Self-Review – A Path Not Taken … Much A casual disregarding of the rules leads to the main character's spectacularly bad day.

Jewish Characters in my Fiction I personally love the idea and the dynamic of showing Jews surviving an apocalyptic event. And they are able to do so without losing their humanity or their faith in the process.

Self-Review – Fragments Deep Space Mission #14 finds a small system where a gas giant planet with four intact moons also has the remains of a fifth. But what secrets does the debris hold? And then when the crew finds evidence of textiles, and dyed textiles to boot, it seems obvious. There had been…

Writing Progress Report – Third Quarter 2025 In 2022, I wrote the prequels for Time Addicts and The Real Hub of the Universe. For 2023, it was the Untrustworthy prequel and Obolonk prequels. And for 2024, it was the Enigman Cave prequel. The Mettle prequel is set for 2025. But I just might end up…

Also guess (if you like) which character = which song: Noah + Eleanor Braverman, Craig Firenze, Elise Jeffries, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Dez Hunter, Kitty Kowalski, Nell Murphy, Minka Lopez, Olga Nicolaev + n/a (no one's assigned to the song but it works anyway, or 2 ppl are connected). :) #Mettle

Can't recall when I last (never?) shared a playlist for a WIP. This is #mettle. From the ♪ guess the setting ;) (the Beths at the end are an outlier but I love this song + it fits perfectly, so there) www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... #amwriting #writersky #dystopianscifi #HopeIsMetal #MettleIsHope

Character Review — Sally Bowles/They Say This One Tiles Bathrooms Adequately When I was first putting together the reputation-based names for my Obolonk characters, this one’s name started off as just TSTO Tiles Bathrooms. But of course, they didn’t really come alive until I added the adverb at…

Character Review — Astrid Hennigsen ... the last thing I wanted was for Astrid to be someone who is almost preternaturally gifted. She would be highly competent, but not in the sort of way where it’s not believable. Astrid, in some ways, is someone I see as being kind of like your cousin who’s…

Self-Review – Jealousy As the narrator complains that someone or other is coming between him and a female special somebody, he eventually owns up to the fact that the inevitable is just plain going to happen. Whether he likes it, or not. But it’s every soldier’s right to complain. And I suppose it…

Character Review — Kitty Kowalski While Kitty’s mother isn’t necessarily an alcoholic, I see both her parents as being neglectful. But being wealthy means people think of them as being eccentric. And, more importantly, no one calls Child Protective Services on them. When Mettle first starts, Kitty…

Day 10 When I bought this radio station, I was seeking a sound investment for my retirement. Plus it seems nobody plays Elvis Costello anymore. Hence I bought a station so I could hear what I like. Nobody told me it came complete with a phalanx of demons. #AMFMGhosts #amwriting #writersky

Well, I just spent some time crafting a response to what is undoubtedly a scam artist who flattered me vaguely about my book and just wants to be pals.* So, of course I asked what the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow is. *And then, most likely, either try to sell me junk or get my SSN.

Day 9 “Have you reached a verdict?” “Yes.” “Defense, rise. Proceed.” “To the charge of impersonating a police officer, we find defendant guilty…” “Counselor, do you or your client have anything to say re the verdicts?” “Yr Honor, my client is a shapeshifter…” #Jurisdiction #amwriting #writersky

Day 8 I’m starting to think this was a bad idea We must find a 2d home. Sun won’t last forever. Before that, continental drift will finally end, all lock together, + choke us. Dunno the details. I’m not a details person Except for my job. Love to pilot in 3D space #GuineaPigs #amwriting #writersky

Self-Review – Mythic So, the original prompt word was just the word that became the title. I wanted it to be a bit like a bedtime story that person might tell or read to a child. And then it turned into a story where the parent was essentially threatening the child. I did not mean to turn us all,…

Day 7 We’re born linked. The gov’t breaks us apart. They say it’s to drive our ambitions. I’m not fully convinced Some links are w/genetic kin. Others, w/genetically ideal future mates. There are other choices. But the bond’s strong, meant to push us to find one other #Chains #amwriting #writersky

Day 6 “Kinda small.” "Don’t you like it?” “It’s okay. Just small.” “Budget's tiny. Work hard! Use yr own $ w/the stipend for a bigger place.” “Dunno” “Decent donated TV’s in the living room part. Think we can get ya a small table. Otherwise there’s nowhere to eat.” #APlace #amwriting #writersky

Character Review — Corwin Zachary Corwin joins ZERO because of an invitation. But why is he brought in, in the first place? He’s got bucks. Lots and lots of them. His family owns any number of luxury businesses throughout the Solar System. Corwin is not hurting for money. This makes him incredibly…

Day 5 Last wk, 2 guys were shot in a sleepy section of town. It's often drug deals gone bad. One dead guy could be a jealous husband. But 2? I see the opioid epidemic in every stiff in the morgue I don’t get $ to learn why they were shot, but how they died #ImpromptuMemorial #amwriting #writersky

Day 4 I flip houses. Recently, odd things occurred at a Coventry Terrace house. Area's like a bombed-out slum, but ritzy in 1875. Hence, a fancy street name Stoops have fanciful carvings faded/pitted by pollution. When 100% gentrified, there'll be high demand #Gentrification #amwriting #writersky

Day 3 A few hrs left, tops. They said so when announcing the attack World govts talked, but protocols for what t/d if aliens arrive come from when Ike was POTUS + never updated. Now we pay for it: We must stand our ground. Never surrender or give an inch #WhoDoWeBlameForThis #amwriting #writersky

Day 2 “My name's Patty. I’m an addict.” “Hi, Patty.” The voices seemed so self-assured, tho they were there for the same reason. They were more like old hands, w/self-awareness I could only dream about. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself?” the group leader asked #Recovery #amwriting #writersky

Day 1 Eileen adjusted her hat, held her sign close. Modesty did not permit mentioning new bloomers to anyone but her daughter. Her husband would never know. No man bothered w/wash in 1895 She knew no one. Women w/signs were at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave + 3rd St #TheCause #amwriting #writersky

Since I missed a few days (was outta town to visit m'Dad), I'll start from day 1 again. In the next post, 'cause I'll need the character space :D

Self-Review – The Bleeper What if the seeds of our destruction were sown by someone who just plain needed the money? After all, it is entirely possible that whoever invented the torture mechanisms used in the Spanish Inquisition was looking for whatever that era’s equivalent of a paycheck was. As…

Character Review — MJ Tanner When MJ meets her future stepbrother, he threatens her and refers to Sid by a slur. But MJ can hold her own and kicks him in the shins before running to tell Walt. And, because Hal demands that MJ do his homework for him, MJ asks Walt and Graceanne if she can be paid…

Day 192 “It's 40 minutes for Section 1. Get 1/2 credit by eliminating 2 wrong answers. Be clear when choosing possible answers,” the proctor said. “Eyes on screens!” She paused. “Begin!” The 1st section was philosophy, a subject I knew well, or so I believed. #Examination #amwriting #writersky

Day 191 There's a forest near our town, edges leafy + inviting. All say the interior's dark + scary. But no 1 who enters ever returns, so how could they know this? I want to see it. Got no family. No one'll miss me. Death by wild animal beats one in a hospital bed. #TheForest #amwriting #writersky

Day 190 Once, the world was round. We were soft/unique/unpredictable. We ate calories, not light. We had colors/inflections/even aromas We had good/evil, + often not choosing 1 100%. We had curves/complexity, birth/death, murder/mayhem. + we were bound to only 1 world #TheLark #amwriting #writersky

Self-Review – Side by Side I see two different versions of the present. They aren’t too terribly different from each other, and very often they are virtually indistinguishable. In my left eye, I might see a woman walking toward me wearing a red shirt. And in the right, she might be wearing a blue…

Day 189 14 said, “100M yrs ago this'd be easier.” “And terrestrial beings'd fly out my waste disposal chute. We're here b/c of a message.” 31 said “What the bzzt were they thinking? A gold disc, when square devices are best? Lucky we can scan the gibberish at all.” #Inventory #amwriting #writersky

Thank you @theradr.bsky.social + here's a direct link to the signup page: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au... #writersky

Day 188 Never felt it before. It’s… odd, not a bit unpleasant. Legends say it's beautiful + warm. I’m happy to tell you all: the legends are right Amazing place, the outside. Since I know it, I can’t stop dreaming of it. I want so much to return. I want us all there #Sunshine #anwriting #writersky

Aw, thanks @voteblue.bksy.social ! A gal (or a guy; can't tell due to the massive floofiness) needs to look their best at all times—and I love how they check the look with a purse to make sure it's just so. #CanineHighFashion

Day 187 I shouldn’t walk the alley alone at night. We have shifts. But we’re so understaffed I haven’t ended shift on time in months So I walked out into the snowy night, down the alley w/o thinking. Dumb, I know! The mugger approached when I was 2/3 through #MyHeroes #amwriting #writersky

Day 186 I'm a liar. Always have been. I won’t blame you, Father, if you don’t believe my confession. I wouldn’t if I were you. It all started when I was young, barely out of swaddling. Truth got me punished. Lies got me privileges. You can see why I chose this road. #SpaceCon #amwriting #writersky

Day 185 He was rarely seen in the village. My parents said if I misbehaved, he would come + get me. I feared him then, as did many children My parents didn’t want me. Girls are trouble; girls are expensive, they said. So I got the bread's heel, the last of the meat #TheHermit #amwriting #writersky

Day 184 Once we thought time had 1 direction + only 1 way to be. It marched ever onward: past to present to future But when we shed our earthly bodies, we learned it wasn't so Rather, time's a lot like something many of us spirits likely haven’t thought of in ages: clay #Clay #amwriting #writersky

Day 183 Supplies are finite, even if it seems needy folk ain’t We stretch + jury-rig. The ice box grumbles + wheezes. We insulate w/foil + old towels to keep it alive. Chairs keep floor boards down. No nails for repairs All Mission $ helps the poor. We're almost as poor #Soup #amwriting #writersky

Self-Review – Dinosaurs In the future, a species starts to become more and more dependent upon machines for the necessities of life. I don’t mean to deliver groceries or to prepare medicine so much. Rather, I mean to help them walk, talk, eat, and even think. It’s a little like some of the earlier…

Day 182 “Suzy, it’s yr birthday soon. What would you like?” Suzy put down a cup carefully to not spill + signed, “A kitten! A baby cat! All fluffy + soft!” “I’ll talk to Scott,” I signed. “We both have to say yes.” “Will you say yes?” Suzy gazed at me w/soulful eyes #AKitten #amwriting #writersky

Day 181 I visited Terry, which I do each day b/c you should spend time with yr husband, even as his memory slips away. It’s hard to watch. But I must come. I just, I do. A funny choice, those 2 words. But when I said ‘in sickness + in health’, I truly meant it. #ShadowPuppets #amwriting #writersky

Self-Review – Beacon: A Light Shines in Gloucester After an apocalyptic disaster, the unnamed narrator goes to Gloucester, Massachusetts, in order to occupy the lighthouse. They want to see what there is to be seen. And so, they hope, to be seen by someone else out there. But there may not be…

Just about 4 hours to go. As always, many, many thanks for your kind support! #amwriting #writersky #LizzieBordenIsVitalToTheTimeline <3 www.kickstarter.com/projects/riv... #kickstarter

Day 180 “He made 'em richer now, for centuries of clout.” “Ambitious as Caesar,” he said “Ray, as a small time hood, ever kill for Hargreaves?” “Not yet.” “Then ya pull Shakespeare outta yr fedora,” Sharon said “Ya don’t think I coulda gone t'college?” #1960sTemporalCrimes #amwriting #writersky

Day 179 They say the last straw breaks a camel’s back. Others may be heavier, or not be so big + bad Yet even 1st straws can be big + bad. Should've nipped it then, when it seemed tiny. We were wrong. Officer, I was raised a good girl www.wattpad.com/30606747-rev... #RevvedUp #amwriting #writersky

Day 178 It's hard mtg an SO’s folks. But when they’re aliens? Met Shoritio on a big ad project to get Tefrain to shop here. We hit it off famously Our idea was a human-Tefrain 2some like Tracy/Hepburn. Saw Woman of the Yr + Adam’s Rib + started dating #TyingTheKnotWithATefrain #amwriting #writersky

Hey hey hey WE. ARE. FUNDED!!!! Want to make the s..t..r...e...t...c...h goals happen? All support is greatly appreciated, thank you <3 #writersky #kickstarter #timetravel

Day 177 A woman wearing a lab coat from Suffolk County Morgue asked, “This seat taken?” “Nope. I'm Mei-Lin Quan. She's Alicia Fernandez.” “Elise Jeffries. What the fuck’s up?” “Break in,” Alicia said. “Stolen cesium. Or changed or something, maybe.” #Mettle #amwriting #writersky

Day 176 I'll share w/the team tho I'm miffed. They laughed when I said it isn't Ithaca.Trying not to be selfish! My sis Nat would hate me for life. 2 teammates: her hubby Chuck, son Wes I'm in the rain, getting ill for a needle in a $10M haystack #ScavengerHuntAtLantermansMill #amwriting #writersky