Tag: short stories

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Tracking!

For many of you, you’ve got a fun new adventure!

We are going to be tracking our progress this year – together – this is going to be best suited for those who are participating for the polish and editing portion of our challenge.

To be tracked, you’ll go through this form

Everyday you’ll finish your story or wordcount and add it to the reporting sheet. At the end of the week, we’ll leave an announcement about our progress in the discord.

This will also be a challenge for the event coordinator, Catrina Taylor aka TheLadyWrites. She has committed to stream for 12 hours if we can report in 90 completed short stories.

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Themes Selected for Stories on Fire

We have four themes for the next 31 days of short story writing! Each week you’ll look at the daily prompts and fit them into the given theme.

Today I’m sharing our Themes for the month!


THEMES!


Week 1 – Animals

Weave any animal into your stories for each of the prompts during the week. There will be 7 story prompts and we’ll be excited to see your stories!

Week 2 – Extraterrestrial threats

No we don’t mean aliens, well… it could be aliens, but really it’s not just aliens.

Week 3 – War and Strife

Yes, we do actually mean war. Write about its affect on people, or a moment in a given war, or whatever comes to mind that inspires you but keeps a thread woven around war. Maybe you can spend the whole week dedicated to a series of stories in a given situation.

Week 4 – Utopia

But is it really? Guess our stories will share it. Find a good tale to tell with the prompts that fits into a Utopia.

AH! Now the Questions –

Do you have to use the Theme? Nope. It’s up to you. It will make the process of selecting stories for a collection easier when we’re getting through the polish and publishing process. You don’t need to use it though.

Do you have to use the prompts? Nope. This isn’t needed either. The goal is to end up with more stories than you started the month with. This is a way to inspire those.

Any other questions? Let us know!

Visit the Launch Day Event on Jan 1, 2024 at Midnight UTC

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Themes for Stories on Fire 2024

In September 2023 we began using Themes as part of our weekly updates. This gives us a specific tread to pull through each of our stories for a given week. The themes change each week so we’ll have to pay attention to that.

With the first of January coming on a Monday this year, we’ll be changing our themes on that first day of the work week every week.

Daily we’ll have new prompts that will be fit into the theme.

For example:

The first Theme is animals.

IF the first prompt was ‘Imagine swimming in the pond.’ Your short story should include animals in that experience/story in some manner.

With that in mind, when it’s time to pick stories that we are going to be editing for our collections or our full individual releases, having a theme will make that easier.

I can’t wait to see all of you on Launch Day!

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NEW RELEASE: Lenses!

Avid Fantasy reader drawn into Lenses anthology.


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!

https://books2read.com/lenses

Scifi Reader enjoying Lenses Anthology
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Stories on Fire Launch Stream

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.