Julie Duffy's Blog, page 104

112 – Backstories & Integrity

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 … Continue reading "112 – Backstories & Integrity"

[Write On Wed] Culture Club

This month I’m giving you prompts that work in different ways to support your long-form fiction/novel writing. This week we’re looking at the micro-cultureS in your novel’s world. The Prompt Write a story that explains how the culture of your novel’s setting evolved Tips Even if you are writing contemporary fiction, don’t assume that the … Continue reading "[Write On Wed] Culture Club"

SWAGr for August 2018

Well, this is a first…I completely forgot to post the SWAGr post for August 2018! But here it is, better late than never. Post your goals for this month and let us know how you got on with last month’s goals. (P.S. If you were interested in Jerry Jenkins’s Your Novel Blueprint course, but couldn’t … Continue reading "SWAGr for August 2018"

[Write On Wednesday] Your Character’s Damage

This month I’m giving you prompts that work in different ways to support your long-form fiction/novel writing. Today’s prompt digs deep into your protagonist’s past. The Prompt Write the story of the childhood event that scarred your character Tips If you haven’t already, get hold of a copy of Lisa Cron’s Story Genius and read … Continue reading "[Write On Wednesday] Your Character’s Damage"

110 – The Joy of Writing (Backstories)

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 … Continue reading "110 – The Joy of Writing (Backstories)"

[Write On Wednesday] Write a Birthday Story For Someone You Love

Over the past few weeks I’ve been encouraging you to write stories for special occasions to make sure you are writing year round, but also as a way to attract the attention of editors. And that is started to make me feel a bit uncomfortable. StoryADay has always been about the early stage of the … Continue reading "[Write On Wednesday] Write a Birthday Story For Someone You Love"

[Write On Wednesday] Big Anniversaries

Today’s post is part of series of posts encouraging you to write stories for minor holidays. Writing and submitting a story for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day or Christmas, means you’re up against a lot of competition in an editor’s inbox. Everyone writes for those holidays. But editors still love a timely, topical story. Why not take … Continue reading "[Write On Wednesday] Big Anniversaries"

[Write On Wednesday]

Today’s post is part of series of posts encouraging you to write stories for minor holidays. Writing and submitting a story for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day or Christmas, means you’re up against a lot of competition in an editor’s inbox. Everyone writes for those holidays. But editors still love a timely, topical story. Why not take … Continue reading "[Write On Wednesday]"

[Reading Room] A List of Forty Seven Lies by Steven Fischer

I keep a spreadsheet of short stories I’ve read.  I make a note of titles, authors, where I found the story and a short comment about the story, to make these posts easier. My notes, on reading this story, simply say: “Wow”. A List of Forty-Nine Lies is a pretty intriguing title, and the story … Continue reading "[Reading Room] A List of Forty Seven Lies by Steven Fischer"

110 – Putting Systems in Place

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 … Continue reading "110 – Putting Systems in Place"