StoryADay presents: I, WRITER - A Writing Podcast about Building a Successful Writing Practice

Julie Duffy
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Welcome to StoryADay Presents: I, WRITER – A Writing Podcast about building a fulfilling writing life. Hosted by author and StoryADay founder Julie Duffy, this show helps writers of all kinds—novelists, short-story authors, poets, or anyone building a creative habit—turn writing into a sustainable, joyful practice. Each episode blends practical writing tips with mindset reframes drawn from the I, WRITER Framework (Imagine, Write, Refine, Improve, Triumph, Engage, Repeat), to help you avoid overwhelm and make more progress, faster. Whether you're drafting your first novel, exploring short fiction, or fighting writer's block, you'll find strategies here to strengthen your writing routine, spark creativity, and keep going. With insights from the popular StoryADay Challenge and years of guiding writers worldwide, Julie shows you how to create momentum, finish projects, and share your work with confidence. Music credit: Alan McPike (http://standardstrax.com)

  1. May 30 ·  Bonus

    Blank Space

    A reminder to mark the end of the StoryADay May challenge, and not to simply keep sprinting.

    2 min

  2. May 23

    A Stupendous Amount of Writing

    What does success really look like for a writer? In this episode, I share a surprisingly encouraging reminder from a 1951 editorial in Galaxy Science Fiction: even at the highest magazine rates of the day, it took "a stupendous amount of writing" to support a writer. That may not sound comforting at first — but it is. Because it means writing was never easy. False starts, abandoned drafts, stories that don't quite work, and the sheer volume of practice required are not signs that you're doing it wrong. They are part of the work. A gentle but honest episode about ambition, effort, StoryADay May, avoiding burnout, and building a writing life that makes room for a stupendous amount of writing. This Week's Question What will you write this week? How many times will you show up for your writing? Don't go from zero to sixty. Increase your commitment a little. Give yourself the chance to discover what happens when writing becomes something you return to, again and again. LINKS:  StoryADay Handbook 2026 StoryADay Handbook 2024 (the one that's really a writing course disguised as a challenge): Prompts from Week 3 of the StoryADay May 2026 challenge:  Day 17 - A Critical Day, from Mary Robinette Kowal Day 18 - Expanded Idioms, from Julie Duffy Day 19 - Inspired by Artemis II, from Julie Duffy Day 20 - Making a Grocery List, from Brenda Rech Day 21 - The Nitty Gritty, from Ruby G. Dubois Day 22 - The Hero of their Own Story, from Julie Duffy Day 23 - Beyond Sound and Vision, from Elizabeth Twist

    15 min

  3. May 18

    Failing? Don't stop!

    StoryADay 2026 Handbook: https://stada.me/2026handbook Inspiration Corner Here are some prompts that you might have missed, this month, to get your creative wheels turning. Days 1-9 Day 10 - Darkness to Light, from Renan Bernardo Day 11 - Inhumanity, from Julie Duffy Day 12 - The Visitor, from Debbie Ohi Ridpath Day 13 - Here's a Quarter…, from Michele Reisinger Day 14 - Mine your Emotions, from Jluie Duffy Day 15 - Anarchic Archetype, from Julie Duffy Day 16 - I Think I Can, from Somto Ihueze Keep writing, Julie

    9 min

  4. 12/20/2025

    The State of AI, for Writers - an update

    In the light of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America organization's statement on AI and eligibility for the Nebula Awards, I recorded this bonus episode of the podcast to give you my perspective on where we are and where we're headed, regarding AI and the creative arts and, well, civilization as a whole. For more like this, subscribe and follow along at StoryADay.org And please share this with a friend.

    22 min

  5. 12/19/2025

    How One "No Thanks" Got Me Writing Again (And Back to My Novel)

    A story got accepted… and another came back not accepted — and I'm weirdly thrilled. Here's why embracing rejection can strengthen your consistent writing habits, PLUS: a holiday writing prompt to keep you writing in December. Links: StoryADay Podcast episode 109: https://storyaday.org/episode109 The 3-Day Challenge: https://storyaday.org/3dc

    17 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    What If Your Writing Could Help Someone?

    Hi writers! This week I'm sharing a surprising example of how writing (and writers) can help people in the real world, inspired by a project announced by Brandon Sanderson. It leads to one clear lesson about what it actually takes to build a sustainable writing life — especially if you want to write consistently, keep your momentum, and grow beyond the "solitary writer" myth. Plus: a quick writing prompt about conflict you can use right away.

    11 min

  7. 12/06/2025

    The Work Is the Point: Refining Your Writing Life for the Long Haul

    A short meditation on why sustainable writing comes from small, repeatable choices. We touch on Coetzee, Tom Stoppard, and the quiet ways stories ripple outward—then land on the core: build the habit, revise bravely, and let the work be enough.

    7 min

  8. 11/08/2025

    Silencing the Mean Voice: How Writers Can Quiet Self-Doubt and Keep Creating

    We all have that voice that whispers, "Who are you to think you can write?" In this gentle, thoughtful episode, Julie Duffy shares why those inner critics feel so convincing—and how to move past them. From celebrating small wins to journaling the negative voices into submission, she offers calm, practical ways to rebuild confidence and keep writing. A soothing reflection on self-doubt, creative courage, and what it really takes to keep showing up for your stories.

    15 min
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About

Welcome to StoryADay Presents: I, WRITER – A Writing Podcast about building a fulfilling writing life. Hosted by author and StoryADay founder Julie Duffy, this show helps writers of all kinds—novelists, short-story authors, poets, or anyone building a creative habit—turn writing into a sustainable, joyful practice. Each episode blends practical writing tips with mindset reframes drawn from the I, WRITER Framework (Imagine, Write, Refine, Improve, Triumph, Engage, Repeat), to help you avoid overwhelm and make more progress, faster. Whether you're drafting your first novel, exploring short fiction, or fighting writer's block, you'll find strategies here to strengthen your writing routine, spark creativity, and keep going. With insights from the popular StoryADay Challenge and years of guiding writers worldwide, Julie shows you how to create momentum, finish projects, and share your work with confidence. Music credit: Alan McPike (http://standardstrax.com)

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