StoryADay presents: I, WRITER - A Writing Podcast about Building a Successful Writing Practice

Today I talk with Raphael Schaad about audio and voice assistants and all the opportunities (and pitfalls) for authors. Raphael Schaadt, who works with innovative entrepreneurs who are interested in tapping the power of voice-interaction, talks with me about how writers can take advantage of these powerful new technologies. Would you be interested in a walk-through of this technology? Email me at [email protected] LINKS: Find out more about Raphael Schaad here. What writers stand to lose because their book titles aren't searchable on voice assistants: https://stada.me/va Tell us if you'd be interested in hearing more about this topic: https://storyaday.org/epdisode146

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: Want to write a short story today? Get the StoryADay Short Story Framework: https://stada.me/framework Mirror Mirror Writing Prompt: https://storyaday.org/wow-mirror/ Penny For The Guy Writing Prompt: https://storyaday.org/wow-guy/ A writing prompts about openings & endings: https://storyaday.org/2019-14/ The StoryADay Reading Room series: https://storyaday.org/category/inspiration/reading-room/ Browse the archive of 590+ writing prompts: https://storyaday.org/category/inspiration/writing-prompts/

Mindset and specific craft tips are equally important as you approach the chronological AND creative midpoints of any word of art. In this episode I talk about The midpoint of the challenge But what if my story is no good? Why story middles suck Making it suck less Find all the links and resources here: https://storyaday.org/144 Want to write a short story today? Get the StoryADay Short Story Framework: https://stada.me/framework

Whether you're taking part in NaNoWriMo this month or simply trying to keep your rating on track, I have five tips from the trenches of the extreme creativity challenge world. Recommended: The Nature Fix by Florence Williams Bright Line Eating by Susan Pierce Thompson No Plot, Not Problem by Chris Baty Save The Cat Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody Power Nap by Andrew Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXBG1-1zI_E Want to write a short story today? Get the StoryADay Short Story Framework: https://stada.me/framework

In which I talk about how writing helped me in the wake of a recent, unexpected loss, and the importance of writing for an audience of one. LINKS Listen to my recent interview on the Unmistakable Creative Podcast: https://stada.me/unmistakable Listen to me talk about short stories on the Kiingo podcast: https://stada.me/kiingo An Audience Of One by Srini Rao: https://amzn.to/2Mroq3w (aff) Want to write a short story today? Get the StoryADay Short Story Framework: https://stada.me/framework

There are different seasons in your writing life. Today, I talk about how to navigate the switch from creation mode to 'everything else' mode, along with some tools to ease that transition.

Fresh from the trenches of StoryADay September, a question about how to get to the resolution of a story. Plus: More Julie on the Kiingo.com podcast: https://kiingo.com/blog/short-stories-with-julie-duffy Sign up for daily prompts this September: https://storyaday.org/next-challenge

It's tough to cross the threshold from the ordinary world to the magical world where you are a writer. I know. And i have some ideas... LINKS StoryADay Superstars: https://members.storyaday.org/join

Are you ready to write a story a day this September so you can prove to yourself that you CAN make writing a priority, you CAN be more creative, you CAN get unblocked and write stories that amaze yourself and delight readers? I share my top tips for a successful month of extreme writing. Sign up for daily prompts during September at StoryADay.org/next-challenge

The StoryADay community shares what they're writing and they're most likely to get that writing-high (you know the one, right?) And in this episode I encourage you to make this last part of 2019 the best of your writing life. This coming week I'm sending out a series of emails with my best tips for creating a fulfilling writing life. Make sure you sign up for that and information about StoryADay September: StoryADay.org/next-challenge

Do you give yourself permission to make your art, to write? Do you feel like you have to ask permission? What ripples spread out when you write?

This week someone accused me of doing something decadent. It was meant as a joke, but it got under my skin, and It got me thinking about all the things we have to do as writers that might seem decadent to 'normal' people.

Talking about dialogue, I discovered a rule that can sometimes be broken. Also: procrastination!!

Are you holding yourself back? In this episode, I look at three events that have me thinking about what we all have to gain from doing our creative work with integrity, tenacity and bravery.

Readers can't love your story if they don't love your character. LINKS https://storayday.org/creating-compelling-characters

A raw, mini episode to celebrate the successful conclusion of StoryADay May 2019 links: Day 31: https://StoryADay.org/2019-05-31 SWAGr for June: https://storyaday.org/swagr-jun-2019/

A popular resource at StoryADay is the StADa Short Story Framework. Now it's available to everyone as a download: https://stada.me/framework Also in this episode I talk about the upcoming events at StoryADay after May finishes, including the Critique Week and StoryFest and, of course, StoryADay September! https://storyaday.org/events

11 days into StoryADay May 2019 and things might not be going quite as you planned, in your writing. In this episode I share some strategies for saving your StoryADay May 2019, and share some feedback from other writers who are engaged in the challenge. Also: I absolve you of any guilt for past writing sins and encourage you to stride into the future with a clean conscience! LINKS: StoryADay/NaNoWriMo Livestream: https://stada.me/ywp-flash Save Our StoryADay emergency post: https://stada.me/sos

This week I talk about character: how to take the inner journey of your character and show it through external actions.

Finding support for your writing can seem like a weird idea; isn't writing all about one person, alone in their room, listening to their imaginary friends? It turns out that support from other writers (with whom we are absolutely not competing) is a great way to advance your own writing. In this episode I talk about where to find support, how to make the most of it, and how to grow your network in the least-painful way possible, even if you are chronically shy. LINKS This week's writing prompt: https://storyaday.org/wow-connection

In your writing practice, what counts as 'writing'? Do you give yourself credit for reading time? Revisions? Taking classes? Or do you feel guilty about now being productive when you aren't adding new words to a story? RESOURCES Does Thinking Count As Writing: https://stada.me/think Learning To Make Choices: https://stada.me/choice Writing Prompts - Scenarios: https://stada.me/scenarios Writing Prompts - Word Lists: https://stada.me/wordlists Beyond Word Count: https://stada.me/track Stay Excited About Your Writing: https://stada.me/excited Write When You Don't Feel Like It: https://stada.me/dontwanna Leave a comment on this post: https://stada.me/126

Setting writing goals is one thing. Living with them, quite another. This month's theme at StoryADay is Goals Vs. Reality. LINKS: Your invitation to the March Hangout: https://stada.me/319hang Breaking Writers' Block ebook: https://amzn.to/2Xq13My The YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/QNfeGG6hsPA

What kind of writer are you? What kind of culture do you want to create? What kind of writing life are you aiming for? In this episode I ponder these questions and talk a little about this month's theme of Flash Fiction. And I invite you to share what inspires you, right now: https://stada.me/124 :LINKS: Seth Godin's The Big Sort https://stada.me/g-bigsort Chuck Wending's blog post about writers and day jobs https://stada.me/w-dayjob Story Review: Joan of Arc Sits Naked In Her Dorm Room https://stada.me/rr-joan More short stories: And You Thought Your Last Breakup Was Bad: Five love stories by Matt Leibel https://stada.me/leibel Seven Stories by Alex Epstein https://stada.me/epstein Sh*t Boyfriends, stories by Kathy Fish and Dorothy Bendel https://stada.me/valentine :CREDITS: Main title music by Alan McPike: https://www.standardstrax.com/ Incidental music by Rebecca Reads www.fiverr.com/rebecca_reads

What do you do when it's difficult to write? Here's what I did this week. You can find all the links and discussion I talked about, here: https://storyaday.org/when-writing-stalls And here's the Serious Writers' Accountability Group (SWAGr) for Feb 2019: https://storyaday.org/swagr-feb-2019/

As a writer, what do you need? Do you need a desk? A room of your own? Scrivener? A pad and paper and something to lean on? The answer is probably 'it depends'. And it's important to figure out what you need, and when. Other writers (often in the form of writers' groups) can help you find your groove as a writer. In this episode I talk about finding your groove, and the value of writers' groups.

In which I encourage you to celebrate the end/start of the year however makes you happiest! If you want planning docs find them here: https://stada.me/pace If you want to set some goals for January, check in at StoryADay.org on Jan 1 for our SWAGr group. And if your goals are simply to stand in front of the mirror every day and say "I am a writer" (see last podcast for identity), that's OK too (I suspect if you do that, you'll end up actually writing). Other resources at StoryADay to help jump start your writing after a break: Help! I'm Drowning In Story Ideas: https://stada.me/stadadrown Does Thinking Count As Writing?: https://stada.me/stadathink

Should you focus on your goals (the outcome you want) or your identity ("I am a writer") if you want to succeed? This week I talk about the idea that it is much easier to create a good habit if you see yourself as the type of person who DOES a thing, rather than as someone who wishes they had the ability/time/resources to do a thing. LINKS: Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://stada.me/atomic (Amazon affiliate link) StoryADay Set & Meet Goals post: https://stada.me/pace

Encouraging you to find the creative joy in your writing at this midpoint of NaNoWriMo (or what ever writing challenge has you down), through playfulness. Rekindling Your Writing Excitement Mid-Project On this episode of the StoryADay podcast, Julie Duffy shares advice on how to regain excitement for writing projects that have become daunting or overwhelming, especially in the context of a month-long initiative like NaNoWriMo. She discusses the challenges that appear midway through such projects, such as feeling stuck or having exhausted initial ideas. She suggests looking past perfection and focusing on progress, writing with atypical methods like longhand, and revisiting early excitement and reasons behind taking on the project. Julie also encourages exploring ways to reignite excitement before every writing session and reminds listeners of the joy and curiosity inherent in writing, urging them not to be too weighed down by the overall structure. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:13 The Mid-November Writing Struggle 00:47 Regaining Excitement for Your Project 01:37 The Challenges of Character Development 02:09 The Weight of Story Progression 02:53 The Importance of Drafting 04:07 Reconnecting with Your Initial Motivation 06:10 The Power of Handwriting 07:12 Finding Inspiration in Other Writers 08:25 The Joy of Writing 09:53 Remembering the Playfulness in Writing 11:12 Conclusion and Encouragement 11:24 Invitation to Visit the Blog RESOURCES: Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer Check out the Keep Writing Workbook from the StoryADay Creativity Bundle: https://stada.me/play

Advice about how to get unstuck when you still have 30,000 words to write! RESOURCES: Unsticking Yourself thread on Twitter: https://stada.me/unstuck Tony Conaway's article on public readings: https://stada.me/tonytalk Further reading: What To Do When You're Stuck In The Middle of Your Novel, (https://stada.me/wdstuck) from Writer's Digest, with advice from the excellent DIYMFA book by Gabriela Pereira James Scott Bell's book: Write Your Novel From The Middle

NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writers' Month, is well underway. By this point in week two your story might have become a little bit, well, stuck. In these next two episodes I share tips and advice from myself and others about how to get unstuck when you still have 30,000 words to write! Unsticking Yourself thread on Twitter: https://stada.me/unstuck Tony Conaway's article on public readings: https://stada.me/tonytalk Further reading: What To Do When You're Stuck In The Middle of Your Novel, (https://stada.me/wdstuck) from Writer's Digest, with advice from the excellent DIYMFA book by Gabriela Pereira James Scott Bell's book: Write Your Novel From The Middle

Join our critique 'week', Oct 21-31 (because wouldn't it be nice if every week had a couple of extra days to get stuff done?) and get access to the Revisions & Critique Mini Course as well as having me and 3 of your peers critique your work. Use the code: octearlybird before noon (EST) on Sunday, Oct 21 to save $20 https://stada.me/crit18

This month, as we transition from StoryADay September into the rest of our writing lives, I encourage you to slow down, turn left, and break things. LINKS SWAGr: https://stada.me/swagr Opening Lines Article: http://storyaday.org/opening-lines/

In which I talk about when (writerly) promiscuity is good, and announce the winners of the September giveaway of Windy Lynn Harris's book, "Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays". Bonus points if you can spot the sound of my kid's hamster trying to break out, in the background. #IThoughtHamstersWereSupposedToBeNocturnal

This could be a really short podcast (just me screaming "NO!"), but I decided to talk in a more constructive way about the reasons why I think it's important to write fast first drafts and save revisions for later. With thanks to my StoryADay Superstars group for raising this talking point as they go through StoryADay September.

Firstly I talk about some people who are making short and long fiction work for them: Mary Robinette Kowal, whose new novels The Calculating Stars grew out of a short story, The Lady Astronaut of Mars; and Diana Gabaldon, who writes short stories in her Outlander universe to keep her readers occupied while she's working on the longer novels. I also talk about slang: Writing prompt: http://storyaday.org/wow-invented-languages/ Escape Pod episode: Me, Meg & The Thing by Gian-Paul Bergeron - http://escapepod.org/2018/08/02/escape-pod-639-me-meg-and-the-thing/ Prompts for this month: http://stada.me/backstory PEP TALK The second part of this podcast is a pep talk about living up to your writing commitments in the face of life's urgent tasks and why it's so important ... and not just to you.

Writing a longer work like a novel can get a bit overwhelming. Today I encourage you to use short stories to explore areas of your novel's world that you might not have dug deeply into. This can help unblock the writing process and get you back to a place where you're enjoying your writing. LINKS ==== Write on Wednesday prompts: https://stada.me/wow

This month I am still talking about writing for minor holidays and anniversaries. In this podcast I reveal the grand plan behind this: it's a system for focusing on particularly stories, regularly. I talk about the importance of systems (because apparently Ihave a problem with the word "routine") and I recommend you check out Tim Grahl's new book Running Down The Dream. If you want a super-bundle that includes not only Tim's book, but the new book by Stephen Pressfield too "The Artist's Journey" (swoon!), you can find that here. https://stada.me/grahl (not an affiliate link. I'm just a huge fan of both of these guys) The bundle contains all ebook formats plus audio book files. Quite the steal!

Minor holidays are a great opportunity for writers to show editors why they need to publish *this* story *now*. Forget about the over-subscribed holidays of Valentine's and Christmas. Instead, write about some oddball holidays. All StoryADay's prompts in June will be tailored to these odd little holidays and anniversaries. Listen to this episode to find out why you might want to write an Arbor Day or National Handwriting Day story. Plus some opportunities to give and invest in your writing. NOTES: Get Well Gabby Foundation is collecting NEW books to be distributed to children's oncology wards. Send them to PO Box 555, Ocean View, DE 19970 or contact your local hospital to see if they need donations.

This month at StoryADay we're all about revisions. This episode takes a look at how to revise your short stories without becoming overwhelmed, and invites you to think about submitting a story to StoryADay's showcase: Storyfest, coming up on June 23-24.

StoryADay May is over and now we get to celebrate. This episode talks about upcoming themes at the StoryADay blog, the Serious Writers' Accountability Group and the upcoming StoryFest showcase of all our hard work

This week I share some of the prompts from week 4 of StoryADay May 2018, talk about creativity and limits, and encourage you to dive into the community at StoryADay. Also, I talk about drug discovery and wheelbarrows... LINKS Serious Writers' Accountability Group (SWAGr): https://stada.me/swagr

The problem with doing something hard (like writing) is not that you aren't good. It's that it's hard to know how long to work before you decide that you really aren't any good. (Hint: It's longer than you think. And you may never be able to tell!) How to keep going when you're not sure if you should. Resources mentioned in this episode: My author interviews at NaNoWriMo's blog: http://blog.nanowrimo.org/ Jerry Jenkins: http://jerrysguild.com DIYMFA's 101 Course: https://members.diymfa.com/101-course/

In Week 2 of StoryADay May 2018 we're working on craft-based writing prompts (character desires, conflict, structures, openings and endings). Picking up skills and putting down words. But now that the novelty has worn off, what can you do to rekindle your excitement about writing every day for a month?

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.

In this episode I give you my top three tips for a successful month of writing an introduce the new StoryADay Superstars program: http://storyaday.org/storyaday-superstars (membership comes with a month of free access to Duotrope, my favourite online source for writing markets)

Apologies that the audio is a little crackly on this one, but it's worth sticking with, to hear the infectiously enthusiastic Windy Lynn Harris and me, gabbing about the joy of short fiction. Windy Lynn Harris is the author of Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays (Writer's Digest Books, 2017)

This week I share some ideas on how you can read like a writer, and turn that effort into a resource that you can return to again and again. StoryADay May 2018 starts in a few weeks. Reading short stories in the run-up to a big writing challenge, can be incredibly inspiring. 100th Episode Celebratory Look Back Here are some episodes you might have missed. Jane Friedman and The Business of Being A Writer: https://stada.me/pdjane Flash Fiction Essentials: http://stada.me/flash Mastering The Magic of Opening Lines: https://stada.me/pdopenings

Today I interview publishing industry expert Jane Friedman (www.janefriedman.com) whose new book The Business Of Being A Writer is billed as 'the business education you never got', for writers. We discuss what writers should do when they want to go pro, the myth of the overnight success, the nature of 'work' and networking for introverts! We also talk about Patreon and if you want to see some examples of the very different ways writers can use Patreon, here are some of my favorites: Tobias Buckell - he creates a new short story every month, and his Patrons see it first. Mary Robinette Kowal - a short story writer, novelist, writing teacher and puppeteer, Mary's Patrons get all kinds of rewards, like first-looks at her novel drafts as they go along, to demonstrations of how she makes puppets, to writing classes and chances to hang out online. Clarkesworld - a magazine that uses Patreon as a subscription model.

This week's podcast is a pep-talk to get you writing, even when you're having trouble getting started. (Isn't "getting started" the hardest part some days?) And sometimes, getting started isn't the problem. The problem crops up somewhere else: * Getting through the mushy middle * Reining in a story that wants to become a novella * Losing focus before the end. I want to hear from you: what problems do you encounter when attempting to write short stories? (I'm not calling it writer's block, because that sounds like an artificial, external problem, and I believe we can all find the solution to temporary 'stuckness' from inside ourselves.) Leave your comment and join the discussion here: http://stada.me/wrong

Today's mini episode is a writing prompt that challenges you to write a story in the form of a prose sonnet (don't worry, I explain what I mean and give you a few different styles to choose from). It's a challenge, but it's a good one! Read more: http://stada.me/sonnet