Julie Duffy's Blog, page 74
June 27, 2020
Alphabet Soup by J. E. M. Wildfire
About the Story
Living in a jump rope nursery rhyme is not what you’d expect.
About the Author
J.E.M. Wildfire danced on the edge of creative writing throughout her life, culminating with lawyerly briefs and memorandums filled with facts presented as creatively as possible while remaining truthful. After retiring, she decided to dispense with facts and concentrate on creativity. She discovered that the diversity of StoryADay May prompts sparked her late-blooming talent and led down writing paths she would not have stumbled upon otherwise. This piece is one of them. While she can’t say for sure whether it’s actually a story, the writing exercise was fun. She thinks readers will enjoy the puzzle or the humor or both.
The post Alphabet Soup by J. E. M. Wildfire appeared first on StoryADay.
Graceless by Gabrielle Johansen
About the Story
A young Witch faces her first true test in spellcasting. Will she rise to the occasion? Find out in “Graceless”!
About the Author
Gabrielle Johansen is an aspiring young adult fantasy author. She enjoys reading everything from Maas to Atwood to Briggs. This story was inspired by the idea that every character wants something and often those wants are in direct opposition. This is her first foray into the StoryADay world, which she has found inspiring and extremely helpful.
The post Graceless by Gabrielle Johansen appeared first on StoryADay.
Love Among The Tombstones by Kath Saxby
About the Story
Eileen’s mom, wanting a safe place for her daughter’s ashes, buried them among the roots of the yew tree without a tombstone and without permission.
About the Author
Kath Saxby’s fiction has been published by Storyscape and her travel writing by major New Zealand newspapers and TNT magazine in England. She was a finalist in competitions held by Arts and Letters, Summer Literary Seminars, Hunger Mountain and shortlisted for the Fish Short Story Prize. She was selected for a New York Mills residency in northern Minnesota and she holds an MFA in creative writing from the City College of New York. Kath grew up in Fiji and in New Zealand where she worked on the family farm. She has held jobs in computer programming, sales, truck driving, meat-packing and office administration, and currently teaches English as a second language in East Harlem. She has a completed novel-in-waiting, titled Dog Wars.
The post Love Among The Tombstones by Kath Saxby appeared first on StoryADay.
Conrad’s Fitting by Courtney M.
About the Story
Retelling of a German nursery rhyme. Warnings: gruesome and child hurt in this story.
About the Author
I love reading and writing micro fiction. I didn’t walk away with 31 amazing stories this StoryADay, but I pushed myself to try new techniques and styles and look forward to snipping away at the drafts to tailor little nuggets of strangeness.
The post Conrad’s Fitting by Courtney M. appeared first on StoryADay.
The Curse of the Purple Witch by Prachi
About the Story
When the Purple Witch curses the Prince in a fit of rage and turns him into a crayon, she doesn’t realise the consequences. How will the curse be reversed?
About the Author
I have been reading and writing (mostly in my journals and blogs though) since I was a child. I love reading fantasy, fiction, romance, thriller, and sometimes inspiring non fiction. I came across Story A Day’s challenges two years back and have been trying my hand at commercial writing since then. I haven’t published anywhere other than my blog yet, but I enjoy the process of writing and creating. I just want my writing to make people laugh or smile 
Praying by Bear Creek by Charlotte Neussle
About the Story
Oregon’s natural beauty flows through its creeks to the sea. It carries evergreen prayers, as timely now as for aboriginal peoples. In this story, follow some of those prayers home.
About the Author
Writing is a friend that has been gently nudging me to speak. Now as a participant in StoryADay, I’ve committed myself to writing memoir, using a process to bring forth perspective, healing and wholeness. Engaging in this process and belonging to this group all came at just the right time. Read more about me at charlottenuessle.com/about-charlotte
The post Praying by Bear Creek by Charlotte Neussle appeared first on StoryADay.
June 26, 2020
The Merchant’s Table by Sophia Hoetzler
About the Story
A kind-hearted mother wants the best future for her daughter but is forced to face the choices she made in her past. Will Rohanna move forward with confidence or will her daughter have to make the same sacrifices?
About the Author
Sophia Heotzler graduated from Geneva College with a BA in English literature. She grew up with deaf parents, making her first language American Sign Language. She loves to pour this unique perspective in her writing, using visual language to explore inner conflict and relational challenges. Inspired by authors like Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, and J.K. Rowling, Sophia loves to blend real-life issues with fantastic imagery.
The post The Merchant’s Table by Sophia Hoetzler appeared first on StoryADay.
June 20, 2020
171 – More Readers For Your Writing
StoryADay’s annual showcase, StoryFest 2020, is happening on June 27-28. Here’s how you can get involved.
How To Get Involved
How To Write Author Biographies and Story Summaries
Ready to write today, not “some day”?
The post 171 – More Readers For Your Writing appeared first on StoryADay.
June 19, 2020
StoryFest 2020: How to Participate
This is our chance to celebrate all our hard work, either by nominating one of your stories to be featured during StoryFest, or by sharing the stories of your fellow StoryADay writers.
StoryFest 2020
June 27-28
storyaday.org
WHAT IS STORYFEST?
StoryFest is a weekend when the stories take over StoryADay.org.
On Jun 27, the front page of StoryADay.org will change to one dedicated to you and your stories. It will be full of links to your stories, online, until June 28
It’s our end-of-year party, our recital, our chance to share our work with readers.
(It’s also my birthday month, so consider your participation as your birthday gift to me!)
HOW TO CELEBRATE STORYFEST
If you wrote even one story in this (or any previous) StoryADay, submit one to be featured on the site’s front page June 27-28.Whether or not you submit a story you can help spread the word: from now until StoryFest, tell everyone you know on every social network (especially the ones with readers in them) about StoryFest. Tell them to come to the site June 27-28 to read new and exciting work by up-and-coming future stars of the literary world!Post the graphic on your blog, your Facebook timeline, tattoo it on your leg, whatever! (Get your graphics here)Come to the site June 27-28, follow a link to a story, read it and comment on it.
HOW TO SUBMIT/NOMINATE A STORY
Simple.
Be ready to supply your storyaday username, your real name or pseudonym, a link to the story you’re nominating, its title and a summary, a link to a story by someone else (optional but karmically recommended).
Deadline: Wednesday, June 24.
This gives you a few days to pick your story. If you can get it to me before the deadline I’ll love you forever, though, as it’s going to take me a while to organize all the submissions.
(Get my guide to writing a story summary and author bio here)
STORYFEST FAQ
Does my story have to be online?
Yes. We want to create a reader fanbase for you. Stories must be posted somewhere online, in full.
If you don’t have a blog/website, you can share a link to your story as a Google Doc (make sure you set the permissions to ‘viewing’) or a PDF hosted in a cloud drive somewhere.
Is it OK if my story is on my personal blog (or other site).
Absolutely. Just supply the link.
Will it be considered published?
Your story is not being published by StoryADay, but you should be aware that some editors still consider a story that has been posted online, as having been previously published. If you think this is your last good story ever, by all means guard it with your life. Or, if you plan to submit it to a publication in its current form, you may not want it posted online. Otherwise, I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about this.
Does It Have To Be A Story I Wrote During StoryADay?
Yes. I’ll have to trust you on this. But it can be a story you wrote in a previous year.
Why Do I Have To Select A Genre Label?
Try not to agonize over this. I know most fiction is really cross-genre. It’s just short-hand for readers. I know I’m more likely to plump for a Speculative/Sci-Fi story or a mystery before I will read a fantasy story. As a reader, you don’t want to scroll through a long list of stories with no clues as to which you might prefer. Genre labels simply help readers make a quick decision, rather than being paralyzed or overwhelmed and not clicking on anything. Just think like a reader, grit your teeth and pick a genre.
Can I Submit Erotica/Horror/TheWierdStuff?
Um, okay. But I’d appreciate it if you’d label it as such, so as not to scare the grownups.
Can I Revise My Story?
Absolutely. Polish it up, shine its little shoes, put a bow in its hair and send it into the world looking its best. But don’t take too long! And remember, you’re unlikely to ever be 100% satisfied. Polish it a bit, then let it go.
The post StoryFest 2020: How to Participate appeared first on StoryADay.
StoryFest 2020 Is Coming
This is our chance to celebrate all our hard work, either by nominating one of your stories to be featured during StoryFest, or by sharing the stories of your fellow StoryADay writers.
StoryFest 2020
June 27-28
storyaday.org
WHAT IS STORYFEST?
StoryFest is a weekend when the stories take over StoryADay.org.
On Jun 27, the front page of StoryADay.org will change to one dedicated to you and your stories. It will be full of links to your stories, online, until June 28
It’s our end-of-year party, our recital, our chance to share our work with readers.
(It’s also my birthday month, so consider your participation as your birthday gift to me!)
HOW TO CELEBRATE STORYFEST
If you wrote even one story in this (or any previous) StoryADay, submit one to be featured on the site’s front page June 27-28.Whether or not you submit a story you can help spread the word: from now until StoryFest, tell everyone you know on every social network (especially the ones with readers in them) about StoryFest. Tell them to come to the site June 27-28 to read new and exciting work by up-and-coming future stars of the literary world!Post the graphic on your blog, your Facebook timeline, tattoo it on your leg, whatever! (Get your graphics here)Come to the site June 27-28, follow a link to a story, read it and comment on it.
HOW TO SUBMIT/NOMINATE A STORY
Simple.
Be ready to supply your storyaday username, your real name or pseudonym, a link to the story you’re nominating, its title and a summary, a link to a story by someone else (optional but karmically recommended).
Deadline: Wednesday, June 24.
This gives you a few days to pick your story. If you can get it to me before the deadline I’ll love you forever, though, as it’s going to take me a while to organize all the submissions.
(Get my guide to writing a story summary and author bio here)
STORYFEST FAQ
Does my story have to be online?
Yes. We want to create a reader fanbase for you. Stories must be posted somewhere online, in full.
If you don’t have a blog/website, you can share a link to your story as a Google Doc (make sure you set the permissions to ‘viewing’) or a PDF hosted in a cloud drive somewhere.
Is it OK if my story is on my personal blog (or other site).
Absolutely. Just supply the link.
Will it be considered published?
Your story is not being published by StoryADay, but you should be aware that some editors still consider a story that has been posted online, as having been previously published. If you think this is your last good story ever, by all means guard it with your life. Or, if you plan to submit it to a publication in its current form, you may not want it posted online. Otherwise, I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about this.
Does It Have To Be A Story I Wrote During StoryADay?
Yes. I’ll have to trust you on this. But it can be a story you wrote in a previous year.
Why Do I Have To Select A Genre Label?
Try not to agonize over this. I know most fiction is really cross-genre. It’s just short-hand for readers. I know I’m more likely to plump for a Speculative/Sci-Fi story or a mystery before I will read a fantasy story. As a reader, you don’t want to scroll through a long list of stories with no clues as to which you might prefer. Genre labels simply help readers make a quick decision, rather than being paralyzed or overwhelmed and not clicking on anything. Just think like a reader, grit your teeth and pick a genre.
Can I Submit Erotica/Horror/TheWierdStuff?
Um, okay. But I’d appreciate it if you’d label it as such, so as not to scare the grownups.
Can I Revise My Story?
Absolutely. Polish it up, shine its little shoes, put a bow in its hair and send it into the world looking its best. But don’t take too long! And remember, you’re unlikely to ever be 100% satisfied. Polish it a bit, then let it go.
The post StoryFest 2020 Is Coming appeared first on StoryADay.
