Julie Duffy's Blog, page 143

[Reading Room] We Was Twins by Fiona Maazel

This story takes place against the backdrop (as they say) of the Occupy Wall St movement. As well as being a really good story, it’s a great example of how you can take a hot news story and use it to ground your story without risking it seeming dated, later. How does that author do … Continue reading "[Reading Room] We Was Twins by Fiona Maazel"

Beyond Word Count – Other Ways To Log Your Writing Progress

I’ve made a case for logging your word count to keep yourself accountable, to give yourself a pat on the back, to encourage consistency and good writing habits. But it doesn’t have to be word count. WHEN WORD COUNTS HELP Setting a word count goal makes sense if you’re working on a novel and want … Continue reading "Beyond Word Count – Other Ways To Log Your Writing Progress"

[Reading Room] The Appropriation of Cultures by Percival Everett

Described as a 'delightfully subversive' story, "The Appropriation of Cultures" by Percival Everett is definitely both of those things.

How I Used Word Count Tracking To Write 100,000 Words

How I used the StoryADay Word Count Logging tool to write 100,000 words last year, and why you should be logging your progress too!

[Reading Room] How To Become A Writer by Lorrie Moore

I approached this story with some trepidation, as I’m always wary of writers writing stories about writers. Or, in this case about aspiring writers. But this was salted with enough wry humor to draw me in. Take the first lines: First, try to be something else, anything else. A movie-star/astronaut. A movie-star/missionary. A movie-star/kindergarten teacher. … Continue reading "[Reading Room] How To Become A Writer by Lorrie Moore"

Don’t Let Guilt And Shame Derail Your Writing Goals

Not living up to your New Year’s Resolution? Now is the time to reset — to recommit — before guilt and shame derail the rest of your year.

[Write On Wednesday] Aphorisms Are Ace

Finding a topic for a story, then, needn't be hard. Try your hand at this week's prompt and remember to have fun (even if your story is dark and depressing): Use An Old Saying As A Title

Anchoring Habits For A More Productive Writing Life

To create a regular writing habit (and stick to it), try scheduling it immediately after something you already do regularly...

SWAGr January 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 January 2016 Check-In"

[Write On Wednesday] Myers-Briggs-plosion

Today I’m encouraging you to put some personality conflict into your story. The Prompt Put a particular personality type into a situation they would never choose Tips Use the Myers-Briggs personality types (hover over the table at the bottom of this page, to get a list of characteristics for your main character). Take some of the […]