Coll McCutcheon
@collmccutcheon@wandering.shop  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

I’ve been fleshing out my characters today, quite literally as I’m trying to figure out their physicalities. Found this height comparison website and been playing around with it. And when I saw this image I got all giddy. I think this is the first time I’ve allowed myself to properly “see” Caleb and Mallory.

#transmasc#amWriting #romance #lgbtqbooks #LGBTQIA2S

A height chart with two silhuettes, one in turquoise and one in purple. The turquoise one is a masculine figure, it looks like they’re wearing jeans, sturdy shoes and a hoodie, their hands are in their pocket, their short hair a little tousled. They’re labelled as “Caleb” 169cm / 5ft 6.54 inches. The purple silhuette is a feminine figure, probably best prescribed as voluptuous with thick thighs and curly longish hair. They’re seemingly wearing form-fitting clothing. Their body is facing away from Caleb but they’re looking back at them. Their labelled as “Mallory” 162cm / 5ft 3.78 inches.
A height chart with two silhuettes, one in turquoise and one in purple. The turquoise one is a masculine figure, it looks like they’re wearing jeans, sturdy shoes and a hoodie, their hands are in their pocket, their short hair a little tousled. They’re labelled as “Caleb” 169cm / 5ft 6.54 inches. The purple silhuette is a feminine figure, probably best prescribed as voluptuous with thick thighs and curly longish hair. They’re seemingly wearing form-fitting clothing. Their body is facing away from Caleb but they’re looking back at them. Their labelled as “Mallory” 162cm / 5ft 3.78 inches.
A height chart with two silhuettes, one in turquoise and one in purple. The turquoise one is a masculine figure, it looks like they’re wearing jeans, sturdy shoes and a hoodie, their hands are in their pocket, their short hair a little tousled. They’re labelled as “Caleb” 169cm / 5ft 6.54 inches. The purple silhuette is a feminine figure, probably best prescribed as voluptuous with thick thighs and curly longish hair. They’re seemingly wearing form-fitting clothing. Their body is facing away from Caleb but they’re looking back at them. Their labelled as “Mallory” 162cm / 5ft 3.78 inches.
Coll McCutcheon
@collmccutcheon@wandering.shop  ·  activity timestamp 2 days ago

I’ve been fleshing out my characters today, quite literally as I’m trying to figure out their physicalities. Found this height comparison website and been playing around with it. And when I saw this image I got all giddy. I think this is the first time I’ve allowed myself to properly “see” Caleb and Mallory.

#transmasc#amWriting #romance #lgbtqbooks #LGBTQIA2S

A height chart with two silhuettes, one in turquoise and one in purple. The turquoise one is a masculine figure, it looks like they’re wearing jeans, sturdy shoes and a hoodie, their hands are in their pocket, their short hair a little tousled. They’re labelled as “Caleb” 169cm / 5ft 6.54 inches. The purple silhuette is a feminine figure, probably best prescribed as voluptuous with thick thighs and curly longish hair. They’re seemingly wearing form-fitting clothing. Their body is facing away from Caleb but they’re looking back at them. Their labelled as “Mallory” 162cm / 5ft 3.78 inches.
A height chart with two silhuettes, one in turquoise and one in purple. The turquoise one is a masculine figure, it looks like they’re wearing jeans, sturdy shoes and a hoodie, their hands are in their pocket, their short hair a little tousled. They’re labelled as “Caleb” 169cm / 5ft 6.54 inches. The purple silhuette is a feminine figure, probably best prescribed as voluptuous with thick thighs and curly longish hair. They’re seemingly wearing form-fitting clothing. Their body is facing away from Caleb but they’re looking back at them. Their labelled as “Mallory” 162cm / 5ft 3.78 inches.
A height chart with two silhuettes, one in turquoise and one in purple. The turquoise one is a masculine figure, it looks like they’re wearing jeans, sturdy shoes and a hoodie, their hands are in their pocket, their short hair a little tousled. They’re labelled as “Caleb” 169cm / 5ft 6.54 inches. The purple silhuette is a feminine figure, probably best prescribed as voluptuous with thick thighs and curly longish hair. They’re seemingly wearing form-fitting clothing. Their body is facing away from Caleb but they’re looking back at them. Their labelled as “Mallory” 162cm / 5ft 3.78 inches.
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago

"Let's start with what we have, then," Leyla said. "Talk with Emil and Ozana first, get as much information as we can about Nivele and Clan Luna. Maybe they'll even know some thing about Vasile, they had to know a lot of the other clan members, right?"

I nodded, relieved at the thought. "Yeah. So Emil and Ozana first. Then we can call Vasile and Tamara and set up a meet. And go from there.

----

Got 1504 words written on the L3 sequel. Working out the outline really helped, as usual. First time this week meeting the daily goal. Woot!

#AmWriting#L3
Christina Anne Hawthorne
@CA_Hawthorne@writing.exchange  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago
#ScribesAndMakers 04.2
spec fiction review

“The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
(Fewest votes) This book was HUGE, then disappeared (it kinda dragged at times). A tale of research into Dracula that gets too close to the truth. I loved the idea of detective-like researchers who are family, & Europe really comes alive. It’s subtly creepy.

“None of the Above” by Lots Below
Admittedly, this book was a whole lot of nothing.

#AmWriting#WritingCommunity
Christina Anne Hawthorne
@CA_Hawthorne@writing.exchange  ·  activity timestamp 4 days ago
#ScribesAndMakers 04.2
spec fiction review

“The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
(Fewest votes) This book was HUGE, then disappeared (it kinda dragged at times). A tale of research into Dracula that gets too close to the truth. I loved the idea of detective-like researchers who are family, & Europe really comes alive. It’s subtly creepy.

“None of the Above” by Lots Below
Admittedly, this book was a whole lot of nothing.

#AmWriting#WritingCommunity
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 6 days ago

"Can I..." I hesitated. "Can I ask for a hug?"
He said nothing for a moment, and I worried I shouldn't have said anything. In the dark, I couldn't see how he reacted and what if... but he only reached out and pulled me close to him. "Yeah, Natalia. What else are friends for?"
I giggled, and snuggled into his arms. "Thank you. I really need a friend right now."
"I know," he murmured, "Get some sleep, friend. We've got another long day tomorrow."
I drifted off like that, and didn't even notice when Leyla came in.

----

Got about 1000 words done on L3 sequel today. So that's good.
I'm going to work late tonight, since I took a nap earlier and missed and hour of work. Grabbing some dinner and then we'll see what I can do with Meadowsweet.

#AmWriting#L3
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp last week
#PennedPossibilities What inspired the story of your (latest) WIP?

I'm... not sure which counts as 'latest'?

I guess the sequel to Last Lady of Lună is the one I am actively working on that I started most recently.

Being a sequel, it was obviously 'inspired' by Last Lady of Lună, which ended with a number of plot points unresolved.

Last Lady of Lună itself was inspired by the desire to see if, as an asexual aromantic person, I could effectively pull off a mainstream paranormal romance.

#AmWriting#L3
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

Finished the writing part of today with just short of 1200 words.

Not a great day -- in order to meet my goals I need to average 1500 words a day -- but not horrible, and considering that I'm sick, I'd call it a win.

---
“You shouldn't go out anymore than we can help,” Marcus continued without pause. “Benj needs sleep, and Karen's our best for close in protection, so I'd rather she stay with you.”

“Makes sense,” Benj put in as he picked at his cereal. “Just make sure you get coffee, yeah?”

Leyla snorted, “I promise, Benj, we won't forget the coffee.”

#L3#AmWriting
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

Added about 800 words to Clan Lună book 2. Got one more hour for writing, let's see how much further I can get!
---

“And I guess... I shouldn't wait too long to talk to Vasile, should I?”

“Probably not,” Leyla agreed.

“Then I'll call them this afternoon and tell them... and tell them that I'm worried about leading Nivele back to the clan and want to be sure everyone will be safe before we make a move.”

“Good,” Marcus smiled. “That sounds just about perfect.”

#AmWriting#L3 #vampires
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago

2000 words edited and 500 written in about an hour.

Not bad progress, especially given how the day started.
----
But Moira had been very closed mouthed about her life before she'd been first kidnapped by pirates. Zdenko hadn't minded -- had prefered it in fact. For all he accused of Moira of getting attached, he knew very well he could fall in love with that woman wihtout hardly trying. Not learning more about her was part of keeping his distance. It was took late to let her go without it hurting, but that didn't mean he needed to make it worse.

So he didn't realize how closed mouthed she'd really been until he started trying to figure out where she came from. That was when he realized that he didn't know the planet she came from, her job, or even if she had any family she'd been missing.

And when he asked around, no one else did either.

#Snippet#AmWriting#Meadowsweet
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 2 weeks ago
#MicroPrompt: Forget

[Lefeng] didn’t regret stopping to help the youngling. But ey was tired of this village. Tired of the hostile people. Tired of being trapped in a strange building. Ey wanted to get back on the trails. Deep in the trees and mountains where ey might, for a time, forget.

Might, if lucky, find another farwalker family that would accept em among them. If only as a travel companion.

But ey couldn’t leave while the youngling and the Deepfisher were not safe.

Sometimes, when ey heard one of the villagers bad mouthing the Deepfisher, ey found eir hand clutching the long knife at eir hip. But this was not a problem that could be settled by fighting it.

Lefeng wasn’t sure it could be settled at all.

#AmWriting#WritingCommunity
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

I squatted next to my mother’s grave and watched Lună play hide and seek with the clouds. It was a quiet night, the only sounds the buzzing of crickets hiding in the grass. Each time Lună peaked out, my skin tingled with the power of her light.

“I think I’ve found them,” I told Mama. “I’ve been stalking them online a while, but I wasn’t sure. I finally got to see them in person. They actually came here for a job, and I was able to get close enough to see all of them. I felt it. Lună likes them. I think.”

---

What happens next? DM me and find out -- I'm looking for review readers for The Last Lady of Lună. All you need is an Amazon account and a willingness to give an honest review.

#AmWriting #bookstodon#Fantasy #reading
Spooky Panda 🇺🇦
@floofpaldi@mindly.social  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

This. This right here. 💯

I had to share it with my fellow writers.

From here on my blog: https://www.tumblr.com/agoodtuckering/792232980306411520?source=share

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity#PennedPossibilities#WordWeavers

Can’t agree with the last one about showing the aftermath of a death enough. It’s about so much more than the loss of the beloved character, it’s about the *grief* of the ones who survive. If I can add a few of my own thoughts: Setting is a character, too. Maybe tears don’t fall but the sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t carry the same warmth as in days gone by. Maybe the birds’ songs are quieter, thinner through the open window. Every emotion has an equivalent opposite. The idea of loving someone so much it hurts, crying until you laugh. Play with those spillover points. Especially if you can revisit previous scene and change the context. A character being given flowers and they’ve pressed them as a keepsake is tender. Revisit them after a fight or other loss and now they’re a moment in time preserved, fragile and muted, a shadow of their former beauty. Word choice matters. There isn’t much physical difference in the sensations of tingle, prickle and skitter but the connotations are very different. No part of this advice is limited to angst. Positive feelings can be just as overwhelming.
Can’t agree with the last one about showing the aftermath of a death enough. It’s about so much more than the loss of the beloved character, it’s about the *grief* of the ones who survive. If I can add a few of my own thoughts: Setting is a character, too. Maybe tears don’t fall but the sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t carry the same warmth as in days gone by. Maybe the birds’ songs are quieter, thinner through the open window. Every emotion has an equivalent opposite. The idea of loving someone so much it hurts, crying until you laugh. Play with those spillover points. Especially if you can revisit previous scene and change the context. A character being given flowers and they’ve pressed them as a keepsake is tender. Revisit them after a fight or other loss and now they’re a moment in time preserved, fragile and muted, a shadow of their former beauty. Word choice matters. There isn’t much physical difference in the sensations of tingle, prickle and skitter but the connotations are very different. No part of this advice is limited to angst. Positive feelings can be just as overwhelming.
Can’t agree with the last one about showing the aftermath of a death enough. It’s about so much more than the loss of the beloved character, it’s about the *grief* of the ones who survive. If I can add a few of my own thoughts: Setting is a character, too. Maybe tears don’t fall but the sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t carry the same warmth as in days gone by. Maybe the birds’ songs are quieter, thinner through the open window. Every emotion has an equivalent opposite. The idea of loving someone so much it hurts, crying until you laugh. Play with those spillover points. Especially if you can revisit previous scene and change the context. A character being given flowers and they’ve pressed them as a keepsake is tender. Revisit them after a fight or other loss and now they’re a moment in time preserved, fragile and muted, a shadow of their former beauty. Word choice matters. There isn’t much physical difference in the sensations of tingle, prickle and skitter but the connotations are very different. No part of this advice is limited to angst. Positive feelings can be just as overwhelming.
How to Emotionally Destroy Readers Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you. A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning. Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.) Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke. Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too. Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more. Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering. If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
How to Emotionally Destroy Readers Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you. A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning. Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.) Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke. Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too. Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more. Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering. If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
How to Emotionally Destroy Readers Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you. A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning. Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.) Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke. Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too. Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more. Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering. If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
Spooky Panda 🇺🇦
@floofpaldi@mindly.social  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

This. This right here. 💯

I had to share it with my fellow writers.

From here on my blog: https://www.tumblr.com/agoodtuckering/792232980306411520?source=share

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity#PennedPossibilities#WordWeavers

Can’t agree with the last one about showing the aftermath of a death enough. It’s about so much more than the loss of the beloved character, it’s about the *grief* of the ones who survive. If I can add a few of my own thoughts: Setting is a character, too. Maybe tears don’t fall but the sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t carry the same warmth as in days gone by. Maybe the birds’ songs are quieter, thinner through the open window. Every emotion has an equivalent opposite. The idea of loving someone so much it hurts, crying until you laugh. Play with those spillover points. Especially if you can revisit previous scene and change the context. A character being given flowers and they’ve pressed them as a keepsake is tender. Revisit them after a fight or other loss and now they’re a moment in time preserved, fragile and muted, a shadow of their former beauty. Word choice matters. There isn’t much physical difference in the sensations of tingle, prickle and skitter but the connotations are very different. No part of this advice is limited to angst. Positive feelings can be just as overwhelming.
Can’t agree with the last one about showing the aftermath of a death enough. It’s about so much more than the loss of the beloved character, it’s about the *grief* of the ones who survive. If I can add a few of my own thoughts: Setting is a character, too. Maybe tears don’t fall but the sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t carry the same warmth as in days gone by. Maybe the birds’ songs are quieter, thinner through the open window. Every emotion has an equivalent opposite. The idea of loving someone so much it hurts, crying until you laugh. Play with those spillover points. Especially if you can revisit previous scene and change the context. A character being given flowers and they’ve pressed them as a keepsake is tender. Revisit them after a fight or other loss and now they’re a moment in time preserved, fragile and muted, a shadow of their former beauty. Word choice matters. There isn’t much physical difference in the sensations of tingle, prickle and skitter but the connotations are very different. No part of this advice is limited to angst. Positive feelings can be just as overwhelming.
Can’t agree with the last one about showing the aftermath of a death enough. It’s about so much more than the loss of the beloved character, it’s about the *grief* of the ones who survive. If I can add a few of my own thoughts: Setting is a character, too. Maybe tears don’t fall but the sunlight streaming in through the window doesn’t carry the same warmth as in days gone by. Maybe the birds’ songs are quieter, thinner through the open window. Every emotion has an equivalent opposite. The idea of loving someone so much it hurts, crying until you laugh. Play with those spillover points. Especially if you can revisit previous scene and change the context. A character being given flowers and they’ve pressed them as a keepsake is tender. Revisit them after a fight or other loss and now they’re a moment in time preserved, fragile and muted, a shadow of their former beauty. Word choice matters. There isn’t much physical difference in the sensations of tingle, prickle and skitter but the connotations are very different. No part of this advice is limited to angst. Positive feelings can be just as overwhelming.
How to Emotionally Destroy Readers Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you. A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning. Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.) Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke. Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too. Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more. Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering. If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
How to Emotionally Destroy Readers Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you. A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning. Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.) Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke. Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too. Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more. Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering. If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
How to Emotionally Destroy Readers Gut-punches are about timing. You don't say “I love you” during the sunset. You say it in the middle of a burning building or right after they stab you. A single line of dialogue like “you were supposed to come back” hits harder than an entire page of poetic mourning. Don’t just break their hearts, break their sense of identity. Make them question who they are, what they stand for, and if it was ever worth it (That’s premium pain.) Let someone be forgiven… but not trusted again. That's the kind of heartbreak that lingers like smoke. Sometimes the most devastating line is the one they don’t say. Silence is a character too. Give them a moment of joy. Right before everything falls apart. Hope makes the fall hurt more. Someone saying “I forgive you” through tears? Powerful. Someone saying “I still love you but I can’t stay”? Absolutely soul-shattering. If they die, don’t describe the death. Describe the aftermath. The coat left hanging by the door. The mug still on the table. The dog waiting.
Orion (he/him)
@orionkidder@writing.exchange  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago
#PennedPossibilities 759: Are there any topics or plot points that you refuse to write?

It's not so much "refuse" as "just don't want to." I will probably never write something where the protagonists are cops or soldiers. I'm bored with that perspective, and it's hard to avoid it being propaganda. Not interested.

#Writing#Writers#WritingCommunity#WritersOfMastodon#AmWriting#Scriberspace
Orion (he/him)
@orionkidder@writing.exchange  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago
#PennedPossibilities 759: Are there any topics or plot points that you refuse to write?

It's not so much "refuse" as "just don't want to." I will probably never write something where the protagonists are cops or soldiers. I'm bored with that perspective, and it's hard to avoid it being propaganda. Not interested.

#Writing#Writers#WritingCommunity#WritersOfMastodon#AmWriting#Scriberspace
Jess Mahler
@JessMahler@indiepocalypse.social  ·  activity timestamp 3 weeks ago

Once Victor left Leyla came out of the kitchen and gave me a hug. "That went well."

I laughed. "Eavesdropper."

"Always.

"I'm not…Natalia, I'm not toying with you, I just..."

That sense of rightness was still with me and I turned and quieted her with a kiss. "I said playing Leyla, not toying. I don't have much experience but I do know the difference."

"Oh. Good."
----
Nap helped. Getting some work done on the sequel to Last Lady of Lună.

#AmWriting#L3