#writingwonders

5 hours ago

#WritingWonders Day 4: MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Ángel Castillo says: We city shamans don't like to leave the City, for obvious reasons. But I went across the bay to Oakland a week ago, to see a fellow shaman I know over there to talk about some things that are going on. We normally coordinate some routine stuff, but right now there's something unusual and big going on, and I need to get to the bottom of it.

Gah Learner

6 hours ago

Stevie: Was there a time when I didn't travel in the past few weeks? Where to start... I'd say the latest was when I fled the enemy's capital and travelled across half of the continent by gryphon, horse and foot. And no, I wasn't alone. Someone was travelling with me, but I don't know if it is wise to say who it was...
#WritingWonders #GL623

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

7 hours ago

#WritingWonders 6.4 — "When was the last time you traveled?"

Title: Sharp Tool a'Traveling

I looked down at the rucksack I'd thrown on the silver satin bedspread, then the few flimsy pieces of under-clothing I'd pulled from a drawer. Anyone could see how worn the travel bag was, especially where the sleeping pad had rubbed against the canvas. Bolt was into her chains, piercings, and hardware, and for what it was worth, lots of complimentary (read: punk) clothing, not to mention cosmetics.

Unlike me.

I wore clothing only to the extent it was functional. I was a minimalist. Minimalism made it easier to run away. It took me a moment to interpret the day angel's expression.

I said, "Yeah, below my station. I don't give a flapping—"

"That's your luggage? Where did you go?"

I shoved in some light green shorts and a form-fitting top, made of technical fabric that could handle the humidity of our destination: Her home town, where the masquerade would take place. [The Masquerade Invitation: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110250683189485013] Of course, everyone knew my past and I'd been pardoned of my crimes. Still...

"Well," I started, "I decided I wanted to see more of the country. When I discussed it with a guy, he gave me a map through the costal forests to the southern route to Home City. [Wild Encounter: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/109842477740039509] I had quit my job in Harbor City, and wanted to take some time off."

Bolt lifted the rucksack, eying it suspiciously, then drew her face back after sniffing it. "You walked all that way?"

"Yeah, I did."

"That had to take, what, two months?"

"Four; should've taken six." I answered. Bolt spotted something, then held the bag and looked ready to scratch it off with a fingernail. "Don't," I added, and she jerked her hand back.

"That looks like blood."

"It is. Citron's."

She dropped the rucksack. "Strange souvenir. Begs a question. Why? Why the trip? Why such a long one?"

I drew a few worn magic books from my bookshelf, and my notebook, and shoved them in with a quill. I shrugged. "I wanted to disappear long enough that people would assume somebody had killed me: gave me cement shoes and thrown me in the bay."

Bolt looked at the blood stain. "You assumed wrong?"

"People don't think you could accidentally go from a nobody to a championship prizefighter to running a crime syndicate in barely three years. You have to be competent. Worse, they don't think someone obviously so competent would suddenly disappear after running the organization for a few weeks. I had. All that. Accidentally.

"I don't think the boss thought I'd really let her die.

"I ghosted the organization—after fixing it so it wouldn't implode after the gang war. Running it was a complete, stupid-headed, diversion from my goal of learning magic. I was totally incompetent to run it. I wasn't bloody-minded enough. I knew factions didn't like the changes I made, and would soon try to kill me, unless I did something about it. What I did was choose to leave." [The Wanted Poster: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110136451462609798]

"They went after you?"

"Dunno. Maybe? Probably? Maybe the boss' plans within plans followed after her death? Turns out that Director Rainy Days had been watching me all along. She had thought of my misadventures as training. Of course something happened. Why not? My luck. Who's fault? Them? Her Highness? I dunno. I got tangled up in one of their schemes, and, well, um... I resolved it in the Director's favor. Afterward, she had the temerity to criticize me for wimping out with the syndicate! For not following my vision of wanting to make the organization more legit!"

"Wait? She wanted you to kill— to let people die..." Bolt swallowed visibly. "To fix things?"

"That's Rainy Days for you. That's why you should never trust an absolute ruler."

"And she made you her heir?"

I pulled my ivory-handled jackknife from my messenger bag; popped it open with a click. The razor flashed and gleamed as if it were alive, preening for us. I was being used, by the Director, pretty much as I'd used this very blade, sticking it into someone's chest—oddly enough, to save them. I closed it with the palm of my hand, and dropped the sharp tool into my rucksack.

A sharp tool had to be used improperly to be made evil. Would I use it on this trip? Was I being used? Misused?

I already knew I was evil.

I said, "Yeah. Go figure. She's immortal. You wonder why I don't trust her?"

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #microfiction #suddenfiction

D.T. Bella

#WritingWonders 6/5: What is the meaning of your MC's name? Does it fit their personality?

The 'Yae' part of his name is a Fairic prefix indicating he has florakind magic. There are similar prefixes for the other elements.

Some fairies, like Charlys, don't have magic. As such, they don't have a prefix on their names.

As for suiting him, Yaetherim is tenacious. Once he has the seed of an idea, he won't let it go easily.

Amber

#writing #writer #scifi #sciencefiction #oc #originalcharacter #writingcommunity

#writingwonders 06-04: MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

We're in the middle of traveling to Acrux right now. We probably won't stay long. We just need a refuel and to restock some of our supplies.

Andrea, Woman of Letters

#WritingWonders for June 4: [MC POV] When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Do you mean, where I personally traveled for my own reasons, or where I was transported to? It's a sticky difference in my case.

In order to retain my own agency, I'm going to say that the last place I traveled to was the planet Mayheux. Aptly named for an entomologist. I was smuggled in on an Elf freighter after escaping federal agents who think I'm a terrorist.

I went there to search for the people who both killed me and were responsible for creating me. You had to be there. I was certain that they were the ones who caused all my troubles.

Amber

#writingwonders 05-16: Is your MC good at relationships in general?

Not really. Altair's a very distrustful person and typically believes most people are selfish, cruel and manipulative. As a result, he's very intimidating and cold to those he first meets. It's not impossible for him to warm up to you though it takes a long time to build trust with him. However, if you do gain his trust, he will become very supportive and kind. If you're in trouble, he'll always be there for you.

Altair standing with his arms crossed looking a little unhappy about something.

#WritingWonders Jun 4: [MC POV] When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why? [cont.]

In our world, romantic interests come and go but one lives and dies with close friends. Nothing can break a team apart. To ditch a friend, a partner in survival--and for what, a little fun that could, besides, be shared? Boggles the mind!

And weirdly, in their world, doing a lone wolf isn't a suicide. They can survive.

So, yeah, we had to infiltrate a high school on Earth. Such fun!

4/4

#WritingWonders Jun 4: [MC POV] When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why? [cont.]

Hotaru's team is odd, more like two couples. But it happens. Still, it's not like I can't have a fling with Jahangir. I've had; Hotaru joined us, too.

But Earthers... Someone told them they must find The One. And they're so stuck on this, they'll break up with their best friends if they move on their romantic interests.

It's beyond weird, right?

[continued]
3/4

#WritingWonders Jun 4: [MC POV] When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why? [cont.]

Like, my team's my family, alright? We live together, fight together, watch each other's backs, and even heal each other's minds sometimes--the highest intimacy, right? And when it's time for kids, we'll raise them together. Sex... it happens among friends. But anyone can have a fling with an ally.

Hotaru's team is odd, more like two couples. But it happens. Still, it's not like

[continued]
2/4

#WritingWonders Jun 4: [MC POV] When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

[Marian]
Third-vesp VIRGA cadets are sent to Earth, to learn how to pass for locals. Not just suppress the foil but also how to behave as Earthers. 'Cause, I tell you, mates, Earthers are weird.

Now, sit down or hold onto something for support, for I'll tell you something that'll pop your eyes. Ready? So, Earthers hold romance well above friendship.

Like, my team's my family, alright?

[continued]
1/4

Sandra Lindsey

#WritingWonders day 4.
WIP 2 (threesome).
Flora: I travelled with Mr Bray to his country estate when he & his friend decided the only way to offer me the safety they'd promised was for me to leave town. I really am in their debt with everything they've done.

Bray: As Flora said, we travelled here from town & are awaiting news from James. And while I normally loathe sharing my home with guests I've found the right guest can be extremely tolerable.

James: I sailed home to England not long ago.

Writing Wonders Day 4
Main Character: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Sandra Lindsey

#WritingWonders day 4.
WIP 1 (ex-pirate m/m romance).
Thornville: I sailed from my lovely home in the Caribbean to this frankly rather unlikeable island off the north coast of Europe. We arrived a couple of months ago & after the initial fiasco I've been dutifully escorting my sister Sophie as planned while she hunts for a husband. Must say, the scenery's improved in the past couple of days though 😉

Cmdr Henry: I arrived home from the Caribbean this week after receiving orders to return.

Finn

#WritingWonders 4: (contd. context)

Also the answer to 'when' there for all of them is 'a couple of days ago' - we've hit the point in the story where everyone's snowed in at the same place.

Which'd be a lot easier to deal with if a) they weren't on a time limit before the artefact Sabbat's bonded to kills him and b) Fest's fellow apprentice wasn't /Avebury/ (the big bad) who cannot under any circumstances know that Archer, Sabbat, or Viola are in the same house as him.

Finn

#WritingWonders 4: (MC POV) When was the last time you travelled? Where did you go? Why?

Archer: To stay with a very old friend of mine. Because, quite honestly, I think he's the only one who can help us.

Sabbat: Y'heard Archer. Same story.

Viola: I followed those two. Someone had to warn 'em about Caine.

Fest: I've come to apprentice with the Archmage. Which... er... turns out to be the same place Sabbat is, apparently?

Mortimer: To see my da. Who's the Archmage the kid just mentioned.

Alex Pengaled

#WritingWonders day 4 [2/2]
Garrel: Look, it's not my fault I got captured! If anything, it's you two who should have been protecting me! Could you not have just slipped me into an apron pocket before running out to try & defend the shrine?
Anyway, I don't remember anything of the journey I was subjected to, for which I'm very grateful, and I'd like this journey to be over with as soon as possible thank you!

Astin: My whole life has been travelling since I was exiled ten years ago.

Adria Bailton

#WritingWonders 06-04: MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

I'm traveling right now. Technically. Through space. From Earth to our new colony. We traveled from NY, US where the people in charge housed us for a few years to the Republic of Congo where the 3 ships launched.

If you mean on vacation, it would have been right before that when we went home to see all our family before my sisters and I left them forever.

Alex Pengaled

11 hours ago

#WritingWonders day 4.
Draff: This whole trip is the only time Ilona & I have ever left Hastar Valley. Very few of us who live there want to leave, but we two couldn't not when we're the only ones who could recognise Garrel & bring him back.

Ilona: Yeah, I wasn't keen on leaving home, but now I have I'm wondering what other places are out there. Once we get Garrel safely home I'm thinking of giving up my position & exploring the world some more...

[1/2]

Matthew Graybosch

11 hours ago

#WritingWonders 6/4: (MC POV) When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Morgan Cooper

"I'm supposed to be on my way to London. My friend Claire is worried about her bestie from university and wants me to look into it. Hopefully in my official capacity as an Adversary, no doubt."

Naomi Bradleigh:

"I'm staying in New York since the band I'm in, Crowley's Thoth, is supposed to perform at Carnegie Hall for Winter Solstice soon. It would be nice if Morgan showed up for rehearsals, if only so that Christabel would find something else to gripe about, but he knows the material and we're tight enough that we can afford for him to miss a couple of days of rehearsal."

Christabel Crowley:

"I could understand Naomi not showing up for rehearsals because she had to get here from London just like me, but Morgan? All he has to do is take the bloody tube down to Greenwich Village from the Upper West Side. How hard can it be?"

All prompts for this month are collected on my website at <starbreaker.org/blog/writing-w…>.

prompts by @AlinaLeonova @AmeliaKayne @BranwenOShea

Sean Patrick

#WritingWonders 6/4: From MC's POV, when was the last time you travelled, to where, and why?

"My journey began in a disputed territory in eastern Europe, on January 3rd, 2055. I headed north, slipping through borders to the Baltic sea, and made my way westward until finally I was able to cross the Atlantic. I've been making my way north through the southern United American Nations.

If Shadow has left an answer here, I will find it. Until then, I will survive among humanity as best I can."

Nilly Robot

#WritingWonders 4. MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Frankie: "Oof, I don't even know. Everybody's so busy lately and I've been all wrapped up in school stuff. Before this whole fiasco, I guess it was when we went to Cedar Point for my graduation. That was a few years ago though.

Maaan. This was supposed to be my big vacation! My first time traveling alone! It figures everything would go wrong."

🏳️‍🌈 Panda Bear 🌌

#WritingWonders 6.4 — MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Randall: "I went home to Scotland, to visit family. This was months ago, and it was exhausting. Such a wonder is family. They can be maddening or fill you with glee. It's been a while since I've had to go home and see everyone again. I have a lot of cousins."

Edwin Downward

#WritingWonders Day 4: MC POV: When was the last time you travelled? Where did you go? Why?

Niv here: It will be easier to recount the amount of time we haven't spent travelling. Discounting one or two day stop overs.

Was it only 2 months or so ago when we finished up staying aboard the Guard Fleet Light Cruiser Phaeton to complete repairs to Konhor?

Four months before that we had to sneak off Deep Space Station Motherload under my Grandfather's guidance.

Norm Boyington

#WritingWonders Day 4: MC POV: When was the last time you travelled? Where did you go? Why?

Lith - Not to be different, but the question should be, when have I stopped travelling? I'm always on the move, given my lifestyle, and the desire to be settled in one place is something I long for. The last location I visited is the Library of Souls in the realms of the dead.

Ryan Southwick

Author Sharon E. Cathcart ✅

#WritingWonders Day 4: MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

ANNE: Traveled? *laughs* I can’t even remember. Hal’s Diner barely pays enough to cover rent, let alone vacation. I don’t drive, either, so I mostly stick around San Francisco, which is fine by me. I guess the last time I traveled any distance was when I moved here from Indiana eighteen years ago.

Why did I move? Oh, um… C-can we please talk about something else?

#ZTechChronicles

#writingcommunity #readingcommunity #awardwinning #dualtimeline #historicalfiction #bookstodon @bookstodon

#WritingWonders Day 4 - MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Diana's in New Orleans on a travel writing assignment ... and her recurring childhood dreams come back with a vengeance.

Back cover copy:

Diana Corbett’s childhood was plagued by unceasing dreams of smoke and flames. The nightmares went away, until the noted travel writer’s first night on assignment in Louisiana … when they returned with a vengeance. Could the handsome Cajun, Amos Boudreaux, be the key to unlocking the secret of "Bayou Fire?"

"Bayou Fire" has received the InD'Tale Magazine Crowned Heart, the AuthorsDB Silver Medal for Cover Design, the Chill With a Book Readers' Award, and was long-listed for the 2022 Historical Fiction Company Book of the Year.

https://books2read.com/b/br1kRA

Jocelyn Sordoni

#WritingWonders Day 3rd June - Share art, pics, and/or mood boards of your WIP world.

And, did you think I was finished? Oh no... here are a selection of characters from #TheHoneyedScentOfIron as Hollywood actors...

Some of the characters from The Honeyed Scent of Iron as Hollywood actors

A Byrd

#WritingWonders June 4
MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Why?

The video calls of the four boys are arranged in Tile view, hiding the very active chat during the livestream interview. Paolo takes a quick look around before turning off his background blur filter. The tall pine trees wave in the wind outside a cabin window.
Paolo/Santi (he/him): We're technically out of town right now. *He puts the filter back on* At an investor conference this weekend. There's a former car dealership we want to turn into an orchard.
Charlie: Jake and I went a couple towns over recently, looking for diverse trees for it. It was alright.
Will (he/they): I was supposed to go but ended up looking over the dealership office with Aura. Coming up with ideas for it.
Jake/Abi (he/she/they): They had some interesting apple species, a few were native heirloom varieties. Not the point of the question. We get out, usually Paolo goes the furthest, and we stick close by.

Jocelyn Sordoni

#WritingWonders Day 3rd June - Share art, pics, and/or mood boards of your WIP world.
#HowToBreatheUnderwater

Here you are, the characters from How to Breathe, translated into manga style AI images...

the characters fro How to Breathe Underwater converted to AI manga style images

Mike

#WritingWonders 6/4 MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Robert: You know, I've never even been on a plane before? I am pretty fond of road trips, though. It's just been a minute since I last took one... several years, at least a decade, now that I think about it. My brother Eric and I went day-tripping up the coast to Corpus Christi. That was just before he left for the Marines, and probably the last time I saw him ha... hang on... That's a fire. Sorry, gotta go.

Jocelyn Sordoni

#WritingWonders Day 3rd June - Share art, pics, and/or mood boards of your WIP world.

Ooh lovely! Here is a board I did for the characters in #BarkyTheSpaceWolf

The characters from Barky the Space Wolf, as a face plan mood board

Eric Johnson, Author

#fantasy #fantasybook #writing #MilitarySF

#WritingWonders Day 4 - MC POV: When was the last time you traveled? Where did you go? Why?

Kim: I didn't travel much as I got back from a combat deployment to Earth.

Baromir: I traveled to the south end of my province for some adventuring for two weeks

Shane: I didn't go anywhere except where the brass put me, so my travel was nil.

Mike_IE

#WritingWonders MCPOV: When was the last time you traveled?

[B]
Last place I traveled to was an old smuggler's den, warren of tunnels hewn into the cliffs a century before the Hardkeep fell.

Everything smells of salt rot and damp. Caves is all but abandoned and nigh on impossible to get to. Back when Hardkeep fell, those that remained made this place a stronghold for raiding and trading. Most of 'em died.

Came there to see a man about a woman, maybe uncover a treasoner.

#writingcommunity

1 day ago

Day 3 of #WritingWonders: this time for sharing art, the rough map I've drawn out for Vapormage. It's the continent Linnute! Zeimia is very WIP but it doesn't actually show in the storyline so it's fine. (Neither do a bunch of other places on the map, for that matter.)

The map isn't the _full_ breadth of places the party goes, but like... it's almost all of it. Close enough.

A fantasy map of Linnute, an isolated continent that kinda looks like Texas or a really messed up Australia but like if Tasmania was to the north rather than the southeast.

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

2 days ago

#WritingWonders 6.2 — Were any of your fictional settings inspired by real world locations?

I am going to interpret this question so it is yes. (And sneak in some #writingadvice.)

When I wrote the original story, my main character related that she was being blackmailed for having been in a gang. It allowed her to be good at fighting while coming across a nihilist. I got glimpses of a gang war and a city block on fire, and what she had to put up with (and submit to) to rise in the ranks of male lieutenants. The darkness evoked a sooty heartless cityscape, which fit in with detective noir images of the gritty cities of the northeastern US in the mid 1900s. You could call that inspiration, right?

Then I decided to write a prequel to the original story that related that edgy backstory.

I ended up choosing a set of cities: Baltimore, Princeton, and Brooklyn, with secondary roles for the Jersey coast opposite Brooklyn across the bay, Philadelphia, and little towns and parks in between. While I didn't actually set the story in these places, because this story doesn't take place in modern times or a recognizable world, I employed maps of the region.

Using actual geography is helpful for numerous reasons. It limits the movement of characters and suggests obstacles in their adventures. Having to deal with how bus lines are laid out, and posted bus and light rail schedules, can add worsening to a story. It makes the story feel real.

I use Google Maps to find interesting associated businesses and government buildings consistent with the story. I often use street view to suggest what the characters might see, hear, or smell. That filters into the description. Sometimes I use actual street- and place names, as I did in Fight for Real (https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110317141401752671). The 17 Restaurant in the story exists in Baltimore, as does the intersection. Find it in street view and see what I based the descriptions upon!

Street maps are helpful for laying out a believable marathon route.
Maps with building layouts are good for find a building to duck into to loose a tail that has doors on the opposite street.
Rental maps are good for finding a place for the MC to rent an apartment where there might be a close restaurant for important scenes to take place.

Finding a suitable apartment might lead to determining how far a character might realistically have to run—through an Ivy League university—to reach a train station while being chased by assassins. In that same neighborhood you might need a coffee house to meet a magic tutor, or need to find a suitable a cul-de-sac to be ambushed by goons.

I could randomly layout towns and cities. Sometimes I do. However, city planning, whether it was done via zoning or stupid urban sprawl, has a consistency that adds a layer of realism. The composition of the neighborhoods and the distances between places keep me from making things appear unnaturally hard or easy for the characters. Also, why invent the wheel? Drafting cities is another way to procrastinate. (As is scrolling around online street views, admittedly.)

#writingAdvice #fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #urbanplanning #map #googlemaps

2 days ago

Day 2 of #WritingWonders: some mappings of IRL/story locales...

- Dayton Point has basically the Pike Place Market from Seattle;
- Candhall has the traboules of Lyon, and some architectural history riffing on Chicago;
- the Tabrill Pass is meant to evoke the terrain of Svalbard and the Hickory Run boulder field;
- Port Mab's University is, in my head, basically just UWO in London Ontario;
- Sao Neso's hyper-compact feel is meant to evoke pedestrian-centric areas of Tokyo and the like

2 days ago

#WritingWonders Day 2: Were any of your fictional settings inspired by real-world locations?

Yeah, *all* of them. My entire "fictional" setting is a real-world location. I'll probably make a few fictional bars, restaurants, and corporations, but most of my book will be like some of Dashiell Hammett's stories, where you can retrace the characters' steps if you want to and know the City well.

(Alternatively: no, none them were "inspired by" real-world locations, they just straight-up *are*.)

Ryan Southwick

#WritingWonders Day 2: Were any of your settings inspired by real world locations?

Absolutely! One scene takes place in a fictional data center, which might sound boring, but the first time I ever set foot in a real one blew my mind. The staggering amount of white noise made me feel as if I’d just dunked my head underwater. Combined with the extreme hot and cold isles, it was an unforgettable sensory experience, which I tried to capture in the story.

#ZTechChronicles

Christiane Knight

#WritingWonders 6/2: Were any of your fictional settings inspired by real world locations?

The Eleriannan books are set in a more magical version of present-day Baltimore, so YES!
There are a bunch of notable analogues but probably the most important one would be The Maithe, the huge house with a mind of its own. It is modeled after a building in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood that has had many interesting lives, from residential hotel to flophouse apartments, to hotel again.
[1/]
#ATKOM

#WritingWonders Day 2 Were any of your fictional settings inspired by real-world locations?

Not specifically, but when I "design" a planet-based city, I find I'm always thinking of places I've been that are good for walking. So Georgetown, Halifax, bits of Amsterdam, even areas of Boston. If I knew Paris better, that'd likely be in there too.

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray

#WritingWonders June 1: Where would I go?

Now that I'm jumping to Book 2 in this series, I'd like to zip out to Seanán's uncle's house, partly to see the place...

Like there's a hallway, with this stained-glass art at one end...

But, mainly, that's likely the best place to see Beetle, the bug-car Tom/Breen stole on book 1. I hope I didn't make too many mistakes describing him...cutest, snarkiest character in the book.

John Howes

#WritingWonders June 2: Were any of your fictional settings inspired by real-world locations?

Oh yes! 🙂

The bridge town of Bruborg is inspired by Puente Nuevo, Ronda, Spain.

Cynstol Castle is a cross between Mont-St-Michel in France (which I visited as a school kid), and Arundel Castle in southern England.

Deapholt Forrest is inspired by the Forrest of Dean (not far from my home town) and a stretch of Barbourne Brook (400 yards away) 😉

Think I'll keep doing #WritingWonders into June. I'll keep posting about #Vapormage (visibility, baby) but off on the side you bet I'm also contemplating these for my early-stages projects.

Day 1: Assuming I had free movement, I guess Dayton Point. Not the best-off town but they're good people, a bit rebellious, if a little insular. Maybe akin to Portland's Little Beirut years, as I understand them.

(Ideally I'd head to Sao Neso 'cause I think it's cool but getting there is _really_ tricky.)

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

Introduction (#writingWonders 6.1 — Intro Day)

I am a feminist SF writer, more details on my profile. I'm planning on pinning this post to my profile, so it will change over time. Since I write a lot of #microfiction / #suddenfiction for #Mastodon, here is a pinned post of links to those stories: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110470537747067765

On Mastodon, I am building a network of other writers by being both entertaining and informative, sharing what I learned the hard way. My motto: There Shall Be Content! My community goal is to help people with writing and to help them get over what's keeping them from completing stories. I'm also learning self-publishing as a business. I hope to push back the loneliness that's part and parcel of a solitary profession.

I follow serious authors, which means people diligently writing or working at completing stories or articles or anything containing words with the intent to publish. Whether that's #fiction, #nonfiction, #scripts, #comics or #manga, or #games, that's probably you. I read everyone's profile before following, and generally require some posts to ensure I'm making the right choice. DM me if your posts didn't follow you when switching instances. My timeline is full, so please don't feel bad if I miss something.

I will follow an #artist based on seeing interesting work. This can be #photography or hand drawn/painted #art. I am partial to #charcoals and #pastel, appreciate #sketch art, but love #watercolor (because I can't do that!), or just really good visuals. I will discuss what's great in what you post if wowed, or #critique if you're really close and I think I can help. I occasionally commission cover and interstitial art. I do fine art photography and have done wedding and event photography (https://sfwrtr.zenfolio.com).

Last: *Did you entertain me? Did you make me think?" I may follow you. I have a weird sense of humor, which follows since many of my characters are snide and cynical.

That brings me favorites, that little star button. I do my very best never to click it to acknowledge I've simply read your post. My favorites generally mean something caught my attention, was particularly apropos to the idea, was entertaining, or somehow pithy. If I favorite replies in a conversation, that could be an acknowledgment. If I reply to your post, I've definitely noticed something!

I believe boosting is sharing, and I sometime wait a while to provide them better visibility. I appreciate when people boost my posts when they affect them in return.

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writingWonders 6.1 Intro

#BoostingIsSharing #CommentingIsCool

#Links to #Story Samples Written by R.S.

Over the past half-year, I've written very short fiction stories in my universe for #Mastodon under the #writingWonders hashtag. They're first citizen samples of my 1st person writing, my casual—made to be read aloud—writing style, and include my still evolving characters. None tally much more than 750 words, with a hard character limit set by my instance. I think they're an easy read. Some are based on my earlier works, some on works not yet written. With the exception of the excerpts, they represent the time off stage of the novel, between stories or scenes, or before future stories; or scenes rewritten from another POV that isn't in the story.

Most of what was written for Mastodon was written quickly, edited immediately, then posted. It could be better, but I've resisted more than revising typos or inappropriate words. Everything is experimental; nothing should be considered canon. So, each in roughly chronological order:

Stories:

Excerpts with proposed titles:

I'm not the Thaumaturge You're Looking for...: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110064129027510807
Not Chattel: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110036114809701300
Dangerous Word Play: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/109943717912031929
Fight for Real: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110317141401752671
Daemon at the Door: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110362730587455597
Bling with Strings Attached: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110345919252932146

Interviews:

Other:

Vignettes asking whether she's attractive: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110391891938480784

[Author retains copyright to all posted words]

All my answers to #writingWonders can be found by clicking: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/tagged/WritingWonders

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #1stPerson #writersOfMastodon #story #storySamples #excerpt
#microfiction < 500 words
#suddenFiction ~750 words

#WritingWonders Day 1 Where is the first in-universe place I'd go, and why?

My universe is far-future here, so...hm. I'd probably hit Earth first, to see how the landscape has changed with all the climate chaos that's happened.

And then I'd probably hit one of the colonies that required little to no terraforming, just to see what it's like to breathe on another world.

(Also, quick June intro: Hi, I'm Liz. My WIP is space opera, and is Book 4 in a series. Last one came out in 2017. I am an optimist. 😀)

#WritingWonders Day 1: Intro: Transported to your world, where's the first place you're going?

I've been teleported (back) to #SanFrancisco? Lovely! Depending on the time of day, I think I'm either hitting Ferry Plaza and soaking up the vibe, or else going to the Lower Haight and having fun at my old haunts: Nickie's and Molotov's.

Actually, I need to stop in at Lucky 13 and see if I can get an enamel pin for my leather jacket, to replace the one I lost...

Ryan Southwick

#WritingWonders Day 1: Intro

In honor of Pride Month, my Writing Wonders posts will be about The Z-Tech Chronicles. I’m currently editing Angels Strike (Book 6), which is the exciting series conclusion.

“Save the waitress, save the world.”

The Z-Tech Chronicles is an epic science fiction / urban fantasy saga set in the SF Bay Area starring an LGBTQ+ MC who also suffers PTSD.

More about it here: https://www.ryansouthwickauthor.com/z-tech-chronicles

#ZTechChronicles

Sandra Lindsey

Joining in #WritingWonders to think about a couple of WIPs this month.
Q1: Intro day. You're transported into your WIP world, where is the 1st place you go? Why?

WIP 1 (the 18th century Viscount ex-pirate m/m romance): I'd head down to Portsmouth to gaze at all the shipping & then maybe try & find my way to Thornville's home in the Caribbean...

Branwen OShea (she/her)

Also, new this month is a hashtag to locate the current card of questions. We will continue to pin the cards to our profiles, but apparently some apps don’t allow pinned toots to be seen. For those of you using those apps, check out #WritingWondersQs to readily find the questions. Please put answers on the regular hashtag #WritingWonders as we have been doing all along.😊

Branwen OShea (she/her)

Inviting all #writers to join us for the fun and friendship of #WritingWonders. You can participate with a WIP or an already published book. Alina, Amelia and I have come up with some hopefully intriguing questions for June. For added fun, several questions are for your characters to answer in their voice. 😊
As always, play the days you want, skip the ones you want. Looking forward to seeing all your answers, finding great books, and meeting new friends. Here you go!
#amwriting #author

Questions for the daily #WritingWonders game. If you need these in text form, please contact me, as they won’t all fit here.

Day 31 of #WritingWonders: inasmuch as Lyon trusts anybody, yeah kinda. We don't see it happen in-story, but Lyon's weapons supplier is trying to get him to slow his warmonger roll for much of the story. If it weren't for them there'd be open armed conflict by chapter 4. It's for totally self-serving profit reasons but it's something.

#WritingWonders Day 31 Does anyone that your antagonist trusts try to rein them in?

Kiiind of a spoiler, because she doesn't think she trusts anyone. But yes, they do.

@horrorbooks @bookstodon @bookstadon @bookstodon

#WritingWonders Day 31: Does anyone that your antagonist(s) trust try to rein them in?

I don't think so, no. In fact, it's starting to look like one of the other villains kind of eggs the Big Bad on a bit, or at least provides a bad example that helps encourage him to become more villainous.

Nick East (Indie Writer)

5 days ago

Honestly, this would be one of the rare occasions where I found vampires mildly entertaining 😂

#Writing
#Vampires #WhatWeDoInTheShadows
#Writer #Writers #Author #Authors #IndieAuthor
#Writinglife #WritingWonders #WritersOfMastodon

#writingWonders #amWriting #writing #amEditing

5 days ago

Day 30 of #WritingWonders: I've got colors I associate with each of the four protagonists (Kell = green, Sheila = yellow, Alejandro = purple, Tobias = red) but less so the book as a whole. I kinda imagine using a lot of black and white, with character colors in sharp relief (like the Cowboy Bebop intro or a Saul Bass poster). I see a cover design in my head and it's very much that sorta vibe.

Riza Bunansa

5 days ago

Let's talk #beta reading!

... I have a few people reading beta for me, but I know I need a more varied audience. But how do I go about it? I'm already struggling with the idea that I have nothing but my eternal gratitude on offer as payment for the intense labour that is beta reading, and can't get myself to ask people to set aside their own free time for me.

So, help and tips are appreciated! How do you #writestodon do beta reading?

colorblind cowboy 😷

#WritingWonders: What colours do you associate with my WIP? Why?

Red, blue, yellow, silver. In my WIP, my main character has strong synesthesia and experiences certain colors as numbers and vice versa; the strongest are red (4) and blue(3) — which are also mine — hence the numerical part of the title “Laureneum 43.” Yellow also is one of her colors (17).

It takes place on Mars, so there’s a lot of 4. And it’s the future, so a lot silver, which has no number (it reflects).

Day 29 of #WritingWonders: the gang visits a few different states, each with their own sort of dysfunctional government:

Cymona is supposed to be parliamentary, but PM Lyon's kinda run roughshod over that 'cause nobody will stop him

Farolé is a monarchy, with a very indifferent Eileen II on the throne

Bessetrae has a president and secretaries to advise them, but they just cut out the actually-elected middleman

Rinculo has a senate, and boy does that senate have a bureaucracy and an ego

#WritingWonders Day 29: What type of government exists in your story?

This one: https://sf.gov/

For more information about it, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_San_Francisco

Ben Werdmuller

#WritingWonders May 29: What type of government exists in your story?

I have three:

The first is a nationalist movement that makes deals with technology companies to obtain extraordinary voice and control, sponsored by oil and gas companies who want to maintain access to resources during the climate crisis.

The second is private city states that are run like startups, with a CEO king behind each one.

The third is collectives who barter and share.

I am really fun at parties.

#WritingWonders Day 29 What type of government exists in your story?

There are two major categories of government in our little section of the galaxy:

Central: The "official" government of the inhabited colonies. Member colonies have to adhere to certain rules, but given the distances involved it's often like herding cats. Central's Big Stick is cutting worlds off from shipping lanes if they don't follow the rules, but some of the planets are productive enough that's not a huge threat.

PSI: A loose confederation of generation ships, each run by a military-style hierarchy. Leaders are usually voted on, but it's more or less a lifetime position, so they often become functional dictatorships (although usually benign). PSI ships tend to be insular, but in general they share the humanitarian goals of Central and will often work with Corps starships.

There are a few other loose organizations that don't fall into either category, most notably cargo carriers and raiders.

Day 28 of #WritingWonders: Mia, stationed at the Citadel, has a few words...

"Those assholes... they broke into a _military base_, you get that? Barged in like they own the place. Ran right past my station, so you know I'm in trouble already at that point, but then to go into the Guardian chambers? People _died_ in there 'cause of them! Quinn acts fine, but c'mon, he's never gonna walk right again! My career was going to be fine and then they just ruined it on me, for no god damn reason!"

Day 27 of #WritingWonders: despite the title, Vapormage doesn't pair especially well with vaporwave, I'd say. I think the story's personality lands best with 00s/10s indie rock, honestly. Interpol, Metric, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dismemberment Plan, etc. The whole story has that same range of anxiety and anger, that still-youthful meandering for identity that, in hindsight, that blob of music tended to gravitate towards.

#WritingWonders Day 27: What genre of music best fits your current WIP?

Gotta be hip-hop. It's the music of cities, of the streets, of urban settings, of asphalt and skyscrapers. Hip-hop *can* talk about other settings, just as other genres *can* depict cities¹, but hip-hop *is of* cities, from its birth.

1) Frex, rock'n'roll would like to submit Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", among many worthy entries... but it's still the love child of blues (from the deep south) and country.

Day 26 of #WritingWonders: yep, media matters. There's plenty of small moments where something being in the news nudges the plot (Tobias mentions reading a newspaper, like, four times) and the group even considers the PR of their mission. I'm even working some of those articles into the novel, as little asides between chapters. It's totally not yet another layer of challenge for me, no >_>

#WritingWonders Day 26: Does the media or public opinion play a role in your story?

Probably not. The city shamans are mostly undercover, doing things in the background of the world, unnoticed. But there's no "strong masquerade" being enforced, so there are a few who take more public roles (at least as people, if not being publicly known as magicians), and it's possible that some actions by those folks might become the subject of news or public interest at some point.

Kevin RR :verified:

https://clinicalposters.com/blogs/insights/name-that-story-character

📕 As #writers and #authors how do you come up with character names for stories?

Please #boost for most participants in this #poll and follow #ClinicalNovellas for more #polls , stories, and #writing tips.

#writingcommunity #writingwonders #BooksofMastodon

#WritingWonders Day 25: Does your antagonist have a favorite food or drink?

Thomas Winter is an aficionado of single-malt Scotches. Most of the time, he leans toward Speyside distilleries like Glenfiddich and The Macallan. When happy or mellow, the Highland strains of Glenmorangie. But when he's upset or angry, he goes for the smoky peatiness of Laphroaig.

He also likes fine dining, especially filet mignon.

Day 25 of #WritingWonders: I actually hadn't thought about Lyon's diet or anything like that. Maybe a red flag he's a little flat. But he talks up the country's national identity of modesty while being a total hypocrite of a ruler so he'd probably go for something fancy. But not, like, fancy mac & cheese kinda highbrow/lowbrow mix. Even that's kinda... beneath him, I guess.

Day 24 of #WritingWonders: This one's got some range. Really depends on who you ask...
Captains Kearney and Sleetre? Well, the party saved their asses, even if it was total luck and their approach was brash as hell and the Captains were _not_ on board.
Crystal? The party's like employees to her; they help her prove a point too but it's whatever. No big.
Banner? Oh they've done more for him than they'll realize, not that they cared to have a say in the matter...

Kevin RR :verified:

#writingcommunity #writingwonders #BooksofMastodon #readers

📚 #ClinicalNovellas is an online resource of #mystery and #scifi short #fiction stories.

😳 Robust #ui features are a click away for your reading and listening pleasure.

http://clinicalnovellas.com

ClinicalNovellas short stories online website screenshot

#WritingWonders Day 24: Secondary character POV: What was the best thing (an/the) MC has done for you?

Albert Chu says: If you asked me this 10 years ago*, I'd have said the best thing Margot ever did for me was saying "I do" - after having said "oh, *fuck yes!*" when I first popped the question.

But then she gave birth to our two wonderful daughters, and that's been even greater. She, Nora, and Evelyn are the three lights of my life.

* as of 2024, when the novel takes place

Ben, Writing Movies

#FinsUp #AmWriting #FeedbackFriday #WritingWonders

Finally switched my Mastodon account so I guess it's time for the obligatory #introduction for everyone!

I'm an aspiring #screenwriter based in the UK currently looking for people to #betaread my work. I have also struggled with #depression for a number of years, something not helped after my wife passed in 2018. Eager to link up with other creatives and am keen to see where this journey takes me.

Day 23 of #WritingWonders: would I survive the story? Immensely not! Our heroes only get through as they do through specialized skills, self sacrifice, and dumb luck, and they're not exactly in good shape by the end of it themselves. I'd be dead by chapter 3.