Julie Duffy's Blog, page 8

Your Writer Identity

You don’t become a writer ‘some day’. You don’t become a writer when someone agrees to publish your work.

You become a writer when you show up.

Nice sentiment, huh? But how do you tame the brain gremlins into letting you show up?

You create a strong identity as a writer.

Create Your Writer’s Manifesto

A manifesto is more than an identity: it’s a statement of your values, your place in the world, and the actions you will take to support that place and those values.

Start by listing your literary (and other artistic) heroes–I call them your Fairy Art ParentsMake a list of what it is about them/their work that you admireCircle/highlight the features they have in common (you may be surprised)The things you admire likely align with your own values and represent artistic experiences that you would like to create for others. Write your manifesto, beginning with “In my writing I will be…”

Want the fancy, downloadable PDF with a more full description of the process? Go here.

Discussion

Who were your fairy art parents? What ended up in your manifesto? Share if you dare…If not, just tell us: how was the exercise?

Face The Fear

I’ve been writing—and working with writers—for a long time.

Decades.

Sometimes writers fret about their ability to write characters, or develop plots, or handle pacing, but in my experience, those are not the problems that stop us from writing.

We’re smart. We think hard. Most of us are fairly confident in our ability to research, learn and implement specific writing techniques.

What blocks us is fear.

This week I’m going to give you five exercises to face and tame this most powerful of foes.

Face The Fear, And Write, Regardless

Your inner critic is not a moustache-twirling, two-dimensional villain, out to destroy you.

Like any good antagonist, your Inner Critic is the hero of it’s own story, and it is complex.

It’s the nervous voice of everyone who loves you, saying, “Be careful! Play it safe! Don’t get hurt!”Sometimes there’s an added layer of the voices of people who are threatened by you, jealous of you, and scared you will surpass you.Sometimes there’s an added layer of fear from yourself: who will I leave behind if I let go and let myself be as awesome as I suspect I am. Who will be offended, because they think I’m leaving them behind?

But all of these voices—most of them not yours, or at least, not the voice of you in this moment—are simply telling one story, one version of a story. What they are telling you isn’t the truth. It’s one story about reality.

Fortunately, you are an expert storyteller, with a vivid imagination, and you get to rewrite the stories in your head.

It just takes some practice.

Today’s TaskSet a time for four minutes. Write down the fears that bubble up when you sit down to write, in general, or on a specific project.Reset the timer, and rewrite those ‘fears’ as strengths.

Examples:

“I’m not special. Who am I to think I can write something people will want to read” becomes, “I understand ordinary, everyday lives, with all their complexity and challenge. I’m the perfect person to write a story that gives hope to, or thrills, someone who is facing all the same daily challenges I am. I’m relatable!”“I never finish anything” becomes “I have a million ideas, and sometimes I develop them into complete stories. Not always, but sometimes, and that’s awesome!”“I don’t have time to write” becomes, “Thinking counts as writing, and luckily, I can think while I’m doing other activities that I have to do. All I have to do is focus on thinking about my stories, and creating a little time to record those thoughts, regularly.”

May-Ready Bonus Question: write down three words to describe how you want to feel during StoryADay May

Character Building Blocks

Get ready for StoryADay May with these warm-up tasks in April

Get all the warm ups: https://stada.me/april-warm-ups

Read more: Character Building Blocks

Watch on YouTubeOther Help for Improving Your Writing LifeStoryADay Challenge Handbook Download the Short Story Framework:

Short Story Framework

Take the 3-Day Challenge

Join The 3 Day Challenge

Sign up for the StoryAWeek Newsletter

StoryAWeek Sign Up

Take the I, WRITER Course

https://stada.me/iwriternow

Join the Superstars Group

https://storyaday.org/superstars

Coaching with Julie

Writing Coaching with Julie

Character Speech

Today’s Tiny Task in preparation for StoryADay May is to

List 5 expressions people in your life overuse

While you’re capturing the phrase, capture the meaning behind the phrase, the culture it comes from, the ways it which is irritates/delights you and how those feelings manifest, physically in you.

Office Space The Case Of The Mondays GIFfrom Office Space GIFs Discussion

Pick one of the expressions to share here

Personality Traits

Today’s Tiny Task to prepare for StoryADay is to

Make a list of 5 or more personality traits that drive you absolutely crazy

This exercise is slightly different from the other character brainstorming we’ve done this week, because it’s not so much about an internal or external feature, but more about the actions a person takes, without thinking.

I’m asking you to list traits that drive you up the wall, because accessing strong emotions is a good way to make sure that you put conflict and emotion into your story.

You don’t have to write a miserable story just because you include a personality trait that drives you batty. You can use this trait as a starting point for a character who is going to be reformed, or as comic relief, or as a cautionary tale.

Bonus points: list 3 ways each trait could be subverted, changed, used for comic relief, or otherwise turned around.

Discussion

Are you keeping all your notes during these prep-sessions, in a place where you’ll easily be able to access them during the challenge? Share your ‘system’ (such as it is) here, to inspire/warn others. Then, if you haven’t thought it through yet, pick a place (physical or digital) to store all your notes, and then write yourself a big, physical sticky note to remind yourself you did it. Leave a comment to let us know you’ve done it!

Something To Hold Onto

Today’s Tiny Task in preparation for StoryADay May is:

Make a list of 10 accessories/physical features you can give your characters.

In a short story it’s important to orient the reader quickly. You don’t want them stopping to remember which character is which.

With main characters you can spend time working on the way they speak, think and act, to make sure that they feel unique.

But you can also ‘cheat’ by giving them (or walk-on/secondary characters) one signature item that lets readers identify them quickly:

e.g: the barrista in Friends with the shock of white-blond hair; The Doctor in Doctor Who‘s extravagantly long-flappy coat (in almost every regeneration!); Columbo’s raincoat; Aragorn’s sword; Captain America’s shield; the red coat worn by a little girl in the otherwise black-and-white Schindler’s List; the Narnia children’s gifts from Aslan…

Note: with an object there is also the narrative possibility of letting the reader know something is very wrong, if we show the item, with the character nowhere nearby…

DISCUSSION

Did you choose a mix of items and distinctive physical features?

Brainstorming Characters Pt 2

Today’s Tiny Task in preparation for StoryADay May is to expand your pool of available characters in a different direction.

Make a list of characters who are unlike you in specific ways.

External features: External features: race, gender, socioeconomic status, job title, role at your work, role in your family, height, weight, athletic ability, hair color…Internal features: how your character reacts to stress; how they talk to people; their attitude to people who are different from them; their level of courage and fear (not the same things!); their ability to control their emotions; what they would define as a ‘good’ outcome in any situation…

It can help to think of specific people who are very unlike you–whether you admire or despise aspects of their behavior–and make a list of the actions they take, the words they say, the body language they employ, that help you understand how they are different from you (remember that, in storytelling, showing how characters act can be more powerful than simply giving us the narrator/protagonist’s opinions).

Further reading: a writing prompt

Discussion

Are you excited to write about characters who are not like you? Were you able to identify aspects of specific people that are different from you? What kinds of roles will these characters take in a story? (Will they always be the antagonist/bad guy, or did you list some features you admire, too?

Brainstorming Characters Pt 1

Today’s Tiny Task in preparation for StoryADay May is to gather a cast of character you can audition for stories, when an ideas strikes you.

The prompts are great, but it’s going to be up to you to find characters to make them come alive. Remember:

Plot happens outside, but story happens inside

-Donald Maass, The Emotional Craft of Fiction

Create a list of five characters who are quite like you (this makes it easy to write about them quickly, since you only have to look inside for the ‘research’).

Ways they might be like you:

External features: race, gender, socioeconomic status, job title, role at your work, role in your family, height, weight, athletic ability, hair color…Internal aspects: introversion/extraversion; math ability; reaction to stressful situations; likelihood you’ll stand up for someone in an argument; self-control; preferences for what you like to do in your free time; feelings about people who are different from you; willingness to ‘fit in’ in society…

Bonus points: make a list of ways those things about you a, frustrate and b, delight you. Think about how you might use that to create internal and external conflict, in a story.

Further Reading: Creating Compelling Characters

Discussion

Was it fun to think about writing a character that shares things in common with you? Or did you roll your eyes (do it anyway! It might save you on a day when the writing isn’t coming easily!)

Sneak Peek

at this year’s roster of amazing writers providing writing prompts for StoryADay May 2025.

“How do they do it?”

So many of us think exactly that, when reading stories by writers we admire.

Well, if you’d like a sneak peek in side the brain of a bunch of award-wininng and best-selling authors’ brains, you should sign up for StoryADay May 2025.

This year I’ll be sharing writing prompts from writers who have won Nebula and Hugo awards, been featured in the Best American Short Story collection, been shortlisted for Edgar and Bram Stoker awards, and more.

Be Our Guest

Here are some of the names you’ll see in your inbox this May, when you sign up.

P. Djèlí Clark, Mary Robinette Kowal, John Wiswell, Lori Ostlund, Kim Coleman Foote, Sasha Brown, R. S. A Garcia, Jennifer Hudak, Tim Waggoner, Rachel Bolton, Julia Elliot, Kai Lovelace,  Anglea Sylvaine, Rich Larson, F. E. Choe,Emma Burnett , Patricia A. Jackson, Allegra Hyde,  and more.

Past Performance

For a hint of the kinds of prompts guests have given us in the past, here are some that have been popular:

Roxane Gay Wants You To Be Happy

Mary Robinette Kowal  Opens A Portal

Tadzio Koelb Witnesses An Accident

Simon Rich Knows More Than Your Character

Caroline Kim Conjures A Ghost

Pick one and write a practice story this weekend. And don’t forget to sign up for the challenge: https://storyaday.org/signup.

Keep writing,

Warm Ups For April

Get ready for StoryADay May with these warm-up tasks in April PLUS: hear about the wonderful writers who have sent us prompts for this year’s challenge sign up at: https://storyaday.org

Read more: Warm Ups For April

Transcript

Watch on YouTubeOther Help for Improving Your Writing LifeStoryADay Challenge Handbook Download the Short Story Framework:

Short Story Framework

Take the 3-Day Challenge

Join The 3 Day Challenge

Sign up for the StoryAWeek Newsletter

StoryAWeek Sign Up

Take the I, WRITER Course

https://stada.me/iwriternow

Join the Superstars Group

https://storyaday.org/superstars

Coaching with Julie

Writing Coaching with Julie