#writersofmastodon
@Priyajsridhar
I'm Elektra Hammond. Find me at https://www.untilmidnight.com
See me talk about SF/F, writing, comics, TV, and Supernatural at Con-Tinual (the Con that Never Ends) on Facebook and Youtube.
Look for my upcoming Well World story in Permutations edited by David Boop.
@Priyajsridhar
5. I’m thinking about NaNoWriMo again. I’ve tried several times, and always failed, at least partly because I was in the habit of going to 3 conventions in November, and working on at least 2 of them.
One of those has folded, probably for good, and I’ve cut back my SMOFing (conrunning) activities to nearly nil, so it’s probably time to try again.
Thanks for the reminder, Priya!
#Writephant #WritersofMastodon #WritingCommunity #amwriting #nanowrimo
@Priyajsridhar
4. I live in fall-(ish) flavors all year round–and I order hot chai when it’s 90-something degrees out.
Cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves.
#Writephant #WritersofMastodon #WritingCommunity #amwriting #TeaDrinkersUnite
#WordWeavers 9.26 — Is your antagonist or protagonist more fashionable?
My protagonist only cares what she wears, or if, fits the moment. She'd rather blend in or not be bothered with trifles.
For my antagonist, everything is free—so why not be fashionable?
My antagonist is an absolute ruler. That's over everywhere humanity lives, including the other worlds and nations. She allows everyone their illusion of autonomy and self-government, even those who succeed in making war against her. She abhors her genocides, so she puts up with inconveniences until they cease to fit her purposes. Technically, she employs everyone (with BASIC income for any who ask for it). All property rights flow through her, so everything's free.
Being fashionable, especially at tea parties, is a great hobby.
[Author retains copyright.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
1155 words written for the first scene of a new chapter that will be the new first chapter of my novel.
It's actually a pretty good piece of flash fiction in its own right (even if I do say so myself)
#writingcommunity #writersofMastodon #Iamwriting #writers #writing #novel #wip
@Priyajsridhar
3. Night owl all the way. If I could get the rest of the darn world to cooperate, and let me make doctor, dentist, etc appointments at *reasonable* times, my life would fall into place.
When I stay up late working, it really messes with either getting to appointments or just making them (ever call a doctor’s office after 4:30?).
#Writephant #WritersofMastodon #WritingCommunity #amwriting #NightOwlForLife
@Priyajsridhar
2. This weekend was wet and rainy here–generally kind of nasty. I huddled in a corner, safely indoors.
When the weather is nice, I will slip outside to stretch my legs (and game, but that’s a whole ‘nother thing) until it gets too cold. Then I will hibernate inside until spring.
I’m more productive the colder time of year, when I don’t want to leave the house . . .
I used to track daily word count with steep goals for the amount of words I needed to put on every project. That was...too much... and so now I track weekly word count (still totaling each project). Feels so much more organic and self-nurturing.
Just added monthly breakdowns to my spreadsheet for the year because I'm curious. I still think NaNo this year is out of reach, but I also think this is a good mental health barometer.
#WritersCoffeeClub day 25: What keeps me striving concerning my writing goals?
Remembering that I'm a storyteller. That 16 year old me was going to work on a horse farm and write books for a living and while I still have a day job at the moment, I live on a homestead with horses and I... wait for it... write books! So it's the ability to look back and go yeah, I did it. And I hope to do more.
The proposal contains some astonishing and almost certainly unworkable ideas re. collecting societies, authorship, attribution and tax (well, yes, this is France) that'd send the late Roger Moore's eyebrows into orbit.
https://www.technollama.co.uk/french-lawmakers-propose-new-copyright-law-about-generative-ai
#WritersHelpingWriters #authorlife
#authorsofmastodon #indieauthors #author #creativewriting
#writersofmastodon #writinglife #selfpublishing #writers
#writer #amWriting #writingcommunity #writing #WritersCoffeeClub
#WordWeavers 9.25 — Your antagonist gives a spontaneous speech. What is it about? CW: Frank language. (MC POV)
Bolt rolled me through the hall toward the Residency, the wheelchair clicking on the regular tiles. She said, "And ya think ya know what she'll harangue you on, a?"
"Do I? She's pissed I forced her to recognize him as an ambassador" —to his people, people who've been our enemies for centuries, making him a citizen. "She'll say," and I waved my leaden hands, flinging my blue blanket toward my knees with little energy, "'You're so weak-minded that you went and believed the first man who stuck his—'"
"Language!" Bolt said, then began cackling to herself.
I didn't often swear, but I did love to cut off people who did by interrupting with that word...
My face warmed as I realized what I was about to say, and that he had. That I might (and I mean /might/) be pregnant didn't make the situation better, either. And, he wasn't my first. Best maybe. "I demonstrated breaking his team leader's programming right in front of her eyes. Originally breaking his was accidental—" because I'd discovered I loved him "—the other two I accomplished because I understood what I'd done."
"Why migh' I doubt ya?" The day angel's right wing extended out before me, and a different primary feather warped upward as she ticked off, "His people invaded the week before? I fought em, remember? They infiltrated us? She can't believe you can deprogram in bulk? Might get yourself killed?"
I whispered, "Or that the deprogramming won't stick?" I sighed. "Nobody can read minds, tell if it worked... I get it, alright? This is why I made you captain of my guard."
"Not 'cause I'm cute? Or that I'm fast like lightning?" Bolt asked, stopping before the Director's door.
The Director started as rudely as I predicted, by the way.
[Author retains copyright.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
My Complete New AI Series Is Now Available Here: allauthor.com/author/pfcogan/
#WritersHelpingWriters #authorlife
#authorsofmastodon #indieauthors #author #creativewriting
#writersofmastodon #writinglife #selfpublishing #writers
#writer #amWriting #writingcommunity #writing #WritersCoffeeClub
NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU #Review
Alien Vs White Girl > Alien Vs Predator
Full Review #Link Below--- This No One Will Save You (2023) Review Has Meryl Streep Working At a Tollbooth To Prepare for her Role in The Tollbooth Murders! (Tagline- “The Toll…is Your Life”).
#NoOnewillsaveyou #horrorfam #hulu #horrorCommunity #movie #movies #moviereview #reviews #WritersOfMastodon #writingcommunity #read #reading #article #writer #film #films #cinema #cinemastodon #funny

The #minuscule
atom survived,
unchanged,
for billions of years
in the outer reaches of space.
Gas, gravity coalesced.
Scarves of nameless stars,
like grains of sand,
beyond Jupiter
lit up the sky.
Light bending,
black holes
devoid of sunshine,
stark, grief, dread
#art #acrylicpainting #vss365
#writer #poetry #prose #poets #artist #artistsofmastodon #mastoart #fediart #fediartist
#smallpoems #illustration #abstract #writersofmastodon
#poetsofmastodon

It's not feasible to completely avoid using external platforms, so make sure you're prepared for the inevitable issues.
https://kriswrites.com/2023/09/20/business-musings-platforms/
#WritersOfMastodon #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor
@authorindiespeak @writingcommunity
🎉Pre-order now from books2read.com/unsung
#qotd Tell me about a woman in a book who smashed the rules!
#somerset #book #indieAuthor #history #writersOfmastodon #histodon #shortStories #readingCommunity

A writer whose AI-assisted essay went viral reflects on testing GPT-3 early, Sudowrite's novel generator, and whether AI is good for writers and literature
https://www.wired.com/story/confessions-viral-ai-writer-chatgpt/
#WritersHelpingWriters #authorlife
#authorsofmastodon #indieauthors #author #creativewriting
#writersofmastodon #writinglife #selfpublishing #writers
#writer #amWriting #writingcommunity #writing #WritersCoffeeClub
Oh, hey - this one's for the writers.
Did you see I the "quotes" section on the page?
This campaign's been up for three and a half weeks, and I've been able to glean ten quotes that aren't from our core team. They are ten very good quotes, but if you can make a post for these last few days (we're working toward hiring Ukrainian illustrators for book art) I'd love to add your cool quote to that list.
Thank you, friends!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atthisarts/embroidered-worlds?ref=d9ycm3 #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon
The whole Third Person vs First Person writing debate is over. Let me introduce Fifth Person... 😂
@writers @writingcommunity @writing @humour
#AmWriting #Author #Authors #Writers
#Fun #With #Writing #Fifth #Person
#WritingWonders #WordWeavers #Writinglife #WritersOfMastodon
#BoostingIsSharing

It's Monday, which means a new edition of my weekly newsletter! General updates on the writing life and life in general, if you're into that sort of thing.
Found this in the garden today. I love finding these.
Sending out a bunch of luck to all you writers out there!

Checkov's Waterfall. If there's a waterfall in a scene, there will be a cave behind the waterfall in the next scene.
Check— I'm erasing that screen right now! Thanks.
#writing #writer #author #writingcommunity #writersofmastodon
#PennedPossibilities 82 — MC POV:
Where are you in your life right now?
Recovering from dying. Again. Revived. From blood poisoning, sepsis. Should be getting bed rest, but you know how it flapping is? No rest for the weary.
What are you most pleased with?
I. Have. Friends. Evil me never expected that, and I'm not sure I deserve it, but they insist and I'm going with it. That two are lovers is an unexpected bonus.
[Few serial spoilers. Author retains copyright.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
Did you know Word has an upper limit for the number of words you can pack into the customized dictionary? It does. And, once again, I've hit that limit.
#Writever 22 — Miracle
And. Like that. The purple glow around the creature's flesh snapped. Sticks, bits of crow-gathered metal, pastel river pebbles, and broom straw crashed and rolled across the burnt dance studio floor. Darkness lifted and afternoon sun streamed through the shattered windows. A breeze wafted in cherry blossom from the rustling trees outside and brimstone dissipated. In the end we'd fought off the demon trying to eat Mina for the last month with scissors duct-taped to a tripod, but our magic intertwined did it. She was half forest spirit and wholly human. Together we'd wanted to—hoped to—capture the demon; tried; but dead was safer, safer for her. I'd never lift the curse I suffered, now.
Her hand trembled over mine. "It's over?"
"It's over."
"Really?"
I nodded. "We can go back. To school." I felt loneliness descending. "To just being neighbors again."
Blue eyes scanned down from mine, at my chest, lower down, then up. I was still a woman, from now to forever. She let go of the tripod; so did I and it dropped with a aluminum and rubber clatter, as her smile softened. I expected loss. I felt loss, but her smile softened. She asked, "So there's no needing to protect me any more? No magical excuses for propriety, purity? No hiding?"
I sighed. Nodded. My childhood friend, whom I trained in secret to save, was safe. I missed us and the before we'd lived already.
Her embrace came so suddenly, so tightly, so warmly she knocked my breath away. My back struck the mirrored wall, followed by my skull. What her lips did next had me struggling, though I didn't want to, not completely, not entirely.
I needed to breathe!
"Mina, Mina! Please. I'm cursed. I'm not whole—"
She held me at arms-length, angered, then smiling again, tears streaming. "You're you. Whatever is on the outside, it's you on the inside. You! It's you! And, that's all that matters to me, and, and I'm not holding back what I feel any longer—"
I thought, /So this is what a miracle feels like./
[Author retains copyright]
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
I got lucky and had #NightCafe give me a really good portrait for Sidian Rein, the main character in my new free-to-read #scifi story, Starbrood....[[|:-)
#WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity #writersofmastodon #mediumwriters #indieauthor #amwriting #writers #readers
Medium: https://medium.com/@minus1digit/list/starbrood-c1de5c6c474a
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/350198272-starbrood

OK, I’m done waiting. It’s been two weeks. I’m not sure if that’s long enough, but today I’m going to do a read-through of my first draft of Book 2 in my series, and will soon make a start on the rewrites.
I know some people would leave it longer, but I’m impatient and excited to get on with it. Partly that’s because I’m hoping to get the editing process done by the end of October so I can write Book 3 for NaNoWriMo. Not sure I’ll make it, but I can try.
Fandom: #TheSandman (TV)
Relationship: Johanna Constantine/Rachel Moodie
Category: F/F
Rating: T
Words: 250
A heatwave is upon them.
(Featuring a touch starved Johanna, liberal use of the word fuck, suggestive sexual themes.)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/48362467
#TheSandmanNetflix #Sandman #JohannaConstantine #RachelMoodie #Femslash #Fandom #Fanfiction #Fanfic #AO3 #WLW #Sapphic #Summer #WritingCommunity #MastoWriters #Writing #WritersOfMastodon
Fandom: #TheSandman (TV)
Relationship: Johanna Constantine/Rachel Moodie
Genres: Fluff, Romance
Category: F/F
Rating: G
Words: 250
Johanna is in the middle of raking leaves when Rachel startles her.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50157634
#Sandman #TheSandmanNetflix #JohannaConstantine #RachelMoodie #Femslash #Fanfiction #Fanfic #AO3 #Fandom #WLW #Sapphic #Autumn #Fall #Romance #WritingCommunity #MastoWriters #WritersOfMastodon #Writing
#ImagePrompt #WritingPrompt #WritingCommunity #writers #writersofmastodon #AuthorCommunity
riding a space elevator shuttle that moves at mach ten - made with NightCafe Creator https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/kl4vokSo9hF5M86cjtkr #aiart #nightcafe #digitalart #vqganclip via @NightcafeStudio
Sitting down at your desk and typing words on your keyboard? Yep, not only is that writing, that’s “content creation.” Way to go, writer.
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/things-that-count-as-writing
#WritersHelpingWriters #authorlife
#authorsofmastodon #indieauthors #author #creativewriting
#writersofmastodon #writinglife #selfpublishing #writers
#writer #amWriting #writingcommunity #writing #WritersCoffeeClub
"It rarely takes more than a page to recognize that you’re in the presence of someone who can write, but it only takes a sentence to know you’re dealing with someone who can’t."
https://www.villagevoice.com/i-will-not-read-your-fucking-script/
Amazon KDP is limiting the number of titles that can be created in order to limit the impact of AI-generated books.
https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Update-on-KDP-Title-Creation-Limits
#WritersOfMastodon #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor
@authorindiespeak @writingcommunity
After a lot of back-and-forth over the book's focus, I finally got the first chapter written for 'Nightshade's Emporium'. It'll be good to balance the darker and more dramatic (and ghoulish) plots of the other books under the 'Grotesqueries' heading with dry humor as well as a contemporary setting.
So yay, progress!
#WritingLife #Writing #WritersOfMastodon #Books #Gothic #GothicFiction #Humor

#PennedPossibilities 81 — How does your MC deal with stress?
Generally by getting better at her job.
Pretty well, then, right? However...
If the stressor puts her into a position where she lacks control to do anything to keep people from being hurt or killed, it can trigger her PTSD. I haven't seen this from the outside (I write in 1st POV), but I imagine she has the grace of a zombie as she tries to control her panic. She nearly blew herself up once. There is a scene involving a technicolor yawn to the porcelain god, but her lover brings her back to her senses and cleans her up.
Pretty poorly, then, right?
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
#WordWeavers 9.24 — Any unusual animals mentioned in your story?
Here's a magnifying glass. Examine this feather closely.
Notice its sky blue color and its crystalline translucency. Use the magnifier and you'll quickly see the color isn't entirely due to blue pigment because while the vanes contain keratin, they also contain crystalized proteins and reduced metallic elements. This feather reflects the blue of the sky above. Inside a building, it would take on blue-tinted colors.
Focusing on the structure, notice the feather is only superficially avian with a hollow quill or calamus, down, and fluffy afterfeather. The shaft, the rachis, is twinned and twinned again, twisted for flexural strength but allowing the elements to shift against one another providing tensile strength beyond anything evolved in birds. The drift of the barbs resemble the iron-filing force lines of a strong magnet, cut and trimmed to a feather shape. Close examination of the vane structure shows how the extra shafts warp the force-line barbs, allowing hook-like structures to engage or disengage, not only to form various airfoil patterns but to complete circuits formed of dozen-atom thick steel paths grown throughout the structure. That's what causes the sheen and diffraction rainbow when you twirl the feather, not sebum that might be coating the feather.
This specimen is unique in that the hook structure is more pronounced and ratchet-like, and thus a real pain when preening because the barbs don't zip and unzip easily. Some barbs thin to a hundred nanometers at the very edge of the vane on the leading side. If you snapped your feather in your hand in just the right way to engage the barbs, increasing the torsional strength by an order of magnitude, then swiped it across your palm, it could cut like a razor—and I mean a razor; a paper cut wouldn't compare. The rare individual possessing primary feathers of this sort would be called a razor wing.
That blood red line at the leading edge of the feather is corundum. Aluminum impurities must have been abundant in this individual's diet to form that ruby edge. Slash this feather properly against glass and the ruby would scratch it deeply and as easily as a regular feather would cut warm butter. Slash it wrong and the feather would shatter.
What you hold in your hand is a day angel's feather.
It came from a man named Crys. Humans are animals, right?
[From the Reluctance series. Author retains copyright.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
SATANIC HISPANICS #Review
#Horror anthology with 5 Hispanic directors. You wish it was a horror anthology with 5 decent #scary shorts.
The individual stories start off well enough before fizzling out into incoherence or flat out boredom.
Hoping Satanic Hispanics Dos will be mas mejor.
Full Review #Link below-- This Satanic Hispanics (2022) Review Has Christopher Nolan Directing A Non-Batman Movie With More than One Word In Its Title!
#satanichispanics #horror #HorrorFam #horrorCommunity #Movie #movies #reviews #WritersOfMastodon #writingcommunity #reading #article #writer #film #films #cinema #cinemastodon #funny #movieReviews #moviereview

Day 24 of #WritersCoffeeClub, thanks to
@johnhowesauthor , Shannon and @elektra .
What are my biggest bugbears with publishing?
I probably am not the best person to ask, given that I'm not actively seeking publishers right now.
I guess not knowing where to start and the consistent issues I've heard from others on #writersofmastodon regarding what agents and publishers actually want, but that's an eternal issue that stems from monetising something so personal.
#WordWeavers 9.23 — What is your favorite drink while writing?
Decaf coffee. I've taken a liking to a vanilla nut whole bean from Fraiser Farms, which I grind then brew a DeLonghi machine. I add 2 oz. of oat milk and a spoon of coconut sugar.
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 1 #23 — Do you read your drafts aloud? How does this help?
Yes. Immediately. I pretend I'm reading for an audience and do a dramatic reading. (Often while on the treadmill, with my iPad in front of me, correcting as I go, but that's me.) It is one of the two ways I proofread my manuscripts.
The other is by having my device read to me. On the iPhone, I find this voice the most pleasant: Voices->Spoken Content->English->Alex. I especially like the way this voice says, "Yes," and single word sentences.
I have a well-understood inability to see errors in my writing. I'm told that many writers do. I see what I thought I wrote, not the ghastly grunge my fumbling fingers petulantly perpetrated!
When read, the difference between what my mind sees and what my eyes see causes me to get tongue tied. This helps me uncover my many sins. Having the device read to me uncovers tons of other errors, like repeated repeated words, missing words, bad plurals, and punctuation faults.
Some chapters may get read or listened to a dozen times. Fortunately, I've liked my stories a lot recently.
The last step is the beta reader, of course. There's always something. Always.
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
Writer's scam alert - if you're an #editor or a #ghostwriter don't take any work from people affiliated with Fiction Profits Academy. It's some kind of dreadfully underpaying scam organization trying to convince people that they can !make money! by underpaying freelancers.
#WritersHelpingWriters #authorlife
#authorsofmastodon #indieauthors #author #creativewriting
#writersofmastodon #writinglife #selfpublishing #writers
#writer #amWriting #writingcommunity #writing #WritersCoffeeClub
SEASON 2 IS ALMOST HERE!
Official Site: http://postmortemreport.com
YouTube: http://youtube.com/@ThePostMortemReport
#podcast #podcasts #podcasting #authorcast #comingsoon #booksofmastodon #authorsofmastodon #writersofmastodon #bookstodon #booktodon @bookstodon

My Complete New AI Series Is Now Available Here: allauthor.com/author/pfcogan/
#WritersHelpingWriters #authorlife
#authorsofmastodon #indieauthors #author #creativewriting
#writersofmastodon #writinglife #selfpublishing #writers
#writer #amWriting #writingcommunity #writing #WritersCoffeeClub

Wake up back there! It's time for a critical lecture on contamination and purity from the Professor Emeritus of Undead Biology of The House of Forbidden Knowledge!
#Horror #HorrorFiction #WritersCommunity #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #WritersOnMastodon #FreeeOnSubstack
Do you think 'people don't books read anymore' or have most people never been readers?
I feel like there are more book readers now than ever. We've never been a majority. Most people I knew growing up only read when they had to (for school/church).
I wrote a whole ass article about why I like rocks lol 🪨💜
I swear it’s cooler than it sounds
@writing @philosophy #amwriting #writersofmastodon #philosophy #mentalhealth #depression #selfcare #geology #writingcommunity #mindfulness #spirituality #animism #writerslift
Where is my #writingcommunity? Trying to find a new home to learn about where to submit, and where I can read others' work. We're in this together.
#introduction I didn't see this option until after I posted. I will do up a better introduction soon :)
If you are a writer, or journal, Say hi. Follow me and I'll follow you.
(Is that how it works here?)
#Writing #Writers #AmWriting #Writingtogether #FlashFiction #writer #literary #brandnewhere #WritersOfMastodon #writershelpingwriters #writerslife #microfiction #help

Y'all this short story is *so* good:
https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/the-ascension-of-magdalene/
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Reading #WritersOfMastodon #ShortStory #Fiction
The keys to #writing productivity (for me) are:
1. Don't try too hard - good things should flow easily. If I get stuck, I move on and come back to it later.
2. Make it fun. If it's not fun, what's the point?
3. Balance mental work with physical activity.
4. Get plenty of sleep. Nap as needed.

Hey #Writers
Do you have any tips for coming up with titles for your stories?
I’m having a hard time coming up with them at the moment. Like, I have a series working title, but not for the individual books, and it’s starting to bug me.
🖤Hey you!🖤
Would you like to show me love for my birthday (that is on the 23rd) but are broke as fuck like I am?
Well, visit the link below and and share it!
There are stories you can listen to for free!
In two formats! Video and Audio!
The audio will soon have all 30 current episodes.
The more it fills Eye holes and Ear gets in front of Ears to be seen, the better!
If you really want you could also check out the rest of that website for ways to gift me things or buy things for yourself I made.
Best way to give me a gift.🦇
Or money, I like money. 💀
VENMO/CASHAPP - nailsthatglow
:flag_nonbinary::flag_transgender::flag_rainbow:
#story #shortstory #video #podcast #queer #nonbinary #writer #writersofmastodon #birthday #lgbtq #writing #horror #fantasy #sciencefiction #drama #noir #weirdfiction #strangefiction #solarpunk #robots #monsters #detective #trans #lesbian #gay #bipoc #casual #adventure #dramatic #tragic #superhero
Q3. I think I've had a character who's a big reader in all my books. It's my go-to hobby :)
Q4. I feel like I constantly do have to look up/research things (like care and feeding of lucky bamboos). Undoubtedly, when writing, it's faster to incorporate skills the author is already familiar with. For example, I've played tennis but not, say curling. But sometimes you just need to have your characters slide stones across ice!
#writephant
#WritersofMastodon
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing
I'm going to combine two #writephant questions in one post, since they're related! here we go:
Q3. Do any of your characters have a hobby that secretly reflects your own passion?
Q4. Conversely, do any of your characters have a hobby that necessitated a lot of research on your part?
#writephant
#WritersofMastodon
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing
The main character in my WIP has a house and office full of plants -- but they're all the same exact plant, dozens and dozens of them. They're all water bamboos, also known as lucky bamboo. (Despite the name, they're not really bamboo but water lilies!)
#writephant
#WritersofMastodon
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing
Q2. What’s the quirkiest hobby you’ve ever incorporated into a character’s life?
#writephant
#WritersofMastodon
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing
In my WIP, all three central characters have side hobbies. Without the hobbies, they would be incomplete characters... One is writing a screenplay in their free time (which gives him hope). Another has a dog (she longs for a connection, to feel valued). The third takes care of plants (as a reminder of a person missing from his life)
#writephant
#WritersofMastodon
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing
Q1. Why might a character need a hobby/side interest in addition to their main occupation in the story?
#writephant
#WritersofMastodon
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing
Welcome to tonight's #writephant! The topic is HOBBIES.
As always, we start by asking, How are you doing this Monday? What is bringing you joy today?
Join us for a live chat in an hour! I'm hosting and today's topic is HOBBIES.

Hey #WritersOfMastodon I need your help! We're doing a series on Building Characters, and with that, we're going to be recording a set of podcast on Character Agency, but we need another subtopic.
Here's what we have so far:
What is agency and why is it important?
How to show agency well
Agency with lack of control/passive characters
??
What do you think? Anything that would fit well in that fourth spot?
Wake up! It's time for the campus tour!
#Horror #HorrorFiction #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #WritersOnMastodon #FreeOnSubstack
Are you excited?! CAMPUS TOUR TOMORROW!
Subscribe now (FREE!) to make sure you don't miss it!
#Horror #HorrorFiction #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity #WritersOnMastodon #WritersOfMastodon #FreeOnSubstack

#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 1 #17 — How do you promote your writing?
This is the reason I am on Mastodon. I hope that didn't sound callus or self-serving, but it is a first step for me going from traditional commercial agent-mediated publishing to publishing commercially myself.
By being here, I am making an effort to help others with my experience as a published author and am encouraging writers who are feeling the less fun side of writing. As always, I am open to questions either as public comments because #commentingIsCool or via private mention toots.
I'm also getting samples of my writing out there, and preparing to go with a website in the near future. In the background, I'm revising unpublished manuscripts and publishing some non-commercial novel-length works on another site under different alias.
I also feel I'm networking. I'm connecting with lots of other authors and hopeful I'm find some of my Clarion buddies one day.
I am very much looking forward to other answers to this prompt! I really need ideas.
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
Hey #Writers
How long do you wait between finishing your first draft and then editing it?
I only finished my first draft of Book 2 in my series a week ago, and after today’s outlining session on Book 3, I’m kinda itching to get on with the editing of Book 2, so I can get into writing Book 3 as soon as possible.
Just wondering if I need more time between my first draft and edits.
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersofMastodon #AmOutlining #AmEditing #Writing #Outlining #Editing
Here's a bit about bravery.
A dear friend of mine threw a birthday party for his sweet youngling - a princess party.
There she was with all her friends. Tiaras, cutsy dresses, and of course plastic foam swords. Those ladies need no knights.
However, adults are stupid, and think a man dressed as a dragon would spruce up a perfect gathering of powerful shield maidens.
Have you ever seen how a lot of kids react to Santa? They cry in fear.
The same thing happened here.
Utter terror in her face. She quivered, she gasped.
And then she charged the beast anyway.
#Poetry #MastodonPoetry #Poem #MastodonPoets #Poet #Writing #PoetsOfMastodon #Poets #WritersOfMastodon #PoetsSociety #Bravery
My #outlining for Book 3 in my series is going well today.
I’ve been #writing down my ideas with pen and paper, and I've written so much today that my hand hurts.
That’s a good thing, right?
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersofMastodon #AmOutlining
That's such a cool idea. Wish there was something similar here for writers based in Ireland, or perhaps even Ireland & the UK.
My mother sent me this quote from Jane Smiley. Perhaps someone else needs to hear this today as well:
“Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.”
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersofMastodon #AmEditing #Writing #Editing
It's your moonthly (monthly on the dark-of-the-moon) House of Forbidden Knowledge Study Guide!
Make sure you haven't missed any critical classes. EVERYTHING will be on the test!
#Horror #HorrorFiction #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity #WritersOnMastodon #WritersOfMastodon #FreeOnSubstack
https://thofk.substack.com/p/monthly-study-guide-september-2023
#PennedPossibilities 72 — MC POV: Describe a recent dream.
I woke feeling claustrophobic. I flailed my hands, found them gloved, clinked the fishbowl surrounding my head. I blinked. Hadn't I just read a newspaper article of the 200th anniversary of profound discovery?
I focused—and saw them: Plates of glass... No /crystal/ floating, gliding, maintaining position. Bright searchlights gleamed, each a minor star. Fuzzy lights: Nebulae. Two-hundreds standards away, I saw an egg-shaped crystal-scaph. White with black-orientation lines and the words HOME-SPACE. It got smaller as I watched.
A daemon had lifted the vehicle on a wish and a miracle. A night angel maneuvered it once in space.
Space.
Space! I was...
My tether flapped around, spewing frost. Snapped.
I jerked, starting rotating, A blue marble rotated into view and I screamed.
[Author retains copyright. From a current SF WiP]
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#EntertainOrDie
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders
I can now announce that I've sold my first straight-up horror story, "Midnight Meal at a Kobe Noodle Joint."
It will run in Stupefying Stories 26--their all-horror issue. Current target for release date is October 1.
For my Codexian friends, this was my story from Round 3 of the 2020 Flash Savior of the Universe contest.
I am psyched to send this out into the world.
#AmWritingHorror
#AmWriting
#WritersOfMastodon #AuthorsOfMastodon
#Bookstodon
#WritingCommunity
#AmWritingFiction
Did you hear what the thunder just saId?
#Horror #HorrorFiction #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity #WritersOnMastodon #WritersOfMastodon #FreeOnSubstack
Hello #Writersofmastodon! This is a #WritingPrompt account for the magical and beauty of nature. I'm so eager to see what beautiful works of art you write! Let us delve into the world of the written word. Your first word is... Exotic! Reply to this post with your artful scribe, and I will boost it! #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #Nature @penprompts@a.gup. Please remove the penprompts account when you reply #FindAPrompt #Exotic
Hey #writers!
Where do you sit on the plotter/panster spectrum? Do you outline in great detail, discovery write the whole thing, or are you somewhere in between?
I tried pantsing my first few novels, and I ended up getting stuck and not finishing them. So I tried a detailed outline. I finished the novel. (Yay!) But I found I didn’t stick to the outline at all. The story evolved as I wrote it, and I found my new scenes were much better than the ones I’d originally planned to do. But I still couldn’t discovery write the whole thing without something of an outline to work with.
With my second novel I wrote a much briefer outline, just a few sentences per chapter. Again the story evolved as I wrote it and I needed to update the outline about four times throughout writing the first draft. But hey, it worked and I completed the first draft.
I guess I’m a bit of both, plotter and panster. At least for now.
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersofMastodon #Writing #AmEditing
Working on more for The House of Forbidden Knowledge. Coming soon (for free!) to http://thofk.substack.com
#Horror #HorrorFIction #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity #WritersOnMastodon #WritersOfMastodon
#FreeOnSubstack
To effectively market your books, you must be enthusiastic about them.
https://jimsmarketingblog.com/2023/09/05/marketing-blogs-ethusiasm/
#WritersOfMastodon #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor
@authorindiespeak @writingcommunity
#WritersCoffeeClub 12 — If you write novels, would you consider a short story, and vice versa?
I'm a novelist. They all start as short stories. They rarely end up that way.
#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon
#Writephant Q2: Do you have your characters eat on page? Why or why not?
Today I found out that my essay “The Anxious Writer” has been purchased by Open Minds Quarterly, my story “This is the Time Just before Spider Woman Meets Kiviuq” has been purchased by the Delta Literary Arts Society, and my story “Wolf Mother” has begun its editorial process at Augur Magazine. I also have two short stories coming out in an anthology called Mihko Kiskisiwin (Blood Memory) published by the Indigenous Poets Society, possibly as soon as this December. https://www.openmindsquarterly.com @indigenousauthors #WritingCommunity #Essayist #CNF #ShortStory #WritersOfMastodon #AuthorsOfMastodon #LivedExperience #Anxiety #MentalHealth
4 Horror Movies Like The Last Voyage of the Demeter That Have a Vampire, Boat, or a Black Doctor! (#Link Below)
#horror #horrorMovie #horrorCommunity #horrorFam #horrorFamily #film #films #filmmastodon #movies #movie #cinemastodon #cinema #reading #read #funny #fun #listicle #writer #WritersOfMastodon #writingcommunity #WritersOfMastodon #Talktome #mutantfam #vampire #boat
It’s been quite a ride getting this first Kickstarter out the door. It feels like the hurdle to learning how to self-publish, but all over again. I’m smarter for it, but it’s draining. I’m looking forward to the coming days and weeks seeing how people react to the #Kickstarter and it releases. I really feel like it’s my best work yet.
Has anyone else felt the same releasing a Kickstarter?
#Writers #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersOfMastodon #WritersLift #Bookstodon
@Chrishallbeck
Um... I resemble this comic. Here I am on Mastodon, writing a reply while my presentation, that I will being giving at a tech conference on Sept 11th (not ominous, right?), is still in outline form. I've been avoiding is for two months. Arrrrggghhh!
Strongly, I feel suddenly motivated! (And an idiot.)
#writingCommunity #writer #writersOfMastodon #author #nonfiction
Time to update my #WritingPrompt & #Writer Hashtag list (and remind myself -again- to use hashtags 😉 ).
Prompts About Wips
#WordWeavers
#PennedPossibilities
#WritersCoffeeClub
Short Fiction Prompts
#Vss365
#MastoPrompt
#MicroPrompt
Poetry Tags
#Poetry
#Micropoetry
#Hailku
#PoetryCommunity
#VssPoem
#575prompt
Writer Tags
#WordWeavers
#Writer
#WritersLife
#WritersofMastodon
#Fantasy
Author Tags
#Bookstodon
#LGBTQBooks
#AuthorsOfMastodon
#IndieAuthor
It’s the first truly dark and dreary rainy day in Stockholm #today. I’m celebrating by staying in bed, reading fiction I didn’t write, and starting a thread for #WritersCoffeeClub to add to through the month of September. Look at those prompts! I LOVE talking about the nerderies of writing! (and curmudgeonly muttering about publishing in general) Join us!
#AmWriting #WritersOfMastodon #WritingCommunity #WordWeavers

#meme #overthinking #amwriting #writerslife #writersofmastodon
Not calling anybody out but myself, but... if you are with me, give it a boost or a star ;)
For anyone in the #WritingCommunity - #AmWriting or #Writing #WritersOfMastodon - there are two tags worth following which will nudge you along with daily prompts to exercise you #WIP: #WritersCoffeeClub and #WordWeavers
New monthly sets of questions posted in advance, so you've no excuse 😜
Thanks to @BranwenOShea & @AlinaLeonova for Word Weavers, and @johnhowesauthor for the Writers Coffee Club
There's no such thing as "cringe."
You like what you like at different phases of your life - and so does everyone else.
As long as no one gets hurts? Like what you like, and create with joy. #CreateIt22
Hello!
Thank you all for the overwhelming (in the best way) support for my stories! It truly means a lot that so many people are willing to read my work, give feedback, and help me grow as a writer!
Optional: If you want to show MORE support, you can donate to my dream of publishing one of my books by Buying Me a Book (Coffee)!
Link to Buy Me a Book (Coffee):
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hserotonin
All donations go into a savings account, where I will use the money to publish a book I am writing, hoping to have it everywhere in bookstores.
It will be a long journey for me, but I believe it can become a reality with your support!
Thank you for reading this; take care, and happy reading!
Tags:
#writing #writingcommunity #author #writer #writerslife #support #community #mastodon #reading #reader #WritersOfMastodon #writers #writerslife
Si Clarke on content warnings, and why she includes them in her books.
https://whitehartfiction.co.uk/blog/behold-she-blogs/content-warnings-are-not-censorship
via @clacksee
#WritersOfMastodon #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor
@authorindiespeak @writingcommunity
Perched on one of my favourite spots
- poets know it well;
the place humanity files by unfiltered.
Sat there, I watch the local street workers
trying to contain the avalanche of the lost.
I see Ahmed, who prays to Allah before his fix
in an attempt to make the pain flow easy.
I watch him lurch in front of two gods fighting for his mind.
Shortly after, he calms.
He sings a tune calling for home, I assume.
I never asked.
He staggers over to my bench,
Smiles,
'You know you worry too much, don't you?!'
I nod. We both blink into a late summer sun.
Here, perched on my favourite spot:
Poets know it well.
#Poetry #MastodonPoetry #Poem #MastodonPoets #Poet #Writing #PoetsOfMastodon #Poets #WritersOfMastodon #PoetsSociety #Drugs
Summer storms brings scents of petrichor
Sea salt, sand and coconut oil
Lightning forks cut through deep thoughts
As dark clouds swirl above
Sun light delicate
Unpicks the gloom
Melting my
Sundae
Treat
#poetry #poem #Nonet #micropoetry #PoetryLovers #PoetryCommunity #writingcommunity #writersofMastodon #Poets #999thToot
If you are a #writer new to Mastodon, please consider joining us tonight for our Monday evening chat (7:00 pm EDT), #Writephant.
An #introduction to #Writephant: The four of us @Priyajsridhar , @adriabailton @elektra @neve take turns hosting each week. There are 4-5 questions... Jump in and answer any or all! I'm hosting today and the topic is...
--> Thoughts vs Feelings
Wherever you are on the writing journey, we'd love for you to join us! #WritingCommunity #WritersofMastodon #amwriting
For my next absurdist trick I'm plotting, muder, milk, toilet paper, and tuna 😂
@writers @writingcommunity @writing @authorindiespeak @philosophy
#Writing #Writer #IndieAuthor
#TomGauld #Plotting #Absurd #Philosophy
#WritingLife #WritingWonders #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon
Hey #Mastodon, this time I have a #blogpost about you! This week I decided to talk about all of my experiences in the first few weeks of using this social media, specifically as a #mystery #writer. Special mention to several #writingprompt hashtags that I've found, and what I like or what I wish there was more of here on this network.
https://michaelthomet.com/2023/08/17/the-elephant-in-the-room/