#rsdiscussion — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #rsdiscussion, aggregated by home.social.
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#PennedPossibilities 1130: If your MC could have a do-over and another life, one of their own choice this time, what would their profession be?
What she did before everything turned out wrong was her choice. It felt good. It validated her existence. It challenged her physically and she could be the best at it. How she handled her frustration when her profession got denied her was what made it all go wrong. As a day angel born into the same circumstance, she'd inevitably make the same mistake because with her personality she'd still be at odds with her family, who wanted her to go to college not become a laborer; she'd have nobody counsel her as to how to overcome her obstacles.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1124: MC POV: What stupid question have you heard someone ask (or asked yourself)?
Finally found one! Bolt narrates this #excerpt.
Rainy Days' idi had resembled fern leaves and sticks at the interstellar gateway [instead of a burst pillow after a pillow fight, now]. What? Was this a twin sister…? Impossible. People would know. I'd have heard. But who had an idi that changed once surfaced?
Stupid question, featherbrain!
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#PennedPossibilities 1124: MC POV: What stupid question have you heard someone ask (or asked yourself)?
Finally found one! Bolt narrates this #excerpt.
Rainy Days' idi had resembled fern leaves and sticks at the interstellar gateway [instead of a burst pillow after a pillow fight, now]. What? Was this a twin sister…? Impossible. People would know. I'd have heard. But who had an idi that changed once surfaced?
Stupid question, featherbrain!
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#PennedPossibilities 1124: MC POV: What stupid question have you heard someone ask (or asked yourself)?
Finally found one! Bolt narrates this #excerpt.
Rainy Days' idi had resembled fern leaves and sticks at the interstellar gateway [instead of a burst pillow after a pillow fight, now]. What? Was this a twin sister…? Impossible. People would know. I'd have heard. But who had an idi that changed once surfaced?
Stupid question, featherbrain!
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#PennedPossibilities 1124: MC POV: What stupid question have you heard someone ask (or asked yourself)?
Finally found one! Bolt narrates this #excerpt.
Rainy Days' idi had resembled fern leaves and sticks at the interstellar gateway [instead of a burst pillow after a pillow fight, now]. What? Was this a twin sister…? Impossible. People would know. I'd have heard. But who had an idi that changed once surfaced?
Stupid question, featherbrain!
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#PennedPossibilities 1124: MC POV: What stupid question have you heard someone ask (or asked yourself)?
Finally found one! Bolt narrates this #excerpt.
Rainy Days' idi had resembled fern leaves and sticks at the interstellar gateway [instead of a burst pillow after a pillow fight, now]. What? Was this a twin sister…? Impossible. People would know. I'd have heard. But who had an idi that changed once surfaced?
Stupid question, featherbrain!
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#ScribesAndMakers 2026.09.15 — ~What's a situation where you feel a ';' definitely works better than a '.' ?
This is difficult; I use both. Extensively.
Semicolons are great when sentences are closely related statements and you want to emphasize that—or want to create a more staccato rhythm by omitting a conjunction, a conjunction that could otherwise imply some minor separation such as one thing after another, or a undefined time difference between events. Note that I could have used a comma after "both" and before "Extensively." I chose a period for emphasis, to demonstrate an after-thought, pretty much as if I were transcribing natural speech. Natural speech is a great guide.
Take a moment. Please. Read my first sentence out loud, barely pausing at the semicolon. Pause longer after the first period.
See?
HTH!
PS: Your grade school teacher would fail me for my one word sentences. Even. If. For. Emphasis. In real life, people don't speak in full sentences; they ignore grammar, especially to make a point. I write this way. It's called "Grammar B."
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#ScribesAndMakers 2026.09.15 — ~What's a situation where you feel a ';' definitely works better than a '.' ?
This is difficult; I use both. Extensively.
Semicolons are great when sentences are closely related statements and you want to emphasize that—or want to create a more staccato rhythm by omitting a conjunction, a conjunction that could otherwise imply some minor separation such as one thing after another, or a undefined time difference between events. Note that I could have used a comma after "both" and before "Extensively." I chose a period for emphasis, to demonstrate an after-thought, pretty much as if I were transcribing natural speech. Natural speech is a great guide.
Take a moment. Please. Read my first sentence out loud, barely pausing at the semicolon. Pause longer after the first period.
See?
HTH!
PS: Your grade school teacher would fail me for my one word sentences. Even. If. For. Emphasis. In real life, people don't speak in full sentences; they ignore grammar, especially to make a point. I write this way. It's called "Grammar B."
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#ScribesAndMakers 2026.09.15 — ~What's a situation where you feel a ';' definitely works better than a '.' ?
This is difficult; I use both. Extensively.
Semicolons are great when sentences are closely related statements and you want to emphasize that—or want to create a more staccato rhythm by omitting a conjunction, a conjunction that could otherwise imply some minor separation such as one thing after another, or a undefined time difference between events. Note that I could have used a comma after "both" and before "Extensively." I chose a period for emphasis, to demonstrate an after-thought, pretty much as if I were transcribing natural speech. Natural speech is a great guide.
Take a moment. Please. Read my first sentence out loud, barely pausing at the semicolon. Pause longer after the first period.
See?
HTH!
PS: Your grade school teacher would fail me for my one word sentences. Even. If. For. Emphasis. In real life, people don't speak in full sentences; they ignore grammar, especially to make a point. I write this way. It's called "Grammar B."
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#ScribesAndMakers 2026.09.15 — ~What's a situation where you feel a ';' definitely works better than a '.' ?
This is difficult; I use both. Extensively.
Semicolons are great when sentences are closely related statements and you want to emphasize that—or want to create a more staccato rhythm by omitting a conjunction, a conjunction that could otherwise imply some minor separation such as one thing after another, or a undefined time difference between events. Note that I could have used a comma after "both" and before "Extensively." I chose a period for emphasis, to demonstrate an after-thought, pretty much as if I were transcribing natural speech. Natural speech is a great guide.
Take a moment. Please. Read my first sentence out loud, barely pausing at the semicolon. Pause longer after the first period.
See?
HTH!
PS: Your grade school teacher would fail me for my one word sentences. Even. If. For. Emphasis. In real life, people don't speak in full sentences; they ignore grammar, especially to make a point. I write this way. It's called "Grammar B."
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#ScribesAndMakers 2026.09.15 — ~What's a situation where you feel a ';' definitely works better than a '.' ?
This is difficult; I use both. Extensively.
Semicolons are great when sentences are closely related statements and you want to emphasize that—or want to create a more staccato rhythm by omitting a conjunction, a conjunction that could otherwise imply some minor separation such as one thing after another, or a undefined time difference between events. Note that I could have used a comma after "both" and before "Extensively." I chose a period for emphasis, to demonstrate an after-thought, pretty much as if I were transcribing natural speech. Natural speech is a great guide.
Take a moment. Please. Read my first sentence out loud, barely pausing at the semicolon. Pause longer after the first period.
See?
HTH!
PS: Your grade school teacher would fail me for my one word sentences. Even. If. For. Emphasis. In real life, people don't speak in full sentences; they ignore grammar, especially to make a point. I write this way. It's called "Grammar B."
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author
photographer chef cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.09.15 — What expertise are you happy to offer to your fellow writers for their research?
If it is online, check sources. If it's an #AI response, take the small print warning,
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses† [,]
at face value, and check all the provided sources skeptically. If it was said by a blogger or especially an influencer, found in the comments, a discussion thread, columns in random website no matter how professional it looks or attributed to what looks like a real person, or in minor unknown news sites, assume it is hearsay and opinion until corroborated. If the fact is based on a study (or studies) not yet peer reviewed, it is not fact only an assertion. Read the data. Correlation is not causation. If the site or clip is selling you something, especially if it has something to do with facts presented, those facts are untrustworthy.
=-=-=-=-=
† Google[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author #writingAdvice
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.09.15 — What expertise are you happy to offer to your fellow writers for their research?
If it is online, check sources. If it's an #AI response, take the small print warning,
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses† [,]
at face value, and check all the provided sources skeptically. If it was said by a blogger or especially an influencer, found in the comments, a discussion thread, columns in random website no matter how professional it looks or attributed to what looks like a real person, or in minor unknown news sites, assume it is hearsay and opinion until corroborated. If the fact is based on a study (or studies) not yet peer reviewed, it is not fact only an assertion. Read the data. Correlation is not causation. If the site or clip is selling you something, especially if it has something to do with facts presented, those facts are untrustworthy.
=-=-=-=-=
† Google[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author #writingAdvice
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.09.15 — What expertise are you happy to offer to your fellow writers for their research?
If it is online, check sources. If it's an #AI response, take the small print warning,
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses† [,]
at face value, and check all the provided sources skeptically. If it was said by a blogger or especially an influencer, found in the comments, a discussion thread, columns in random website no matter how professional it looks or attributed to what looks like a real person, or in minor unknown news sites, assume it is hearsay and opinion until corroborated. If the fact is based on a study (or studies) not yet peer reviewed, it is not fact only an assertion. Read the data. Correlation is not causation. If the site or clip is selling you something, especially if it has something to do with facts presented, those facts are untrustworthy.
=-=-=-=-=
† Google[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author #writingAdvice
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.09.15 — What expertise are you happy to offer to your fellow writers for their research?
If it is online, check sources. If it's an #AI response, take the small print warning,
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses† [,]
at face value, and check all the provided sources skeptically. If it was said by a blogger or especially an influencer, found in the comments, a discussion thread, columns in random website no matter how professional it looks or attributed to what looks like a real person, or in minor unknown news sites, assume it is hearsay and opinion until corroborated. If the fact is based on a study (or studies) not yet peer reviewed, it is not fact only an assertion. Read the data. Correlation is not causation. If the site or clip is selling you something, especially if it has something to do with facts presented, those facts are untrustworthy.
=-=-=-=-=
† Google[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author #writingAdvice
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.09.15 — What expertise are you happy to offer to your fellow writers for their research?
If it is online, check sources. If it's an #AI response, take the small print warning,
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses† [,]
at face value, and check all the provided sources skeptically. If it was said by a blogger or especially an influencer, found in the comments, a discussion thread, columns in random website no matter how professional it looks or attributed to what looks like a real person, or in minor unknown news sites, assume it is hearsay and opinion until corroborated. If the fact is based on a study (or studies) not yet peer reviewed, it is not fact only an assertion. Read the data. Correlation is not causation. If the site or clip is selling you something, especially if it has something to do with facts presented, those facts are untrustworthy.
=-=-=-=-=
† Google[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#BoostingIsSharing
#gender #fiction #writer #author #writingAdvice
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion -
#PennedPossibilities 1129: If you had to choose a genre of music that best matches your current WIP, what would it be?
That "modern" jazzy noir sound of old timey PI movies.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1129: If you had to choose a genre of music that best matches your current WIP, what would it be?
That "modern" jazzy noir sound of old timey PI movies.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1129: If you had to choose a genre of music that best matches your current WIP, what would it be?
That "modern" jazzy noir sound of old timey PI movies.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1129: If you had to choose a genre of music that best matches your current WIP, what would it be?
That "modern" jazzy noir sound of old timey PI movies.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1129: If you had to choose a genre of music that best matches your current WIP, what would it be?
That "modern" jazzy noir sound of old timey PI movies.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1128: Does your MC have a name that’s unique?
My MC has at least five names, and in a world where everybody names themself, this count is likely typical. Family names don't exist since property and status are not heritable.
Everybody starts with the same name, however. It's "Child" (nominal) or "Child of" (familial). Despite being an interstellar society (without electricity or A/C), child mortality rates are high. Each day is a heat index warning day, and some days are deadly for adults, let alone infants. Thus you get called "Child" until you understand the concept of naming yourself, assuming you survive. Considering how children are, they probably have a series of names into their teens.
My MC is 30 now, so she had named herself at least once, but she never shares that name because she got blackmailed into working for the mob and worries that name could be traced.
When she got blackmailed into the mob, she on the spot named herself "Lightning Bolt" because she could believably prove she was a fast flier and not be questioned. She's now an air courier.
She has two other names. One is "Tandem." She taught some guy to fly tandem with her (too complex to explain here) and suggested that name so as not to use her mob name. They became long time friends. She took the name "Good Eye" when she inadvertently became a celebrity photographer, so as not to publicize her mob name where it might be recognized by the wrong people.
Hard to say whether in a world population of 240 million people that her names are unique, but they might be rare. Japan also has a descriptive naming system with half the population; by convention many personal names are reused and some are very common, like Yuki and Shiro (Snow and White respectively). I suspect some combinations in this world are more common than others. Other names in the story are phrases, like Night on Fire and Arrow Flies True and seem more unique.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1128: Does your MC have a name that’s unique?
My MC has at least five names, and in a world where everybody names themself, this count is likely typical. Family names don't exist since property and status are not heritable.
Everybody starts with the same name, however. It's "Child" (nominal) or "Child of" (familial). Despite being an interstellar society (without electricity or A/C), child mortality rates are high. Each day is a heat index warning day, and some days are deadly for adults, let alone infants. Thus you get called "Child" until you understand the concept of naming yourself, assuming you survive. Considering how children are, they probably have a series of names into their teens.
My MC is 30 now, so she had named herself at least once, but she never shares that name because she got blackmailed into working for the mob and worries that name could be traced.
When she got blackmailed into the mob, she on the spot named herself "Lightning Bolt" because she could believably prove she was a fast flier and not be questioned. She's now an air courier.
She has two other names. One is "Tandem." She taught some guy to fly tandem with her (too complex to explain here) and suggested that name so as not to use her mob name. They became long time friends. She took the name "Good Eye" when she inadvertently became a celebrity photographer, so as not to publicize her mob name where it might be recognized by the wrong people.
Hard to say whether in a world population of 240 million people that her names are unique, but they might be rare. Japan also has a descriptive naming system with half the population; by convention many personal names are reused and some are very common, like Yuki and Shiro (Snow and White respectively). I suspect some combinations in this world are more common than others. Other names in the story are phrases, like Night on Fire and Arrow Flies True and seem more unique.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1128: Does your MC have a name that’s unique?
My MC has at least five names, and in a world where everybody names themself, this count is likely typical. Family names don't exist since property and status are not heritable.
Everybody starts with the same name, however. It's "Child" (nominal) or "Child of" (familial). Despite being an interstellar society (without electricity or A/C), child mortality rates are high. Each day is a heat index warning day, and some days are deadly for adults, let alone infants. Thus you get called "Child" until you understand the concept of naming yourself, assuming you survive. Considering how children are, they probably have a series of names into their teens.
My MC is 30 now, so she had named herself at least once, but she never shares that name because she got blackmailed into working for the mob and worries that name could be traced.
When she got blackmailed into the mob, she on the spot named herself "Lightning Bolt" because she could believably prove she was a fast flier and not be questioned. She's now an air courier.
She has two other names. One is "Tandem." She taught some guy to fly tandem with her (too complex to explain here) and suggested that name so as not to use her mob name. They became long time friends. She took the name "Good Eye" when she inadvertently became a celebrity photographer, so as not to publicize her mob name where it might be recognized by the wrong people.
Hard to say whether in a world population of 240 million people that her names are unique, but they might be rare. Japan also has a descriptive naming system with half the population; by convention many personal names are reused and some are very common, like Yuki and Shiro (Snow and White respectively). I suspect some combinations in this world are more common than others. Other names in the story are phrases, like Night on Fire and Arrow Flies True and seem more unique.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1128: Does your MC have a name that’s unique?
My MC has at least five names, and in a world where everybody names themself, this count is likely typical. Family names don't exist since property and status are not heritable.
Everybody starts with the same name, however. It's "Child" (nominal) or "Child of" (familial). Despite being an interstellar society (without electricity or A/C), child mortality rates are high. Each day is a heat index warning day, and some days are deadly for adults, let alone infants. Thus you get called "Child" until you understand the concept of naming yourself, assuming you survive. Considering how children are, they probably have a series of names into their teens.
My MC is 30 now, so she had named herself at least once, but she never shares that name because she got blackmailed into working for the mob and worries that name could be traced.
When she got blackmailed into the mob, she on the spot named herself "Lightning Bolt" because she could believably prove she was a fast flier and not be questioned. She's now an air courier.
She has two other names. One is "Tandem." She taught some guy to fly tandem with her (too complex to explain here) and suggested that name so as not to use her mob name. They became long time friends. She took the name "Good Eye" when she inadvertently became a celebrity photographer, so as not to publicize her mob name where it might be recognized by the wrong people.
Hard to say whether in a world population of 240 million people that her names are unique, but they might be rare. Japan also has a descriptive naming system with half the population; by convention many personal names are reused and some are very common, like Yuki and Shiro (Snow and White respectively). I suspect some combinations in this world are more common than others. Other names in the story are phrases, like Night on Fire and Arrow Flies True and seem more unique.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#PennedPossibilities 1128: Does your MC have a name that’s unique?
My MC has at least five names, and in a world where everybody names themself, this count is likely typical. Family names don't exist since property and status are not heritable.
Everybody starts with the same name, however. It's "Child" (nominal) or "Child of" (familial). Despite being an interstellar society (without electricity or A/C), child mortality rates are high. Each day is a heat index warning day, and some days are deadly for adults, let alone infants. Thus you get called "Child" until you understand the concept of naming yourself, assuming you survive. Considering how children are, they probably have a series of names into their teens.
My MC is 30 now, so she had named herself at least once, but she never shares that name because she got blackmailed into working for the mob and worries that name could be traced.
When she got blackmailed into the mob, she on the spot named herself "Lightning Bolt" because she could believably prove she was a fast flier and not be questioned. She's now an air courier.
She has two other names. One is "Tandem." She taught some guy to fly tandem with her (too complex to explain here) and suggested that name so as not to use her mob name. They became long time friends. She took the name "Good Eye" when she inadvertently became a celebrity photographer, so as not to publicize her mob name where it might be recognized by the wrong people.
Hard to say whether in a world population of 240 million people that her names are unique, but they might be rare. Japan also has a descriptive naming system with half the population; by convention many personal names are reused and some are very common, like Yuki and Shiro (Snow and White respectively). I suspect some combinations in this world are more common than others. Other names in the story are phrases, like Night on Fire and Arrow Flies True and seem more unique.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory -
#WordWeavers 2026.09.13 — Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
Out of context, it seems pretty innocent, right? Maybe a group of kids having fun? Nope! Signals the segue into a scene where the MC and the main series antagonist spar over a cute guy, an SC LI. The MC and SC are day angels. They have wings. Feathers. They're flying. The antagonist is also flying, but is… something else†.
Zooming out to a #snippet #excerpt. Might be rough as I revised the snippet heavily in the post as it needed it. I'll copy back to the manuscript! 😋
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
My first impulse is to flee—always. I'm a courier for the mob, not an enforcer. My lived truth is be not the messenger who got killed.
Blue was a praetorian; my friend was innocent of what I did for a living. He did not fright. Reflex had caused me to swoop at him. I pulled up my feet not to kick him, at least, as he dunk-dived at the last instant, furling his wings. His eddy sucked me down. In a heartbeat I overcame that. Wings out catching momentum-heavy air, I slowed scanning the twilit sky—purple and salmon clouds, a flood of deep indigo and sparkling first stars beyond.
Where?
My heart stuttered in my chest. Had we both not been intimately aware of each other's warping of up and down, chaotic attraction would have smashed us together bodily or ripped us apart—literally feather plucked by tangled swirling ups and downs a dozen times or more powerful than down felt standing on the ground.
My shock wore off. I understood I was the target, not Blue who returned to my side, breathless. Dropping as he had was the best way to create speed, to leave him safely behind, so I brought my wings close and let my head lead as I fell forward into increasing wind in my eyes.
A woman's voice came from behind me, rapidly getting louder, closing the distance. "Aw, aren't you going to play?"
=+=+=+=+=+
† This short tootfic describes the "something else" my antagonist is: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110993252771253246[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S. LLM training prohibited.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#Cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#WordWeavers 2026.09.13 — Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
Out of context, it seems pretty innocent, right? Maybe a group of kids having fun? Nope! Signals the segue into a scene where the MC and the main series antagonist spar over a cute guy, an SC LI. The MC and SC are day angels. They have wings. Feathers. They're flying. The antagonist is also flying, but is… something else†.
Zooming out to a #snippet #excerpt. Might be rough as I revised the snippet heavily in the post as it needed it. I'll copy back to the manuscript! 😋
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
My first impulse is to flee—always. I'm a courier for the mob, not an enforcer. My lived truth is be not the messenger who got killed.
Blue was a praetorian; my friend was innocent of what I did for a living. He did not fright. Reflex had caused me to swoop at him. I pulled up my feet not to kick him, at least, as he dunk-dived at the last instant, furling his wings. His eddy sucked me down. In a heartbeat I overcame that. Wings out catching momentum-heavy air, I slowed scanning the twilit sky—purple and salmon clouds, a flood of deep indigo and sparkling first stars beyond.
Where?
My heart stuttered in my chest. Had we both not been intimately aware of each other's warping of up and down, chaotic attraction would have smashed us together bodily or ripped us apart—literally feather plucked by tangled swirling ups and downs a dozen times or more powerful than down felt standing on the ground.
My shock wore off. I understood I was the target, not Blue who returned to my side, breathless. Dropping as he had was the best way to create speed, to leave him safely behind, so I brought my wings close and let my head lead as I fell forward into increasing wind in my eyes.
A woman's voice came from behind me, rapidly getting louder, closing the distance. "Aw, aren't you going to play?"
=+=+=+=+=+
† This short tootfic describes the "something else" my antagonist is: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110993252771253246[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S. LLM training prohibited.]
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#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
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#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#WordWeavers 2026.09.13 — Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
Out of context, it seems pretty innocent, right? Maybe a group of kids having fun? Nope! Signals the segue into a scene where the MC and the main series antagonist spar over a cute guy, an SC LI. The MC and SC are day angels. They have wings. Feathers. They're flying. The antagonist is also flying, but is… something else†.
Zooming out to a #snippet #excerpt. Might be rough as I revised the snippet heavily in the post as it needed it. I'll copy back to the manuscript! 😋
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
My first impulse is to flee—always. I'm a courier for the mob, not an enforcer. My lived truth is be not the messenger who got killed.
Blue was a praetorian; my friend was innocent of what I did for a living. He did not fright. Reflex had caused me to swoop at him. I pulled up my feet not to kick him, at least, as he dunk-dived at the last instant, furling his wings. His eddy sucked me down. In a heartbeat I overcame that. Wings out catching momentum-heavy air, I slowed scanning the twilit sky—purple and salmon clouds, a flood of deep indigo and sparkling first stars beyond.
Where?
My heart stuttered in my chest. Had we both not been intimately aware of each other's warping of up and down, chaotic attraction would have smashed us together bodily or ripped us apart—literally feather plucked by tangled swirling ups and downs a dozen times or more powerful than down felt standing on the ground.
My shock wore off. I understood I was the target, not Blue who returned to my side, breathless. Dropping as he had was the best way to create speed, to leave him safely behind, so I brought my wings close and let my head lead as I fell forward into increasing wind in my eyes.
A woman's voice came from behind me, rapidly getting louder, closing the distance. "Aw, aren't you going to play?"
=+=+=+=+=+
† This short tootfic describes the "something else" my antagonist is: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110993252771253246[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S. LLM training prohibited.]
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#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
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#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#WordWeavers 2026.09.13 — Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
Out of context, it seems pretty innocent, right? Maybe a group of kids having fun? Nope! Signals the segue into a scene where the MC and the main series antagonist spar over a cute guy, an SC LI. The MC and SC are day angels. They have wings. Feathers. They're flying. The antagonist is also flying, but is… something else†.
Zooming out to a #snippet #excerpt. Might be rough as I revised the snippet heavily in the post as it needed it. I'll copy back to the manuscript! 😋
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
My first impulse is to flee—always. I'm a courier for the mob, not an enforcer. My lived truth is be not the messenger who got killed.
Blue was a praetorian; my friend was innocent of what I did for a living. He did not fright. Reflex had caused me to swoop at him. I pulled up my feet not to kick him, at least, as he dunk-dived at the last instant, furling his wings. His eddy sucked me down. In a heartbeat I overcame that. Wings out catching momentum-heavy air, I slowed scanning the twilit sky—purple and salmon clouds, a flood of deep indigo and sparkling first stars beyond.
Where?
My heart stuttered in my chest. Had we both not been intimately aware of each other's warping of up and down, chaotic attraction would have smashed us together bodily or ripped us apart—literally feather plucked by tangled swirling ups and downs a dozen times or more powerful than down felt standing on the ground.
My shock wore off. I understood I was the target, not Blue who returned to my side, breathless. Dropping as he had was the best way to create speed, to leave him safely behind, so I brought my wings close and let my head lead as I fell forward into increasing wind in my eyes.
A woman's voice came from behind me, rapidly getting louder, closing the distance. "Aw, aren't you going to play?"
=+=+=+=+=+
† This short tootfic describes the "something else" my antagonist is: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110993252771253246[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S. LLM training prohibited.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
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#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
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#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory -
#WordWeavers 2026.09.13 — Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn’t.
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
Out of context, it seems pretty innocent, right? Maybe a group of kids having fun? Nope! Signals the segue into a scene where the MC and the main series antagonist spar over a cute guy, an SC LI. The MC and SC are day angels. They have wings. Feathers. They're flying. The antagonist is also flying, but is… something else†.
Zooming out to a #snippet #excerpt. Might be rough as I revised the snippet heavily in the post as it needed it. I'll copy back to the manuscript! 😋
A third voice said brightly, "Tag, you're it!"
My first impulse is to flee—always. I'm a courier for the mob, not an enforcer. My lived truth is be not the messenger who got killed.
Blue was a praetorian; my friend was innocent of what I did for a living. He did not fright. Reflex had caused me to swoop at him. I pulled up my feet not to kick him, at least, as he dunk-dived at the last instant, furling his wings. His eddy sucked me down. In a heartbeat I overcame that. Wings out catching momentum-heavy air, I slowed scanning the twilit sky—purple and salmon clouds, a flood of deep indigo and sparkling first stars beyond.
Where?
My heart stuttered in my chest. Had we both not been intimately aware of each other's warping of up and down, chaotic attraction would have smashed us together bodily or ripped us apart—literally feather plucked by tangled swirling ups and downs a dozen times or more powerful than down felt standing on the ground.
My shock wore off. I understood I was the target, not Blue who returned to my side, breathless. Dropping as he had was the best way to create speed, to leave him safely behind, so I brought my wings close and let my head lead as I fell forward into increasing wind in my eyes.
A woman's voice came from behind me, rapidly getting louder, closing the distance. "Aw, aren't you going to play?"
=+=+=+=+=+
† This short tootfic describes the "something else" my antagonist is: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110993252771253246[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S. LLM training prohibited.]
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#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
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#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.]
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#WordWeavers 2026.08.16 — If one of your characters could ask you a question, what would they ask?
What's that three-eyed metallic orange slab you keep on taking out of your pocket to look at the glowy side?
How do you explain an iPhone to someone from an advanced culture that doesn't have or need electricity?
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#PennedPossibilities 1101: What creature or monster would your MC or SC love to keep as an unconventional pet? Why is that?
The only monsters in the Reluctance Series are human. Cats, dogs, chickens, horses, &tc. exist, but so far we've only seen horses and they have tiny cute stegosaur plates on their backs, but are still ridden. Cats? Dogs? [shrugs] No monsters, or unconventional pets, though. The people in these stories don't keep human monsters as pets, either, and attempts at slavery have ended poorly for societies that embraced the idea.
Stepping back to the incomplete Inklings in my Wands Universe, there are "monsters." The Red Dragon looks more like a house sized bat with a very ugly face, but when Wintereyes befriends animals, she makes them more human. Not a pet. She'd never have a pet.
It's interesting to realize my characters don't do the pet thing let alone want one that's unconventional.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.08.11 — When were you last a student?
Twenty years ago. I took two semesters of Japanese in 2006 in preparation for touring Japan before the 2007 WorldCon in Tokyo.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#ScribesAndMakers »2026.08.09 — Have you ever switched perspective (1st, 2nd, 3rd person, 3rd close, cinematic, etc) mid-chapter/story? Was it successful in your opinion?
My biggest headache as a 3rd person close POV author was keeping truly solely in the character's perspective. C.J. Cherryh is the master of this. I failed way too often. I switched to 1st person. It limits the perspective identically, comes with a built-in narrator, includes superior error-checking, and is familiar as this is how we naturally tell stories about our experiences. I rarely fall out of POV these days.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#PennedPossibilities 1080 — Do any unseen forces have power within your universe?
Wait. There's a lot of ways to parse that question!
Are there unseen forces? Yes. Earth didn't get to be in it's current state by magic. The story is SF.
Are there unseen forces? Yes. By definition, they are unseen forces. Like gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak forces, they are additional forces unseen but felt by humans.
Are there unseen forces? Yes. The Wildings are annoyed the Domestics (all of us, but specifically farmers) aren't sticking to the Sunny Armistice and conflict may yet erupt. Additionally, another type of human is working behind the scenes. This would be important in sequels.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WordWeavers 2026.07.20 — If your antagonist could improve one thing about themself, what would it be?
[Yes, I plan redemption arcs for my antagonists. Not saying they're easy to earn, or if they'll grow to deserve them.—R]
Improve himself? Learn how to make real friends, or figure out some way to do so. His current life as the goose that laid the golden egg is certainly comfortable, but lonely. His interlude with his courier (the woman MC of the story) made his loneliness worse because though she clearly hated him, she set that aside and demonstratively enjoyed having fun with him while remaining unerringly direct and open in their conversation, and now, that she's left, the house seems hollow. He knew what she felt. He's even thought of giving her all of the evidence he blackmailed her with, to see how she'd react, if maybe he could get her to join with him—but the syndicate that's made him its beating heart might react badly if she could freely leave if she chose to. His action might make her less safe, no, undoubtedly it would. He knows it's a bad idea. How can he make friends when he's as trapped by his own machinations as those he's trapped?
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.07.17 — What's a trope you can't get enough of writing?
Regardless of my answer yesterday, I'll admit that I could probably shoot out an endless stream of coming-of-age stories. It's addicting as candy. In fact, Inklings, a romantasy WIP I've put on hold, is a double-trope fantasy. Both the 19 year old protagonist and her love interest work through their own coming of age ordeals. Both are also fish out of water university students. She was raised by wolves and can't understand human social standards (okay, a third trope). He is living in exile on the mainland, having fled from a bloody succession battle on his island home. Oh, right, forgot… fourth trope: she can talk to animals, one of which is a dragon (fifth?). I'm trying to move a way from YA storylines these days. Inklings is definitely R-rated despite the theme, which potentially makes marketing it hard.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WordWeavers 2026.07.14 — What is the most unusual or interesting word in your WIP’s first sentence?
Okay. That turned out more interesting than I expected! (The italics are in the manuscript.)
What the flap!
It's the narrator's thoughts. The sentence is an interjection that launches an expletive. Neither "what" nor "the" are unusual or interesting, but "flap!" certainly is. The 1st person narrator and protagonist being introduced is a day angel (as versus a daemon, for example). She has wings. She has feathers. She can fly, and is very human. The expression has nothing to do with flight, though it is colloquial. The phrase itself can also be considered dialectal since only day angels (or people familiar their culture) typically use it. The etymology does not derive from plucking an arrow in a bow, yet I am the author and I will admit, though only occasionally an insult, it serves the same purse as that word in English phonically. It's also funny in context. Yes, it has a specific meaning for day angels, a happy double-meaning that is first and foremost what a person with wings does to fly. Secondarily, well, it's sexual. I mentioned they're humans, so not surprising, huh? It's something you can do to someone else if you have feathers. I won't say it, but, if you're still curious, google the word leaving out the L.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WordWeavers 2026.05.18 — If your antagonist had to arrange a contest they knew they could win, what would it be?
Rainy Days is the main series antagonist who appears in most stories. She would find it pointless to arrange a contest she knew she could win. Unless she were fighting an actual enemy and winning would be the point, her philosophy being you always win wars unless losing better suits your goals; such a contest wouldn't be friendly as this question implies. Rainy Days arranges contests most often to teach one or more of her many (often unwilling) students, occasionally to test and learn something about them. She'd be overjoyed were one to beat her, ecstatic to find someone she could eventually rely on, maybe one day replace her. Most often, however, she's sparring with her pretorians, whom she inevitably beats. (There are scenes with them injured after training). She does not spar with them in expectation that they might grow able to best her. She does this so they are familiar with what she can do and thus can best protect her blind spots and vulnerabilities. They are her bodyguard, after all.
Encountering the devil-girl in the current WIP, Rainy Days'' contest would emphasize thaumaturgy. She wants the devil-girl to succeed her. Rainy Days wants her as a student as the devil-girl demonstrates a talent for the arcane that might actually exceed Rainy Days.
The devil-girl is convinced Rainy Days is evil. She will think she's going to die.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.04.23 —What are some form conventions you disregard?
Remember, I got a C- in high school English. Other than learning manuscript submission format and how typical SF books are formatted,, I probably ignore plenty of form conventions I am not aware of. Anyone want to analyze my writer challenge game posts to clue me in? I'd be much obliged!1
=-=-=-=-=-=
1 Actually, please don't. 😋[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#ScribesAndMakers ∆ 2026.04.14 — What's something that's going well with your creativity this month?
Well, I'm creeping up on those little things that are keeping me from completing chapters, so that's good. Could be better. A lot better…
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.04.14 —Do you consciously work with syllabic stress to create rhythm?
Pretty consistently. Yes. Yes, I do.
Pressed, I'll say I'm a writer. Given a moment to think on it, I'll say, "I'm an author," but that's not the gist. I am a prosaist. In my heart. It's what a poet is. For prose.
Words matter.
Storytelling definitely matters, but if the prose lacks music the story lacks muscle. I'm very conscious of syllabic stress; I choose my words carefully, first for meaning, then for how they sound. I revise for rhythmic reasons as well as for clarity. Punctuation is not a rule; it's an accelerator, a brake, maybe even a clutch. I use italics to push and to pull. It isn't my only tool. Alliteration, repetition of words and sentence structure, meter—I employ plenty of tricks.
Sometimes I even sound eloquent. I write my prose to be read aloud. Syllabic stress… it's kinda important.
Of course, sometimes a sentence doesn't work.
You don't get to read those. I scrap 'em. Then start all over again.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#ScribesAndMakers 2026.03.12 —Our featured creator has an em dash key on his keyboard. Do you do any customizations for your creativity?
I found the Scrivener .scriv project files and put Mac aliases on my desktop that I can double-click to open. Not only that, I made icons that represent my cover art mockups for each. I also made special Scrivener collections that do RegEx searches that highlight all the weasel words, mistaken positive words, or most confused words in documents. As far as creatively participating in Mastodon hashtag games, such as #ScribesAndMakers, I used the new-file templating system in Scrivener to let me use specific template files that include all the month's prompts, a QUESTION line for me to replace with one of the said prompts, a TEXT line to replace with a reply, copyright line, and (numerous) hashtags. That makes replying, like now, a snap. The image shows Scrivener and the #AltText explains my customizations.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.03.06 —Is there a local writing community near you? Do you participate in it?
You can't get closer than Mastodon :mastodon: (🐘) on my very own computer!!! Too shy to look elsewhere…
I participate in:
#EroticMusings
#PennedPossibilites
#ScribesandMakers
#WordWeavers
#WritersCoffeeClub
#Writephant
#WriteverAs well as:
#WritingCommunity
#WritersOfMastodon[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#ScribesAndMakers ☼ 2026.02.27 — Splat?
Imagine a world where light can act as a liquid and you create a rainbow just before someone startles you? I wrote that. A scene in a three-story atrium. At a school. Splattering the person who did the startling (drenching them in a rainbow) and splattering the school banners hanging down in the atrium, the banisters, floors, and stairs. All the way down to the basement level. Splat! Plenty of students on said stairs, some with open lockers, all splattered—and a few humorless teachers who immediately give chase! It was a funny outbound scene employed to end an epilogue of a fairly heavy and serious novel.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WritersCoffeeClub #WCC 2026.02.24 — What’s your greatest challenge in fleshing out your setting?
Since I am careful to write about what I know or can imagine, the challenge is the in-writing. Despite how loquacious I think I am, I write rather concisely, skipping to the next action. Fleshing out the setting happens when I iterate during composition (reading/revising the pages before where I continue writing) or during revision. It's there that I change passive declarative passages to integrate description with action, to make the setting more palpable to the reader. Some detail pops up as I imagine or reimagine. It takes time. That's a challenge. Sometimes it increases the length of the passage; detouring away from the core action is also a challenge to overcome. Yet, when I read other's work, mine seems more concise, so I can't give a definitive answer to this one.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#WordWeavers 2026.02.18 — Can your MC carry a tune?
Of the four titles that could reasonably be considered "in production", none of Bolt, Streak, or Thorn Rose have any reason to be tone deaf, nor particularly talented. Given a shower, or a drink or two, they could passably sing or do karaoke. The devil-girl is the daughter of a theatre and pop music star (think Streisand or Julie Andrews). She has her mother's voice, if not her training. She sings only in the shower, however. Wintereyes from Inklings was raised by wolves. She can howl very well. Musically? Dunno.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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#ScribesAndMakers ☼ 2026.02.10 — What is the most out of character creative thing you enjoy? That thing that never matches the assumptions about you.
I come off as mousey, quiet, strait-laced, not very dynamic.I am far outshone by the joyful glow of the spouse. Most people are surprised when they discover I am an author, that I even have the emotional depth to do that. Now, were they to read what I wrote, they'd definitely find my uncensored uninhibited authorial voice very much out-of-character. They might even blush.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
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