#WordWeavers Dec 23: What's the first and last line of dialog for your MC? First lines: Gery: "Seneschal Voriz offered me a transfer to Bureau Chief of the High Plateau Observation project." Serte: “I’m Inspector Aferevk. With Investigations. I need to go through.” Last: [spoilers!] #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 22: If the inciting incident never happened, what would happen to your MC? Gery: He'd resign from his government posting, and probably go back to teaching history at the university. Serte: Finish reading her book, take on a non-political cross-province murder case. #amwriting

Concern about writing a YA dystopia: A nagging fear that somebody will read it and completely miss the point. If I write this, I'm gonna be dropping some anvils.

Me, some time ago: I don't really have any plans to write YA and I don't like dystopias much. My brain, now: Hey, here's a highly relevant YA dystopia for you. Me: I'm already working on two different books right now! I have a day job! Brain: So? <unloads> Me: ... I'll just jot down some notes...

In #books I've read lately: In the Bobiverse series, I'm up to #4 (Heaven's River). They're great fun, but there's a definite theme of building new vs maintaining or repairing existing systems. Some of that's the core conceit -- and it's fun! -- but I may have critique brewing. 🪐📚💙 #scifi

Aaaaand they changed it. Good work team!

Report post: I'm in this picture and I don't like it.

In other news, I've got a #blog post in which I discuss getting people to read my book. (And also, an opportunity to sign yourself up to read my #book IN ADVANCE, especially if you like the concept of urban fantasy magic cloak shenanigans.) rznicolet.com/2025/12/19/t...

#WordWeavers Dec 19. What's the first thing readers learn about your MC? Gery: He's being pushed to resign from his government post, and isn't too upset about it. Serte: She has an orrery for her corundum and would rather read her romance novel than attend a government function. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 18: Does your antagonist save money or spend it? Both. Money is only valuable in as much as it can be used for (what she thinks are) beneficial purposes. #amwriting

God, sometimes you need to put key things in BLOCK CAPS in your planning notes because otherwise you will absolutely forget to include the vital setup bit for the next chapter.

#WordWeavers Dec 17: How many hours of sleep a night does your MC average? Not enough, for either of them, though Gery (after the initial crisis) does better than Serte. There's actually a running gag with Serte's friends nagging her about getting more sleep... #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 16: Is your MC more philosophical or action-oriented? In the current WIP, I've got one of each. It makes for some fun contrast. #amwriting

We all wanna be comfy in our down time, man.

#WordWeavers Dec 15: How much profanity do you include in your story, and why? Nothing that we'd call profanity -- I generally prefer to avoid it. However, they've got their own set of swears, which get used whenever appropriate. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 14: Are your characters incapacitated by injuries, or do they brush them off as flesh wounds? Mostly, depends on whether it's actually a flesh wound and whether the character has superpowers or whatnot. Current WIP? [REDACTED] is incapacitated when [SPOILERS]. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 13: How do your characters relate to nature? Is it threatening, idyllic, indifferent, or something else? Oh, this is all over the map, depending on the story and characters. In the current WIP... the closest anybody gets to nature is the park by the river. #amwriting

Welp, this is horrifying. Among so many issues: how does this thing even know what counts as a spoiler? Is the midpoint disaster that changes everything a spoiler? The gradually-unspooling backstory? Also, just, why? Why? Who asked for this? And why can't I turn it off?

#WordWeavers Dec 12: Are bodily functions omitted or discussed in your stories? Depends. They're often omitted if they're not relevant to the story. If they are, I generally avoid graphic detail. It's more about how the character is feeling. I almost never write horror, so. #amwriting

#Minnesota this week

#WordWeavers Dec 11: What does your MC think of love? Assuming the romantic flavor: Gery: Uninterested for a long time after the death of his wife; trying again, but afraid of another loss. Serte: She's for it, but cautious in real life. She also enjoys historical romance novels. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 10: Who is your most chaotic character? Definitely Cheru. She took the Oath of Knowledge, which confers good memory and magic engineering... but... Her house is just littered with books. Book stacks everywhere. Don't ask what her filing system is. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 9: Tell us about a romantic relationship a character has. The two MCs (Gery and Serte) have been dating for a while at the start of the book. Gery's about to step back from his government position, which Serte fully supports. (She dislikes politics.) And then... #amwriting

I said it before, will say it again -- generative AI fetishizes "ideas" while sneering at effort, execution, and education. That, despite Gen-AI being built on and out of other people's effort, execution and education.

Siphonophores are so cool. In my big setting with the all the weird aliens I can dream up, I have a sentient species based on them. They're deep-sea dwellers under the ice of an Enceladus analog. (I've written a short version of the story; hopefully I can do the full novel someday.)

#WordWeavers Dec 8: Does your world have any weird laws, practices or beliefs? One of the minority religions has a small faction that thinks that a Lost Concept might be personified and have agency of its own. Everyone else considers that weird... #amwriting

I haven't been asked to do IP work; if I were, the only flavor I'd accept would be Star Trek (my one true fandom), and even there, I might not go for it. I'll probably end up writing the buddies-solving-mysteries-on-a-space-station concept myself sometime, with my own weird aliens.

#WordWeavers Dec 7: What bad habits does your MC have? Gery rattles his fingers on things (usually the nearest desk or table) when nervous or worried. ... he does it a lot. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 6: What kind of food does your antagonist prefer? Traditional fare -- savory pastries, sausages, bean soup, that sort of thing. #amwriting

If the writer’s eyes light up when asked, “why did the character do that?” then it’s real.

I've got a post up on ye old #blog: in which I slightly qualify someone else's writing advice. rznicolet.com/2025/12/05/w...

#WordWeavers Dec 5: Tell us about a character who has a secret. Optional: drop hints and allow others to guess the secret Serte has one. (She's the investigator of the the two MCs.) Hints about the secret? Nope. I will say that her father knew, and her work colleagues suspect. #amwriting

Oh, wow, I got targeted by my very first writing-related spambot today! Surely this means real people will buy my book in a few months?

#WordWeavers Dec 4: What's the worst thing about the world of your story? The democratic country that's our focus has no church-state separation. The Temple of Truth is heavily involved in judicial affairs, the Temple of Creation basically runs the medical system... #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 3: What's the best thing about the world of your story? I think the magic system's pretty cool, but the _best_ thing is probably the functional democracy that manages to withstand a devastating attack early in the story. (The head of state has morals, too!) #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 2: What does your MC's home smell like? Gery: Before the attack, mostly like books. After... a little dusty, but clean. Serte: She does a good job cleaning up after her owl, so it only smells a little like pet bird. #amwriting

#WordWeavers Dec 1: In an alternate universe, you are the opposite of who you are. What's your story like there? Oh, yikes. Probably a thinly veiled support for tyranny and oppression featuring a highly corrupt dictator and an incompetent investigator, with a tragic ending. #amwriting

The full set of questions, in case anybody wants to follow along with the #WordWeavers: mastodon.online/@BranwenOShe...

#WordWeavers Nov 30: While writing, do you consider your topics to avoid book bannings or fallout of any sort? Nope, that's too far down the road from the writing itself. Fallout "of any sort" though... #amwriting

#WordWeavers Nov 29: When writing gets hard, what keeps you going? Knowing that I'm happier with myself once I've done some? Often, if I'm just stuck, that's a sign I need to think through what I'm writing a little more, and I'll go write something _else_ for a bit to clear my brain. #amwriting

In #baking news: My lovely husband's birthday tends to land around Thanksgiving, so we do #cake as well as pie. The flavor: matcha! (No food coloring included!) The color contrast with my MIL's sweet potato pie was pretty dramatic. (Both were delicious.)

I know why they didn't do it, but that headline would absolutely CRUSH if they'd deployed an adverbial f-bomb immediately prior to the word "obvious."

In other news -- I've got a pub date! "The Cloak and Its Wizard" will be coming out on February 23rd. I'm excited! (You can actually find the ebook on Amazon now, under my pen name; other venues/physical version will be later.) Now, a lot happens before then... #fantasy #urbanfantasy #book

I had no idea that growing up playing those “find 10 things wrong with this picture” games in kids’ magazines would leave me with such maladaptive skills later in life 🫠

#WordWeavers Nov 28: Your MC gets a free bag of candy corn. How do they react? Gery <reads ingredients>: Is this food? Serte <snatches bag, pops one in mouth>: Tastes fine. Gery: They're little more than sugar with additives. Serte <eats another one>: They'd be good stakeout snacks. #amwriting

Another #book I've read lately: Ashes of the Sun, by Django Wexler. This book is a brick, and deserves to be -- it's fantasy, but the Star Wars inspiration/critique of the Jedi is pretty obvious. Love the magic->technolgoy mashup. #amreading #fantasy

#WordWeavers Nov 26: Does your current antagonist share any traits with you? Probably, but I'm not that charismatic, that good at lying, or that ruthless. Or that ambitious. The cynicism might be similar... #amwriting

#WordWeavers Nov 25: Does your current MC share any traits with you? Gery: Only the basic academic background, really. He's way more outgoing and civic-minded. Serte: Mostly the love of reading (though she has a different favorite genre). Investigatory with magic powers, not so much. #amwriting

If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!

#WordWeavers Nov 24: What’s the strangest animal product your MCs eat? There's nothing too shocking, honestly. The usual things (milk, eggs, meat from chickens and pigs) show up. Beef isn't so popular. Nobody eats griffon. #amwriting