Julie Duffy's Blog, page 79

Windy Lynn Harris Makes Fiction Flash

Today the author of “Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays: the Essential Guide To Getting Your Work Published” AND frequent StoryADay participant, Windy Lynn Harris joins me to talk about Flash Fiction: what it is, 7 different ways to approach it, and how it can help your career, even if you’re a novelist.

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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Write On Wednesday – 40 Minute Story

Today, in preparation for StoryADay May I’m sharing one of the peptalks I recorded for the Superstars Group last year.

(Superstars is a year-long mastermind group and community, but during the challenge they also get enhanced content, just like this. Find out more about Superstars here.

This lesson is particularly useful going into StoryADay May, as some days you’ll need to get your story written quickly. I don’t give you a topic, but I do give you a method for getting your story written. Combine it with the Short Story Framework!

The Prompt

Write A Story In 40 Minutes

Audio Only Version:







TIPS



Use the short story formula from yesterday to help you brainstorm.Set a timer!Spend 5 minutes, for brainstormingSpend 5 minutes writing an opening.Spend the next 20 minutes complicating your character’s lives. Look at every individual action your characters takes, and imagine what’s the next domino that would fall because of the action they took or the thing that they said.At some point during this 20 minutes your writing will begin to flow and you’ll start to understand what this story wants to be.At the end of that 20 minutes, begin to write your climax and resolution. (You may have to type ‘[transition to ending]’ and move along, if you’re running out of time and haven’t written everything you wanted to write.You’ve been working on this story for 30 minutes! You have 10 minutes left.Now think about how you want the story to end. Do you want it to be a happy ending or a sad ending? If the character achieves their goal, it might be a sad ending, but not necessarily. If the character desired something that was wrong for them, and doesn’t achieve it, that could be a happy ending!Make sure there is a moment in the story where the character makes a big choice that exemplifies the change that they’re making through this story.Spend 5 minutes wrapping up the story in a sentence or two, then spend the final 5 minutes thinking about your opening and ending lines. Do they feel like they belong to the same story? Can you tweak them now to hint at the theme?Then take the rest of the day off!

If you would like to access content like this throughout the StoryADay challenge AND get 12 months of writing support, consider joining the StoryADay Superstars

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

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Top 10 Podcast Interviews

Over the past ten years, StoryaDay has been fortunate to have some great guests on the podcast

Here’s an easy-access list:

You can share this image far and wide! Or download the PDF.

Here’s the list, with clickable links

Jane Friedman Builds A Business Premee Mohamed Writes Too MuchGabriela Pereira and Your DIY MFA Windy Lynn Harris Teaches You How To Submit Short FictionTammy Breitweiser Loves A ChallengeMichele Reisinger Writers In TrafficSeumas MacDonald World-Builds With Invented LanguagesRaphael Schaad Makes Alexa Work For YouDr. Lanae St. John Talks About Love & IntimacyMonique Cuillerier Loves Accountability

Never miss an episode: Subscribe to the podcast here.

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165 – Tammy Breitweiser Loves A Challenge

We’re a week away from StoryADay May. Take the WRITER Code workshop here: https://storyaday.org/writer-code

Find out more about StoryADay Superstars, our writing community: https://www.storyaday.com/superstars-2020

Today’s episode is a conversation with Tammy Breitweiser whose flash fiction has been published in The Ninja Writers Monthly, Spelk, Clover and White, and Elephants Never. Her essay is in the I Wrote it Anyway anthology. You can connect with Tammy through Twitter @TLBREIT or through her medium page https://medium.com/@tammybreitweiser. Sign up for her newsletter here. 

In this interview she mentions Windy Lynn Harris’s excellent book “Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays”

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

The post 165 – Tammy Breitweiser Loves A Challenge appeared first on StoryADay.

Top 10 Guest Writing Prompts

Over the past ten years, StoryaDay has been fortunate to be given original writing prompts from some pretty outstanding authors.

Here’s a list of the 10 that had the strongest response from StoryADay participants.

You can share this image far and wide! Or download the PDF.

Here’s the list, with clickable links

Neil GaimanGretchen RubinJonathan MaberryDebbie Ridpath OhiJames Scott BellTadzio KoelbTherese WalshC. S. PlocherMary Robinette KowalGabriela Pereira

And there are many more guest writing prompts here.

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2020 Participant Badges

Download and use these badges anywhere, to tell people you’re taking part in StoryADay May 2020 – the 10th Anniversary Edition!

500 x 230 px



300 x 138 px



200 x 92 px



150 x 69 px



440 x 220 px best for Twitter



400 x 400 px best for Facebook/ Instagram

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164 – Michele Reisinger, Finding Success With Short Fiction

In this conversation with writer Michele Reisinger, we talk about bad advice from writing teachers, her process for placing stories with publications, what a successful writing day looks like, and how she writer in traffic!

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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Are You Juggling Chainsaws?

I was taking a break from my desk and decided to brush off my old juggling clubs. 

And it struck me how much writing can sometimes feel like an impossible magic trick. 

Watch now to find out what ELSE I learned…

UPDATED: Due to popular demand I have been forced to share this pitiful video, too:

Leave a comment telling me how your confidence level is right now, or ask me a question.

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163 – Laying The Foundations for StoryADay May

In which I talk about prepping for StoryADay May and what to do if you’re having trouble writing right now.

Ready to write today, not “some day”?

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What Is The StoryADay May Challenge?

In which I discuss the ‘rules’ of StoryADay May and how to get started laying the foundations now.

Get your Creativity Bundle Now

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