#PretendPanel I consider this the beginning of my writing career: the first time someone actually paid for something I wrote, which gave me the confidence to keep going. (Getting the cover feature was a nice bonus!) #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #Writers #Authors #WritingPrompts

A tangential #WIPSnips today; the screen resolution of the Atari 2600 was 160x192 pixels. Here Sam is using one to play a blocky video game while Phil is jousting for his life. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#70sTop30 #MusicChallenge #MusicSky A-Z by artist Day 2 🧑🏾‍🎤 ABBA 🎵 Dancing Queen (1976) 💿 Arrival Is it even a 70s Top 30 without ABBA?

#HappyNewYear! #BluePit is coming up fast on January 13th! We’ll be kicking off our pre-event, #BluePitHype, on January 8th! We also invite those with WIPs and published works to participate! #WriteSky #BookSky #GameDev #IndieDev #TTRPG #Comic #AmQuerying #AmAgenting #LitAgents

SAVE THE DATE! #SmallPitch comes back for another indie/small press-focused pitch event on January 19-25, 2026 🌊 This time, it will be open to all underrepresented authors from the #WritingCommunity, agented and unagented alike. Check our website for more details ⬇️

Seasons greetings! Our gift to you is #questpit dates for 2026! We can’t wait to reconvene next year. Happy Holidays!

Today in #WIPSnips, our alien adventures in Rothwell are about to begin, and some fairly specific references are made (which may or may not make the final edit). #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

January's musical interludes will come from the #70sTop30 #MusicChallenge. A-Z by artist Day 1 👨🏻‍🎤 10cc 🎵 I'm Mandy Fly Me (1976) 💿 How Dare You! I don't remember the 70s, but I do remember my dad having a 10cc greatest hits tape on repeat in the car, probably in the early 90s.

Today in #WIPSnips, a bit from The Knight Errors which is still in such an early draft the quotation marks don't even match from one end of the sentence to the other. Phil Grundy is seeking Dexy's guidance for an ill-advised side quest. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#5CoverSongsWeather #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Rod, Jane and Freddy, but make it grebo. (Yes, really.) 🎶 Rainbow 👨🏻‍🎤 Brussel Spaceship (1992) 👨🏻‍🎤 Telltale (1973)

Today on #WIPSnips, a gloriously nonsensical passage from an actual WIP, The Knight Errors. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

#5CoverSongsWeather #MusicChallenge #MusicSky If there's anything more English than Ray Davies writing a song about a rainy day in June I want it caught & given a cup of tea right now. This version really taps into his dark side. 🎶 Rainy Day in June 👨🏻‍🎤 Autistic Daughters (2004) 👨🏻‍🎤 The Kinks (1966)

Today in #WIPSnips, a transdimensional interface opens, a weed chucks a strop, and the Ambivalence clobbers some bins. From The Dragon Download. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#5CoverSongsWeather #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Raindrops kept falling on their heads, but they borrowed Rihanna's brolly so everything's cool now. Except maybe for Rihanna. Hopefully she doesn't have to go anywhere while it's raining. 🎶 Umbrella 👨‍🎤 Manic Street Preachers (2008) 👩🏾‍🎤 Rihanna (2007)

Today in #WIPSnips, Viktor Wendig is being menacing in the King's Fun Room in this snip from The Dragon Download. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#5CoverSongsWeather #MusicChallenge #MusicSky It's fine as long as you don't accidentally picture 3 white guys in their 40s trying to twerk like Queen Bey. 🎶 Crazy in Love 👨‍🎤 Snow Patrol (2004) 👩🏾‍🎤 Beyoncé (2003)

In The Rothwell Incident, our heroes don't need a doctor, they need a vet. Probably. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#5CoverSongsWeather #MusicChallenge #MusicSky A bit optimistic for December in England, but for some reason it came to mind. 🤷 🎶 Mr. Blue Sky 👩‍🎤 Lily Allen (2006) 👨‍🎤 Electric Light Orchestra (1978)

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 24 🤶🏻 Éowyn 🎵 O Holy Night (2015) I could have done an effortless link from Day 11, but this song seemed more appropriate for today. Merry Christmas 🎅🏼🎄

This #WIPSnips was a bit of a gift, as I have all kind of goblets in The Knight Errors. In this piece Phil Grundy is having trouble with one of the magic variety. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 23 🎅🏻 The Torero Band 🎵 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (1968) 💿 Tijuana Christmas This LP was the sound of Christmas when I was a kid. And later when I sprinkled the tracks on a mixtape with Slade, Shonen Knife and The Ramones.

Today in #WIPSnips we're back in Romford, and Sam Cooper is escaping from the Assembly of Newly Uplifted Systems in a heavily fortified Mini. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 22 🎅🏻 Relient K 🎵 I Celebrate The Day (2007) 💿 Let It Snow Baby... Let It Reindeer From the Christmas album by the celebrated three-wheeled plastic car from Tamw- no, that's Reliant. Relient K are probably a kind of rock band.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 21 🎅🏻 Jonathan Coulton 🎵 Chiron Beta Prime (2006) 💿 Thing a Week Two Continuing the alien Christmas theme with this stone cold classic from JoCo. Did I say overlords?

Today in #WIPSnips, Viktor Wendig is plotting something unpleasant in The Dragon Download. Probably. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 20 🎅🏻 Fountains of Wayne 🎵 I Want An Alien For Christmas (2005) 💿 Out-Of-State Plates Christmas isn't Christmas without the Fountains of Wayne x Doctor Who mash-up nobody asked for.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 19 🎅🏻 Eels 🎵 Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas (1998) 💿 Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996–2006 Baby Jesus - born to rock!

I'm getting my high from that time an alien swallowed an unspecified pill at an illegal rave in 1988. This is from an early draft of The Rothwell Incident. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 18 🎅🏻 The Kinks 🎵 Father Christmas (1977) 💿 Come Dancing with The Kinks It's probably come up at least once during these challenges, but I'm not missing the chance to share Sir Ray's Christmas offering.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 17 🤶🏻 Vicky Beeching 🎵 He Made a Way In a Manger (2009) I don't always enjoy modern worship music, but when I do, it's written by a lesbian.

I probably used this word *because* it can be controversial, but I had to go back to The Dragon Download to find it, in this real life game of... Frogger? #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #GameLit

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 16 🎅🏻 The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu 🎵 Downtown (1987) 💿 Shag Times Seamless segue there from MU330 to Mu Mu... imagine what I could do if I actually planned this stuff? Anyway, enjoy this, you won't hear it in John Lewis.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 15 🎅🏻 MU330 🎵 I Got This Neighbour (1999) 💿 Winter Wonderland I missed yesterday, and since we've all got things to do at this time of year, it'll take you less than a minute to catch up.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 14 🤶🏻 The Lovely Eggs 🎵 Tyrannosaurus Rex for Christmas (2011) I'm gonna say up front, The Lovely Eggs are an acquired taste; but give this one a chance, it's a lot of fun.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 13 🤶🏻 Wolf Alice 🎵 In The Bleak Midwinter (2022) None of them are wolves, and none of them are called Alice. Next they'll be telling us Jesus wasn't born in winter and water wasn't like a stone in the Greater Bethlehem area.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 12 🎅🏻 The Killers 🎵 Boots (2010) Volume 5 of The Killers' Christmas tradition of releasing a non-traditional Christmas song.

#SFFChat outro Welp, may as well throw the link out there in case that snippet caught anyone's eye - this is Bit#3, but I'm sure a reader of your calibre can find your way back to the start if you wish! books2read.com/theroadworrier

#SFFChat Q4 Some might say this section from The Road Worrier was written purely for the purpose of a second rate homage and a terrible pun. Those more familiar with athe Ambivalence Chronicles will know that's not true; that's the purpose of the whole series. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#SFFChat Q3 I'm not sure anybody knows. The roaming gangs of The Road Worrier give way to a crooked Sheriff later on in the series - the only thing I'm sure of is that it's not the protagonists. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#SFFChat Q2 Food production hasn't really been a factor in my writing since my first novel, Countless as the Stars, which had a space colonising sub plot with farming and trying alien strawberries and such. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#SFFChat Q1 In The Road Worrier, the motorways and service stations are primarily ruled by roaming gangs bandits, meaning that everyday essentials for long distance driving - pork pies, caffeinated beverages, jelly babies etc - are in short supply. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#SFFChat intro Good evening, I'm Steve and I usually forget to join in. An essential on my writing bookshelf is the writershelpingwriters.net thesaurus series by @angelackerman.bsky.social and Becca Puglusi. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 11 🎅🏻 The Family Cat 🎵 Jesus Christ (1991) Continuing the pre-Britpop indie banger theme from yesterday. There are a few good versions of this song, but only this one has as many false endings as the Lord of the Rings movie.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 9 🎅🏻 The Wedding Present 🎵 Step Into Christmas (1992) 💿 No Christmas This is a proper blast from the past. Takes me right back to the halcyon days of pre-Britpop noisy jangle Christmas cover versions.

Today in #WIPSnips we tackle the age old question: which is better, Magic Knight or designer handbag? There's only one way to find out... #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 9 🎅🏻 Cathedral Brass 🎵 Joy To The World (Mocean Worker Remix) (2003) 💿 Christmas Remixed There's just something festive about an old tune remixed to within an inch of its life by Adam from Philly. (Great Christmas CD though!)

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 8 🎅🏻 Barenaked Ladies 🎵 Jingle Bells (2004) 💿 Barenaked for the Holidays Best. Jingles Bells. Ever.

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 7 🎅🏽 Johnny Mathis 🎵 When a Child is Born (1976) 💿 I Only Have Eyes For You And all of this happens because the world is waiting...

Another #WIPSnips from the beginning of The Knight Errors, a story it should really finish editing and send out into the world. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

#24SongsOfChristmas #MusicAdventCalendar #MusicChallenge #MusicSky Day 6 🤶🏻 Cocteau Twins 🎵 Frosty the Snowman (1993) 💿 Lullabies to Violaine From The Snowman to the OG magical ice dude, and believe it or not Frosty was my introduction to the dreampop stylings of the Cocteaus.