Thursday July 16 at 7 p.m. MDT, StoryClub will be hosting an author Q&A with Erin Stewart, YA author of novels including SCARS LIKE WINGS and THE WORDS WE KEEP. Learn more about Erin's writing and read her official (and unofficial!) bio here. For our 30k in 30 Days adventurers, Erin's name might sound familiar—Erin is the presenter for that oh-so-helpful "Surviving the First Draft" recorded class in the 30k in 30 Days course! What questions do you have for Erin? Comment them here and then tune in next Thursday to hear her answers! And don't forget, those who attend are entered into the book giveaway contest 🎁📖

Word count: 5542 I had a good thing going for the first five days, then I missed a day . . . and then another . . . and now here we are 😅 My strategy was writing at night after work, but naturally it became more enticing to do other things instead. So my new plan is to write in the morning, or at least earlier in the day rather than just saving writing for last. I’m not so far behind I can’t catch up, so here’s to being on track at my week 2 check-in!

Hello all! Late to the party but happy to be joining! My name is Brindizi and I love reading, writing, and teaching--especially when it comes to teens. I've taught at a junior high school for three years and will be moving to teach in South Korea next month! I love all kinds of books and my current WIP is a YA travel abroad romance. I'm happy to swap books and give/receive feedback!

I'm Angela, an on-again-off-again writer with a fantasy/magical realism bent. I also work as a book editor and memoir ghostwriter, so recently I've been focused more on other people's words than my own (I know—excuses, excuses). When I'm not absorbed in Merriam-Webster or Chicago Manual of Style, my other office is a boat on the river, where I'm either coaching a rowing team or rowing myself. I've published a bit in poetry and shortform narrative nonfiction, but I'm still hoping to finish one of the novel-length WIPs in my folder someday soon, even if it never sees a bookshelf! Looking forward to learning and writing with all of you. Always happy to nerd out about books, focaccia, and anything linguistics 😎

Because I did NOT start my 30k in 30 days yesterday like I originally planned 😅 However, I just did 1,014 words tonight, so I'm on track to finish 30k by the end of July. Is it going to be a cohesive novel? Absolutely not. I'm still kind of finding my voice for this story, which is one that's been bouncing around in my head (and occasionally bleeding onto a page) for the last few years. So my goal isn't necessarily to have a 30k novella at the end of July, but to have written 30k of story-related words. Bonus points if a portion of those words end up being usable in a future draft 😂 I watched Erin Stewart's "Surviving the First Draft" video today from the 30k class before writing, and if you haven't yet I highly recommend! She does a great job breaking down the main plot parts of a first draft (or any draft, really). I feel much less pressure to produce a cohesive narrative and more free to just write and see what happens. Good luck, fellow 30k folks 🫡