StoryADay

This mini episode contains a writing prompt that challenges you to write a story in the form of letters, tweets, log entries, or other 'found documents'.  Read more: https://stada.me/letters

This mini episode contains a writing prompt that challenges you to write a story in the form of a list. Here's a link to more information about Jennifer Egan's story, "To Do List": http://stada.me/egan

This month I'm focusing on short story form. Watch out for a few mini-episodes coming your way, with more details on some short story forms. Also in this episode, I recommend Jane Friedman's new book, The Business of Being A Writer [http://amzn.to/2DyhhYL].

Flash fiction is more than just a collection of fewer than 1000 words. Flash fiction must...FLASH! In this episode I talk about, how to surprise your readers, how to craft openings and endings to keep your story in your readers' hearts, how to use titles as the sizzle that sell your story to a reader I also remind listeners that it's almost time for the March SWAGr post, where we make our commitments for the coming month.

February is the shortest month, so we're focusing on the shortest of fiction: flash!  (And, yes, I know there are shorter forms, but this is the particular short-short form I picked, ok?) This week I talk about what flash is and why you might want to be writing it. Includes bonus trivia about Impressionism.   LINKS Last week's flash fiction writing prompt: http://storyaday.org/wow-make-it-flash/ The latest Reading Room review featuring flash fiction: http://storyaday.org/rr-meteor-mccolough/ This month's Accountability Group post: http://storyaday.org/swagr-feb-2017/ Follow StoryADay on Twitter: @storyadaymay  

As we settle into a new year of writing, it's worth taking a look at our habits and forming an 'if/then' contingency plan to keep us working when our plans go awry. Also in this episode, this week's writing prompt!  

Happy New Year! If you haven't quite settled into your new routine (or your old routine) yet, and want to get creative, this is the episode for you. Also, I'm inviting feedback on the questions of  -What you do to get yourself to your desk -What routines/practices you use to start work Call and leave me a message, and I might air your question/comment on the podcast: 484 393 2233 Please leave a name, and a brief message, or just email me at julie at storyaday dot org    

This week I talk about ways to make your life easier by embracing the idea of decision-making, both in your writing and in your writing practice. You can read a (slightly altered) version of this, here: http://storyaday.org/choices/

For all you NaNo novelists out there, deep in the belly of a fast-written novel, I have a suggestion for a way to revitalize your writing and your excitement about your project. For everyone (else?) I talk about regrouping: it's November: There's still time to rescue some of your writing goals for this year, and set yourself up for a successful writing year in 2018.   LINKS: The StoryADay Serious Writers' Accountability Group (SWAGr) - http://bit.ly/2zPC6l1 Austin Kleon - a sample newsletter - http://bit.ly/2meYazT Ryan Holiday on how & why to keep a 'commonplace book' (AKA Interinsting Things Log) - http://bit.ly/2mfjGEp    

 Writing the first line of your story is tough. Opening lines must:  Set up the main question the reader is going to be asking all the way through Establish the voice of the protagonist/narrator Set the tone Ground the reader in a time or place So, how do you make your first line reflect all these things? Let’s look at some examples.   Read more and sign up to get the extra case studies: Mastering The Magic of Opening Lines [http://storyaday.org/opening-lines]