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  • Valkyrie

    2025 Anthology - Big Announcement!

    By Valkyrie

    Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Joyous Kwanzaa to all who celebrate! I'm still in a bit of a food coma from Christmas dinner, but I wanted to bring a reminder and also some important news for next year's anthology.  First, submissions for Carlos' tribute event are due tomorrow, so be sure to put the finishing touches on your stories and post the link in the thread in the Writer's Circle.  Second, I decided to do things a little differently this year, and instead of having a committee decide
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Genre Deep Dives

General Fiction Deep Dive 2

Top 10 Most Read General Fiction - Coming of Age Follows the personal growth and development of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. "growing up" Gap Year by Mark Arbour Complete Northern Exposure by Mark Arbour Temporary Hold The Cockney Canuck by Dodger Temporary Hold An English Teen, Circumcised in the USA by Riley Jericho Complete Paternity by Mark Arbour Complete Adam Blake by CLJobe Complete What Happened To The Baxter Boys by M
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Myr in Genre Deep Dives

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Weekly Wrap Up

Weekly Wrap Up (Jan 15 - Jan 21)

I hope that the weather is treating you well, wherever you are! Our ice finally melted, and I am no longer trapped. Do I plan to leave my house today? No.... LOL Why when I have so many fun things to do here? What about you? Monday & Wednesday I featured @Mark Arbour 2009 Anthology story, Furlough.  Tuesday @Myr did a deep dive into the Fantasy Genre. Thursday @Valkyrie announced the Poetry Anthology! Ready to write some prose? She also posted some prompts on Friday if
Cia

Cia in Weekly Wrap Up

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Writing Tips

Character Empathy

Character Empathy So what is the strong adhesive that keeps people glued to a story once they start reading? What can writers do to evoke emotion and conjure up the craving needed to keep reading all the way to the end without stopping? What makes them think about your story during the day when they’re away from the internet, in the car, on the train, or even while they’re hanging out with friends? It is such a powerful skill that you can wield as a writer to have your words and your ideas
Prompts

Time to Travel!

Winter decided it wanted to dump our annual snowfall on us all at once this week, so it's a perfect time to think about being somewhere where the air doesn't hurt your face.     PT Prompt #197 You decide to plan your next vacation by closing your eyes, spinning a globe, and going wherever your finger lands.  Where do you end up going on vacation?    PT Prompt #198 Plan a vacation that's the polar opposite of your dream trip.  Don't like cruises?  Go on a cruis
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Prompts

2
Anthologies

Announcing the 2024 Poetry Anthology!

I am happy to announce that the poetry anthology will be returning again this year!  Please check out the guidelines below, and I look forward to reading a lot of excellent poetry in April!    2024 Poetry Anthology - Due: April 1, 2024 The 2024 Theme is “Seasons” Feel free to interpret the theme in any way you want. The anthologies are not exclusive, but inclusive, so don't worry if you think your entry has only a tangential link to the theme. If you are inspired, then write
Valkyrie

Valkyrie in Anthologies

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Genre Deep Dives

Fantasy Genre Deep Dive 2

Sub-genres of fantasy, of which there are many, focus on speculative elements of writing that have an extremely unlikely possibility of actually being real. Magic, fantastic beasts, and in many cases the places you find them, all land in fantasy.   Sub-genres: Alternate History, Anthropomorphic Fantasy, Arcanepunk, Arthurian, Assassin, Crossworlds/Portals, Dragon Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Flintlock, Gaslamp, General Fantasy, Grimdark, High/Epic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Lost World,
Myr

Myr in Genre Deep Dives

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Signature Feature

January Signature Author Feature: Furlough by Mark Arbour

Did last year feel like a war to you? Or has this year started off like one? Well, like the characters in Mark Arbour's story, Furlough, how about taking a short break? Enjoy this 2009 Anthology feature featured as this month's Signature ad!  Length: 4,853 Description: Two wounded men meet in Paris during World War I. One is wounded on the outside, both are wounded on the inside. Will their accidental meeting help heal both of them? A reader said: This story has a number of
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Cia in Signature Feature

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Weekly Wrap Up

Weekly Wrap Up (Jan 8 - Jan 14)

Oh, the way my brain DOESN'T work. I just had it in my noggin the Weekly Wrap Up is on Sunday, and I set up reminders on my phone... for this and next Sunday evening. Not helpful since it should have been Saturday. Whoops! Good thing Myr reminded me. So let's get going, shall we? Monday was a look back of the Review Team's 2023 reviews. If you missed some, check them out now.  Want a laugh? Tuesday was a Comedy Genre Deep Dive by Myr.  Join in for Wednesday's Author Guess Who ga
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Cia in Weekly Wrap Up

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Writing Tips

Burger, No Burger

Burger, No Burger When I was in college, I got myself a job right there on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, where I packaged up stuff and got it ready to be mailed out to that company’s customers as quickly as possible. It’s not like it was Amazon or anything, but they prided themselves on being rather swift with their deliveries. And I was getting paid, so I had food and groceries and stuff that I needed to survive...and it worked out. However, let me tell you younger guys out there, you don’t k
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