#boostingissharing — Public Fediverse posts

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.22 — Have you ever used a sensitivity reader? How did it go?

Not per se, but I did have a beta reader balk at a woman being crass and too sexual. Reverse those gender roles and I think he would have given the MC a pass. Knew I was on the right path then and there, and not because it was an explicitly feminist novel, either.

I expect my stories to challenge readers. What I care about is not whether the story is insensitive but whether I got cultural details wrong. Writing SF and fantasy goes a long way to avoiding such issues, but gender is still gender, and surprisingly people expect current gender roles, or those they grew up with, to stay stable in the future, in other cultures, or on other worlds. I try to write about the issues that interest me subtly, not necessarily to be sensitive to biases people have.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
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#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.22 — Have you ever used a sensitivity reader? How did it go?

Not per se, but I did have a beta reader balk at a woman being crass and too sexual. Reverse those gender roles and I think he would have given the MC a pass. Knew I was on the right path then and there, and not because it was an explicitly feminist novel, either.

I expect my stories to challenge readers. What I care about is not whether the story is insensitive but whether I got cultural details wrong. Writing SF and fantasy goes a long way to avoiding such issues, but gender is still gender, and surprisingly people expect current gender roles, or those they grew up with, to stay stable in the future, in other cultures, or on other worlds. I try to write about the issues that interest me subtly, not necessarily to be sensitive to biases people have.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.22 — Have you ever used a sensitivity reader? How did it go?

Not per se, but I did have a beta reader balk at a woman being crass and too sexual. Reverse those gender roles and I think he would have given the MC a pass. Knew I was on the right path then and there, and not because it was an explicitly feminist novel, either.

I expect my stories to challenge readers. What I care about is not whether the story is insensitive but whether I got cultural details wrong. Writing SF and fantasy goes a long way to avoiding such issues, but gender is still gender, and surprisingly people expect current gender roles, or those they grew up with, to stay stable in the future, in other cultures, or on other worlds. I try to write about the issues that interest me subtly, not necessarily to be sensitive to biases people have.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.22 — Have you ever used a sensitivity reader? How did it go?

Not per se, but I did have a beta reader balk at a woman being crass and too sexual. Reverse those gender roles and I think he would have given the MC a pass. Knew I was on the right path then and there, and not because it was an explicitly feminist novel, either.

I expect my stories to challenge readers. What I care about is not whether the story is insensitive but whether I got cultural details wrong. Writing SF and fantasy goes a long way to avoiding such issues, but gender is still gender, and surprisingly people expect current gender roles, or those they grew up with, to stay stable in the future, in other cultures, or on other worlds. I try to write about the issues that interest me subtly, not necessarily to be sensitive to biases people have.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.22 — Have you ever used a sensitivity reader? How did it go?

Not per se, but I did have a beta reader balk at a woman being crass and too sexual. Reverse those gender roles and I think he would have given the MC a pass. Knew I was on the right path then and there, and not because it was an explicitly feminist novel, either.

I expect my stories to challenge readers. What I care about is not whether the story is insensitive but whether I got cultural details wrong. Writing SF and fantasy goes a long way to avoiding such issues, but gender is still gender, and surprisingly people expect current gender roles, or those they grew up with, to stay stable in the future, in other cultures, or on other worlds. I try to write about the issues that interest me subtly, not necessarily to be sensitive to biases people have.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.22 — Which character would make the worst roommate?

It isn't the primary antagonist who would make the worst roommate, as one might expect. Bolt (the MC) and Boss Mead spend a chapter-worthy night at his place, watched by his bodyguards (and take that as you will), though she hates his guts. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, or wouldn't be fun if more permanent. A dodecade ago, she tried to make that arrangement, but failed for inexperience.

Actually, it is Pigeon the Pilferer who wins the prize as worst. Not only does the punk gangster have a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder, that shoulder (and the rest of him) smells. Bromhidrosis, as diagnosed by another SC. It is a pretty harsh judgement when you consider their world is very hot and nothing like A/C exists. Everybody sweats. Every body has a unique smell, and I don't mean perfume. Worse, Pigeon prefers men—not that Bolt cares what preferences a person has. It seems like a waste to her, though. Another reason she wouldn't have him as a roommate.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.22 — Which character would make the worst roommate?

It isn't the primary antagonist who would make the worst roommate, as one might expect. Bolt (the MC) and Boss Mead spend a chapter-worthy night at his place, watched by his bodyguards (and take that as you will), though she hates his guts. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, or wouldn't be fun if more permanent. A dodecade ago, she tried to make that arrangement, but failed for inexperience.

Actually, it is Pigeon the Pilferer who wins the prize as worst. Not only does the punk gangster have a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder, that shoulder (and the rest of him) smells. Bromhidrosis, as diagnosed by another SC. It is a pretty harsh judgement when you consider their world is very hot and nothing like A/C exists. Everybody sweats. Every body has a unique smell, and I don't mean perfume. Worse, Pigeon prefers men—not that Bolt cares what preferences a person has. It seems like a waste to her, though. Another reason she wouldn't have him as a roommate.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.22 — Which character would make the worst roommate?

It isn't the primary antagonist who would make the worst roommate, as one might expect. Bolt (the MC) and Boss Mead spend a chapter-worthy night at his place, watched by his bodyguards (and take that as you will), though she hates his guts. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, or wouldn't be fun if more permanent. A dodecade ago, she tried to make that arrangement, but failed for inexperience.

Actually, it is Pigeon the Pilferer who wins the prize as worst. Not only does the punk gangster have a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder, that shoulder (and the rest of him) smells. Bromhidrosis, as diagnosed by another SC. It is a pretty harsh judgement when you consider their world is very hot and nothing like A/C exists. Everybody sweats. Every body has a unique smell, and I don't mean perfume. Worse, Pigeon prefers men—not that Bolt cares what preferences a person has. It seems like a waste to her, though. Another reason she wouldn't have him as a roommate.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.22 — Which character would make the worst roommate?

It isn't the primary antagonist who would make the worst roommate, as one might expect. Bolt (the MC) and Boss Mead spend a chapter-worthy night at his place, watched by his bodyguards (and take that as you will), though she hates his guts. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, or wouldn't be fun if more permanent. A dodecade ago, she tried to make that arrangement, but failed for inexperience.

Actually, it is Pigeon the Pilferer who wins the prize as worst. Not only does the punk gangster have a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder, that shoulder (and the rest of him) smells. Bromhidrosis, as diagnosed by another SC. It is a pretty harsh judgement when you consider their world is very hot and nothing like A/C exists. Everybody sweats. Every body has a unique smell, and I don't mean perfume. Worse, Pigeon prefers men—not that Bolt cares what preferences a person has. It seems like a waste to her, though. Another reason she wouldn't have him as a roommate.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.22 — Which character would make the worst roommate?

It isn't the primary antagonist who would make the worst roommate, as one might expect. Bolt (the MC) and Boss Mead spend a chapter-worthy night at his place, watched by his bodyguards (and take that as you will), though she hates his guts. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, or wouldn't be fun if more permanent. A dodecade ago, she tried to make that arrangement, but failed for inexperience.

Actually, it is Pigeon the Pilferer who wins the prize as worst. Not only does the punk gangster have a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder, that shoulder (and the rest of him) smells. Bromhidrosis, as diagnosed by another SC. It is a pretty harsh judgement when you consider their world is very hot and nothing like A/C exists. Everybody sweats. Every body has a unique smell, and I don't mean perfume. Worse, Pigeon prefers men—not that Bolt cares what preferences a person has. It seems like a waste to her, though. Another reason she wouldn't have him as a roommate.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.22 — Fantasy stories are frequently inspired by medieval societies. Why do you think people are fascinated by that time period?

My opinion? Literary inertia. Plenty of classics written in the English language going back to middle English and during the democratization of the novel ( Don Quixote thru Ivanhoe) have made it continually familiar, studied, and analyzed as literature. Then the milieu got cemented into the modern literary consciousness with works like Tolkien's and C.S. Lewis'. A medieval milieu offers simplicity that strips away modernity combined with the romance of lawless power and unfathomable evil; it makes for a compelling genre. It is fun. Its familiarity means there are so many acceptable tropes that it becomes easy to write. Authors are all but guaranteed readers will understand their settings and accept the rules they might otherwise balk at without critical thought or resistance.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.22 — Fantasy stories are frequently inspired by medieval societies. Why do you think people are fascinated by that time period?

My opinion? Literary inertia. Plenty of classics written in the English language going back to middle English and during the democratization of the novel ( Don Quixote thru Ivanhoe) have made it continually familiar, studied, and analyzed as literature. Then the milieu got cemented into the modern literary consciousness with works like Tolkien's and C.S. Lewis'. A medieval milieu offers simplicity that strips away modernity combined with the romance of lawless power and unfathomable evil; it makes for a compelling genre. It is fun. Its familiarity means there are so many acceptable tropes that it becomes easy to write. Authors are all but guaranteed readers will understand their settings and accept the rules they might otherwise balk at without critical thought or resistance.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.22 — Fantasy stories are frequently inspired by medieval societies. Why do you think people are fascinated by that time period?

My opinion? Literary inertia. Plenty of classics written in the English language going back to middle English and during the democratization of the novel ( Don Quixote thru Ivanhoe) have made it continually familiar, studied, and analyzed as literature. Then the milieu got cemented into the modern literary consciousness with works like Tolkien's and C.S. Lewis'. A medieval milieu offers simplicity that strips away modernity combined with the romance of lawless power and unfathomable evil; it makes for a compelling genre. It is fun. Its familiarity means there are so many acceptable tropes that it becomes easy to write. Authors are all but guaranteed readers will understand their settings and accept the rules they might otherwise balk at without critical thought or resistance.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.22 — Fantasy stories are frequently inspired by medieval societies. Why do you think people are fascinated by that time period?

My opinion? Literary inertia. Plenty of classics written in the English language going back to middle English and during the democratization of the novel ( Don Quixote thru Ivanhoe) have made it continually familiar, studied, and analyzed as literature. Then the milieu got cemented into the modern literary consciousness with works like Tolkien's and C.S. Lewis'. A medieval milieu offers simplicity that strips away modernity combined with the romance of lawless power and unfathomable evil; it makes for a compelling genre. It is fun. Its familiarity means there are so many acceptable tropes that it becomes easy to write. Authors are all but guaranteed readers will understand their settings and accept the rules they might otherwise balk at without critical thought or resistance.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.22 — Fantasy stories are frequently inspired by medieval societies. Why do you think people are fascinated by that time period?

My opinion? Literary inertia. Plenty of classics written in the English language going back to middle English and during the democratization of the novel ( Don Quixote thru Ivanhoe) have made it continually familiar, studied, and analyzed as literature. Then the milieu got cemented into the modern literary consciousness with works like Tolkien's and C.S. Lewis'. A medieval milieu offers simplicity that strips away modernity combined with the romance of lawless power and unfathomable evil; it makes for a compelling genre. It is fun. Its familiarity means there are so many acceptable tropes that it becomes easy to write. Authors are all but guaranteed readers will understand their settings and accept the rules they might otherwise balk at without critical thought or resistance.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#PennedPossibilities 1106 2/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Does it change anything that Blue is a man?

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

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#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 2/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Does it change anything that Blue is a man?

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 2/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Does it change anything that Blue is a man?

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 2/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Does it change anything that Blue is a man?

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 2/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Does it change anything that Blue is a man?

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 1/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Still making that choice. On what was originally a lark, nothing serious just me stretching my wings, I have been hired to perform an unfathomably important job my gender is not usually allowed, protecting the most important woman in the world—thanks to my friend Bolt teaching me an unfathomably difficult skill she actually taught herself. This, disastrously, means I'm in a position where I have to choose between a job people would kill to even have a chance to compete for—let alone be chosen for!—and raising a family, something I was brought up always wanting to do, training to do, and always thinking I would do, such that it's how I think of myself.

I can't do both.

Continued…

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 1/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Still making that choice. On what was originally a lark, nothing serious just me stretching my wings, I have been hired to perform an unfathomably important job my gender is not usually allowed, protecting the most important woman in the world—thanks to my friend Bolt teaching me an unfathomably difficult skill she actually taught herself. This, disastrously, means I'm in a position where I have to choose between a job people would kill to even have a chance to compete for—let alone be chosen for!—and raising a family, something I was brought up always wanting to do, training to do, and always thinking I would do, such that it's how I think of myself.

I can't do both.

Continued…

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 1/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Still making that choice. On what was originally a lark, nothing serious just me stretching my wings, I have been hired to perform an unfathomably important job my gender is not usually allowed, protecting the most important woman in the world—thanks to my friend Bolt teaching me an unfathomably difficult skill she actually taught herself. This, disastrously, means I'm in a position where I have to choose between a job people would kill to even have a chance to compete for—let alone be chosen for!—and raising a family, something I was brought up always wanting to do, training to do, and always thinking I would do, such that it's how I think of myself.

I can't do both.

Continued…

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 1/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Still making that choice. On what was originally a lark, nothing serious just me stretching my wings, I have been hired to perform an unfathomably important job my gender is not usually allowed, protecting the most important woman in the world—thanks to my friend Bolt teaching me an unfathomably difficult skill she actually taught herself. This, disastrously, means I'm in a position where I have to choose between a job people would kill to even have a chance to compete for—let alone be chosen for!—and raising a family, something I was brought up always wanting to do, training to do, and always thinking I would do, such that it's how I think of myself.

I can't do both.

Continued…

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1106 1/2: SC POV: When was a time where you had to make an impossible choice.

Still making that choice. On what was originally a lark, nothing serious just me stretching my wings, I have been hired to perform an unfathomably important job my gender is not usually allowed, protecting the most important woman in the world—thanks to my friend Bolt teaching me an unfathomably difficult skill she actually taught herself. This, disastrously, means I'm in a position where I have to choose between a job people would kill to even have a chance to compete for—let alone be chosen for!—and raising a family, something I was brought up always wanting to do, training to do, and always thinking I would do, such that it's how I think of myself.

I can't do both.

Continued…

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers #writer
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

RE: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/117130116756058541

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.21 — Link to or summarize yesterday's poll and reveal the answer.

The telepath spy led almost to the end and was the correct choice; she never appeared in a story. The DJ was the most disbelieved, but I wrote four novelettes and one short-story about her. She lost the ability to properly fear for her life if other lives were at stake. So, yes, essentially suicidal. Except for in her last story, she gets mauled worse in each story whilst saving thousands anonymously. Most readers recognized my prizefighter character; thanks for paying attention to my posts, y'all! The prizefighter fooled almost no one.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

RE: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/117130116756058541

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.21 — Link to or summarize yesterday's poll and reveal the answer.

The telepath spy led almost to the end and was the correct choice; she never appeared in a story. The DJ was the most disbelieved, but I wrote four novelettes and one short-story about her. She lost the ability to properly fear for her life if other lives were at stake. So, yes, essentially suicidal. Except for in her last story, she gets mauled worse in each story whilst saving thousands anonymously. Most readers recognized my prizefighter character; thanks for paying attention to my posts, y'all! The prizefighter fooled almost no one.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

RE: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/117130116756058541

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.21 — Link to or summarize yesterday's poll and reveal the answer.

The telepath spy led almost to the end and was the correct choice; she never appeared in a story. The DJ was the most disbelieved, but I wrote four novelettes and one short-story about her. She lost the ability to properly fear for her life if other lives were at stake. So, yes, essentially suicidal. Except for in her last story, she gets mauled worse in each story whilst saving thousands anonymously. Most readers recognized my prizefighter character; thanks for paying attention to my posts, y'all! The prizefighter fooled almost no one.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

RE: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/117130116756058541

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.21 — Link to or summarize yesterday's poll and reveal the answer.

The telepath spy led almost to the end and was the correct choice; she never appeared in a story. The DJ was the most disbelieved, but I wrote four novelettes and one short-story about her. She lost the ability to properly fear for her life if other lives were at stake. So, yes, essentially suicidal. Except for in her last story, she gets mauled worse in each story whilst saving thousands anonymously. Most readers recognized my prizefighter character; thanks for paying attention to my posts, y'all! The prizefighter fooled almost no one.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

RE: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/117130116756058541

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.21 — Link to or summarize yesterday's poll and reveal the answer.

The telepath spy led almost to the end and was the correct choice; she never appeared in a story. The DJ was the most disbelieved, but I wrote four novelettes and one short-story about her. She lost the ability to properly fear for her life if other lives were at stake. So, yes, essentially suicidal. Except for in her last story, she gets mauled worse in each story whilst saving thousands anonymously. Most readers recognized my prizefighter character; thanks for paying attention to my posts, y'all! The prizefighter fooled almost no one.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.21 — What's a trope you enjoy writing, even if it's unpopular?

A woman or girl in an unlikely, normally male, or powerful role as a protagonist. Plenty of people think it hackneyed. Until people won't look at the role as unlikely, normally male, or too powerful for a female, I'm writing stories with that trope.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.21 — What's a trope you enjoy writing, even if it's unpopular?

A woman or girl in an unlikely, normally male, or powerful role as a protagonist. Plenty of people think it hackneyed. Until people won't look at the role as unlikely, normally male, or too powerful for a female, I'm writing stories with that trope.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.21 — What's a trope you enjoy writing, even if it's unpopular?

A woman or girl in an unlikely, normally male, or powerful role as a protagonist. Plenty of people think it hackneyed. Until people won't look at the role as unlikely, normally male, or too powerful for a female, I'm writing stories with that trope.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.21 — What's a trope you enjoy writing, even if it's unpopular?

A woman or girl in an unlikely, normally male, or powerful role as a protagonist. Plenty of people think it hackneyed. Until people won't look at the role as unlikely, normally male, or too powerful for a female, I'm writing stories with that trope.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.21 — What's a trope you enjoy writing, even if it's unpopular?

A woman or girl in an unlikely, normally male, or powerful role as a protagonist. Plenty of people think it hackneyed. Until people won't look at the role as unlikely, normally male, or too powerful for a female, I'm writing stories with that trope.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.21 — What's a mistake you see a lot of writers make when writing about people with your lived experience?

Maybe more for screenwriters than for print writers: No. Emphatically. You can't walk up to a random terminal/computer to hack into a computer system or gain entry to a facility, especially inside a government agency or reasonably competent company. There's guards, keycards, biometrics, expiring passwords, multfactor authentication, surrendering your cellphone, usb keys, and laptops, and jumping through lotso other hoops, as well as trying to get information stored in isolated machines and isolated networks inside secured computer rooms. Heck, the data and computers may be off-site in a five+ 9s data center. You ain't dropping a bot. You're either going to be working in IT for an inside job, doing social engineering, or resort to wares and be working externally looking to take advantage of stupid or highly technical vulnerabilities anywhere on the net. You will almost never be able to hack a specific target, and if that's your goal, it may take months. You may have to develop software. The job is HARD and requires experience and expertise. Don't base a story on this working easily or quickly. Even decades ago when I got into systems as a student and security was rudimentary, it wasn't easy. Access through vulnerabilities happens mostly through social engineering, laziness or overwork of key personnel, or through undiscovered equipment issues in routers and other external network connections. Try lampshading these factors and your story will seem more believable.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.21 — What's a mistake you see a lot of writers make when writing about people with your lived experience?

Maybe more for screenwriters than for print writers: No. Emphatically. You can't walk up to a random terminal/computer to hack into a computer system or gain entry to a facility, especially inside a government agency or reasonably competent company. There's guards, keycards, biometrics, expiring passwords, multfactor authentication, surrendering your cellphone, usb keys, and laptops, and jumping through lotso other hoops, as well as trying to get information stored in isolated machines and isolated networks inside secured computer rooms. Heck, the data and computers may be off-site in a five+ 9s data center. You ain't dropping a bot. You're either going to be working in IT for an inside job, doing social engineering, or resort to wares and be working externally looking to take advantage of stupid or highly technical vulnerabilities anywhere on the net. You will almost never be able to hack a specific target, and if that's your goal, it may take months. You may have to develop software. The job is HARD and requires experience and expertise. Don't base a story on this working easily or quickly. Even decades ago when I got into systems as a student and security was rudimentary, it wasn't easy. Access through vulnerabilities happens mostly through social engineering, laziness or overwork of key personnel, or through undiscovered equipment issues in routers and other external network connections. Try lampshading these factors and your story will seem more believable.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.21 — What's a mistake you see a lot of writers make when writing about people with your lived experience?

Maybe more for screenwriters than for print writers: No. Emphatically. You can't walk up to a random terminal/computer to hack into a computer system or gain entry to a facility, especially inside a government agency or reasonably competent company. There's guards, keycards, biometrics, expiring passwords, multfactor authentication, surrendering your cellphone, usb keys, and laptops, and jumping through lotso other hoops, as well as trying to get information stored in isolated machines and isolated networks inside secured computer rooms. Heck, the data and computers may be off-site in a five+ 9s data center. You ain't dropping a bot. You're either going to be working in IT for an inside job, doing social engineering, or resort to wares and be working externally looking to take advantage of stupid or highly technical vulnerabilities anywhere on the net. You will almost never be able to hack a specific target, and if that's your goal, it may take months. You may have to develop software. The job is HARD and requires experience and expertise. Don't base a story on this working easily or quickly. Even decades ago when I got into systems as a student and security was rudimentary, it wasn't easy. Access through vulnerabilities happens mostly through social engineering, laziness or overwork of key personnel, or through undiscovered equipment issues in routers and other external network connections. Try lampshading these factors and your story will seem more believable.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.21 — What's a mistake you see a lot of writers make when writing about people with your lived experience?

Maybe more for screenwriters than for print writers: No. Emphatically. You can't walk up to a random terminal/computer to hack into a computer system or gain entry to a facility, especially inside a government agency or reasonably competent company. There's guards, keycards, biometrics, expiring passwords, multfactor authentication, surrendering your cellphone, usb keys, and laptops, and jumping through lotso other hoops, as well as trying to get information stored in isolated machines and isolated networks inside secured computer rooms. Heck, the data and computers may be off-site in a five+ 9s data center. You ain't dropping a bot. You're either going to be working in IT for an inside job, doing social engineering, or resort to wares and be working externally looking to take advantage of stupid or highly technical vulnerabilities anywhere on the net. You will almost never be able to hack a specific target, and if that's your goal, it may take months. You may have to develop software. The job is HARD and requires experience and expertise. Don't base a story on this working easily or quickly. Even decades ago when I got into systems as a student and security was rudimentary, it wasn't easy. Access through vulnerabilities happens mostly through social engineering, laziness or overwork of key personnel, or through undiscovered equipment issues in routers and other external network connections. Try lampshading these factors and your story will seem more believable.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.21 — What's a mistake you see a lot of writers make when writing about people with your lived experience?

Maybe more for screenwriters than for print writers: No. Emphatically. You can't walk up to a random terminal/computer to hack into a computer system or gain entry to a facility, especially inside a government agency or reasonably competent company. There's guards, keycards, biometrics, expiring passwords, multfactor authentication, surrendering your cellphone, usb keys, and laptops, and jumping through lotso other hoops, as well as trying to get information stored in isolated machines and isolated networks inside secured computer rooms. Heck, the data and computers may be off-site in a five+ 9s data center. You ain't dropping a bot. You're either going to be working in IT for an inside job, doing social engineering, or resort to wares and be working externally looking to take advantage of stupid or highly technical vulnerabilities anywhere on the net. You will almost never be able to hack a specific target, and if that's your goal, it may take months. You may have to develop software. The job is HARD and requires experience and expertise. Don't base a story on this working easily or quickly. Even decades ago when I got into systems as a student and security was rudimentary, it wasn't easy. Access through vulnerabilities happens mostly through social engineering, laziness or overwork of key personnel, or through undiscovered equipment issues in routers and other external network connections. Try lampshading these factors and your story will seem more believable.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#PennedPossibilities 1105: What secret does one of your characters keep that is dangerous to them? Does anyone else know about it?

There are two characters with secrets much more dangerous to them than Bolt's secret is to her. However—because spoilers are, well… you know, right?—like @floofpaldi said…

I’ll go with the safe option for this answer.

The MC's secret is known to the reader as it is in the title: Reluctant Courier (for the Mob). "Reluctant" has multiple meanings in this context, but what matters is that when Bolt's street photography gets discovered, celebrity, plenty of coin, and new friends follow, as does partial relief from an apathy that has left her having blacked out parts of her life. Being a mob courier has its moments—few of them, mostly scary. While she worries discovery will drive away her new friends, and will likely draw the attention of the constabulary, she's also afraid what the mob will do to her friends—whom she's grown to feel are more important than her own blackmailed life.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1105: What secret does one of your characters keep that is dangerous to them? Does anyone else know about it?

There are two characters with secrets much more dangerous to them than Bolt's secret is to her. However—because spoilers are, well… you know, right?—like @floofpaldi said…

I’ll go with the safe option for this answer.

The MC's secret is known to the reader as it is in the title: Reluctant Courier (for the Mob). "Reluctant" has multiple meanings in this context, but what matters is that when Bolt's street photography gets discovered, celebrity, plenty of coin, and new friends follow, as does partial relief from an apathy that has left her having blacked out parts of her life. Being a mob courier has its moments—few of them, mostly scary. While she worries discovery will drive away her new friends, and will likely draw the attention of the constabulary, she's also afraid what the mob will do to her friends—whom she's grown to feel are more important than her own blackmailed life.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1105: What secret does one of your characters keep that is dangerous to them? Does anyone else know about it?

There are two characters with secrets much more dangerous to them than Bolt's secret is to her. However—because spoilers are, well… you know, right?—like @floofpaldi said…

I’ll go with the safe option for this answer.

The MC's secret is known to the reader as it is in the title: Reluctant Courier (for the Mob). "Reluctant" has multiple meanings in this context, but what matters is that when Bolt's street photography gets discovered, celebrity, plenty of coin, and new friends follow, as does partial relief from an apathy that has left her having blacked out parts of her life. Being a mob courier has its moments—few of them, mostly scary. While she worries discovery will drive away her new friends, and will likely draw the attention of the constabulary, she's also afraid what the mob will do to her friends—whom she's grown to feel are more important than her own blackmailed life.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1105: What secret does one of your characters keep that is dangerous to them? Does anyone else know about it?

There are two characters with secrets much more dangerous to them than Bolt's secret is to her. However—because spoilers are, well… you know, right?—like @floofpaldi said…

I’ll go with the safe option for this answer.

The MC's secret is known to the reader as it is in the title: Reluctant Courier (for the Mob). "Reluctant" has multiple meanings in this context, but what matters is that when Bolt's street photography gets discovered, celebrity, plenty of coin, and new friends follow, as does partial relief from an apathy that has left her having blacked out parts of her life. Being a mob courier has its moments—few of them, mostly scary. While she worries discovery will drive away her new friends, and will likely draw the attention of the constabulary, she's also afraid what the mob will do to her friends—whom she's grown to feel are more important than her own blackmailed life.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#PennedPossibilities 1105: What secret does one of your characters keep that is dangerous to them? Does anyone else know about it?

There are two characters with secrets much more dangerous to them than Bolt's secret is to her. However—because spoilers are, well… you know, right?—like @floofpaldi said…

I’ll go with the safe option for this answer.

The MC's secret is known to the reader as it is in the title: Reluctant Courier (for the Mob). "Reluctant" has multiple meanings in this context, but what matters is that when Bolt's street photography gets discovered, celebrity, plenty of coin, and new friends follow, as does partial relief from an apathy that has left her having blacked out parts of her life. Being a mob courier has its moments—few of them, mostly scary. While she worries discovery will drive away her new friends, and will likely draw the attention of the constabulary, she's also afraid what the mob will do to her friends—whom she's grown to feel are more important than her own blackmailed life.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.20 — How easy is it for you to write characters outside of your age?

Whew! Thank goodness you didn't ask about writing characters my age. I haven't! Note that I write in 1st person with the protagonist as the narrator.

It's all about believability.

The youngest I've written was 7. The oldest was millennia old. Most are late teens early twenties. None are particularly difficult. Were they difficult, it wouldn't have been fun and I'd not have done it.

Narrating is a matter of voice and vocabulary, presenting experience and maturity levels appropriate for the character and their age, little more. I'm very proud of my 7 year old narrator, her constrained vocabulary, how she differentiates reality, magic, and "in-pretend," and what in the end really pisses her off. As for the ancient woman, she has an average person's memory and knows full well she can't remember everything about her life. She's forgotten children she has given birth to and raised. She leaves diaries hidden—time capsules, really—so her artificial recollection can survive the fall of civilizations, and has. I get to mix timeless experience and knowledge with the exuberance of a 24-year-old who always looks 24 and has no compunction about taking advantage of being "young" and attractive to men. Oh, right: she's an antagonist in many stories. Pretty fun to write.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Fantasy and #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.20 — How easy is it for you to write characters outside of your age?

Whew! Thank goodness you didn't ask about writing characters my age. I haven't! Note that I write in 1st person with the protagonist as the narrator.

It's all about believability.

The youngest I've written was 7. The oldest was millennia old. Most are late teens early twenties. None are particularly difficult. Were they difficult, it wouldn't have been fun and I'd not have done it.

Narrating is a matter of voice and vocabulary, presenting experience and maturity levels appropriate for the character and their age, little more. I'm very proud of my 7 year old narrator, her constrained vocabulary, how she differentiates reality, magic, and "in-pretend," and what in the end really pisses her off. As for the ancient woman, she has an average person's memory and knows full well she can't remember everything about her life. She's forgotten children she has given birth to and raised. She leaves diaries hidden—time capsules, really—so her artificial recollection can survive the fall of civilizations, and has. I get to mix timeless experience and knowledge with the exuberance of a 24-year-old who always looks 24 and has no compunction about taking advantage of being "young" and attractive to men. Oh, right: she's an antagonist in many stories. Pretty fun to write.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Fantasy and #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.20 — How easy is it for you to write characters outside of your age?

Whew! Thank goodness you didn't ask about writing characters my age. I haven't! Note that I write in 1st person with the protagonist as the narrator.

It's all about believability.

The youngest I've written was 7. The oldest was millennia old. Most are late teens early twenties. None are particularly difficult. Were they difficult, it wouldn't have been fun and I'd not have done it.

Narrating is a matter of voice and vocabulary, presenting experience and maturity levels appropriate for the character and their age, little more. I'm very proud of my 7 year old narrator, her constrained vocabulary, how she differentiates reality, magic, and "in-pretend," and what in the end really pisses her off. As for the ancient woman, she has an average person's memory and knows full well she can't remember everything about her life. She's forgotten children she has given birth to and raised. She leaves diaries hidden—time capsules, really—so her artificial recollection can survive the fall of civilizations, and has. I get to mix timeless experience and knowledge with the exuberance of a 24-year-old who always looks 24 and has no compunction about taking advantage of being "young" and attractive to men. Oh, right: she's an antagonist in many stories. Pretty fun to write.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Fantasy and #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.20 — How easy is it for you to write characters outside of your age?

Whew! Thank goodness you didn't ask about writing characters my age. I haven't! Note that I write in 1st person with the protagonist as the narrator.

It's all about believability.

The youngest I've written was 7. The oldest was millennia old. Most are late teens early twenties. None are particularly difficult. Were they difficult, it wouldn't have been fun and I'd not have done it.

Narrating is a matter of voice and vocabulary, presenting experience and maturity levels appropriate for the character and their age, little more. I'm very proud of my 7 year old narrator, her constrained vocabulary, how she differentiates reality, magic, and "in-pretend," and what in the end really pisses her off. As for the ancient woman, she has an average person's memory and knows full well she can't remember everything about her life. She's forgotten children she has given birth to and raised. She leaves diaries hidden—time capsules, really—so her artificial recollection can survive the fall of civilizations, and has. I get to mix timeless experience and knowledge with the exuberance of a 24-year-old who always looks 24 and has no compunction about taking advantage of being "young" and attractive to men. Oh, right: she's an antagonist in many stories. Pretty fun to write.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Fantasy and #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.20 — How easy is it for you to write characters outside of your age?

Whew! Thank goodness you didn't ask about writing characters my age. I haven't! Note that I write in 1st person with the protagonist as the narrator.

It's all about believability.

The youngest I've written was 7. The oldest was millennia old. Most are late teens early twenties. None are particularly difficult. Were they difficult, it wouldn't have been fun and I'd not have done it.

Narrating is a matter of voice and vocabulary, presenting experience and maturity levels appropriate for the character and their age, little more. I'm very proud of my 7 year old narrator, her constrained vocabulary, how she differentiates reality, magic, and "in-pretend," and what in the end really pisses her off. As for the ancient woman, she has an average person's memory and knows full well she can't remember everything about her life. She's forgotten children she has given birth to and raised. She leaves diaries hidden—time capsules, really—so her artificial recollection can survive the fall of civilizations, and has. I get to mix timeless experience and knowledge with the exuberance of a 24-year-old who always looks 24 and has no compunction about taking advantage of being "young" and attractive to men. Oh, right: she's an antagonist in many stories. Pretty fun to write.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Fantasy and #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#WordWeavers 2026.08.20 — If your story had a tagline, what would it be?

Inklings

Befriending animals never made a girl this dangerous.

This fox bat image (not my artwork) is roughly what the Red Dragon that Wintereyes befriends looks like. Gotta be a mammal to catch a cold and sneeze fire, right? I'd like something like her on the cover.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

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#mystery #thriller #romance #fantasy
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
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#RSstory #RSInklingsStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.20 — If your story had a tagline, what would it be?

Inklings

Befriending animals never made a girl this dangerous.

This fox bat image (not my artwork) is roughly what the Red Dragon that Wintereyes befriends looks like. Gotta be a mammal to catch a cold and sneeze fire, right? I'd like something like her on the cover.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #fantasy
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSInklingsStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.20 — If your story had a tagline, what would it be?

Inklings

Befriending animals never made a girl this dangerous.

This fox bat image (not my artwork) is roughly what the Red Dragon that Wintereyes befriends looks like. Gotta be a mammal to catch a cold and sneeze fire, right? I'd like something like her on the cover.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #fantasy
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSInklingsStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.20 — If your story had a tagline, what would it be?

Inklings

Befriending animals never made a girl this dangerous.

This fox bat image (not my artwork) is roughly what the Red Dragon that Wintereyes befriends looks like. Gotta be a mammal to catch a cold and sneeze fire, right? I'd like something like her on the cover.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #fantasy
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSInklingsStory

#WordWeavers 2026.08.20 — If your story had a tagline, what would it be?

Inklings

Befriending animals never made a girl this dangerous.

This fox bat image (not my artwork) is roughly what the Red Dragon that Wintereyes befriends looks like. Gotta be a mammal to catch a cold and sneeze fire, right? I'd like something like her on the cover.

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#mystery #thriller #romance #fantasy
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSInklingsStory

#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.19 — If paper books stopped being produced, how much would you miss them?

I would be sad, but in a big way, I'd also be relieved. Ebooks don't take up space in book shelves and aren't covered in dust, and can be magnified for old eyes to read, unlike my books. I know we have to fix a system where we don't really own all our eBooks and eMusic, but it's not a total failure. I have ePub saved in the cloud and on backups. I hope this ridiculousness will be fixed, and many of the indies I've encountered here on Mastodon are making inroads to making this more universally true. When it comes to permanence, nothing really is forever. I've books back to the 1800s that are yellowed (a Lesser Key of Solomon) but smell great, and the late 1990s that are crumbling. I can't read floppies and some CDs are flaking. Coffee table books I'll miss, more. But. It's nice seeing those on a big OLED screen…

[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing
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photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion