%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 Prompts--Chose one of the following three prompts  Genre prompt:  mystery/detective --there's a crime and someone's got to solve it; OR Words prompt: use the words brouhaha, bamboozle, and ineffable; OR Character prompt: your protagonist has  OCD   Length Limitation: Stories should be 3000 words or less. Prizes Winning authors earn  GPS and  Merit badges , and their stories receive an  Awardicon . The contest accepts a maximum of ten entries, so click here  or on the banner above to reserve your place now! |
| Not sure if you're familiar with Finding Nemo. But all I can think of when I read "brouhaha" is the chant during this scene |
Reply
| Allan Charles 🐾 2340534 - I love Finding Nemo! For one thing, it's an iconic example of the three-act-play. |
Reply
| Prompts--Chose one of the following three prompts Genre prompt: mystery/detective --there's a crime and someone's got to solve it; OR Words prompt: use the words brouhaha, bamboozle, and ineffable; OR Character prompt: your protagonist has OCD Length Limitation: Stories should be 3000 words or less. Prizes Winning authors earn GPS and Merit badges , and their stories receive an Awardicon . The contest accepts a maximum of ten entries, so click here or on the banner above to reserve your place now! |
| Tales from the Crosstimbers is open for submissions through June 30, 2025 for the Fall 2025 issue, due out in September of 2025. We're eager to read your speculative fiction of 1000-5000 words. Payment is at least $10 and up to $50 per story based on word count. Members of Writing.Com are especially welcome to submit. Contact information and more details on the links below. Link to publication: https://theCrosstimbers.online Link to open call: https://thecrosstimbers.online/open-call/ Link to submission guidelines: https://thecrosstimbers.online/submission-requirements/ |
Fine publication and quite thoughtful of Max Griffin 🏳️🌈  to give a special invite to WDC writers. Been thinking about taking a shot at traditional publishing for a short story? Give Tales from the Crosstimbers a shot. |
I'm pleased to announce that the Summer Issue of Tales from the Crosstimbers is now available. Click below for Kindle and Amazon Print edtition links. Starting tomorrow and until Saturday, the Kindle edition is free. WDC author Raven  has the cover story.  |
I've written a flash fiction horror story. I'm not good at either flash fiction or horror, so I'd appreciate feedback. It's rated 18+ due to some graphic descriptions, so I don't want to link it here, but if you're interested, I'll send you a link or you can find it, titled "The Coven," at the top of
|
New title, new cover, and new teaser for my WIP  Sebastian likes his new job, except for all the distractions. His OCD forces him to constantly check stuff out, like that hunky guy he spotted going into the mysterious office down the hall. When Sebastian checks him out, he winds up joining a desperate quest to save the Cave of Worlds, a system of wormholes and the realms they connect. |
Olivia anniversary-reviewing  - First three chapters are in the clear and available to read--click on the cover. The remaining ones are available on request...there are eleven so far. |
Max Griffin 🏳️🌈 - I‘m in your Folder right now and saw it. Awesome illustrations btw.  I‘ll finish May catching up on "Anniversary Reviews" , but by the beginning of June… |
| More doodling...a marginally better cover for my WIP "The Cave of Worlds" |
| So, instead of doing actual, real work on my novel today, I made a better cover and came up with a tagline Sebastian joins Lord Marcus on a quest through the Wheft and into the cave of worlds. |
| First three chapters done on "The Cave of Worlds" , and I've now got a clear idea of the plot. Chapter three launches the Hero's journey. The first three chapters are open to all; remaining chapters will be under passkey, but I'll share them on request. As always, feedback would be great. I used AI to generate images of the three protagonists so far, Sebastian Vargas; Marcus Melmoth; and Rufo the troll:    |
| I wish I had the time to read what you've got going on. I know I'd love it. You're so talented! But I'm trying to finish school early this semester so I can drive to LA and get settled in before the next semester starts. I also haven't even begun packing, yet I'm supposed to start driving next weekend? Uh, yikes! Anyway, I hope you find some great readers and get some super helpful feedback! I love the images! |
| I've been doing research for my in-process novel, "The Cave of Worlds" , and stumbled across a fascinating speculation about the source of ancient Scandinavian legends of trolls. For background, these legends sometimes characterize trolls as roughly human-sized, living in caves, living separately from human communities, having large noses, thick skins, and heavy skeletal structures. They generally have language and can successfully--if rarely--interbreed with humans, and are sometimes helpful and sometimes hostile. If that reminds you another, real group from pre-history, you're not alone. Here's an article by an archeologist from Stanford speculating the source of the troll legends might be an echo of human-Neanderthal interactions roughly 24,000 years ago: https://www.norwegianamerican.com/neanderthals-scandinavian-trolls-and-troglodyt... He discusses genetics, linguistics, and archeological evidence, that could support--or not--this speculation. He also mentions fiction that includes this speculation as a premise. Anyway, I thought it was interesting enough to share here. |
Not sure this is going to go anywhere, but I drafted the opening chapter to a new novel this morning....
I'd be grateful for comments... |
| How I spent my day not writing: I found this awesome recipe for shortbread wedge cookies at https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/shortbread-wedge-cookies/ I modified it slightly by adding chopped pecans, cinnamon, and cream of tarart to the dough, then sprinkling cinnamon/sugar on top. The recipe is *really* easy. I made it Friday for the writing group, but used sprinklles and chocolate chips. That was pretty good, too, but this was better. They came out tasting kind of like a cross between shortbread and snickerdoodles. I had one--the rest are for Mr. Gene.  |
Your writing group is so lucky to have such a talented and giving member in it!  And, of course, I obviously mean your writing. lol Though I'm sure they appreciate your baking, too. Hahaha! |
Schnujo's Giving Away GPs  - They did finish off the wedge cookies, but the big hit were the crispy chicken wings I fixed in the convection oven. They were kind of a mess to make (I soaked them in buttermilk overnight before breading them), but they did turn out well. We even had a new member show up with an *awesome* story. |
| No doubt, they chose your writing group because of the goodies you provide. Lol |
| This morning, I dug up the first short story I ever wrote. It pre-dates my joining WDC. I think I wrote this in 2005 or so. It's not a good story by any means. It has multiple flaws, both in structure and craft. But every journey begins with a single step, and this was the first step in my journey as a fiction author. Here's the story. I think I've come a long way. "The Kindness of a Stranger" |
Elycia Lee ☮ Monday  - Yes, this truly is my first effort at fiction. Back in 2004 or 2005, I was a new reader of DailyKos, a progressive political blog. One of the bloggers, a published sciFi author, planned to start a "writer's group," and offered to critique stories written by newbies. This is the story I wrote--my first ever fiction story. I don't recall what he said about this story, but I do recall he was underwhelmed. The DKos writing group went nowhere, but it sent me off looking for online writing groups. Eventually, I met SPACE COBWEBS @ 18!  in one of those groups--a rather useless one, that offered little in the way mentoring and a lot in the way of "you're a bad writer." Anyway, she persuaded me to join here, where I found genuine mentors with specific, actionable advice. I'm forever in her debt for persuading me to not give up and to come to this place. |
| Thanks for sharing! I'll give it a read... Would you like a review, or would that be beside the point? |
Amethyst Angel 💐  - I have no intention of revising this, so a review is probably pointless. I posted it as an example of how I've changed as an author. |
How I spent my morning...My first time ever making cupcakes. Be gentle. THese were for my writing group's meeting tonight, but we've cancelled due to weather and roads...so now I'm saddled with a dozen cupcakes I can't eat.  |
| Please DO NOT delete this note! I need it! (If you're curious, people, all you have to do is look at the Drama Newsletter on Mar 12, 2025) |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
Conveniently, I happen to have a detective hanging around with a few loose ends 
