Where Writing and Success Come Together
Did you finish your story? Did you get words in? Tell us about it here
We’re tracking to reach our goals this year. Together we’ll go further!
If you want to track your progress, check this out.
Theme: Animals
Prompt 1
A parrot, living with a family for years, begins to mimic conversations it has overheard, revealing secrets and causing chaos in the neighborhood.
Prompt 2
Use this sentence in the story:
You wouldn’t believe what I heard!
A note from a Beta Reader:
“Lenses” is an enthralling sci-fi fantasy anthology that brings together a diverse array of stories penned by seven talented authors. Each story in the collection explores different facets of science fiction and fantasy, weaving a tapestry of narratives that are as varied as they are captivating.
The anthology opens powerfully with a story about a goddess becoming human, setting the tone with its exploration of divine intervention and the human experience. This tale is not only a great opener but also establishes the anthology’s theme of exploring different perspectives and realities.
Among the standout stories is “I’m Not the Bad Guy,” a fantasy tale that skillfully balances vivid visuals with a compelling narrative. The protagonist’s insistence on their own morality, despite evidence to the contrary, offers a fresh take on the classic good versus evil trope and challenges readers to question the nature of villainy.
“CoffeeQuills” contributes a story that, while not aligning perfectly with the anthology’s overarching theme, stands out for its unique approach and intriguing narrative, adding diversity to the collection.
“The Cotton Mouth Smile” takes readers on a journey through a post-apocalyptic, space-faring existence. The story is notable for the way it blurs the lines between reality and illusion, leaving readers questioning the protagonist’s perception of their world.
Another significant addition is “Florin,” a story that delves into themes of identity and self-determination, with a central focus on artificial intelligence. This tale stands out for its insightful commentary on AI and the nature of consciousness, wrapped in a narrative filled with unexpected plot twists.
Overall, “Lenses” is a richly varied anthology that offers something for every sci-fi and fantasy enthusiast. The collection stands as a testament to the imaginative power and narrative diversity that the genre can offer, making it a must-read for fans of speculative fiction.
This incredible anthology has 11 stories, 7 authors, and a ton of fun escaping reality. Grab it in the first week while it’s 99cents. It’s still a deal at 6.99, but you don’t have to miss the steal of a deal!
Theme: Animal Antics
Huge hoof prints are found in the sand, trailing along one direction. If followed, show us what made the prints and the adventure taken to determine it.
Or use this sentence:
The echo rang out, starting a panic as people strive to determine what made the sound.
This incredible streamer has been writing with Stories on Fire for a few years now! She’s incredible and her streams are really chill. Below is from an interview with NursingGeek.
I’m a geek, a writer, a gamer, a nurse educator, and sporadic textile arts enthusiast. Some of my current literary influences are Mary Robinette Kowal and the rest of the Writing Excuses podcasters (Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and their various awesome guests, such as C.L. Polk, Aliette de Bodard, and Piper J. Drake). On the gaming side, I lean towards open sandboxes like Minecraft and character-centric story games like Spiritfarer, or else extreme weirdness combined with weaponized kindness aka GISH (the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt). LGBTQIA+ health is my passion as a nurse and nurse educator, and that tends to come through in both my storytelling and my gameplay.
I write fantasy, science fiction, and kids’ stories. I stream a combination of writing, gaming (mostly Minecraft) and occasionally other random things.
Engagement in my stream is mostly through chat and recently have added a Kappamon to greet people as they arrive in chat.
In my creative career, I don’t yet have any fiction published. Well, original fiction, that is. On the fanfiction side, I’m currently pretty proud of “This Hallowed House,” a cute story I wrote for Yuletide this year in the October Daye universe. As a bonus, other people seem to like it too.
The best part of streaming is that I enjoy interacting with people while I write or game.
Beyond Twitch, they can find me on Twitter and Tumblr at @nursinggeek
On Twitch, my schedule right now is on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons. I’m still a relative newbie, so I haven’t hit any of the notable streaming milestones yet.
She’s a must see during Stories on Fire and beyond! https://twitch.tv/nursinggeek
A fantastic fun author jumping into the wonderful world of streaming, writing, submitting and more!
David has always considered himself a writer, and writing has always been a passion of his, even though for many years, it wasn’t his priority. Renewed in 2021 with “Writing Purpose”, he is embarking on writing while streaming and getting his work out there. Come join him in the writing adventure!
https://twitch.tv/TelinArtho
What do you stream? (or write in what genre)
I write whatever strikes my fancy, though I tend to default to Fantasy/SciFi/Other Speculative Fiction. Contemporary Fiction, Memoir, and others have been known to pop up too.
How long have you been streaming?
Since Dec 2021
How do you keep your viewers engaged?
Hopefully by chatting with them about their writing, goals, things that come up. We have sprints in my channel too, but let’s be serious, I tend to talk through them…
What is your favorite thing about streaming?
I quite enjoy the accountability of streaming my writing. Aside from that, I love sharing the writing process, working out writing challenges with others, and sharing in others’ successes.
How long have you been creating?
Well since I was ~10, but let’s just say last year because this is the first year I’ve felt like I am making progress.
Where can people find you?
https://starstolenwritings.wordpress.com
At midnight US /Canada Central Time we’ll be hosting a live stream writing event. We will create our first short story of at least 3000 words. This seems like a fun way to start the challenge with great company. You’ll have to visit to see who will be stopping in!
The stream will feature some fun things. We’ll be sharing how everyone can get free anthologies to read. We will even share plans for the event streams going ahead.
So, how do you get in on this? How do you find out where the anthology is? You visit http://twitch.tv/theladywrites or you can follow along with updates at http://youtube.inexhaustible.media
Also, there will be some youtube live streams at http://youtube.com/theladywrites (still working that out for the inaugural stories on fire event for 9/1)
Sept 1st we’ll see you on stream! Let’s have some great fun together.
Prompt 1
Imagine being inside a cave during an earthquake. Share the experience.
Prompt 2
Use this sentence:
Surviving can be it’s own reward.
Prompt 1
Share how a vigilante hacker avoids getting hacked by the police hacker chasing them across the world wide web.
Prompt 2
End the story with this sentence:
Finally, a moment of peace.
When did you last visit Miya’s stream? She a must see, relaxed, fun writing streamer. Check it out at http://twitch.tv/MiyaWrites
The amazing CoffeeQuills inspired this set of prompts. She has this wonderful drive and fantastic passion. This creative spirit and unique pet of choice led to something unexpected. Let me know what you think of this….
Prompt 1
Your character wakes in their usual location to find it filled with baby hedgehogs.
Prompt 2
“You wouldn’t believe how my day started.”
Half way mark! This is has been amazing! I’m really learning new things about my characters daily.
How’s your progress going? I’d love to hear about it during the weekly wrap up on Saturday at 7 PM ET on http://twitch.tv/inexhaustiblemedia
Now, silly housekeeping stuff out of the way, let’s get into the prompts.
Prompt 1
Your character encounters the above situation.
Prompt 2
Beads of sweat formed along the hairline, sliding when each one grew too big to remain.