Julie Duffy's Blog, page 142

I Hereby Grant You Permission To Write

https://s3.amazonaws.com/JulieDuffyAudio/StADa+2016+Episode+006+Permission+-+Permission+To+Write.mp3

In the middle of the 20th Century “Art” because professionalized, to the point where we felt we didn’t deserve to tell stories unless a New York publishing house was slapping it between hardcovers, or an overpriced university program anointed …

Want To Learn To Write More? Give Yourself Permission To Write

https://s3.amazonaws.com/JulieDuffyAudio/StADa+2016+Episode+006+Permission+-+Permission+To+Write.mp3

We all have reasons why we’re not writing.

We’re too busy.
We’re too tired.
We don’t have anything to say.
We’ve tried before and failed to finish.
We have to get these pencils lined up just right…

We all …

How To Become A Highly Successful Writer

https://s3.amazonaws.com/JulieDuffyAudio/StADa+2016+Episode+005+Permission+-+Success.mp3

There’s a scene towards the end of the movie WALL-E when the captain of the only remaining human ark-in-space realizes it’s time to go home to Earth. They’ve been away for generations. By any reasonable measure, he’s been successful. …

[Write On Wednesday] Write A Secret Story

Inspiration for this prompt came from the very wonderful How To Be A Writer by Barbara Baig, which I’ve only just started reading, but which echoes what I’ve been saying here for years (so naturally, I think she’s a genius!)…

[Write on Wednesday] Regret

I’m not big on regrets. Everything experience contributes to the person we become, so there’s not much point in wishing to change the past. But everyone has regrets. And what good is a character in a story without a few regrets? The Prompt Write A Story Centering On A Character Wrestling With A Big Regret … Continue reading "[Write on Wednesday] Regret"

[Write on Wednesday] The Lie, Revisited

I’ve been browsing the archives here at StoryADay, unearthing some gems from the first year I ran the challenge. I also decided to recycle a prompt or two. Here’s one from the middle of May 2010: Ooo, the lie. We’ve all done it. We do it all the time, even though we know we shouldn’t. … Continue reading "[Write on Wednesday] The Lie, Revisited"

What Are The Last Three Books You Opened?

Sometimes, when it’s hard to pick a writing project, it can be useful to take inspiration from other authors. Sometimes, it’s good to review what kinds of books we’re reading and ask whether or not they are helping us in our writing. Sometimes, it’s just fun to challenge our friends. So here’s my challenge to … Continue reading "What Are The Last Three Books You Opened?"

[Write On Wednesday]

In honor of Groundhog Day, today’s prompt encourages you to tell a story over and over and over again...

SWAGr February 2016 Check-In

Every month we gather here to discuss what we’ve achieved and commit to making more progress in our creative lives in the coming month. We call it our   Serious Writer’s Accountability Group or SWAGr, for short! (We’re serious, not sombre!) Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next … Continue reading "SWAGr February 2016 Check-In"

[Write On Wednesday] Zeitgeist

Are you even moved by an injustice in the world? A news story? A historic event that you feel has stories in it that haven’t been told? It can be hard to figure out how to write a story that is of the moment, but doesn’t become irrelevant when the news cycle moves on. Yesterday’s … Continue reading "[Write On Wednesday] Zeitgeist"