The only “love triangle” I like is the one where there are 2 people madly in love, but there's a 3rd person who is into 1 of the couple but it's obvious it's unrequited #tropetalk #writingcommunity #romantasy #fantasyromance #romance

Love when your brain clicks and you find your flow! Got my MailPoet newsletter template set up & looking great. Finding Alpha editor workarounds, but so happy with it. May newsletter might be tight, but defs dropping one in June! 😁 #AuthorLife #writingcommunity

If you're into #fairytalretellings and #cleanfantasyromance my #serialfiction finished up officially today, yay! Check out the completed story at the ToC below open.substack.com/pub/crystald...

I did all the newsletter design heavy lifting today 🎉🎆 all that's left is setting up the links and stuff at the bottom, and we'll be good to go. Mail Poet's alpha editor is more accessible, but can't save the template so gonna have to doup when I want to use it but I like the UI #writingcommunity

This week on Princess of Dragons Bane is the epilogue! Enjoy seeing our heroes 3 years after the end of the story, engaging in cozy moments filled with adorable kittens #writingcommunity #fantasy #fairytaleretelling #beautyandthebeast #serialfiction open.substack.com/pub/crystald...

I was gonna move on to work stuff after laundry but my cat says no #catlife #writingcommunity #catonlap 😾

The Princess of Dragons Bane epilogue goes up tomorrow! Enjoy this little #writingsnipit and look forward to the Friday release of the end of our story #serialfiction #writingcommunity #AIArt #fantasy #fairytaleretelling #Beautyandthebeast

I just finished setting up the format of a newsletter template with major #cozytavernvibes next step, actually setting up the template in Mailpoet #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy #cozyfantasy

My brain ping pongs between the fear of serializing my fiction, then #selfpublishing wide and no 1 reading it because it's already out in the world. But I love serializing & sharing my stories, so I shouldn't worry about what that does 2 future sales #writingcommunity #fantasy

Rainy days = gaming days 🎮☔☁️ my game of choice was Slay the Spire, how about you? #indiegaming #gaming #rainyday #writingcommunity

Reading a book in 3rd Person Omniscient honestly feels like a lost art. Seeing the world through a narrator's window is so fascinating! If done right, it's more engaging than close 3rd. Might tinker with it myself ✨📚 #WritingCommunity #AmReading #AuthorLife

I'm learning to appreciate the first draft process for what it is. I love the feeling of pulling teeth to just get your ideas down, only to get in a groove around Ch. 4 and 5 and know what you're gonna fix in draft 2, and what the story is going 2 be moving forward #AMwriting.

Have I out grown the short story? Every time I start writing draft 1 of what I think is a short story it blows up into a novella at this point lol #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy #cozyfantasy

I'm almost done with Anatomy of Story and gotta say, it's game changing. I don't like to read too many craft books, but I bought this one before finishing it because I know I'll be referencing it later. Now do I take on the mammoth that is Anatomy of Genre hrm #AMWriting

I have to tell myself that my 1st drafts won't have the interiority I want on 1st pass. Doesn't stop me from wishing it did though lol, but part of the process is dumping down your thoughts, then fixing 'em up later #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy

I saw some Disney Twisted Tales animatics on YouTube and figured I'd actually try the series so checked it out from Libby. Tbh it's literally just Disney capitalizing on the fairy tale retelling boom but interesting enough to try reading a few entries #AMreading #Disney

Anatomy of Story is worming its way into my brain because I've never plotted out a short story this much before writing it before haha. It's been fun though, I'm seeing so many different ways to frame a story #writingcommunity #authorlife #AMWriting #fantasy

Finding my age-18 writing archive is a hilarious nightmare! 😱 Reading chapter 1 had me cackling—worse than bad fanfic. But it shows how much story craft I've taught myself since then. Definitely being easier on my present self now! 🌱📚✨ #WritersLife #AmWriting #Cringe #Growth

In that phase of outlining a bunch of new projects before finishing my current novellas! ✍️✨ One will need massive edits because I've grown so much as a writer, but the other feels totally in sync with my defined voice. Ready to dive in! 📚🚀 #AmWriting #IndieAuthor

Officially finished the Princess of Dragons Bane Epilogue! 👑🐉 So glad to be ahead of schedule. Now my mind is free to dive into some back-burnered short stories, and I can just pop in and edit PODB whenever I feel like it before wide release! ✨✍️ #AmWriting #IndieAuthor

Question for people who have #selfpublished did you go wide or exclusive? I struggle with which to pick every day, and want to hear what peeps thinks. I get the pros and cons of both, but have a hard time deciding #writingcommunity #indieauthor

I started reading Anatomy of Story last night and it's already helping loads. I love the Premise/Design Principal concept. I've already used it on all my stories and see them with much more clarity #writingcommunity #authorlife #AMWriting

Help! I watched the rest of #Deltarune and I'm hooked. Defs love it more than #Undertale I wish someone would make an accessibility mod so I can play it. I'll settle for watching LPs for now lol #gaming #indigames

This week on Princess of Dragons Bane, we've reached the end of our story. I hope you've enjoyed Maeve and Garreth's journey thus far. Next up, the epilogue! #writingcommunity #fantasy #fairytaleretelling #beautyandthebeast open.substack.com/pub/crystald...

I like doing organic growth strategies, but it's also tough when you see you aren't growing as much as you'd like, or that you stagnate in followers and subs. Defs something I need to work on #writingcommunity #bookmarketing #authorlife #selfpromo

I had a super relaxing day of writing and gaming. ✍️🎮 Both sessions were successful! ✨📖 #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #GamingCommunity #ProductiveDay #CozyVibes

Am I planning out a travel wagon for the rewrite of this cozy, travel fantasy standalone with insane detail? 🏠✨ Yes, yes I am. 📜🐎 #WritingCommunity #CozyFantasy #IndieAuthor #WorldBuilding #FantasyAuthor #AmWriting #BookSky #SmallTownFantasy

I've got this goofy grin on my face as I finish up getting this epilogue into shape. I love where the MCs wound up after their journey, so cute!!! #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy

Tested ProWritingAid on desktop and I’m impressed! It’s actually accessible here. 💻 It’s catching grammar issues and helping me manage my sentence length. This should really help my revision workflow and keep costs down. 📚✨ #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #ProWritingAid

Ah there we go. I have an epilogue draft that is way more character narration than telly narration. It's a concept I've been working on understanding better, and a series of YouTube shorts has helped me see how I can make sense of it #writingcommunity #fantasy #authorlife

Tbh I can't remember if I shared this #microfiction piece or not, so I'm gonna share it today lol. Title is Message in a Bottle #AIArt #flashfiction #merfolk #fantasy #mermaid

I finished draft 1 of the epilogue to Princess of Dragons Bane. It always feels clunky at this phase, but I'm glad to have the bones down so I can jump into writing from deep character POv - something I'm working on improving #writingcommunity #authorlife #AMwriting #fantasy

Half of my ideas are literally "It's a teen drama but in a fantasy setting" lol. I can't help it, my brain always wants there to be magic, romance, and fantasy themed #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy #cozyfantasy

Soooo Canva is half accessible in that infuriating way where you can do everything but design a graphic easily 😒 I'm getting tired of companies getting away with doing this, but at least I can still use AI to make my media graphics #AI #blindaccess #writingcommunity

I've finally narrowed down the plot beats I want to happen in my epilogue. Next step, writing it 📓📝✍️ #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy #cozyfantasy

I'm going to tinker around with Canva for the 1st time today, wish me luck. I've been told it's screenreader support has improved since the last time I tried using it, so hopefully that's correct #writingcommunity #graphicdesign #authorlife #blindaccessibility

I'm literally half a point away from beating my 1st settlement in Against the Storm but I don't think I'm gonna make it AHHHH.  Also, I love this game themore I play it haha.  So fun #gaming #citybuilder #againstthestorm #fantasy

This weeks Substack post I talk about the painful, but necessary growing pains of developing as a writer, and what steps to take mvoing forward #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy #cozyfantasy open.substack.com/pub/crystald...

I wanted to do some mellow writing today so decided to practice by rewriting paragraphs from a 2024 draft to see how my style has grown. Hoo boy, it's grown a lot. I write much better than my over telling, fragmented sentence messes haha #writingcommunity #authorlife

Me:  I really need to start writing this chapter or article today. Also me:  But my settlers in Against the Storm are running out of food and leaving, I have to do something 😭 #writingcommunity #gaming #authorlife #AgainsttheStorm #citybuilder

I've been taking a break from writing before bracing myself to pop into writing the Epilogue for Princess of Dragons Bane. I can't tell if I'm doing so because I'm sad the story is ending, or because  I need to figure it out a bit more. Maybe both #fantasy #writingcommunity

The little mouse scurried, knowing his time was growing short. #microfiction #flashfiction #writingcommunity #catandmousechase

I love this era of #blindness accessibility mods we're in. There are somany games I wouldn't be playing otherwise. Currently, I'm obsessed with Against the Storm. I'm a sucker for a good city builder, and the fantasy vibe is totally my jam #accessiblegaming #gaming

I'm trying to force myself to not over write this chapter I've been working on. It's at a point I really like, it's the ending I wanted for these characters. So I think I just won't open the doc again, and hop to writing the epilogue #writingcommunity #authorlife #fantasy

She watched the little  mouse; muscles taught, ready to pounce. #microfiction #flashfiction #cat #kitties #writingcommunity

Got the 2 character sheets for my baddies, and a basic pantser outline for when I want to start rewriteing this stand alone done. I want to finish my novellas 1st, but super excited to have all of this novel plotted out for it's rewrite #writingcommunity #authorlife #cozyfantasy

The argument AI cover = AI book doesn't make sense. 🚫📖 It’s like saying homemade cake isn't homemade because u used store bought frosting. Doesn't mean the cake isn't your work. 🍰✍️ Judge the heart, not the wrapper! 📉🤖 #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #AmWriting

I'm plotting out the cozy travel fantasy I've always wanted to write and I couldn't be more pumped 😂 #writingcommunity #authorlife #travelfantasy #fantasy #cozyfantasy #Amwriting

Gradually working on character sheets today! 📝 This clean slate approach has me excited to jump into this standalone again. Moral: take distance from draft 1. Sometimes u need 2 learn more about the craft & your style to get the story u wanted. ✨ #WritingCommunity #CozyFantasy

Trying to reread a draft I thought was v1.5, but it’s definitely a dump draft. 😅 I still love the concept & characters, but I’ve grown so much as a writer since then. Do I suck it up & read through, or just start from semi-scratch? ✍️📖 #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #AuthorLife