Favorite writing quote of the day: "Writing is making complicated ideas into simple sentences." -from "Unfuck Your Writing" by Joe Biel & Faith G. Harper #authorsky #writersky

Finally, after months of slacking, I've posted something new to The Pen Doesn't Have to Be Red! (I also managed to remember that BlueSky exists, so woohoo!) #Editorsky #authorsky open.substack.com/pub/akempsel...

Okay, so... I might've forgotten that Bluesky exists for a little bit. How we doing, folks?

Granted, CMOS is a guidebook, so the whole thing is technically just preference. But I'm talking about things that are even more preference-y than others. Hopefully some authors will see this and realize that their manuscript wasn't as error iddled as they thought. #BookEditor #WriterCommunity

After struggling to get myself to write sentence after sentence, I did this. And immediately wrote about seven paragraphs without issue. Bag on the head works, my friends! Weird shit works! Idk why, but it does. #writingcommunity

One of the best testimonials I’ve ever gotten from an author. It’s so sweet and validating, it made me tear up! It’s also so long I couldn’t fit the whole thing. So if you want to read it all, you can find it on TikTok, insta, and soon my website. #writingcommunity #bookeditor

If you get really good at past perfect tense, you will be your editor's best friend. That is a 100% guaranteed promise. #authorcommunity #writingcommunity #authorsky

New post is up in the Substack! The week hasn't ended yet, so I count this as sticking to my bi-weekly schedule. Plus I got to rail against epithets, so that's fun. Enjoy! #writingcommunity #Bookeditor open.substack.com/pub/akempsel...

Hey, it's me, that really good idea for your story you had while you were showering, driving, doing dishes, or sleeping. ... You're never gonna fuckin see me again. ✌️ #writersky #writingcommunity

I can’t help you with copyright, but I can help with copyleft… by helping take care of the errors you LEFT in this COPY. … I’ll see myself out. #writersky #bookeditor #writingcommunity

Editors, when we see someone ask another editor a direct question via social media, what we're NOT gonna do is swoop into the comments with things like this. This is predatory toward the author and rude to the editor they were asking. I get that we're all just trying to make a living, but c'mon...

Oh, okay author-client... so you're just gonna make me cry this morning with how thoughtful, supportive, and appreciative your responses on my feedback form were? Just gonna make me weep with sheer niceness and validation? Huh?! WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?! WHERE DO YOU FIND THE AUDACITY?! #BookEditor

And now for some positivity! The authors I work with are the best, and I shall hear nothing to the contrary. 🤩 #BookEditor #writingcommunity #writersky

New post on Substack, finally. I’ll confess that this one is a thinly veiled excuse to tell everyone about one of my favorite DC villains: Torque! But I still tied it into writing. Check it out! open.substack.com/pub/akempsel...

I think what non-ADHD people don't understand about ADHD medication is that it doesn't make you concentrate. It's not some magic 'cure.' It doesn't make you focused or motivated. It just makes these things *possible.* The medication just unlocks the door. You still have to get it open.

I don't know if I'll ever learn to vibe with text-based social media. It just feels so much more like shouting into the void than video-based kinds. But also, maybe I just don't know how to do it right? Eh. 🤷

So the thing with me and social media is that when I fall out of the habit of posting, I REALLY fall out of the habit. Like, I forgot/was too busy to post for a week, and now I feel an aversion to even looking at the apps. 😮‍💨

Hey, you know what’s cool? … No, seriously, do you? I wanna know. None of these youths think I’m hip and happenin’.

Went out of town for the weekend (plus Monday) and decided to make it a social media break while I was at it. I feel refreshed!

“Alex, you’re crying! You okay?” Yeah, I was just thinking about the Portals scene from Avengers: Endgame again.

Writers! Authors! Lend me your ears--er... or your eyes, I guess. Ahem. We've got an updated editing availability for the first half of 2025! I offer copy, line, and developmental editing, along with a few other smaller services. Let's talk about your manuscript! #writersky #editorsky #authorsky

My favorite editor-community moment was when some doofus posted something like "Ugh, so the word 'they' can be singular now? I don't think I'll ever get used to that" and every book editor in the world came crashing down on them like a tidal wave of UM ACTUALLY. 😂 #editorsky

I just typed "does it feet" instead of "does it fit" into a comment of this manuscript and didn't realize it until I went back to check something else an hour later. I might be tired. #editorsky #writersky #authorsky

Dang it. This story made me cry again, just trying to find the quote. 😭 Seriously, my writing partner struck emotional gold with this one. Go read. open.substack.com/pub/necessar... #writersky #authorsky

As I work on this short story competition entry, I’ve discovered a roadblock I never considered: It’s possible to just not vibe with the prompts. I didn’t have this problem with the Flash Fiction competition, but they're just not meshing with my brain. Still gonna give it my all, though. #writersky

Me: "I've got some good story ideas, but I'm struggling to figure out an emotional core for them." Writing Partner: "You tend to start with plot. Try starting with character this time." Me: "... oh, so you're just casually going to read me at the core level like that? Damn." 👀 #writersky

Okay, I've got my prompts for the short story competition. Now to put some pieces together to see what fits... #writersky #writercommunity #authorsky

When you're writing, don't worry about whether your story is "original." That's a surefire way to send you down a mental spiral. It seems to me that ideas often start out as "unoriginal" only to find originality along the way. They start as one thing and evolve into another. 🧵1/2

I'm positive he wrote down all his dick jokes first and then went from there. Not even the best historian could convince me otherwise. That guy's mind was hilarious and filthy. 😂

It’s 9:30, which means it’s time for Pixie (our youngest cat) to go do her basement screams. It’s like clockwork. We think she likes the acoustics.

HAPPY FRIDAY! I don't want to work today, so let's play a game! Reply with the first line of you WIP. Likes get 1pt Reposts get 2pts I'll announce a winner before I go to sleep tonight. Repost this so we get lots of players. I'll go first... #writingcommunity #AuthorSky #amwriting #games

Tomorrow starts the first round of the next short story competition I’ve entered. And verrry early that morning, my wife and I are going to get news that’s either fantastic or absolutely terrible, and there is no in between. Stress? Stress.

Is this true 100% of the time? Probably not. But it's true often enough that I can speak with eager certainty about it without being afraid of getting called out, so that tells you a lot. At the very least, it's a good guideline. #writersky #editorsky #authorsky

Some words always look like they’re spelled wrong to me. Like “bland.” I look at “bland” and think… yeah, there’s something off here. Anyone else have words that always look misspelled, even when they’re correct? What are some of yours? #writersky #editorsky #authorsky

Ma’am please I have work to do! Books to edit!! 😭😭

I’m done fretting about it. For the rest of the night, I’m pretending TikTok doesn’t exist. Imma go watch The Rocketeer instead.

Remember: it's a 90-day extension which, under the current law, requires a sale. So either: -a deal gets brokered that looks more or less like what we have now -a deal gets brokered that looks terrifyingly different -congress changes the law -TikTok goes away after 90 days

Hey fellow Writertok and Booktok refugees. I've got a pack for you: go.bsky.app/LKMCpA5 Want in? Let me know!

Booktok is gone, but bookish & writer communities aren't. Here's a newsletter from last fall on our Substack (Pen Pals: The Newsletter for Writers Who Mean Business), and it's just as important now as it was when @heyitspip.bsky.social wrote it: penpalsforwriters.substack.com/p/stop-think...

Pensive Kitty Sunday

#editorsky An excerpt from my newest article: open.substack.com/pub/akempsel...

If you wrote a character into your book specifically to be killed off, but ended up really liking them, does that mean you did your job well because the readers will be sad when they die, or that you did it poorly because now you don't want to kill them off? 🧐

You know that thing where the words are in your head but they just don’t want to get onto the page? We’ve all been there. If you're struggling with that right now, this one's for you! #editorsky #writersky #authorsky open.substack.com/pub/akempsel...

Check out these super-awesome* publications! The Pen Doesn't Have to Be Red is devoted to showing all authors that writing, editing, and getting edited don't have to be scary things. Necessary Chaos is a hub for short fiction. Fun! The Linktree is in my bio! #writersky #authorsky #editorsky

This is probably the most stressful week I've had in a long time. Just so many different things occurring at the same time, each of which would be mildly stressful on their own, but have Megazorded into a stress machine big enough to kick Rita Repulsa off the planet.

This is something I've been wanting to put together for a long time, and now I'm finally getting it in gear. Check this out if you like writing advice, storytelling, and my general goofiness and want it on a bi-weekly (or weekly, if I can manage) basis! akempsell.substack.com

Trying to get on Rednote but it won’t send my phone the text with the code. 😩

This is something I've been wanting to put together for a long time, and now I'm finally getting it in gear. Check this out if you like writing advice, storytelling, and my general goofiness and want it on a bi-weekly (or weekly, if I can manage) basis! akempsell.substack.com

It doesn't matter if you're on TikTok or if you've never used TikTok or if you think it's all just dumb dances and stupid trends. Listen to what people are saying, and touch into the empathy for all the people who are at risk of losing their livelihoods. chng.it/StbwfzxzNY

Authors! Writers! Lend me your ears! I've still got a decent amount of availability in the early part of the year, which means you'll have plenty of timeframes to choose from. So now is the time to get yourself a quote, while the getting's good! Oh, and don't forget to ask about PAYMENT PLANS!