Julie Duffy's Blog, page 66

[Write On Wednesday] Nose To Nose

All the prompts this month are designed to stand alone or support your novel habit! Use them to spark standalone stories or to unstick your work-in-progress.

Just because it’s short doesn’t mean a story can’t be complex.

Zao Fox Village, Shiroishi-shi, Japan



The Prompt

Write a story in which the protagonist and antagonist are two sides of the same coin.

Tips







One way to stop a story from spiraling out of control is to keep it to a single central issue. A  great way to do that is to make sure your protagonist and their opponent care about the same things with similar intensity but want different outcomes.The best piece of advice I ever got about a villain/antagonist was this: the villain shows the reader exactly what your protagonist could become if she took one more step across the line. Imagine if Captain America punched anyone who got in his way: grannies, little kids, dogs…you’d feel pretty differently about him wouldn’t you? [1. Have you watched The Boys on Amazon Prime? Totally goes there…] It’s the fact that he protects the weak and fights the mighty that makes him a hero.  One of the best baddies in the Star Trek universe is Khan: a character who is, like Kirk, fiercely protective of his crew. The difference? Khan will happily walk over the dead bodies of innocents to keep his crew safe. Kirk, the hero, isn’t capable of going that far.Remember that, to each character, the actions they plan to take make total sense and are entirely morally justifiable…within their belief system. If you need a visual image for this, remember your Dr Seuss: The North-Going Zax and the South-Going Zax stand nose-to-nose for years, while the world goes on around them, both sure of their rightness about the same issue.In a story like this, you can build up to the issue for most of the story and leave your characters at the climax, or you can enter the story after the initial issue explodes and explore the protagonist and antagonist’s battle to put the pieces of the world back together again, in the shape that makes most sense to each. (Remember for ‘explode’ and ‘battle’ you could substitute ‘reveal’ and ‘manipulate’ or ‘argue’, in an office drama or family saga.)

You can read more tips on workmen with protagonists in this post   (contains an Antagonist’s Cheat Sheet) and this post about Your Villain As A Mirror, which has some great comments showing you how other people used this idea in stories.

If you share you story somewhere (and here’s why you might not want to) post a link here so we can come and read it.

So what did you come up with?

Leave a comment to let us know what you wrote about today, and how it went!

The post [Write On Wednesday] Nose To Nose appeared first on StoryADay.

188 – Angela Ackerman & Great Character Writing

In Part 2 of my interview with Angela Ackerman, co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus and host of Writers Helping Writers, we talk about how to use details to write great characters, immerse readers in your story, and even figure out your plot.

Links:

Writers Helping Writers: http://stada.me/whw

One Stop For Writers: http://stada.me/osfw

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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[Write On Wednesday] Test Your Premise

This month’s writing prompts all acknowledge the fact that November belongs to novelists. Whether you write longer fiction or you don’t you can use this month’s prompts to nudge you forward in your writing practice.

The Prompt

Take an idea you have thought “I could write a novel about that” and test it as a short story

Tips







The initial Story Spark can be exciting (“what if the message in the bottle on the beach was from someone I knew?”), but it doesn’t automatically give us a story. Use the Short Story Framework to help you build out from the initial premise and get the idea into the shape of a short story, with a character, a motivation, an obstacle and a sense of how the character’s choices will affect the outcome.When working with an idea you think might work as a novel, don’t try to tell the whole story. Perhaps you could focus on the inciting incident, the thing that makes it impossible for life to carry on as usual for your character (it can be as simple as saying ‘yes’ to a friend’s invitation to go out for coffee).If you have thought through this idea as a novel, you might have a sense of several ‘tent pole’ scenes you’ll need to shape the novel (think of Harry Potter receiving his letters from Hogwarts, or flying in his first Quiddich match, or confronting Voldemort, or the basilisk…). Try writing one of those scenes as a short story.



Will Your Idea support a whole novel?

As you write ask yourself

Are there other characters who would add depth to this story? Might they be dealing with similar/parallel themes and issues?Are there other situations you’d love to explore with this character, that tie in to the overall goal they’re trying to tackle (inner conflict and outer)?Are there other settings you can imagine for your character as they go through this struggle?Have the character’s actions in this story solved their immediate problem but can you see how their first action might open up a whole other can of worms? Could you progress along this path, solving one problem but creating a new one based on their actions, in many more situations? Are all these new problems related to the character’s ultimate goal? (Or can you think of a big enough goal for them to pursue?)

If the answer to the majority of these questions is a gleeful and excited ‘yes!’, then you might have a premise that can support a novel.

If you have an ‘absolutely not!’, then congratulations: you might have the perfect premise for a short story.

If your answer is a sort of ‘meh’ or a groan, or an ‘I guess I could write a novel about this’, then it’s not a good enough idea to sustain a novel. You have to be excited about the idea. If you’re not, then you can delve deeper and make the ideas better, or you can go searching for a new premise.

So what did you come up with?

Leave a comment to let us know what you wrote about today, and how it went!

The post [Write On Wednesday] Test Your Premise appeared first on StoryADay.

SWAGr for November 2020

Welcome to the Serious Writers’ Accountability Group!

Post your goals for this month and let us know how you got on with last month’s goals.

Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.

(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)

Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.

And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!

Download your SWAGr Tracking Sheet now, to keep track of your commitments this month

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Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months

Finish first draft of story and write 3 articles for my school paper. – CourtneyWrite on seven days this month – ClareExtend my reading and to read with a ‘writers eye’- Wendywrite 10,000 words – Mary Lou

 So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)

(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends!)

The post SWAGr for November 2020 appeared first on StoryADay.

187 – Angela Ackerman and “Should You NaNoWriMo?”

Angela Ackerman is the co-author of the Emotion Thesaurus range of writing books and the One Stop for Writers site. In this episode I talked to her about creativity and how a big writing challenge might be just the thing you need right now.

Links:

Angela’s post: http://stada.me/angela

One Stop For Writers: http://stada.me/osfw

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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186 – Shiny Object Syndrome

Should you take part in NaNoWriMo this year? Should you attend that conference or take that class? Should you buy that new writing craft book?

Here’s a process to get you started figuring out whether or not you’re looking at a shiny object or a shiny opportunity.

Links:

Should You Sign Up for the NaNoWriMo Writing Challenge?

 

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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Should You Sign Up for the NaNoWriMo Writing Challenge?

I love a writing challenge. I love NaNoWriMo. I’ve taken part several times and learned a ton. It even inspired me to start StoryADay (you can read about the day I met NaNo founder Chris Baty!)

But every October the Writing-Internet becomes so obsessed with NaNoWriMo that it almost feels like you have to take part or you’re not a ‘real writer’.

In reality it’s not for everyone.

And that’s OK.

This got me thinking about all the ways we allow Shiny Object Syndrome to distract us from doing the writing we ought to be doing; the writing that helps us progress towards our goals and our personal vision of success.

So I wrote this article for you.

There’s an accompanying flowchart and downloadable workbook too, to help you make the “Should I?” decision every time you’re tempted to take a new course, join a new challenge or buy a new book on writing.

(Spoiler: sometimes the answer to the question will be an easy yes or an easy no. Read on to find out to get to one of those answers, faster, every time)

So Many Challenges, So Many Courses

Have you ever lost an afternoon reading all about how to market your novel…before writing the novel, never mind figuring out how to revise or publish the thing? 

Or figuring out if you should take part in the latest writing challenge all your friends seem to be doing? 

Or maybe you spent way too much energy deciding whether to invest in a new writing workshop or class instead of buckling down and practicing our creative writing skills.

Yeah, me too.

Instead of trusting that the work we’re doing will inevitably lead to progress, we get distracted by Shiny Object Syndrome!

But going down endless rabbit holes will leave us no closer to our goals than we were before. 

In fact, it can leave us overwhelmed, discouraged and stalled. 

How can we make the courageous choices that really lead to progress in our writing life? And how can you decide if that new writing course, challenge or book is Shiny Object or a Shiny Opportunity?

Spend Some Time With Future-You



Photo by Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash

What do you hope for when you open a new book about writing, sign up for a course, or embark on a new writing project? 

You don’t just hope to complete the course, or the book or the challenge.

When tempted to try a new Shiny Object, you probably build an image in your head of Future-You, a you who has unlocked something with a magical key that is this Shiny Object. 

What does Future-You look like? Happy? At ease? 

When they sit down to write, does it feel inevitable that they will write and write well?

Hope motivates us to learn that new thing, take that new course, or start that new project: the hope that we will become the writer we’ve always wanted to be. 

And that this Shiny Object will be the one that gives it to us.

And it maybe it will be, if we do it properly

(Download the workbook for some tips on how to do that).

But sometimes it backfires and we end up discouraged, and no closer to our goals than we were when we first caught sight of the Shiny Object. 

The ABCs of Learning The Writing Craft 

We can’t absorb everything at once, nor can we progress faster than we progress!

When considering how to learn the craft of writing, we should do it with care.

ASSESS

What are you trying to achieve?

Be specific.

Ask yourself when do you want to achieve it by/when you will reassess and see how much progress you’ve made?

BRAINSTORM 

Ask yourself what resources you already have on tap? A bookcase full of books on writing? The StoryADay site’s prompts, feature articles and podcasts? Online courses that you have signed up for but not completed? Course notes from conferences and courses you took in the past?

What wealth is hidden in those treasure chests?

Might you find the answer to ‘how should I show that my heroine’s heart is breaking, without saying that?” in one of those resources? 

CELEBRATE

Sometimes we’re tempted by Shiny Objects because of our own lack of confidence. 

Can you become your own best cheerleader and give yourself permission to keep working on what you’re working on now?

Ask yourself:

What do you already know how to do well?

In writing – what are you doing when writing seems easiest? 

In life – and how might those skills support your writing. Are you already an expert organizer? Can you schedule (and stick to) writing/learning time on your calendar? Are you excellent at connecting meaningfully with other people? Can you use that to write powerful emotional scenes? Or are you the one people trust to set up writing dates, for accountability?)

Now that you’re feeling secure in the skills you already possess, you should be able to more clearly assess whether or not you really need the Shiny Object and whether it’ll really help you, right now.

A Process For Investing In Yourself

Sometimes, of course, a great opportunity comes along: a teacher you’d love to work with, a writing challenge that seems exciting, a book recommendation that you can’t stop thinking about.

Sometimes taking advantage of those opportunities is the right thing to do.

How can you tell which Shiny Objects are actually Shiny Opportunities?

Don’t stress, I’ve got you covered. Here’s the StoryADay Shiny Object Decision Flowchart. Go through it any time you need to make a decision. But, before you go, download the free workbook that goes along with it and expands on each of the flowchart questions.

Download the StoryaDay Shiny Object Workbook now
(with bonus Decision Flowchart!)

Download this flowchart and the accompanying workbook now

Leave a comment: what Shiny Object/Opportunity were you most recently wrestling with? How did you make your decision? How did it work out?

The post Should You Sign Up for the NaNoWriMo Writing Challenge? appeared first on StoryADay.

185 – Write To Read

Are you writing short stories? Why? And are you reading short stories? Which ones and again: why?

LINKS: 

20 Short stories to read that will make you a better writer: http://stada.me/readme

Pushcart prize nominator calls for recommendations: http://stada.me/pushcart20

What are you reading? https://storyaday.org/episode185

 

 

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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20 Short Stories That Will Make You A Better Writer

Chosen by members of the StoryADay Superstars community

Perhaps you want to write short stories because novels seem overwhelming. Perhaps you’ve been told that you ought to start with short stories. Perhaps you read a short story you loved and thought “I want to do that!”

The rules for novels and movies don’t apply to short stories. Part of the fun of short story writing is that the form is so flexible.But how would you know that if you’re not reading them?.

Here are 20 great short stories you should read, suggestesd by the StoryADay community.

Each story is either a classic or one that stuck in the reader’s head for years.

Download the printable version now

Link information: Some of these links go to places where the stories are freely available online, but if there is no copyright-abiding version available online, I’ve linked to collections which are available at Amazon and these are affiliate links. You may be able to find copies online that are not copyright-compliant.

Modern Stories




‘The Zero Meter Diving Team’ by Jim Shepard

I read this story a few years ago and it stuck with me. It’s a slow burn of a story about events I remember but didn’t really know anything about. This made it so real… (Recomended by Julie Duffy)

‘The Butterfly Girl’ by Mary Overton

A short story that touches on three different moments in a life, and helps you inhabit them. (Recommended by Janine Griffin)

‘Vampires In The Lemon Grove’ by Karen Russell

Karen Russell is a modern master of the short story form and often includes magical realism elements in her stories. This became the title story of her second collection. (Recommended by Michele Reisinger)

‘Joan of Arc Sits Naked in her Dorm Room’ by Rachel Engleman

This award winning story is a great example of how and why short stories deserve to be read. (Recommended by Michele Reisinger and Julie Duffy)

‘No More Words’ by Karl Foulk Jr

A 55 word story that shows what can be done in a very short space (Recommended by Jeffrey Lai)

‘They’re Made of Meat’ by Terry Bisson

A great example of what you can do with only dialogue (recommended by Julie Duffy)

‘Orange’ by Neil Gaiman

Another example of how short stories don’t have to be like mini-novels. This is one side of a police incident-report questionnaire, but you’ll find the story in there!

‘Bullet In the Brain’ by Tobias Wolff

A story that evokes emotions you might not be expecting. A great example of why you don’t need readers to love your protagonist immediately.

‘More Tomorrow’ by Premee Mohamed

It’s no secret around here that I love an epistolary story and I like a sense of humor. From the title to the journal entries, to the ending, I loved everything about this story. (recommended by Julie Duffy)

When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis by Annalee Newitz

Because this was delightful and uplifting (and often short stories, um, aren’t. Especially the classics.). (recommended by Julie Duffy)

Classic Stories



‘A Good Man Is Hard To Find’ by Flannery O’Connor

Considered by many to be the perfect short story, it’ll certainly keep you hooked (Recommended by Michele Reisinger and Laurie Porter)

‘The Open Window’ by Saki (H. H. Munro)

A deceptively quiet little Edwardian tale…(recommended by Julie Duffy)

‘The Hour’ by Kate Chopin

Another classic that is often recommended as a model (recommended by Laurie Porter)

‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson

A dark tale by a master of horror. This tiny story is a master of compression. Hard to read and hard to put down. (recommended by Laurie Porter)

‘Ward 6’ by Anton Chekhov

“I still get goosebumps” (recommended by Neha C)

‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ by Ray Bradbury

Expanded to become part of his Martian Chronicles, this started life as a perfect short story that takes you somewhere different from where you were expecting to go. (recommended by many)

‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway

Another example of a short story that is compact, vivid, and kind of perfect (recommended by many)

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

So many stories from the golden era of short stories seem to be about how terrible life was for women. I wonder why that is? Anyhoo, this is a really good one.

The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

Another classic, often anthologized story from the golden age of the short story (recommended by Lorna Duffy-Howie. Actually the recommendation was “anything by Mansfield”)

‘A Rose For Emily’ by William Faulkner

A great gothic tale that is nevertheless neatly told (recommended by Julie Duffy)

Go therefore and read. If you aren’t reading short stories, you’re making it so much harder for yourself to try to write them!

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[Write On Wednesday] More Roommates Than Expected

In Darkness by Marta Pelrine-Bacon



The Prompt

Two characters (or more if you wish) are spending their first night in a new home (or apartment, hotel, dorm…you decide).

And the first character says, “You know, they say this place is haunted…”

This week’s prompt comes from writer and artist Marta Petrine-Bacon, a self-professed fan of all things October-ish. You can find her novel, her art and her beautiful handmade notebooks (with appropriately spooky art) in her Etsy Shop WhereWordsAreStudio

If you share you story somewhere (and here’s why you might not want to) post a link here so we can come and read it.

Leave a comment to let us know what you wrote about today, and how it went!

The post [Write On Wednesday] More Roommates Than Expected appeared first on StoryADay.