Fleshing out a character has little to do with their biography and much more to do with the choices they make.

STUPID SPACE BOOK VOLUME 2 NOW OUT! barrows.itch.io/shakedown Contains: Aliens! 👽 Robots! 🤖 Spaceships! 🚀 A disaster ace MC! 💥 Romance? 💓 Adventure! ⛰️ Architecture to make HR Giger proud! 🛰️ Also contains: my love 🪐📚

Let’s take a look at the opening pages of Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing for writing tips about novel openings and the use of adjectives.

#WIPSnips for “elite.” I’ve got “skilled” from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “lifetime.” I’ve got “lives” instead, from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “silent,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “insect.” I have “spider,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “unknown,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance. The MMC gives himself a pep talk at the end of act 1.

#WIPSnips for “meet.” A cover-up gets underway in There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

They say write what you read, but the rules for aspiring authors are different than the rules for well established authors. Let’s look at a three ways your favorite books are giving you misleading expectations about what to write. #booktok #writingcommunity #author #wip #writing

With my dark academia on submission, it’s time to turn my full attention to my new WIP. Progress is often slow for me at the beginning of the book, but I’ve finished act 1, and with the world and characters set up, I’m excited for all the action, horror, and romance that’s coming! #writingcommunity

#WIPSnips I already used only “pride” in a previous snippet, so I’ll use “respects” instead. Looking up at the stars, the MMC imagines what his future could be like. Fortunately, the FMC arrives to provide a translation. From There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

FIRE SAFE & BRIMSTONE SOUND on sub now! #writingcommunity 📚Dark academia meets the Bible 🪄Deconstruction based magic 👹Horror as a metaphor for toxic theology ✊🏽Black theology vs. White Christian nationalism 🌶️Demons to lovers

Hey authors! Did you know I offer editing and query package critiques, along with mentoring? This year I've edited: - reality TV baking show romance - workplace romance - two shifter fated mates romances - an epic fae fantasy sequel - query packages 🔗 ⬇️ #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#WIPSnips for “three.” I’ve got it on the very first page of There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “hoarse.” A henchman notices something about the MMC, from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

People complain about the simplicity of his prose, but I don’t think more unconventional syntax, subordinate clauses, or figurative language would necessarily improve this.

#WIPSnips More cave-in action, from There’s Something in the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

Nine times out of ten, use said, nothing, or an action beat. If you’re going to use a non-said dialog tag, use it to communicate something unexpected rather than merely repeating the tone the dialog already implies. #writing

#WIPSnips for “fate,” from Fire Safe & Brimstone Sound—adult dark academia.

#WIPSnips for “smack,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “North,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA/NA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips Into the railroad boss’s strange house, I have “precious” as a synonym, from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips Sometimes the call to adventure doesn’t go smoothly 😅 From Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.

#WIPSnips Putting the theological pieces together later in Fire Safe & Brimstone Sound—my dark academia/magical school book.

FIRE SAFE & BRIMSTONE SOUND The deconstruction power fantasy you never knew you needed. ✅ Contemporary & relevant ✅ Adult fantasy & dark academia ✅ Psychological & cosmic horror ✅ Romance & spice ✅ Underrepresented & #ownvoices #QuestPit #AG #A #DF

Welcome to All Fates Seminary. The more contradictions you realize, the more toxic theology you fight, the more trauma you heal, the more magic you control. Check out the prologue below! #QuestPit #AG #A #DF

FIRE SAFE & BRIMSTONE SOUND Tired of enemies to lovers? Here's "we fell in love surviving together." Tired of fated mates? Here's "this only works because we both chose it." Tired of forced proximity? Tough😅 On sub soon! #QuestPit #AG #A #DF #ownvoices

Ancient rituals in a stone circle with her sister, childhood crush, and estranged cousin was not how Moira planned on spending her birthday. Commandeering her family's merchant business, Moira accidentally finds herself swept up in revolutions and the cusp of life altering romance. #Q #F #QuestPit

To escape her cursed town, Tayah must rewrite fate with a cursed carpenter and her sentient house or else become Ravensford’s next forgotten name 🏠Encanto + Crimson Peak vibes ❤️‍🔥Slow Burn Forbidden Romance 🏛️F*ck the Patriarchy 📜Religious Trauma #AgentsGuide #Q #FR #QuestPit

FIRE SAFE & BRIMSTONE SOUND At a magic seminary in the sky, a troubled student joins forces with a repentant demon to face his religious trauma and stop the dark version of himself determined to drag him into hell. On sub soon! #QuestPit #AG #A #DF #ownvoices

#writingcommunity The following sentences are all bad for the same reason. What’s the reason? 1) “You’re an asshole!” he yelled. 2) She looked and saw that the door was cracked open. 3) He whispered quietly. 4) Her lungs burned like hot flames.

Could bro opposition to romantasy just be a grown up fear of cooties? I didn’t think so. Until I saw this. www.tiktok.com/t/ZTk42YQmr/

#WIPSnips for “work,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance. A foreman tries to intimidate the MC. CW: some anti-Asian racism.

Going all out on #QuestPit for my dark academia, soon to be on submission! I’m so excited to send this one out into the world and see who loves it.

#WIPSnips for “tack.” I’ve got “nails,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

Moments before a cave-in, from There’s Something on the Tracks—YA historical horromance. #WIPSnips #Writesky #WritingCommunity

#WIPSnips for “path,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “convoluted,” from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy. CW: light magic bondage play.

#WIPSnips for “deal.” Some carriage card games to pass the time, from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.

A steak is simpler than a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, but often valued more. Popular commercial prose is simpler than literary prose, with much the same result. It’s fine to not like simple things, but it’s weird to pretend it’s bad.

#WIPSnips for “psychology.” I’ve shared parts of this confessional scene before, but here’s where “psychological” appears, from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.

Time to update my WIP:

#WIPSnips for “signature.” I’ve got “signed,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “fantasy.” I’ve got “Hallucination,” from There’s Something on the Tracks—a YA historical horromance.

#WIPSnips for “duration.” I don’t have the word or any synonyms, so it’s just vibes today. From Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.

#WIPSnips for “topic.” I have “subject,” from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.

#WIPSnips for “heat,” from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy. CW: 🌶️ (though the most explicit words have been edited out). - - - - -

#WIPSnips for “child,” from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.

#WIPSnips for “lantern,” from Heavenvault—an airship romantasy.