iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Andrew Bruce-Lockhart

This scene may be cut later, so here's a peek in case it does get cut. I have Guard! #WipSnips #writing

She felt like there had been a test, and she hadn’t passed. Alice began running through the interaction from the beginning. Everything had seemed fine until she’d made that stupid comment about Owen living as his authentic self. That was probably too much. Fuck, she’d messed it up!

“So,” she pressed her lips together in a tight smile, hunching her shoulders as she glanced around. “Why don’t you tell us how you’ve been surviving out here by yourself?”

“Honestly?” Owen chuckled. “I just keep my windows and doors locked all night. I’ve been trying to get the dog nosing around here to come inside, but she’s skittish. I figure she’d be a good guard dog. How long have you two been together?”

“Oh, we’re not together,” Noah said with an abruptness that offended Alice. He looked sheepish, then shrugged lightly. “We’ve only just found each other. I think a week?” He looked at Alice, who nodded.

“Maybe a little less, yeah. I’ve been trying to get a garden started in his huge back yard, but there’s not really any shade.”

Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 8h

I'm off to my local #bookshop tonight for a #writers' group thing. I am shit in a room So this could be interesting. Send cake. Or Vodka. Maybe both. #WritingCommunity - any tips?

static.klipy.com

Jaime French: Internally Screaming

ALT: Jaime French: Internally Screaming

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 8h

If my life were a novel, the genre would be a #spy #thriller My dad and his dad worked for MI6 I can't go to Russia because a relative tried to help assassinate Lenin We went sea fishing with the head of the CIA in Nigeria We lived in the house John Le Carré wrote A Small Town in Germany in And you?

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TL Morganfield @stitchingfiend.bsky.social · 11h

Today's word is "Guard". This is just a few paragraphs after yesterday's snip. Olivia contemplates her impressions of Mextli. #weirdwestern #wipsnips #writesky #writingprompts #writingcommunity #Aztec

Then there was Mextli. His smell filled her head with images of glowing turquoise hummingbirds streaking among fully bloomed, sun-soaked honeysuckle bushes, but under that was another smell, tangy and coppery like blood and suggested a single word: tlatlacolli. Which was strange, because the smells had never so clearly spoken to her in actual language. What it meant, she had no clue, but she recognized it as a Nahuatl word, the same as Mextli and Xolotl’s names. Undoubtedly, she read it somewhere in her father’s manuscript—back when she could still read books on her own—and had since forgotten what it meant. Nonetheless, she was intrigued. As for Mextli’s emotions, they were carefully regulated and rational, like a military general, but occasionally something would flash, something primal and hungry, and it filled her with a sense of dread, like she’d just spied a vampire watching her from the darkened corner of a crypt. That was disconcerting enough on its own, but even more so was her own unexpectedly exhilarated reaction to it. For so many years now, had anyone looked insider her soul, they would have seen she’d cast wards around her heart after the impulses of a dark and dangerous man had immolated all her foolish sense of romanticism, so it troubled her to know that very same heart could so easily forget caution. She generally had a good grasp on who people were—and whether she should have Ramon deal with them on her behalf—within the first minute of a conversation, and yet an hour in Mextli’s company had not clarified anything. It was as if the man had dual personalities, and while one was clearly quite trustworthy and kind, the other…. She sensed its presence only a few times but it was clearly distrusting of her. Sometimes even hostile. Perhaps like Niyol, Mextli could sense that she could sense him emotionally, and while Niyol’s reaction was to guard against it, Mextli’s reaction was to challenge it.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 10h

#writingcommunity, describe your book poorly. Politicians and spies do their thing around the world. Cue the chaos. Everyone lies; everyone dies. Well nearly.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 11h

Am I the only one? If I see something advertised here or on any social media, I make a point of never buying it. #justsaying

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 11h

On my #photography account on X, I'm followed by Tom Cruise and John Cena. Yes, the real ones. This isn't a brag - more a I have no idea why & can I send em my book 😂 Strangely, Cruise has fewer followers than Cena #WritingCommunity - who famous have you got following you but u have no idea why?

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MrOmega @mr0mega.bsky.social · 13h

#WIPSnips The first obstacle of the first heist… is beaten by a very low-tech solution. The extra cushioning will come in handy later in the job. #writesky #writingcommunity

The manor was in sight, and the guards were the optimal distance away. It was time to make my move. Running up to the wall, I was already reaching to my back, unzipping the pack and unrolling the contents inside. The first obstacle was a wall of enchanted ivy with supernaturally long thorns. The solution? Cover the thorns. I unfurled a thick blanket over the wall, using the thorns to hook it into place. Rostoyan's money made sure I was able to afford an extra thick one, and I scrambled to the other side of the wall like it was nothing. Low magic solutions were always preferable to needless uses of the arcane. Sure it was harder, but it conserved strength and had less of a chance of an unforeseen reaction. It took some yanking and flapping to get it off, and there were bits of it left on the wall, but nobody would be able to see it in the dark.

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Finn McLellan @saranadosfiction.com · 18h

#WIPSnips | guard Avebury's definitely up to something. The question is, what? ( saranadosfiction.com/2024/04/19/s... )

“Yes.” *Especially because, unlike Sabbat – and, apparently, Fest –* you *seem to be completely coherent.*

More evidence for his theory, that, and that wasn’t a good thing.

“Very well.” Another pause, and the sound of furniture being moved, and then the door swung open, revealing a barefoot and pyjama-clad Adam Avebury, wrapped in a dressing gown and with his loose hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. “There. Good enough for you?”

*What am I supposed to say to that?*

The Sinnlenst certainly *looked* sick – the dampness of his skin and the dark shadows under his eyes were proof enough of that – but there was something in the way he was behaving that didn’t entirely seem to fit that assumption, even leaving aside the fact that he was apparently capable of both being upright and knowing exactly where and when he was.

*But, then again, if he’s faking it, is that honestly a problem as long as he stays in his damn room?*

He didn’t like the idea of leaving Avebury alone up here, not with everyone else downstairs or otherwise occupied, but the idea of dragging him downstairs and into the same room as Fest and the others seemed like an even worse plan.

*We don’t have enough people to set a guard on him, not without arousing suspicion, and putting him anywhere near the kid he almost certainly just tried to kill* without *supervision is a fucking terrible idea.*

“You don’t look like you’re immediately about to keel over, I suppose,” he said, out loud.

“Good,” the Sinnlenst said, and slammed the door in his face.

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Reposted by Andrew Bruce-Lockhart

Eric Woldry (he/him) 🌈 @woldry.bsky.social · 14h

The beginning of the formal partnership between our dubious heroes, from my philosophical godpunk WIP "Laughter of the Hunted Gods." Using "protection" for "guard." #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 16h

The WIP currently being snipped would be this: bsky.app/profile/smok...

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Ron V 🏳️‍🌈 @rvillanova312.bsky.social · 13h

#WIPSnips Word of the day is guard, which I don’t have so it’s ✨vibes✨ From Dust and Shadows -Peter comes back to camp, and finds Curly and Tootles on guard duty. Curly is taking it a little too seriously, and Tootles… is trying his best. (Curly’s pronouns are they/them) #WritingCommunity

Halt, outsider!” Curly said, aiming their slingshot. The stone they had lit up like a small ball of fire. “Me and my partner are the law right now! We don’t allow trespassers! State your business and I MIGHT spare you! Right, Tootles?”
Tootles nodded and held his aim. “R-right, don’t move!” He said, before whispering to Curly, “I think the outsider is Peter.”
“Easy, it’s just us.” Peter said, as him, and Michael had their hands raised. Zephyr rose his wings in response. “Uhh password is… applesauce?”
“That’s not the password today, but I know it’s you, Peter.” Curly said with a wide smile, “Hey everyone, Peter’s home!” They put their fingers to their mouth and let out a loud, echoing whistle, no doubt assisted by magic. Much like when he arrived at Neverland, whenever Peter came home, the Lost Boys woke up.

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PJC Cahill @pjccahill.bsky.social · 19h

#WIPSnips -NICEF- Last snip for a while! Wish I could give more of the scene here, because it makes Blaire look weaker than she is. Alec may as well be royalty in the setting, and he's throwing his weight behind controlling her life. Buy: pjccahill.carrd.co

"W-well, if I'd been given the implant my doctors asked for, that neural-interface wouldn't have nearly killed me," Blaire managed with a little steel in her voice, but she was shaking, and it carried into her words. It infuriated her, but she couldn't overpower the fear completely.
"You were never going to be a pilot candidate, Blaire! Why would my family's company approve a combat-grade pacemaker? You're being foolish. Come, come, let me take you to Caduceus House. We'll get you proper medical care, and you'll be within reach if anything goes awry."
"I never agreed to this," Blaire rasped out, her shoulder coming up to instinctively guard against his presence.
Alec frowned, and abruptly grabbed the slack at her shoulder to wrench her to face him. She yelped, her fears flooding her mind as she stared up at his dark glare.
"Oh, so your family can afford that pacemaker after all? You got into Mercelo without my family's sponsorship?"
"I-I am fulfilling the obligation of the medical scholarship! You have no right to make me your fiance!" She tried so hard. She wanted her anger to give her strength, she put force into her words, but her heart was pounding through her chest, she was chilly with sweat, and she couldn't stop shaking.

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 16h

G'morning #WIPSnips! Milly and some of the gang in the middle of a *situation* here. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Val runs towards Ignacio, kneeling on the floor beside the stricken student. He puts his hand on the wound and closes his eyes, whispering words I can’t hear. Not that I’m paying all that much attention at the moment as more hornets seem to be coming from everywhere. I look up and see that half the windows, above the protective first floor metal barrier, are open to let air in.
“When did this start?” I ask the two guardian girls as I move to keep vigil over Val to swat away any hornets that make it through the defences.
“Minute ago!” Christine barks without looking around. Good, keeping attention on the threat is good.
“Went straight for Ig!” Galilah adds on. Ig? Hmm. Not important right now.
One hornet does indeed make it through the defences by coming straight down from the ceiling above Val while both girls have their attention swatting aside other hornets. I intercept it mid-divebomb with a swipe of my talons, and pieces go flying away.
“This is too open, we need cover!” I nearly shout at Val even though he’s right next to me.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 16h

The #WIPSnips word for September 30th is "guard" A close-ish short one from Atlas Rising Rourke vs making an entrance #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

So here he sat, waiting for his cue, guarded and held back until the right moment. Like that troublesome uncle at a wedding whose arrival makes everyone just a little uncomfortable.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 16h

Tell me about your #AwesomeCharacters Late to this as ever - plus this place was down for a few hours for me yesterday. from Pandora's Secret Anderson = 0 patience. She'll just walk off Rourke = expects fuck ups - will sleep (anywhere) Esme = shrugs it off, relentlessly so.

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Pamela Jeong 🫜💙🧡 @pamelajeong.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Hey friends of the #WritingCommunity & #WriteSky! 👋💚 Please join me in October for 🍲📚 #LitHodgepodge 📚🍲, a game of daily #writingprompts with a dash of this and a dollop of that, questions with meat plus a sprinkling of garnishes. Let’s have some miscellaneous fun! More info & preview below ⬇️

LITERARY HODGEPODGE
An October Prompt Game of Miscellaneous Proportions

[Graphics of stars, a crow, and a smoking cauldron with a tiny frog on its side]

DAILY THEMES

MONDAYS WITH MARCEL
Answer interview questions from the Proust Questionnaire as your character (and yourself, if you wish!)

TUESDAY TROPES
Discuss (and snip, if you wish) archetypes & tropes in your WIP

WEDNESDAY WORDSMITHS
Share a snip from your WIP that showcases a specified literary element or stylistic device

THURSDAY THRIFTED THERAPY
Dive (un)deep into the (pop) psychology of your character

FRIDAY FLIGHTS OF FANCY
Indulge in some frivolous “what if” daydreaming about your writing

SATURDAY SNAP JUDGMENTS
Post a non-AI image of your character and invite others to make assumptions about them

SUNDAY SHOUT & SHARE
Connect with other writers in the community by asking questions about the writing process

[Graphic of a talking black cat]
“Lighthearted fun! Fun connections! Connect light hearts?”

Hosted by @pamelajeong.bskysocial

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 16h

My birthday is soonish. I remember when it is, but not what the count is. I have to ask the other half. 🤦 I reckon this is a good thing. I don't really give a toss about age. Until I see someone in their 20s saying they feel old, obvs 😜 But someone in their 70s+ will prob say the same about me 👍

static.klipy.com

Back In My Day Old People

ALT: Back In My Day Old People

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Reposted by Andrew Bruce-Lockhart

Ashleyn Lagerberg @ashleynlagerberg.bsky.social · 20h

🎶

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🌱 El(iza)beth 🌬️ K 🔥 T 🌊 @elizabethtitus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

💫 Look for the light coming through the cracks of this crumbling empire 💫 🌪️🌊 #climatefiction 🌲 #rewilding 🌬️ #mindfulness 🔮 #magic 🌊 #tarot 🎃 Coming Oct 20, 2026 GR: www.goodreads.com/book/show/257008812-light-after-the-fall SG: app.thestorygraph.com/books/eb07b027-9ba5-471a-915d-ccd31838a01f

"Light After the Fall: an adventure in transcending the post-apocalypse" by Iza Krendl Titus
a river winds through a colorful landscape toward a colorful dusk sky with hopeful star
a tarot Fool figure holds a lantern on a cliff in foreground, symbolizing the tarot-themed journey in my debut novel

#ClimateFiction #clifi #indigenousfuturism #hopepunk #Portland #PDX #booksky #writingcommunity #writesky #ComingsSoon #bookrelease #debutnovel

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TL Morganfield @stitchingfiend.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Today's word is "Well". Olivia, the proprietress of a hotel in Moreno Springs NM, has some unusual abilities for a human: she can smell everyone's teotl and read their emotions. #weirdwestern #wipsnips #writesky #writingprompts #writingcommunity #Aztec

Going blind had only accentuated her ability to detect these scents, and she now relied on them heavily to guide her upon meeting new people. That, and her empathic perceptiveness. She’d always found it exceptionally easy to know what most people were feeling at any given moment, but maybe because people didn’t fear showing their emotions on their face when talking to a blind woman, everyone now exuded their intensions even stronger than they did their unique scent. The eyes could deceive; the heart could not. Had she been so attuned to this back when she first met her soon-to-be husband Hector, she might have seen past his handsomely charming smile to realize that nothing but pain and misery lay ahead for her for the next seven years.

And this confluence of scent and empathy had served her well in the years since. Whether it was the drunken stagecoach passenger who thought access to the widowed proprietress’s body came with the price of his room or the strange woman who kept trying to pass off a Mexican silver dollar as an American one, as if Olivia wouldn’t know the difference. Though in truth she might have just let it go had she not sensed the woman’s implicit desire to trick her. She was glad the woman Coyolli didn’t return after breakfast, for her very presence had the unsettling feeling of gazing into a dank cave that smelled of dead, slimy things.

But her newest crop of guests were a bit of an enigma. While one of them—Fiona—was clearly in the category of “normal” as far as her smell went—lake water teeming with playful otters, like the ones Olivia’s father used to take her to see in the remaining vestiges of the once mighty Lake Texcoco—the remaining three were something else entirely. The smells themselves were almost otherworldly in their intensity, and they painted strangely vivid images in her head of things she knew she’d never seen even in her sighted days

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Probably a word for it... You put three squares of chocolate on your desk and go back for that last chunk --- and find some bastard already ate it without realising.

static.klipy.com

Oh Dear

ALT: Oh Dear

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

G'morning #WIPSnips! Here we see Milly being in a *spot of bother*. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Irena’s office door clicks close behind me, cutting off the hushed silence of the six students, who could uncharitably be called my co-conspirators, in the seating area outside. Val had tried to shoo them all off a few moments ago, but they’d not budged. He’d merely sighed in exasperation, and now we’re here.
The setup reminds me of school, come to think of it. Especially the numerous times I was sent to the Principal’s office for not just simply taking bullying in silence, but actually fighting back. School admins hated when people stood up to bullies for some reason. In any case, the scene here mirrors what I experienced so many times back then.
Irena, sitting at her desk chair, one hand over her face and contemplating what Val had just informed her of, specifically where he’d found me and the six outside. And Val is standing behind me and slightly to my left, still glowering like the most put-upon person on the planet. And then there’s me, sitting in one visitor’s chair, waiting for the first words to be addressed to me specifically.
Well, it’s been an interesting few days at least. I wonder if I can convince Irena to pay me for the few days I was employed here. I mean I did do my job until now.

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

G'afternoon #TFOTsnip! Scene from Ch 2, just before the Job Offer comes into play. #writesky #writingprompts #writingcommunity

Movement ahead steals my attention away from the newspaper, to where Clara’s holding a broom and attempting to sweep despite looking exhausted. She’s still wearing her big ear-covering headphones I’ve never seen her without, the one with the fox ears on. Specifically fox ears, not cat ears, she’s always very specific on that detail. Her hair hangs down to her waist in a waterfall of deep, deep red, the kind of colour that usually only comes out of a bottle but is completely natural for her somehow. I’ve never seen any kind of hair dye product in the apartment, ever, and she never goes to a hair-stylist.
“Clara! What are you doing?” I ask with concern, and I see her jump slightly and spin around to fix me with her pale blue eyes and an expression of shocked surprise.
“Milly? What are you doing home?” she asks in turn.
“I asked you first!”
Her eyes flick to the broom in her hand and back to me. “Look, I just felt like cleaning a bit, nothing serious! Just sweeping isn’t a crime!”
“Okay, okay, look I’m just… are you feeling okay today?” I ask, trying to shift the conversation a bit so as not to sound accusatory.
“Yes, the new medicine is helping wonderfully! I finished two commission and got paid, too! I have the rent money for next month!” She looks so proud as she says this, and I feel proud too. Her art and writing is so good, and she’s starting to get good traction. It may end up being our sole income for a while, a prospect that makes me hate myself.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 29/09/2026

The #WIPSnips word for September 29th is "well" Something from a stage #play I wrote for an Ed Fringe show: a 50-minute monologue called Retribution Day, all about revenge. Watching a good actor bring their own take to your writing is always special. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

And now, I just tell the police the prepared lie:

It’s just a game we were playing.
He loves this kind of thing, Officer, pretending.
It was pretending to be a spy last month.
This week it was to be kidnapped.
Call him. He's okay!

Look, officers, here's his signature agreeing to everything.

Well, my pretty near-perfect version of it.

Oh my God, I am so sorry to have wasted your time! No, his friends weren't aware.
I feel stupid.
Yes, I should have told them.
I feel awful for wasting your time.
He's absolutely fine.
Let me make a donation to your widows’ fund.

Something like that. Right?

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Samantha Breaux is looking for ARC readers @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Spencer and Bruce get some unexpected reinforcements. From book 2 of my romantic fantasy wip about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity #Wrencer

A shadow glided in the mist above them, rippling darkly as it passed overhead. A soft, deep throated hoot echoed oddly in the still air as the shadow swooped low, taking on form and shape. An owl skimmed the ground just before arching back up and settling onto the peak of a tumbled down wall.

“Is that? Nooo…” Bruce drew the word out, shaking his head against the possibility. The owl sat on the wall, blinking one saucer sized eye and then the other before tilting his head just so and giving a sharp clack of his beak.

“It is.” Spencer confirmed. “It’s Strix.”

Or at least, Strix as he had been twenty years ago. No patchy, bedraggled feathers here. Striped in bands of black and charcoal gray with eyes the color of molten gold, this was Strix in his prime. Sleek, dark and deadly, his was the terrifying beauty of a predator. Spencer tore his eyes away from the bird to focus on the pale, round object it had deposited on the ground. It wobbled softly to a stop a few inches from the priest’s feet, revealing rune etched ivory, an iron crown, and a wide, rictus of a grin that Spencer probably knew better than his own face.

“Reggie!” Surprise and delight briefly crowded out the everpresent worry that had settled deep in the pit of Spencer’s stomach. He knelt without thinking, and his knee crunched angrily at him. With a hiss, Spencer scooped up his oldest friend, clutching the skull tight against his chest.

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🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻 @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Tell me about your #AwesomeCharacters Silly one today! Thinking about how we call some characters "cinnamon rolls" made me wonder: What baked good/dessert would best represent your character? (Cinnamon roll is still allowed as a choice!) #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

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Samantha Breaux is looking for ARC readers @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Welcome to #SundaySnips! A once-a-week prompt game for writers hosted by myself and @hookandquillpress.com Leaves and weather are the usual things turning this time of year, but in a story it could be anything: fortunes, attitudes. Who knows? #WritingCommunity #Writingprompts #Writesky #HQpress

A graphic advertising the Sunday Snips hashtag, a weekly blue sky writing community tag. The word for September 27 is turn. Share a snip from your WIP featuring the word of the week. Use #SundaySnips and don't forget to include alt text. Synonyms, vibes, and variations on the word are welcome! Hosted by woodenvelt.bsky.social and Hook and Quill Press. The background is orange and red fall leaves. There is an image to the left of a yellow octopus stuffed animal wearing a scarf and black frame glasses sitting in the fork of a tree.

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Samantha Breaux is looking for ARC readers @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Wren is not great with new people. From book 2 of my romantic fantasy series about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold. #SundaySnips #WritingCommunity #Writingprompts #Wrencer

“Wren, there’s something you should know–” Spencer’s eyes, the same slate gray as the swirling river water, flicked towards the travelers milling near the rest stop privies. “About the man in the coach.”

“Who? Captain floofy sleeves?” There were only two men sharing the carriage with them and Wren doubted Spencer was fretting over the mild mannered painter who could barely look her in the eye. “He’s a lech, but I handled it. If anyone asks, Molly and I have been madly in love for six months as of last Primaday.”

Wren tossed the words casually at the sergeant, a test to see if she’d back the cover story or balk at the lie. But Molly just grinned, mischief dancing brightly in her wheat-brown eyes. “Might come as a bit of a shock to my Fred, but I suppose what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Irritation prickled under Wren’s skin, but she bricked over the feeling with a placid smile. Sooner or later the woman would give her a reason not to like her. Everyone did, eventually. Well, everyone but Spencer. And Bruce was alright, she supposed. Elton was a good lad, too, if she were counting people who didn’t irritate her with their mere presence.

I am turning into an insufferable sop.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 27/09/2026

#SundaySnips word of the week - Turn A close to from Atlas Rising - the new #WIP Rourke vs airports He should know by now to allow extra time when he travels... #WritingCommunity #Writingprompts #Writesky #HQpress

He turned right out of the open doors of the airbridge onto the main concourse.
And froze.
The business ends of seven SIG Sauer MCX Carbines were pointing at him. A red beam of light flicked over his eyes, blinding him for a second, making him look down to get the damn thing out of his eyes.
Six more dots of light appeared on his chest.
Grouped over his heart.
Fuck.

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Eric Woldry (he/him) 🌈 @woldry.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"Street turned to road, and road dribbled down to path, as the darkness deepened. Haunts grew rarer and more haggard beyond the city outskirts, staring with blank eyes into a world they couldn’t leave, not since death was broken." #SundaySnips #WritingCommunity #Writingprompts #Writesky #HQpress

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Eric Woldry (he/him) 🌈 @woldry.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Quinceberry, a devotee of the god of dreams, shadows, lies, and thieves, is constitutionally incapable of opening up. Boden is too riddled with guilt, brooding anger, and an obsession with revenge to trust people enough to open up to them. It's why they get along so well. #OCASK #OCQOTD #OCSKY

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 27/09/2026

#writingcommunity - can you read this cold, with no pre-reading and get it right? Daughter (12) wrote this out and challenged me to do that. I failed! Couldn't get it right for a few goes either. Have a go - how did you do? #English, as she says, is weird.🤦 #amwriting

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

G'afternoon #TFOTSnip! Milly in the middle of her job interview. now some might think that this is going badly for her, and normally you'd be right, but not this time, this time this is exactly what her prospective new boss is looking for! #writesky #writingprompts #writingcommunity

“Okay, hold on a second,” I say, holding my hand up in the air, “first off, how would you know that, and secondly how do you know there’s any threat? Did you get bomb threats? Threatening mail? Online harassment? An increase in trespassers on the property? Vandalism?”
Somehow Irena looks pleased at the questions, and she glances down at the folder. “To answer your first question, I’ve had an interest in you for this position for a while now. Your history shows several characteristics that would serve admirably.”
I look at the file directly for the first time. There’s a black and white picture covering one corner of the first page, and I can see even from this angle that it’s a mugshot picture of me, probably from several years ago.
“That’s my file,” I state rather than ask.
“Correct.”
“That should have been sealed, at least the juvenile part of it. I’m assuming you have people you can ask favours to get it for you anyway?” I ask, feeling heat rising on my face.
“Oh, yes indeed.”
“So which parts exactly were you drawn to? The assaults, which were actually me defending myself? The long list of inflicted broken bones? Me being labelled as a ‘hazard to society’ by several law enforcement figures?”

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 27/09/2026

The #WIPSnips word for September 27th is "delay" Going to stop sharing Pandora's Secret snips now & don't have 'delay' yet in the next instalment. So going back to the dystopian TV pilot, Tyler's War and a close-too snip The Prime Minister vs the alley #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

EXT. AN ALLEY ON A RUN-DOWN ESTATE - NIGHT
The dirty alley walls are lit by a dim orange light.
ON THE ALLEYWAY WALL
Newspaper front pages are stuck over faded ones
- ‘Freedom Tax Collector’s death ‘a terrorist incident.’
- ‘Nationwide search for Freedom Tax Collector killer.’
- ‘Gaunt doubles fines for late Freedom Tax payments.’
On the other wall, haphazardly plastered over other protest signs are fliers with caricature sketches of Gaunt, flapping in the icy wind. Each has a heading - ‘Proper Stupid.’

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 26/09/2026

Honestly, I think I might need an intervention. Every time I go into Primark, I buy trainer socks. Why man, why 🥴

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 25/09/2026

While I can sympathise with the humour here, when did reading become something to be monitored? That's ugly stuff for me. #WritingCommunity - how would you feel if the public knew you'd written only one page today, for example? No thanks!

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 25/09/2026

British English v US English Cliques.... #writingcommunity - do you worry about this stuff if you want to 'break into' the US? #amwriting

Was watching the new Ted Lasso on the train into London earlier this week - it's just a bundle of positivity to start the day.

It was the one where 'cliques' was said a lot. But even British English actors said it as 'clicks'.

It took me a beat to understand what they were saying. I even turned on subtitles. And it was definitely cliques.

Which made me think again about whether I should get someone to go through the #novel Pandora's Secret and make a US English version.

But then remembered the publisher's question when I'd said I had someone who offered to do it - would that be free?

That's when I remembered I am not Lee Child or Charles Cumming, and I went back to just enjoying the episode.

#amwriting

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 25/09/2026

Well it made me laugh - but i'm obviously a child🤦😂

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 25/09/2026

Tell me about your #AwesomeCharacters Character's favourite fall activity Anderson: avoiding going on holiday Rourke: Staying alive Esme: trying to force Anderson to go on holiday

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 25/09/2026

Nightmare. An A-list US actor asked me to set up a meeting to chat through something. So I did. They replied, 'Can't do today; what about sometime next week? - when I'd set the Zoom call for next Friday (I double-checked I def had). Arghh! #writingcommunity - what do i say? 🤦

static.klipy.com

Jaime French: Internally Screaming

ALT: Jaime French: Internally Screaming

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 24/09/2026

After the latest haircut today, it's not hard to imagine what I might look like bald So, that's something to look forward to... #justsaying

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 24/09/2026

I took my Editorial Report from the #publisher for Pandora's Secret and summarised it in broad terms, without referring to the book itself, so I could print it and refer to their advice as I write the next book. #writingcommunity sharing if useful to anyone writing Spy/Thrillers

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Reposted by Andrew Bruce-Lockhart

mk 🦔 @mkwritesfic.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

✨️Vibes✨️ Rowan and Callix are questioning each other and getting absolutely nowhere. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writesky #writingprompts

“What are you doing out here?” Rowan asked. “I was told there have been Seekers spotted in areas they haven’t bothered to patrol in years.”

The smile never left the man’s face. This was a game to him, a careful push and pull, and he thought he was winning. “Scouting,” he said. “Everything else is information that doesn’t concern you. My turn.” He kicked at the basket still sitting on the ground. “What are you doing out here? Doesn’t Rekshimyr know how dangerous it is out here? You would think since he fancies himself a war god, he would be smarter about these things.”

“He is a war god,” Rowan hissed, “because the war god your goddess spawned doesn't do his job. And Rekshimyr didn't send me anywhere. I have orders from the High Priest.”

“The High Priest.” The Seeker barked a single laugh as he bent to examine the contents of the basket. “To pick flowers and berries?”

Rowan’s fist clenched. The man had his back turned. His defenses were slightly lowered. He could attack now. There might not be a more opportune time later. “Yes,” he answered, smirking.“Everything else is information that doesn’t concern you.”

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 24/09/2026

#SeptemberWorldbuilders Weirdly- aside from the inciting incident where the weather on one night is a massive part of the plot. I don't use darkness like that. I do in writing films - so not sure why. Another thing to think about for the next one, obvs 😜 Meanwhile, in my head sits this....

static.klipy.com

Peanuts Snoopy Writing It Was A Dark And Stormy Night Novel Comic

ALT: Peanuts Snoopy Writing It Was A Dark And Stormy Night Novel Comic

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 24/09/2026

Tell me about your #AwesomeCharacters I don't really do anyone's sexuality in Pandora's Secret. Mainly because a few years ago I wrote a film about a character who was bisexual (I'm not) and was told it 'wasn't my story to tell.' Which, rightly or wrongly, made me abandon wanting to do so again. 🤷

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Reposted by Andrew Bruce-Lockhart

Headless🎃Horsewoman🪉💎🏹🐴⚔️ @acturek.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#fantasy #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WIPSnips #meddle -> interfere Ra’am Chalmalch ordered Lord Shelwon to disengage & retreat in the midst of a battle. One troop is left trapped. POV Shelwon’s herald, Jedhrath - Brother’s Keeper, my fantasy WIP about two brothers bound by a misunderstood power

He never stopped blowing his horn. The
sound of the warriors cries floated up to him,
desperate and angry. They tried to turn and flee back up the hill, but were hemmed in the deep snow, forced to fight. Their cries and the squeals of the horses made a cacophony of bloody death that resonated like pain in the Shining One's eyes, until, driven by desperation, Lord Shelwon raised the
Shammeth-stone.

"No!" Ra'am Chalmalch thundered.

"I weary of your INTERFERENCE!"

Watching them, Jedhrath clenched his fist.

"You know not what you are fighting! This is
not the time!"

Lord Shelwon's eyes blazed bright with rage.
"Three hundred lives wasted! How are you going to explain to the Edin, to their families?" The Ra'am did not answer, only stared at his protége with eyes of cold fire. The Sheltri were surrounded. The cries of
the dying wrung Jedhrath's heart.

Brother's Keeper
A.C. Turek

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Reposted by Andrew Bruce-Lockhart

Nel @wasphole.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🧛‍♂️ A Gentleman's Tour of the Empire 🦇 Kenneth tries to persuade Nigel's apprentice to let them go. #wipsnips #writesky #writingcommunity #vampire

“Please, help us!”

“I can’t meddle in Nigel’s business!” Archie whispered. He sounded agonised. “I can’t risk getting sacked!”

“You can get another job,” Jo beseeched him. “And we can pay you. We can offer more than he’ll pay you in a decade-”

“It’s not about money. I can’t! I’m sorry. I can’t.”
He was crying. Actually crying. But he was also backing out of the room and shaking his head.

“Come back!” pleaded Kenneth, but the boy rounded the corner and was gone. “Damn it!”

“He’s terrified of him I bet,” murmured Jo. “What are we going to do?”

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 24/09/2026

The #WIPSnips word for September 24th is "meddle" From Pandora's Secret - a don't 'meddle' vibe.. Anderson vs Mike the dick #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

The two common features of agents in this clique were that they were male and had buzz cuts. She’d worked with Mike once. Never again.
He was a dick.
‘You’ll be okay.’ He laughed, pleased with himself. ‘She doesn’t do cats.’
She stared at him until he broke eye contact.

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