I may beat my head against the wall before this is all said and written.
And you may wonder why anyone would try and write a story a day. What is the point? And you may have a point. Sure.
But at the very least, this exercise teaches me something about my writing… and maybe my own brain. Writing stories so close together reveals what images, phrases, objects, ideas you like a lot and repeat. For example, six stories in and I see that I like doors and things characters want but can’t have.
Really. The want-and-can’t-have thing may describe most every story I’ve ever written. With the want-and-is-sorry-to-get-it variation.
I’ll let the psychologists sort that out.
But it is good to know what phrases you over use, what gestures you keep giving your characters, what you keep going back to again and again.
What sorts of things do you repeat in your stories?
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So. Repeating myself with enthusiasm, for Story-a-Day I’ve got story number six posted. 25 stories left to go.
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 
I find I repeat a lot of “the” and “and” in my stories.
Glad to hear the challenge is going well.
Glad to see your sense of humor!
As for the challenge…it is going. Yes. Well is yet to be determined.
There’s always something unseen and/or untouchable in my stories, I guess ethereal would be the word. It’s hard to describe ethereal things. Don’t know why I can’t just stay in the real world. I also like to play out the question of reality vs. illusion.
Writing what you do is legitimate and cool.
“May beat.” Clever. (I don’t want you to panic that someone is noticing this (ha ha, no pressure or anything); I want you to be secure in the knowledge that someone is.)
I overuse forms of the word “vague.” Actually, I overuse synonyms for it, too. As you say, I’ll let the psychologists have that one.
On FoodTV (that again!), when people describe what they like about a particular dish, they very often use a construction which goes like this: “The [something of the something], the [something of the something else].” For instance: the saltiness of the bacon, the silkiness of the chocolate. They do this SO often that it practically jumps out of the TV at me.
I don’t do that, I hope at all. But I’ve noticed that I favor a particular sort of phrasing, and wish that I didn’t. (Didn’t favor it, or at least didn’t notice it. :)) It’s hard to describe but I’ll try to think of (notice!) an example.
I see that I like doors: there’s a whole story right there.
Well, there is this thing called style. Maybe you aren’t overusing a particular phrase. Maybe that’s your style!
At some point, please show me an example.
I almost deleted that bit about liking doors–a little puzzled/worried what that means.
I’m having a hard time with this challenge. I am going to see it through because I am happy with my stories, but I find myself falling behind. Starting a new job and being out of town was not the best month to also take on the challenge of writing a story a day.
Those do sound like big things going on. Well, the main goal is to write, and perhaps get a little better at it. So, keep writing even if you fall behind. Start your own personal challenge if you need to–write a few more days in June or something.
Just keep writing. There is no good time to be writing except for whenever you can.
I just realised that in the novel I’m writing, the two main characters have the same names as two characters in a short story I wrote that’s being published now. (Sorry – had to mention that, especially as it’s my first and it’s for charity – 100 Stories for Queensland.) Now I’m trying to think of new names.
No apologies necessary. You have full rights to sing from the rooftops. And besides, the detail is relevant!
Oh the name thing. So many things to consider with naming. One story I wrote had the names Jack and Jill. “Really?” said my friend. “Do you really want to do that?” Of course not. But i just didn’t think.