#writingwonders — Public Fediverse posts

The full text and audio version of my short story The Tangle is now online and free to read!

It first appeared in khōréō magazine's Point of View-themed issue in DEC '24 and I think of it as part of my The Field Guide for Next Time extended universe (that I shared in #WritersCoffeeClub or maybe back when it was #WritingWonders?)

Give it a read/listen, if you have the time. Share it with someone, if you like!

#SFF #solarpunk #IndigenousFuturism #ecofiction

https://www.khoreomag.com/fiction/the-tangle/

No but, disgusting things aside, I just feel things and then I have some words and pictures that come naturally, or a way of dig into something that inspired me. But I have no voice telling me the words, I translate what I feel.
#writer #writerscoffeeclub #writers #poet #poetry #mastopoet #writerslife #writing #writingcommunity #writingwonders #writingprocess #creationprocess #creation #art #inspiration #concept #thinking #artist #artistsonmastodon #artists #artistlife #everydaypoetry

No but, disgusting things aside, I just feel things and then I have some words and pictures that come naturally, or a way of dig into something that inspired me. But I have no voice telling me the words, I translate what I feel.
#writer #writerscoffeeclub #writers #poet #poetry #mastopoet #writerslife #writing #writingcommunity #writingwonders #writingprocess #creationprocess #creation #art #inspiration #concept #thinking #artist #artistsonmastodon #artists #artistlife #everydaypoetry

No but, disgusting things aside, I just feel things and then I have some words and pictures that come naturally, or a way of dig into something that inspired me. But I have no voice telling me the words, I translate what I feel.
#writer #writerscoffeeclub #writers #poet #poetry #mastopoet #writerslife #writing #writingcommunity #writingwonders #writingprocess #creationprocess #creation #art #inspiration #concept #thinking #artist #artistsonmastodon #artists #artistlife #everydaypoetry

No but, disgusting things aside, I just feel things and then I have some words and pictures that come naturally, or a way of dig into something that inspired me. But I have no voice telling me the words, I translate what I feel.
#writer #writerscoffeeclub #writers #poet #poetry #mastopoet #writerslife #writing #writingcommunity #writingwonders #writingprocess #creationprocess #creation #art #inspiration #concept #thinking #artist #artistsonmastodon #artists #artistlife #everydaypoetry

No but, disgusting things aside, I just feel things and then I have some words and pictures that come naturally, or a way of dig into something that inspired me. But I have no voice telling me the words, I translate what I feel.
#writer #writerscoffeeclub #writers #poet #poetry #mastopoet #writerslife #writing #writingcommunity #writingwonders #writingprocess #creationprocess #creation #art #inspiration #concept #thinking #artist #artistsonmastodon #artists #artistlife #everydaypoetry

We’ve been talking for a while about creating a #WritingHorrors series, similar to #WritingWonders / #WordWeavers / #WritersCoffeeClub, but for #writers of #horror, #DarkFantasy, or who just want to enhance their #writing with #dwrk elements in general.

This will be a series of short questions with a few longer #WritingPrompts mixed in, intended to help improve yourself as a #writer, and to improve whatever #story you’re working on.

(Continued in thread)

#Halloween #october

Last year, I was talking about starting some sort of #WritingPrompt / #WritingQuestions hashtag for #Horror and #DarkFantasy #writers, like #WritingWonders or #WordWeavers / #WritersCoffeeClub, but this would be #WritingHorrors and ask questions about morbid topics within #stories.

The post was https://writing.exchange/@raccoon/110379438345748519

I got very sidetracked at some point, but I'd still like to do it, and with #October / #Halloween just around the corner, I'm going to try and start that up soon.

(Continued)

#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 11 Nbr 29 — Acknowledgements

Checks serial. Oops. @taur10: Pardon the oversight, friend. Big thank you added.

If I accomplish returning to commercial publication, I will thank all that have helped me in print. Betas, people who've answered questions, people who've held this neurotic's hand, mayhap an artist or two. I will also thank you Mastodon folk, generically, citing those who authored or participated on the following hashtags, as well as my #author followers. You all helped me on my journey. (If you haven't looked at one or more of these tags, check them out!)

• #PennedPossibilities
• #TimeTravelAuthors
• #WordWeavers
• #WritersCoffeeClub
• #Writever
• #WritingWonders

Procedural: Acknowledgements go in the beginning, unless they take up more than a half page.

[Author retains copyright (c)2024 R.S.]

QUESTION: Will you acknowledge anyone for this work. Who? You don't need to be too specific.

#BoostingIsSharing and #CommentingIsCool

#fiction #romance #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon
#RSdiscussion
#RSInklingsStory #RSReluctanceStory

#WritingWonders: What is your MCs first memory?

Marissa has always loved cats and her first memory would definitely be doing something with the family cat.

Caylor’s (ghost) involves realizing quite young that he’s a disappointment to his father.

I have no idea for Dante, my werewolf.

Also, decided to reveal this WIP’s title, so here goes:

#pennedpossibilities 254 — How do you use social media as an author? If you have a blog and / or a home for your writing, link whatever you have for others to see.

I don't use it enough. I never use my Facebook page. There is a blog on my website https://chriscutlerauthor.com/ which I should post to more often.

I regularly answer #pennedpossibilities #writingwonders and #wordweaver prompts on Mastodon but have a fundamental mistrust of the meta ex-bird site and ticking bombs.

#WordWeavers 16/01/24
Do you have any writing rituals?

Not really rituals, more routines. Like answering #WordWeavers #Writingwonders and #Pennedpossibilities prompts early morning with my coffee.

@johnhowesauthor @roannaflowers @renjb @SJHoodlet @AlinaLeonova @floofpaldi Thanks for explaining about the #WritingWonders to #WordWeavers switch, Sarah.😊

I've been away from Mastodon for a while - is #WritingWonders still a thing?

R.S. (@sfwrtr) #MastodonAnniversary — Nov 17, 2023

1 year ago, at the urging of an online friend and with a great deal of assistance, I joined Mastodon. It has been a journey of discovery, and plenty more, where I've met a great number of diverse authors and learned /so much/ about the craft and the experience of writing that my mind wants to explode. Along the way, I've met numerous artists—who I'm following as perspective cover artists, as well as for genuine inspiration—photographers, pundits, and other creatives. Every day has been fun. I've enjoyed answering your questions from my experience as a writer. As a shy introvert, who's somewhat #autistic, you've gifted me the opportunity to experience community very unlike my experience as an author, pre-Internet. I might not have burnt out and had to rediscover writing had I had you'all around.

So...

Thank you! ❤️

And to the 499 followers I've garnered, here's a special warm thanks: 💫 I don't award a gold star to just anyone! I hope I've entertained and inspired you along the way.

Any one want to be my 500th follower?

EDIT: @gryphonEschmidt got the honor, but you can still follow. 750 is the next target. 😇​

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

#mastodon #mastoanniversaire #fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #romance #actuallyAutistic #photographer #photography #art #fineart #fediverse
#RSdiscussion

Hashtags I follow:
#writingWonders #WordWeavers #PennedPossibilites #WritersCoffeeClub #TimeTravelAuthors #Writever

Oh my, I’ve been away ever so long!

I’ve been plugging away at the WFH novel, but I’m having a break as I await the notes on my first 100 pages. I couldn’t participate in #WritingWonders because I don’t want to breach confidentiality. But I’ve missed posting about my writing and reading about others’!

Speaking of! I’ve put up a shop on my website. You can buy eBook editions of my novel Sliver of Light, a tiny collection of poetry, and a comic book short story: https://jenniferdeguzman.com/store

I'm writing a non fiction which isn't particularly enjoyable, I'm writing it cause I think it _should_ be written. It's hard to keep up momentum however. Should writing always be enjoyable? Probably not! #writingcommunity #writingWonders

Writing is just like a regular job except you can do it in your PJs 😂

@writers @writingcommunity @writing @humour

#AmWriting #Author #Authors
#Crying #And #Pyjamas
#WritingWonders #WordWeavers #Writinglife #WritersOfMastodon
#BoostingIsSharing

My precious... sentence 😂

@writers @writingcommunity @writing @fantasybookstodon @humour

#AmWriting #Author #Authors #Writer #Writing
#LotR #Meme #Memes
#WritingWonders #WordWeavers #Writinglife #WritersOfMastodon
#BoostingIsSharing

I always wanted to create a podcast/talk show format where writers don't discuss existing works just by their plot but more the craft and technique in depth and not just bits and pieces here and there as usually in most formats.
Would some of you #WritingCommunity #amWriting #WordWeavers #WritingWonders #autor_innenleben #amEditing #WritersCoffeeClub #Writodon #writersOfMastodon folks be up for that?

@strangeseawolf I like that approach. One observation about my writing, I had with #WritingWonders was that I, too, usually can't identify a character as a villain, more often than not, not even an antagonist. Sure, there's sometimes "the system"/"the establishment" or "society" but that's quite impalpable. However, it helps the protagonist in my opinion to cut their own path without a substantial bogeyman made out in mind.

I can’t remember if it was #writerscoffeeclub, #wordweavers or possibly #writingwonders, but at some point the question was asked about having a playlist for writing. I think I talked about writing my own soundtracks often, but I thought I’d give it a go for The Broken Bottle.

[apologies to BlueSky followers btw, who will see some of this in truncated form]

The playlist I have made is basically the soundtrack I would like when the book inevitably gets made into the multimillion-selling cinematic blockbuster I imagine. It’s quite narrow in its musical focus, I suppose - British (largely northern English) men with guitars seem to dominate - but that’s maybe inevitable given the book’s themes.

We start off with an instrumental. The lyrical version of this is called ‘Childhood Memories’, and begs the question ‘What happens if the radiation leaks?’ Words out of Wilf’s mam’s mouth…

https://youtu.be/pOhK8VpJmBI?si=oTyBdYyKzUmj6tph

https://books2read.com/u/3nBzEP

Story structure isn't as much fun when it's makes it obvious what will happen... 😂

@writers @writingcommunity @writing @humour

#AmWriting #Author #Authors #Writers #Writer
#StoryStructure #StoryTelling #TomGauld
#WritingWonders #WordWeavers #Writinglife #WritersOfMastodon
#BoostingIsSharing

#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 2 Nbr 16 — How do you feel about flashbacks? Do you use them? /Guess./

I was looking through my October Pages file where I keep all the writing prompts I've answered, amazed at my current output. 16,000 words so far this month. Then I thought back to November of last year...

I'd spent almost a month noodgying my open source Linuxy friend in /Missourah/ about creating an online presence. He had been talking about this thing called "Masto... Don? For all I knew, it had tusks. Actually, he had been noodgying me, so... finally... I said, "Let's do this."

He talked about "instances" and things that went swoosh over my head, but I tried. Every time I picked one sounding creative or authorial, I got, /Sorry, we're not accepting new accounts now./ Eventually, he invited me to his favorite instance. With a name like "Eldritch" and lots of French speakers, it sounded fun and appropriate for an SF writer. I still got all sorts of confused, but people saw I was a newbie and were helpful, and that was nice. I quickly learned about following people, using hashtags people followed, and followed those hashtags. I started telling about my life as a (somewhat autistic) writer, and what it felt like to burn out and come back.

Eventually, I stumbled into hashtags like #WritingWonders and #RomanceWonders, then new ones like #PennedPossibilities and #WritersCoffeeClub, not to mention #Writever which is costing me on average two hours a day, attempting to write new 800 word stories—31 of them.

Today, I can barely remember my life without Mastodon. I've learned so much, felt so supported, and gotten my short writing so together. I don't wanna ever go back.

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon
#RSdiscussion #Mastodon #fediverse

I know Nano is coming up, and I hadn't planned on doing much (I'll be recovering from foot surgery in part) but I now have an idea I must write.

Thanks, brain!

#writing #WritingWonders #WritingCommunity

Writing would be so easy if all we had to do was write 😂

@writers @writingcommunity @writing @humour

#AmWriting #Author #Authors #Writers #Writer
#SoMuch #Crying
#WritingWonders #WordWeavers #Writinglife #WritersOfMastodon
#BoostingIsSharing

@RileyNorman

I've been toying with the idea of taking one of my projects and releasing it as a sort of serial on a blog.

This is a great idea and it looks like you did. There's no guarantee you'll get feedback, but it will stretch your mind to new dimensions.

Being /Shy/ is difficult for writers, and not uncommon. I am also horribly shy... in person. It prevented me from networking when I got an agent, sold, and could get in to all those fabulous parties and meetups at Worldcon and other SF conventions. It's difficult, and crippling. But now you are on the Internet. You can have blogs, you can have webpages, and you have a Mastodon account. You can write to prompts, practice, and get things out there. Like I am.

I recommend following these hashtags /and participating/. Practice makes perfect, and writing lots of stories helps suppress the fear about starting and finishing, and having troubles coming up with ideas.

Remember this about feedback you may get: It is only the opinion of the person providing the feedback (advice, etc.), and it is up to you to decide if it is relevant in anyway to accept or ignore at your whim.

#wordweavers
#PennedPossibilites
#writerscoffeeclub
#writever
#writingwonders (defunct, but a very good read.)

These will give you a sense of community:

#writer #writers #author #writingCommunity #writersOfMastodon #sf #sff #fiction #scifi #ScienceFiction

Good luck! #shy #shyness

#WritersCoffeeClub 6 — CW: Auto smack talk. Do you hide easter eggs in your work? Give some examples?

I do. In every novel and most longer stories, I leave a clue to the title of my first book. I sometimes make references to previous stories that have no baring to the current plot, but it will double your fun if you notice them. Sometimes I leave outright jokes. For example (also in #WordWeavers 9.7):

One particularly gangly young woman with long legs wears a pendant that's a chromed galloping horse. She's gangland muscle. She's wild, fiery jealous, un-steerable, and crazy fast in a straight-line sprint with her razor jackknife in hand. My MC runs her into a wall. Later in the story, she's referred to as /Mustang/.

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #WritingWonders #GoForTheJoke

#WritersCoffeeClub ! - Intro: Shameless Self Promotion. Tell us about yourself, your published work or WIP.

Hi! (Waves.)

I am a conventionally published #feminist #sf and #fantasy author. RS is a name my #Clarion friends knew me by, so if you are reading this direct message me and say hi! I intend to use RS as a pen name for my next generation #speculativefiction stories, in particular for what I call my Reluctance #sff series. I do write fanfiction, also, but I'm somewhat shy about talking about it. I wish to point out how thankful I am for discovering that outlet. It provided a speed-publishing microcosm in which I could write and get quick feedback. It allowed me to return from a complete authorial burnout at the turn of the millennium. (I'm so proud I can finally use that "turn of" phrase!) I hope to be retiring from my day job soon so I can focus exclusively on my novel writing.

Since I write a lot about gender issues, I purposely use language that masks my gender. Allowing a reader to freely know that bit of information, I feel, adds a subtext to anything I write. When I was growing up, I was an über fan of André Norton. Learning the author's gender had a profound affect on me. It's not that you cannot discover my gender if you dig, but I will make you think if you do so—like why is it important and does it color my perceptions?

My newer writing is subversive and often breaks societal conventions. Saying how would be spoilery. The greatest complement you can give me is that I made you think.

Everything else I've admitted about myself you can find pinned to my Mastodon profile, including a list of sample fiction I wrote for posting. As such, they are all no more than 800 words. Please check it out.


#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

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

#WritingWonders Day 31: Has your MC or antagonist ever approved of something the other's done?

Ellis was expected to die, or scratch a life out on the fringes of society. He was never going to do more than survive. There was no chance of him becoming a meal ticket for his old pack. So when he did... Well, his old alpha approves, because now Ellis has something the pack needs. Cold hard cash.

#WIP #AmWriting #MMMRomance #WolfShifters

WritingWonders August Day 31

Has your MC or antagonist ever approved of something the other's done?

Not yet, but she will.

#Writingwonders #GoodBye
#WonderfulMemories

🎶🎙️
Danke schoen, darling, danke schoen.
Thank you for seeing me again.
Though we go on our separate ways,
Still the memory stays for always
My heart says danke schoen.

Danke schoen, auf wiedersehen, danke schoen…

WritingWonders Day 30
Have you ever planned to kill a character and not done it?

The other way round
I planned not to let a character die but she did 😢

Daniella Forrester in my first novel

#WritingWonders #novelx1
#amWritingFiction #EG1 #WritingCommunity

#WritingWonders 30/8. Have you ever planned to kill a character and then not done it?
No. I'm not in the habit of killing characters anyway. And I don’t usually plan either. #pantser
#writingCommunity #ThreeKindsofNorth #TheSunderingWall #writing #amwriting #mastobooks #books

#WritingWonders Day 29. Does your antagonist believe your hero has a chance of succeeding?

A thing happened as I was writing yesterday that will cement the idea in my antagonist's mind that Ellis has been manoeuvred into the perfect position. He's no hero, and I don't know the outcome as yet, but I'm not going to bet against a cornered alpha wolf shifter. Not when their lovers are being threatened.

#WIP #AmWriting #MMMRomance #WolfShifter

#WritingWonders 28: Who is the first character you created for this work?

Marcus already existed, in another story. Ellis started as a minor secondary character in the same one, but they never met.
Although I knew Marcus would be an MC in this one, Jack came to life and became the focal point until Ellis migrated over and evolved to bring the three of them together.

#WIP #AmWriting #MMMRomance #BDSMRomance #WolfShifter

WritingWonders 26Aug
If your MC wrote books, what would they write? Why?

Elyssia - popular theology
e.g. 'In Defence of Augustine of Hippo'

Because, why not?

(And, also, to be honest, because Sue Feenan would not like it. It would be a refutation of Dr Feenan's latest tome 'Augustine, the Man Who Destroyed the World' ... aka 'Augustine the Hippo'; see novelx1)

Augustine was not all bad!

He was mostly good

And human

#WritingWonders
#EG2 #novelx4
#amWriting #WritingCommunity

#WritingWonders Day 25. What do your MCs never want their parental figures to know?

Marcus wouldn't want them to know how much it still hurts that they never loved him.
Ellis feels betrayed by the way his parents turned their back on him. He doesn't care what they know about his life.
Jack's parents died when he was 8. His uncle raised him. He'd hate for that man to find out how he's living now. To realise he likes being dominated. Yeah, that wouldn't go well.

#AmWriting #MMMRomance #WIP

#WritingWonders Day 24 — Antagonist POV: What do you like the most about the place where you live?

(Unknown Antag): Not much right now. It's a shithole. But I have plans to change a lot of things. I need money to do it and I know just where to find it.
Things are already in motion, so watch this space.

#WIP #AmWriting #MMMRomance

August 23 #writingwonders

In your MC’s mind, what is the worst thing they have ever done.

In terms of the framing of ‘Searching for the Sound of Riduna’, by far and away the worst thing my MC has done is spend six hours in Southampton airport waiting for the fog to clear on a remote island in the English Channel so a plane can be caught to enable a job to start that the MC is only doing because the boss suggested it. Six hours waiting for fog to lift.

A close second is allowing the young woman in the Led Zeppelin t-shirt to slip away before she could give the leads she had hinted at earlier.

#yalit #amwriting #writingcommunity #Riduna #Alderney #channelislands

WritingWonders Aug 21:
MC POV: A stranger makes a crude comment about your SO or BFF. How do you react?

Give them the thousand-mile stare, hold it for ten, or twenty-five on a good day, and then walk away. Pray for them

#WritingWonders
#EG2 #novelx4
#amWriting #WritingCommunity

WritingWonders August 20
Does your villain ever cry or show sadness?

Not seen. Not shown. But, away from the text, I think Dominic Brewster grieves for his son Archibald. Archie (aka Toady) hanged himself in August 2010

Long story short: Dominic is human. However, he will want to blame someone ...

#WritingWonders
#EG2 #novelx4
#amWriting #WritingCommunity

WritingWonders 17th August
MC POV: What’s a deal-breaker in a friendship and/or relationship?

Unwanted attention (from a bloke)

Too much attention to Joshua Williams (from another girl)

#WritingWonders
#EG2 #novelx4
#amWriting #WritingCommunity

#WritingWonders Day 17: MC POV: Deal breaker?

J: I didn't realise how crazy important trust is. You both know what I like and you never take it too far.
M: It's only sexy and fun if you're getting off on it.
E: Trust goes both ways. We have to be sure you'll tell us if it's not working for you.
J: Communication is king.
M: Hey! I'm the brat here.
J: I'm... trying something new.
M: Ooh. You're angling for a punishment?
J: [blushes] Is that okay?
E: Always. Give me all you've got.

#BDSMRomance

#WritingWonders August 16
Give an example of a popular activity or tradition in your world

We don't have any. Oh, wait. Generally speaking, people watch things on telly and talk about it in the shop next day

Locally, in the village, we have the Lynchcombe Dream - midsummer, outdoors, the Shakespeare play. It's a hoot

On Christmas Eve, we have a nativity procession from the pub to the church, donkey and everything

Those are our traditions

#EG2 #novelx4
#amWriting #WritingCommunity

#WritingWonders Day 14: What parts of your world would you recommend a tourist visit? Why?

Marcus would recommend visiting a club 😛 He knows a good one in the city. Depends what you're into though, and you will be stopped at the door if you don't meet the dress code.
If you like the great outdoors, there is extensive forest to be found if you venture out of Stratton. You might want to stick to the designated pathways, or you may bump into a wolf or two.

#AmWriting #BDSMRomance #WolfShifters

#WritingWonders 8.11 — MC POV: If you had to give your closest friend one piece of advice, what would it be? Why?

#Minifiction, 850 words: To Spar or not to Spar

Bolt groused, "He said, 'Take off the armor and fight me.' I— I don't want to do that."

The day angel looked away, her wings clasped tightly behind her, embarrassed her trainer had sent her to me. In our last encounter, despite my injuries, I'd broken his clavicle and a leg bone, giving him a concussion. It had been his sister who'd broken his nose. I thought him easy and Bolt knew it.

The ground cover outside our host's ivory tower was leafy and soft—perfect for teaching—so I asked, "Wanna spar with me wearing the armor?"

Her blue eyes met mine in shock. "I might hurt you."

Bolt wore a fereter, a portable reliquary. Few people ever saw a relic, let alone a collection. A hundred adhered to her skin. That our "Immortal Ruler" had lent her a miraculous object was a significant bribe—for Bolt and for me.

Bolt had nearly killed Her. The first person in half a century. /Before being lent the armor./

I huffed. "If you hurt me, I'll have learnt something about myself. Put me on the ground and I'll let you train with the armor for a week before trying without." I raised a hand. "I put you on the ground, I keep the armor for the week and you train without it."

Bolt spat. "Or I quit."

"And give back the armor?"

The woman pursed her lips. The fereter made her faster and amazingly agile, besides being, well, /armor/. No way she'd relinquish it.

I stretched out a fist. She shook her head and bumped it. "You are evil."

"I'd warned you. Then you went and saved my life," in a fight against our "Immortal Ruler." She had burn scars to prove it. My new friend and personal guard (in training) inhaled deeply.

I added, "I'm going all out. You'd better, also."

The day angel gulped, then streaked skyward.

The armor manipulated gravity, like her wings, just better. I'd watched the woman fly, with and without the armor. I visualized her gravity field by how she vectored through the air and twisted her wings, the same way I visualized my miracles. She banked over some trees, pushing then rustling the branches, inadvertently demonstrating what was gravity and what was lift. I'd been a prizefighter; I'd won the championship against a day angel at 7-3 odds against me.

She predictably dove in a stoop. Since armor fields protected the leading edge of her wings, she came at me outstretched. It might have surprised another opponent. She was right-handed, so I dodged left. Guessing wrong, she banked away, missing me. Bolt knew I'd won that championship by a similar guess. I'd crouched deeply where I'd leapt, just in case. Gravity pushed and pulled me from my face to my feet as I stood. The ground cover flattened and bounced back under her.

I mentally revised my models of how she flew.

A heartbeat later, she accelerated like a lit firework on a string in a sudden bank. After the burst, she didn't try to barrel into me but instead used the armor to rotate her lower body so she shot feet-first. A feint. Her wings were out as if braking, but she used the armor to negate the effect.

I ducked, rotating away, then leapt. I caught her legs as she swerved, using her momentum to lift me while using a transform of /Levitate/ to grip her in my own gravity field, which I then doubled. She face planted into the lawn. I landed on top, pinning her despite the armor levitating me a hand-length above the arm I twisted into an elbow lock—and the hips and wing tips I sat on. In a regulation fight, she'd have squirmed free.

I'd put her on the ground. I'd won.

Bolt beat the ground with a fist. Divots flew, leaving a crater.

"Don't be that way."

She nodded as we stood, reaching back. The rope of scaly black bones let go. The fereter dropped to the ground, coiling eerily like a cobra. Bolt sighed.

I asked, "You learned something about yourself, right?

"I'm a bad fighter."

"Um... no. Had I had to win by a K.O. or by pinning you for a count, you'd have worn me out and won on points. Your moves were good, but you relied on the armor—not this:" I tapped my temple. "/You/ nearly killed /Her/. No armor, yet. Brains: that's how you helped me win that fight. Now we hone your craft, naked."

She nodded.

"Fighting an opponent who's better than you is a gift, even if you lose. I treasure such gifts." I levitated the armor to her. She blinked as she took it. "You'll know when to wear it."

"My stars!" Her eyes misted up. "I— I learned something about myself, didn't I? You always say that when things go unexpectedly."

"Exactly." I stepped behind her, then hugged her around the waist, chin on her shoulder. "I love it when people listen to my advice, especially my friends."

[Author retains copyright]

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool
#EntertainOrDie

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

So a while back, as part of the #WritingWonders daily hashtag thing, I mentioned world crafting a fictional sport...

... and all the teams
... and their uniforms
... and their stadiums
... and their last [x] seasons performance
... and their top players
... and their mascots

And thankfully, I lost that whole Excel doc and could just not worry about it any more.

...So guess what project my idiot brain decides is now my top priority to recreate from scratch?

x_x

#GoSector480Ants #TheColony

Happy #bookloversday!

Please consider browsing #pennedpossibilities and #writingwonders to discover and connect with many of the #authors here on Mastodon.

Maybe you'll discover a new favorite author you didn't know about! ♥️📖

PennedPossibilities 35
Does your MC consider themselves an introvert or an extrovert?

If pushed, Elyssia would say she is an introvert

However, if you ask Joshua, he would say she is an extrovert, at least, she is compared to him. But you didn't ask Joshua

Introvert

If, at times, a pretty wild one

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WritingWonders 9th August
Does your MC have children? If not, do they want to?

Ah. Tricky one.
Not everyone knows this but Elyssia is pregnant. Don't tell

In other circumstances, she would want children - however, in these circumstances, this is a moot point

Well, no. Hell, no

In these circumstances, she would not want to be having a child and/but there is no way she would even think of having an abortion

Can't tell. Don't ask

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