iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 25m

Today my daughter suggested that since we seem to be careening further and further into dystopian territory, we should expect a teenage love triangle to come along and save us pretty soon. Dagnabit. I hate love triangles. #dystopia #YAtropes #reading

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I recently encountered a book review that admired how good a debut author was and suggested she must have waited for a bit before 'deciding to get published.' Ahem. Such charming naivety. If only it were that simple. #writingcommunity #writesky #amquerying

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

...and today it's finished, at 99,000 words! Now to let it sit for a little bit before I dive into revisions.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If success were only measured by monetary gain, I would have to say I'm more successful as a musician than a writer. Not because I've made a fortune in piano gigs, not by any stretch, but it's still more than I've made as a writer. #writing #writingcommunity

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I can get so awash in negativity that I'm tempted to make a long list of the things that I hate/that are wrong with the world. Instead, I've decided to flip that into something positive.🧵 #positivity #optimism #teamhuman #betterworld #geekery #writing #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Seeing everyone's incredible visuals for their books, and meanwhile my best attempt would look something like this. #writersky #writingcommunity #amquerying

Sloppy graphic with pictures of lumpy stick people, a bookshelf, a spaceship (?) and a green-yellow planet (??). The text reads Librarians...In Spaaace!! Zava is middle-aged and cranky but she loves her job. Jerrid is a hyperactive puppy and his hair gets everywhere in zero-G. Look at their ship hurtling through the awesome expanse of the cosmos! Olostahn is a planet with lots of oppression and censorship. Booo!!! Minister Gorgil might be an ally but he goes missing??

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

It's my birthday today! I'm 45 and happy to celebrate it -- when you're grappling with mental health issues, every day is a victory. Now since I'm a writer of fiction, I'll offer a very fanciful birthday wishlist. You can decide which is the least or most likely to actually happen: #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Fellow authors: without any context, what's the first line of your current WIP? Either the epigraph: "And reveal to us our unknown sins/Whatsoever bars your glorious restitution/Let it be known with thunderous certainty/That we may purge this blight from our souls"

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A Cosmic Labor: two interplanetary librarians become entangled in the disappearance of a sympathetic government official on a planet ruled by oppression and censorship. Hijinks ensue. #UnhingedPit #A #SF #Q

Name: Alizaveta Kantabel, but I only answer to Zava

Homeword: Kelif by birth, Ouria by choice (and exiled necessity)

Age: Either 45 or a thousand years older than the kids I have to train

Profession: Currently, itinerant Curator for the Interplanetary Institute. You might say my first job was taking part in an attempted coup, but I didn’t get paid, so it was more of a hobby

Likes: Ancient artifacts, well-maintained archives, and unlimited funding from rich donors to the Institute

Dislikes: Junior Curators who can hardly alphabetize, let alone travel in zero-g. Pretentious fundraising galas. Document-destroying humidity.

What I’m looking for: I’ll be honest – you don’t want to date me. I’m married to my job and I like it that way. Not exactly opposed to dating. But I’m prickly and stuck in my ways, and I have no intention of changing for anyone. If that strikes your fancy for some strange reason, we can exchange contact numbers. Just keep in mind that most of my past relationships have ended with a crash and a bang. Sometimes literally.

Name: Yaoloing Lun Gorgil

Age: That is not public information. I can inform you that I have been in my current post for nine years and served in various administrative positions for ten years prior to that

Profession: Minister of Information for the People of Olostahn

Likes: Philosophical discussions over a well-aged bottle of jedka, true meritocracy, and increased administrative transparency

Dislikes: Consumerism, slothfulness, and the shameful slide into oligarchy

What I’m looking for: I have been informed that I have a type, but I dispute that. Just because I have shown interest in two separate women who happen to have backgrounds as incendiary insurgents, both intensely principled and opinionated, who have proven themselves to be fascinating debate partners and find nothing intimidating about my high-ranking position…never mind. I have a type.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

32,000 words and no sign of slowing down. Whew. #amwriting #writesky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Close to hitting 20,000 words in my current WIP. I'll feel better when I've passed 30,000 because that's how much I wrote for another fantasy novel before getting stuck and abandoning it. (I've finished other novels since then, but I'm superstitiously skittish about this one.) #amwriting #writesky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

The existence of AI has no contact with my writing process, except insofar as it inspires me to write more science fiction tales of megalomaniacs falling to the destructive power of their horrifying, thoughtless inventions. #writesky #writingcommunity #sf #humancreativity

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

I read lots of SFF. Of course I do -- I love writing it because I love reading it. I read for pleasure and for research. I observe and analyze the choices the writers make in comparison to my own choices. Yet somehow coming up with comp novels continues to be the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. #amquerying

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Writing a novel again, and oh how I've missed it. It was challenging to come up with a fresh idea because my creative flow has been mostly directed toward my librarians in space series. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writesky #amquerying

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

It's so easy to get discouraged by rejections (or worse, complete silence) that I can forget why I'm trying for publication in the first place. Then I go back to read through a manuscript and get caught up in my own story. Hey, you know what? This is pretty good -- #writesky #writingcommunity

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

"All authors are using AI now." Not true! I transcribe my writing into cuneiform script on clay tablets so it can baffle archaeologists thousands of years later.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Still struggling to feel motivated with my writing, but today I got myself to work on a short story. It happened to need a song. The effort of finding just the right words gave me a much-needed glimmer of ‘ah yes, *this* is why I love writing.’ More of that, please. #writingcommunity #writesky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Noting yet another film with a 20-year gap between the male and female leads (blechh) only strengthens my resolve to populate my stories with lots and lots of women over the age of 40, who are somehow, miraculously, still relevant and interesting. #writesky #writingcommunity #womenover40

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

In which I go full word-nerd. #writesky #writingcommunity #books cynthiaailshie.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/a...

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

I can't decide whether it would make me feel better or worse to write about a fictional dystopia while currently witnessing the makings of an actual one.... #writersky #writingcommunity

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I'm still writing. Collaborating on a fun story with my husband, actually. But when I go online, it's hard to think of anything but the mess my country is in. Hard to feel like my little ambitions matter in the face of all this. How do I keep caring without getting completely burnt out? #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

EASTWARD SINGS THE WIND In a land of song-based magic, a musician forges a friendship with an enigmatic foreigner and causes him to question his secret allegiance to the tyrannical god-king who plans to invade her land. #Bluepit 📖 #YA #F #Q #DIS

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

A pair of interplanetary librarians become entangled in the disappearance of a powerful government official on a world ruled by oppression and censorship. #BluePit 📖 #A #SF #Q

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

I'm still a little uncertain of the mechanics of all this, but I'll do my best to participate and contribute tomorrow! #BluePitHype #writingcommunity #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Zava is a twenty-year veteran at the Institute, which is especially notable considering she started adulthood as a extremist insurgent exiled from her homeworld. It took some growing up to realize she could enact change in a subtler, more lasting way. #BluePitHype #writingcommunity #writesky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Zava loves her job at the Interplanetary Institute. Traveling across the cosmos, providing free access to a vast archive of information and materials -- what could be better? (Well, maybe if they'd stop asking her to train all these hapless novices...) #BluePitHype #writersky #writingcommunity

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Fears? Oh, yes. Anything that could threaten Zava's position as itinerant Curator. The Institute is perpetually underfunded, she has frequent clashes with the Board of Directors, and worst of all, she could get "promoted" to somewhere permanently onplanet. #BluePitHype #writersky #writingcommunity

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Hmm... art, you say? Obviously not my strong point, but I do love creating maps. I look forward to one day having a professional rendition of them. The first image is for my interplanetary librarians novel, and the second is for a YA fantasy trilogy. #BluePitHype #writesky #writingcommunity

On the left, a section of a city grid labeled 'Tseyar.' The Tsey River runs at an angle through the northwest. Features include 'The Spartan,' 'Manufacturing District,' 'Bezing Theater' 'Olo Tower' and 'Ministry District.'

On the right, with the label 'Gretying, Eastern Hemisphere,' two separate areas connected by monorail lines: Yevinrin District, with the city Ulaan and a collection of mines, and the Capital District with the city Nogori and the shuttle platform.

A depiction of a vast continent, with a larger and smaller peninsula separated by 'turbulent seas.' The smaller eastern one is called Tanakune and its primary feature is the city of Bellport in the southeast corner, including the Academy. The larger western one is the center of the Realm of the God-King, marked by three arcane symbols. Surrounding the 'Boundless City' are multiple tributary territories, and farther north is the Silver Lakes region.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Hello fellow writers! I'm a SFF author, pursuing publication. Great stories are a source of boundless joy for me. I've been creating my own since childhood, wanting to share the joy. I also have the enviable privilege of working at a library that looks like a castle. #BluePitHype #writingcommunity

A view of the castle library, with graceful arches and a tower. I'm not an architect, so my best description is that it's very pretty and fancy.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

I'm far better at handling rejections than when I sent out my first tentative queries, back when my manuscripts were much worse and my skin was much thinner. Which means that there's only a few minutes of weeping and rending my garments rather than three straight days. #writingcommunity #amquerying

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Two reasons why technical errors are fairly rare in my writing: 1. An inborn obsession with proper spelling and mechanics, which I've fostered and grown over many long years, and... #amwriting #amediting #amquerying

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

A series of posts I wrote this summer about diversity in worldbuilding and writing. I'm no expert by any measure, but I'm very invested in learning how to do it right. #writingcommunity #amwriting #diversity

cynthiaailshie.wordpress.com

Diversity – cynthiaailshie

Posts about Diversity written by Cynthia Ailshie

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Stylistic musings: how often can the same word be included in a passage without being repetitive? Obviously not referring to generic words like "the" -- more like, for example, "expedition." Sometimes synonyms help, sometimes not. A tricky balance to maintain. #writingcommunity #writesky #amediting

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Not my current WIP as of last night (hooray for completing a manuscript!) but I like this particular usage of the word of the day. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writesky

“This is just a prelude. We’ll probably have cloudbursts off and on through the night, till the real storm arrives in the morning.” Laira was humming quite cheerfully, a melody Zava faintly recognized as a traditional Tripolian sea shanty. Jerrid gaped at her in emerging dismay.
While they dripped and drizzled in the entry, Rekabin bustled toward them with a stack of polysorbant towels. “Everyone safely inside? Good, good,” he chirped. “Dry off before you take another step, please! Don’t want to leave puddles everywhere.”
His broad smile remained fixed as he turned to Jain and began conferring with the tech in a lower voice. Zava watched his eyes for a sign of his real emotions. Worry, no question. A touch of panic.
Panic was contagious. Zava had never quite managed to build up an immunity to it. She sighed and took up one of the towels.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

After a final sprint of 2400 words, my WIP is complete! First draft, needs lots of work, but for now I'll let it rest and celebrate another finished novel. #writingcommunity #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

WIP: My third interplanetary librarians book, "A Cataclysmic Framing." Zava is conducting interviews with an archaeological team and attempting not to step on anyone's toes. #WIPSnips #amwriting #Writesky #WritingCommunity #SF

Better establish some common ground before Ajuna put her firmly in the category of outsider antagonist. “I was excited to come here myself. Old Tripoli has always fascinated me.”
Ajuna’s mouth quirked in dry acknowledgement. “We must be quite the curiosity, out there in the wider cosmos.”
Oof. Now she’d really stepped in it. Delicately Zava acknowledged, “I couldn’t pretend to have the same connection as a Tripolian, of course. The Institute strives to respect the preeminence of locals –”
A blunt laugh. “I’m just needling you. Don’t worry, I’m not raising accusations of appropriation or misrepresentation.” She looked up for a pointed moment. “I’ve got better things to do with my time.”

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

🧵 I have to admit, it’s a trifle intimidating to see all the mood boards, ’agent guides’ and other elaborate visuals that writers have created to promote their books. I haven’t the artistic skill nor resources to make such items, and I can’t afford to properly compensate someone else for making it.

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

So far I’ve had a lovely welcome to this community. It’s only been one day, true, but a promising start. Even more promising would be a spontaneous offer of literary representation…best not get greedy, I suppose. #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Sci Fi: On a planet governed by oppression and censorship, a pair of interplanetary librarians become entangled with the disappearance of a powerful government official. Trying to find him might get them killed. Or it could change the course of the entire world for the better. #FiFRevPit #Mockpit

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Is it kismet that I joined the very day of Mockpit? Not sure, but I guess I'd better give it a try. Also, my thesaurus-brain is running through all the synonyms now. 'Kismet' is fun, but 'serendipity' has all those delightfully bouncy syllables. #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writersky

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Cynthia Ailshie @cynthiaailshie.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

All right, let's give this new-fangled 'social media' thing a try. Hoping to connect with the writing/publishing community! #amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #writesky

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