.

if all else fails, stand in front of your phone and tell the story. Tell a real story or a fairy story. See what this does to your writing.

Leave a comment and tell us how it went today!

Day 18 – It’s A Bit One-Sided

The Prompt

Write a story today in which the reader only hears one side of the conversation

This could be a telephone conversation, a text conversation, a series of social media updates, a series of letters, whatever.

Examples

Bob Newhart telephone does this in telephone calls

Watch Neil Gaiman read his story Orange here or read it here

Day 16 – We Need To Talk

Extra! Extra! A fabulous new collection of 100 word stories has just hit the shelves. It’s called Nothing Short Of 100 and it comes from Grant Faulkner (also the head honcho at NaNoWriMo), Lynn Mundell and Beret Olson, all of 100WordStory.org

To see four excellent examples of a 100 word story, hop on over to the publisher’s site now. Or pick up the book from Amazon or request it from your local indie bookstore.

 Today we continue our look at short stories as not-mini-novels and play with them in ways you can only play with short stories!

The Prompt

Write a story completely in dialogue

It’s probably best to keep this to two characters because it’s harder to have more than two characters, without attribution.

I want you to keep it straight in our heads, who’s talking, simply by the way they talk.

A guy who works on Wall St should sound different from a farmer from a rural area.

Don’t forget to leave a comment and tell us what you wrote today!

Bonus: Writing Contests as Prompts – a guest post from Elise Holland

Elise Holland HeadshotToday’s bonus prompt comes from Elise Holland, writer and editor of the 2Elizabeths online literary magazine

There are so many excellent contests available to short form writers.
Sometimes the clear-cut parameter of a deadline serves as inspiration, and
many contests are genre specific, creating a built-in, detailed prompt.

In order to provide a precise prompt, I suggest looking into submitting
your work to Nowhere Magazine’s Spring 2018 Travel
Writing Contest. Beneath the prompt, you will find my tips on how to find
writing contests, and how to use each set of submission guidelines as
future prompts.

The Prompt

Until May 31, 2018, literary travel magazine Nowhere is seeking
contest submissions from young, old, novice, and veteran writers.
Specifically, they are looking for stories with a strong sense of place.

Send your fiction, nonfiction, or essay, but be certain to specify which
genre your work falls into at the top of your manuscript. Submissions
should be kept between 800 – 5,000 words in length. The contest winner will receive $1,000 and publication in Nowhere. For further details and
to submit your work, visit the magazine’s website here.

Tips

  • You can access a free database of writing contests from Poets &
    Writer’s, here. For a minimal fee, you can access additional contest databases and information for writers through Writer’s Market or
    through Duotrope.
  •  When you write for a contest, be sure to carefully read each set of
    submission guidelines. Each publication will seek different stories based
    on criteria such as genre, word count, and deadline. Use these criteria
    dutifully to hone in on your story, and to ensure that your work is
    considered by contest judges.

    • Many contests will be genre-specific. For instance, the contest for Nowhere is seeking work revolving around travel. And later this
      year 2 Elizabeths, the magazine I edit, will host its second annual Love & Romance Writing Contest. (Grab a copy of our submission guidelines, here.)
    • Use these genre-specific contests to propel you into your work. You can
      either be hyper-focused and choose to enter work only into the genre you
      write, or you can choose to enter a variety of work into different
      genre-specific contests, expanding your repertoire.
    • I’m a firm believer that limitations breed creativity. And that’s exactly
      how I would encourage you to view word count restrictions pertaining to a writing contest. It can be a fun game, squeezing an entire tale into a
      limited number of words, and it’s a fantastic exercise in the economy of
      your words.
    • As you peruse any of the aforementioned databases, consider which
      contests you might like to enter. Use these contest deadlines to help you
      build your own editorial calendar.
  • Many writing contests require participants to pay a submission fee. This
    is generally intended to cover the prize which will be paid to the
    winner(s), as well as to keep the publication running.
  • When submitting your work there are a couple of key terms to be aware of:
    simultaneous submissions and multiple submissions.

    • The term simultaneous submission means that you will be
      sending the same piece to several literary magazines or journals at the
      same time. Most publications accept simultaneous submissions, but some do not. If a publication does not accept them, this will be stated in their guidelines.
    • Should your work be selected for publication by one magazine, it is
      important to notify other publications where you have submitted that piece.
      This courtesy will prevent complications, and will keep you in good graces with various editors, should you wish to submit to them again in the future.
    • The term multiple submission means that you are submitting multiple pieces to the same literary magazine or journal. This is generally accepted, but if it’s not, that will be specified in the submission guidelines.

About Elise Holland

Elise Holland is the editor of 2 Elizabeths, a literary magazine
focused on poetry and short fiction, with an emphasis on romance and
women’s fiction. Her work has been published inWriter’s Digest Magazine, The Writer’s Dig, and at DIY MFA. Find Holland online at 2Elizabeths.com.

Day 15 – The List

Welcome to Week 3! You’re still here! I’m very impressed…

This week we’ll be looking at some of the fun ways short stories can be written that are nothing like mini-novels.

The Prompt

Write A Story In The Form Of A List

Ideas for your list story:

  • Shopping List
  • 10 Things I Hate/Love About You
  • To Do List
  • List of books the character has/wants to read, with commentary (also movies)
  • A list of deceased childhood pets
  • A list of your character’s fears

Suggested reading

  • In the video I credited this story to Lydia Davis, but of course it is Jennifer Egan: To Do.
  • You can also look at McSweeney’s list articles, which are a little more snarky commentary than character stories.

 

This is a great refresher after a week of deep narrative work.

Go and have some fun!

 

Day 14 – M.I.C.E. and Where Stories Start & Stop

Today I want to give you an overview of something that I find useful when figuring out where to start and stop a story and how to keep it on track.

It’s called the MICE Quotient and I learned about it from Mary Robinette Kowal, though it was invented by Orson Scott Card.

The letters stand for:

M – Milieu
I – Intrigue/Idea
C – Character
E – Event

Each letter tells you what type of story you’re telling.

Milieu story

This is largely a story about place. Usually your character arrives in a new place at the start, and most of their struggle is about them neogitating that place, learning about it, trying to escape it. The story ends when they leave that place or they fit it.

EXAMPLES: The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Ever After.

Intrigue/Idea Story

A question is posed at the beginning of the story. The story ends when the mystery is solved or the question is satisfactorily answered.

EXAMPLES: Sherlock Holmes, Arrival/The Story Of Your Life

Character Story

A character starts off with an internal conflict and, by the end of the story they have changed it, or rejected the idea of change, or at least understood where the problem lies.

EXAMPLES: Die Hard (Seriously, John McClane has issues at the start of that movie!), The King’s Speech.

Event Story

External forces change the world at the start and drive the struggle in the middle of the story. At the end of the story the status quo has been restored or a new normal has been established.

EXAMPLES: The Hunger Games, The Parent Trap, disaster movies!

The Prompt

Pick a dominant thread for your story today, based on the MICE categories. Work towards the ending that fits the story type you chose.

I was introduced to this idea by Mary Robinette Kowal, who talks about it on the Writing Excuses podcast. She also made this excellent infographic, to help keep things straight.

Me? I give a workshop about this and how the first three Die Hard movies fit into different categories. Tell your favorite conference organizer to book me now!

Day 13 – Start With A Bang

Today we continue with the third of my ‘fairy story’ structures: Hansel Gretel.

The Prompt

Start with a life-changing moment and lead your characters through the story to show us who they become.

hansel and gretel story structure

 

Hansel and Gretel starts off with a bang: two kids, alone in woods, abandoned!

What are they doing to do?

After the big opening, all their struggles teach us about the kids’ characters. By the time Gretel finally kicks the witch into the oven, grabs her brother and they make their way out of the witch’s cabin, we know enough about these kids to know they’re going to be OK.

How can you replicate this for your characters?

 

This is a big week at StoryADay: we’re creating a lot of skills that will help you build stories throughout the rest of the month and beyond. Stay tuned!

And don’t forget to leave a comment to let us know you’ve written, how it’s going, and what you’re learning.

Day 10 – Let’s Make These Stories Flash

Yeah, yeah we’re writing super-short stories this month (well, some of us are!), but do they flash?

The Prompt

Write a story in under 1000 words focusing on creating one billiant image in your reader’s mind.

Tips

  • The image you leave in their mind doesn’t have to be visual. It could be an idea.
  • Really focus on making everything lean and making every word count. Make sure your story is about one thing, one moment.
  • Aim to change your reader’s mind about something, whether it’s a person, an experience or a condition of life.

[Writing Prompt] Day 9 – Character Desires Are Key

Knowing what a character wants, tells us what’s at stake in the story. Conflict between the character’s desire and their circumstances will keep your reader hooked.

The Prompt

Establish, within the first couple of sentences, your character’s desire. Put them in a situation that conflicts with that desire. Tell us how it works out.

Tips

It’s important for a reader to know what your character wants.

Once they know what your character wants, is afraid of, would never do, or desperately wants to do, the reader knows WHY they’re reading this story. That will keep them reading.

Keep it simple. In a short story, you can only examine one of your character’s desire.

103 – StoryADay May 2018 is Underway!

The first week of StoryADay May 2018 is drawing to a close. In this episode I tell you about 

The webinar I did with NaNoWriMo’s Young Writer’s Program, Marya Brennan: http://stada.me/ywplive

The Superstars program, and how you can still join (today): http://stada.me/superstars

Here’s where you can find all the prompts for StoryADay May 2018: http://stada.me/may2018

And I answer a question about burnout and revision during May.

 

Another new episode of Write Every Day, Not “Some Day”

Day 6 – Steal From Yourself

Steal from yourself!

The Prompt

Retell a story you’ve told before, in a new way

This exercise opens up opportunities in future, when you have a piece that isn’t quite working. You can cast your mind back to today and remember that yeah, there’s more one way to tell this story, too.

Let us know how you got on today, in the comments below!

Day 4 – Tell A Story In 40 Minutes

Sometimes limits can be good…

The Prompt

Set A Timer For 40 Minutes, Write A Story

Spend 10 minutes brainstorming and starting the story, 20 minutes complicating your character’s life, and the final 10 minutes reviewing what you’ve written, making notes and writing an ending.

Leave a comment, to tell us how you got on today.

Non-Traditional Love Story – a writing prompt for May 27, 2017

The Prompt

Write A Non-Traditional Love Story

Tips

  • You could use non-traditional partners for your love story (it doesn’t have to be romantic love; and if it is, it doesn’t have to be between straight, white people).
  • The way you tell the story could be non-traditional (it could be told in a non-narrative form).
  • Here’s my review of The Sentry Branch Predictor Spec by John Chu (with links to the story).