My absolute favorite thing about writing is how you can do it at any age. I remember learning as a kid that one of my favorite authors, Shirly S. Tepper, didn't write her first novel until she was over 50, and she had an entire bookshelf in the bookstore! (thread) #booksky #publishing

So far, 2026 feels like the sequel to 2025 that no one asked for. T__T

You're forgetting alcohol. And unhealthy snacks.

An author is a creature that converts oxygen and coffee into new worlds.

I am so serious right now. Covers with cats on them got more clicks/interest than covers without cats a stupid margin. More cats in 2026!! #indiepub #books

After looking at last year's sales numbers, here's my #1 #publishing takeaway from 2025: Cats sell books.

"Oooh, our enemies are elves!! This is going to be some high quality, hand-crafted, artisanal loot for sure. Kill them gently so we don't put holes in anything." - out of context #DnD

Best #D&D hack I've recently discovered: if you want to get encounter maps for cheap, buy a roll of wrapping paper with the grid on the back. BAM! Yards of perfect grids you can cut to size and draw on. Wrapping paper is also recyclable! Happy holidays to all who celebrate :D

DM: "The sky above the capital rips open as a giant black dragon with three glowing eyes rends his way into the world, shattering the dawn and casting the world into unrelenting darkness." ... Players: "Okay, technically, this is not our fault." #DnD #Tabletop

This post brought to you by the first chapter I've already failed 5 times but now have to try to fail again because the book can't start without a first chapter T__T. #writinglife #procrastination

Procrastination is a fear behavior. If you're procrastinating your writing, it's not because you're lazy. It's because you're afraid of whatever you're writing next. You fix writing procrastination not by writing, but by having an honest talk w/ yourself about why you're afraid. #amwriting #booksky

Things my husband said that turned out not to be true: "We don't need to be too far from the hellbomb." "There's only one guy." "They can't hit us from here." "There's no mines here." #helldivers2

Today's writing white noise selection is crackling fireplace accompanied by overtones of gentle rain with the occasional rumble of distant thunder for added texture. Ahh, so cozy and relaxing. *proceeds to write horrific violence and betrayal* #amwriting #booksky

Endorsed and co-signed. As a former commissioning and managing editor of books (a few decades ago), a writer’s personality and passion fuel an editor’s enthusiasm. AI excels only in mediocrity and blandness. More bluntly, using AI will likely turn you into a lazy hack. More or less.

I would rather read that trippy and terrible Twilight fanfic every night, than anything made by GenAI. Yeah, you know the one.

In INFINITE JEST, DFW describes one character as being the best tennis player not because he was best at any one thing, but because he had the most complete game. All of his flaws were harmoniously balanced with and complimented by his strengths. ChatGPT would stop a writer from achieving that.

New authors, please, PLEASE, you don't need AI to "improve" your writing. Rough edges, weird word choices, these are the quirks that make human prose interesting. I'd read someone's fever-dream of a 1st novel any day over an AI book that reads like the hideous amalgam of peppy corporate PR. #booksky

I've been writing seriously for over 20 years now, and while I have not gotten better at not making mistakes, I *have* gotten better at spotting them. (this got long, so come with me for a tale of novel-writing woes.) #amwriting #writing #booksky

Why does it look like the sun is setting at 2:30??!!

I put the heater on my feet instead of just pointing it in my general direction and it's the best decision I've made in 2025.

Okay, after weeks of flu, finally getting back in the game! *opens word document* *squints* Uh... what was this book about again? #amwriting

"I'm not saying this is the best thing I've ever made. I'm saying it's the best thing I could make in two hours." Context is everything, y'all.

The character in pieces must pull themself together.

The character at peace must be sent to war. The character at war must find peace. #writing #booksky

Lunch today is a bowl of store brand rice krispies and half a can of coffee beer. 😑 (not in the same bowl, I'm not that far gone)

Relatable Corvid

Microsoft word evergreen sentiment:

The flu has entered my house.

"Did you mean this word?" NO, MICROSOFT. I MEANT THE WORD I TYPED, WHICH IS THE SAME NON-STANDARD USAGE WORD I'VE BEEN TYPING AND YOU'VE BEEN BLUE-SQUIGGLING FOR THE LAST TEN CHAPTERS. Seriously, is the ignore command just there to make me feel better? Listen to my inputs! UGH. #amwriting #booksky

You can put chicken or rice or potatoes into almost any soup without losing the soup's identity. But if you put even one piece of cabbage into a soup, it is now a cabbage soup.

"For the sake of safety, let's try something really dangerous!" - random #DnD quote of the night

"Hey, I need to buy 25 Scrolls of Knock, and on a totally unrelated note, how many doors do you think are on that mansion up the hill?" - Out of context #DnD quote of the evening

Our table just spent 30 minutes debating what we should call the offspring of a half-elf and a halfing. We settled on "Elfling," but I still think "Full-ling" should've won. #DnD #TTRPG

Okay, time to pick up this detailed story and put it back on the tracks. #amwriting

when someone tells me not to use em dashes because AI uses em dashes

"This will make a good disaster later." - the evil author lays her traps #amwriting #booksky

I'm having pumpkin pie for breakfast today because it's still Thanksgiving week, I'm an American, and wow did I make too much pie. Is there such a thing as too much pie, though?

"Without the show, we are nothing, but even with nothing, we can be the show." - out of context line from my WIP

"When you're a necromancer, 'loot the body' has a whole new meaning." - #DnD

One of our players just got demi-plane, and the very first thing he did was stuff it with the badass corpses of our defeated foes so we can sell them to our local necromancer later. Everything is loot if you keep a flexible mind! #DnD

"There's something really bad on the other side of this door. We should leave." "No way! If there's bad stuff, it means that's where the *good* stuff is!" - just heard some classic adventurer logic #DnD

"You guys wanna open up these graves?" - most commonly asked, and commonly regretted, question in our gaming group. #DnD

My kid's out of school for Thanksgiving break and it's making it very hard to work. I want to play videogames all day with my friends too T__T. Forget youth's good looks and health. It's the copious amounts of free time that I envy.

@kbspangler.com edits my self-pub books and is *amazing* at helping me figure out how to best tell the story I'm trying to tell!

"I can do better" is the mantra of my writing life. I can always write more words, but I only ever get once chance to make someone fall in love with my story. I am not wasting that shot on anything less than my absolute best. #booksky #amwriting

Starting the week by ripping out 6,000 words. Not because they were bad, but because they were just okay, and "just okay" is NOT okay! Readers buy books to be swept away, not to see me punch the word-clock. Part of being an author is knowing when to break out the flame thrower. #booksky #amwriting

Saw Chainsaw Man Reze Arc in theaters last night and wooooow, that was the best action I've ever seen, animated or otherwise. Just non-stop, crank it to 11 insanity. Super R-rated and very grindhouse, but if Chainsaw man is your jam, you're going to love this. youtu.be/EPaoHkV0dYw?...

If I could wish for anything right now, it'd be to experience Stardew Valley again for the first time. A piece of my soul lives in that game, I swear.

It boggle my mind how some people think the author approves of every word that comes out of their characters' mouths. Y'all, villains say villainous things. Making sure they have good arguments is just quality characterization, not me trying to convince you they're right. #booksky #amwriting

Man, I love it when the writing picks you up and carries you away. Everyone's in character, doing their own thing, and I'm just the one writing it all down as fast as I can. That is the BEST way to write, IMO. This is going to be a great series, I can feel it!! #amwriting #booksky