StoryADay

Hopefully, you've been doing something looking back at 2016, making note of all the places where you did wonderfully things. Now it's time to look forward to building on them next year. This 'look forward' to 2017 offers some strategies for making the most of your writing time, setting P.A.C.E goals, and staying on track throughout the year. Here are the worksheets I reference in this podcast, to help you plan for a successful 2017:   Annual Review Worksheet Individual Goal Worksheet Annual Goal Tracker/Overview      

Today's episode is all about looking back at your year and capturing the achievements in your writing life that can help power you forward into your next year of writing. Includes WHY it's good to track your achievements HOW to remember what you've achieved EXAMPLES of the kind of things you might list RECOMMENDED READING for further thoughts on motivation   LINKS mentioned in the podcast writers.digest@fwcommunity.com (to nominate StoryADay.org or another favorite blog for a Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers listing) Motivation For Creative People by Mark McGuinness (AF) How Do You Want Your Novel to Change the World? by Julia Monroe Martin at WriterUnboxed.com      

November is here and whether you're facing NaNoWriMo or just the change of seasons, it's a great time to think about energy in your writing life. Energy is the theme for November at StoryADay.org and I start out this week with a plea for physical activity (walking, specifically) and will be writing about this and other 'energy' issues through the month. This episode also includes a writing prompt and some theft. Settle in...

Today's writing prompt is inspired by a story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, featured in The Best American Short Stories 2016 (http://amzn.to/2elDfUo) You can read more of my thoughts on this story here: [Reading Room] Apollo by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie You can leave comments about your experiences with this prompt here: [Writing Prompt] Regrets, I’ve Had A Few And here are some articles to help you as you think about revising your first draft.   Podcast length: 11:15mins. Music by Alan McPike (www.standardstrax.com)

National Novel Writers' Month is coming!  How can writing a short story every week this month help you conquer NaNo? Tune in to this 7 minute episode for answers...and a writing prompt about the upcoming holiday season and why it's (almost) too late to start writing holiday stories (I know! Already!)

It's the first of the month, and that means it's Serious Writer's Accountability Group day at StoryADay.org.   Spend fifteen minutes with me and Monique Cuillerier, a long time StoryADay community member, as we talk about writing, routines, and why she turns up for SWAGr month after month.   You can find Monique online at NotWhereILive.ca and on Twitter @moniqueac  

Today we explore the power of three and use it to make your story Bigger, Badder, (Too Much For Mr. Incredible!! Wait, no, that's something else....)

Hey, we're almost there! It's almost the end of the month.  By now you're probably pretty sick of this StoryADay nonsense, but you can't quit because you're so close, right? Take out your frustrations on your protagonist! There's nothing better for a compelling story than a little bit of mistreatment of your beloved protag...

Today we take a look at pacing, and the differences it can make to a story.

This is a bit of a 'cheat day' because I encourage you to write something that may not be a complete short story. Gasp!