Phew. After Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday, I hope you took a well-deserved break from your inbox, and maybe read something or wrote something nice. I just wanted to give you a heads up that the StoryADay Podcast is back in production after a small break, and tomorrow morning you can find an episode that talks about planning your year end review and goal-setting for 2025. Here's the podcast homepage Keep writing, Julie P. S. On Monday I'm hosting a planning workshop for the...
11 days ago • 1 min read
You know that moment in the story when the hero has lost everything, and the odds seem stacked against them, and all seems lost? Imagine if that was the end of the story….what a terrible way to live! But in the stories we love, the hero looks at herself in the mirror and says ‘what am I doing?’. Someone says one word, and suddenly she sees all the clues in a new light and finds the final piece of the puzzle. Or he realizes, for the first time, the strength has been inside him all along. Or...
15 days ago • 2 min read
I know, I know...usually I'm nagging you to write more. But today, I'm encouraging you to take a break. Refresh. Refill the well. All that good stuff. From time to time, I pull a worksheet from one of the StoryADay programs and share it with you as a Friday Freebie. In this worksheet you'll hear a story about how I discovered the things I thought I was doing to relax, weren't actually relaxing me...and what I did about it. And then you get to make a plan for youself too. Grab the Take A Break...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
To ease eye strain, experts recommend that every 20 minutes we focus our eyes on something further away than our screens–ideally at least 20ft away– for at least 20 seconds. As a trained historian, I feel the same way about the news: current events are thisclose. It wouldn’t hurt us to make a concerted effort to look away, periodically. Fortunately fiction offers the perfect respite. Today, why not step away from this place and time and read some Tolstoy or JM Coetzee, Nnedi Okorafor or...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
How would you feel about hanging out with me and Anne Lamott next month? OK, 'hanging with Annie' might be overstating it, but she, Cheryl Strayed, Marlon James and more are on the faculty of this year’s Writers Rising retreat organized by Lamott and her team. I'm going, and I have all the details here (plus, keep reading for special bonuses I’m offering if you use my link to register). The Writers Rising retreat is a special chance to take a break from the ordinary and step into a magical...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Whenever there's a StoryADay event, I always get messages from people, asking if they've missed the deadline. Good news: if you were thinking about joining the One-Story September Challenge to reboot your writing practice focus on completing a story this month brush up your “Show, Don’t Tell” skills or any other reason (who needs a reason to be creative?!) You can still join us in the One-Story Challenge (Several new folks joined us today!) We’re moving slowly through the fundamentals of...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Have you ever noticed, we rarely say "I'm undecided"? We’re much more likely to say “I’m on the fence.” I think that phrase has stuck around because it so perfectly captures the psychological precariousness and discomfort of being uncommitted or undecided. Don’t stay on the fence about One-Story September. Join us here I spent an uncomfortable early August, swithering* about what to do for StoryADay September. Would I repeat StoryADay May’s prompts, as I usually do, or would I do something...
4 months ago • 2 min read
I've been thrilled at how many of you want to work on this topic next month. I'll curating your journey through writing one story and polishing up your "Show, Don't Tell" skills so that you can pull readers into your stories and keep them turning the pages from the opening to the final line. SIGN UP HERE (And tell your friends! A little peer pressure is always good for this kind of challenge!) Keep writing Julie
4 months ago • 1 min read
A couple of days ago I asked you how you felt about the concept of working on one story during September, with a focus on the idea of ‘show, don’t tell’. Boy, did you feel strongly about it! Lots of people loved the idea of spending the month in focused practice, working on one story. “Love, love, love this idea!” - Christina “Going deep on technique and taking time to develop a piece sounds wonderful to me.” - Elizabeth “Yes for the one story idea! “ - Yvonne “ I have had a hectic summer and...
4 months ago • 3 min read