iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 20h

Calligraphy practice and a doodle about steampunk turned into unrelated writing prompts. Don't ask me how my brain works; never mind about that. Just focus on the five writing prompts my brain came up with one day in 2023. #prompt #writing #fiction

Prompts (where the first letter of each statement spells "STEAM"):

She was happy enough in the ...

The train-car bench had been treated with "mood-ring" paint ...

Ever since the moon was covered in grass ...

April was the worst time for ...

Marks on the grating looked like bullet holes to Jaye ...

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I was aware that some places in the world would count it a bad thing to promise your firstborn child to a dragon — most places, actually. But this was Summer. — An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke #quote #fiction #fantasy

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I've returned to a flash fiction piece, and I've expanded it into a longer story. Here's draft 2: danielleducrest.blogspot.com/2026/0… #fiction #writing #story #dystopia

A girl sits on a swing in a cave opening. In the middle distance is a city with skyscrapers, and in the farther distance on the left, hot air balloons rise into the air.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Dell's been calling me, but she's only irritated now and I won't answer until she's concerned. Not because I like being difficult—though, there is that—but because her worry over a wasted mission sounds just like worry for me. — The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Louisiana Book Festival is in less than five weeks. Look for me and Rainey Pavo in the exhibitor tents. www.louisianabookfestival.org/information/... #fiction #bookfestival #fantasy

Image of Tipping the Scales's cover over a background of flames. Text says: SAVE THE DATE! OCTOBER 31, 2026, LOUISIANA BOOK FESTIVAL. Danielle Ducrest returns to the Louisiana Book Festival with author Rainey Pavo. Look for the Lafayette Literary Ladies in the Exhibitor Tents

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"What are you even going to do with six kids for a month?" Sam said. "What did I do with you when you were twelve?" Dean said. "You taught me how to fire a shotgun, and we salted and burned my pet goldfish after it died." "See, there you go." — "Old Country" by astolat (HP/SPN) #quote #fanfic

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Writing prompt: Write a story with these words: Romantic, abhorrent, entertaining, feather #prompt #writing #writersblock

Pile of printed pages of stories and open notebooks filled with writing.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"Remember who you are speaking to. I am the sorcerer Merulo, who has defeated armies, held kingdoms at bay, and ... oh, f*** it." Perhaps it was my polite nodding along, but his outthrust chest had deflated, his posture drooping. "Just get on with it." —Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die, Stothers

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Gretsella and the baby embarked upon their new life together. ... It was a bit like having a particularly useless familiar. Her last familiar had been a black cat who could smell demons. The baby mostly smelled terrible. -- The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C.M. Waggoner #quote #fantasy

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Very creative things happen in picture books. In Round Trip by Ann Jonas, join a family on a car ride into town, then turn the book upside down for the return journey. It's really clever and couldn't have been easy. #rec #creativeinspiration #fiction #picturebook

Illustrated page from Round Trip by Ann Jonas, where black and white silhouette images can be turned 180 degrees, and the outlines of one image become the negative space of another image. The text describes features the travelers see on the drive such as smoke from chimneys, trees and a tunnel.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

They were probably going to be fed to lions, which she'd be upset about. However, if they lived, she was going to make the Doctor get her a kitten. She had a plan all worked out for it. It involved blackmail, but it’d work. — "Trolley Park Murders" by Reichenbach (Doctor Who) #quote #fanfic #dw

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Random word generators are great when I need a push through my writer's block. Here are some words to get you started: ahead, screeching, young, partner I used Wordcounter.net/random-word-generator #prompt #writing #writersblock

A pen, mechanical pencil, retractable eraser, and pencil on a table

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

She did so enjoy the fall season when she could dress up in her colder-weather clothes, but she saved a fortune on makeup. #writing #photocaption #fiction #fantasy Image Source: www.pinterest.com/pin/2258133687921…

An invisible woman in a half-sleeve sweater, scarf, gloves, dress and high heels sits on a blue park bench reading a book. There is a weed-covered lawn behind her and trees in the background.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I'm back at the Moncus Park Farmer's Market at the Writers' Guild booth.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

In hindsight, he probably should have noticed sooner, but you know what they say about hindsight: Pretend you had it to begin with. — "Ariadne Quits" by Rhillin (Doctor Who)

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Writing prompt: You're a guest at three weddings at these locations, and they're all happening at the same time. #writing #prompt #fiction #uniqueplaces

The "Reading Between the Lines" church by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a small church with a steeple, one door and one window. The "walls" are made of thin, horizontal steel sheets space apart so that visitors can peer into and out of the church from all angles.

Image source: n/a

A chapel pavilion with a tall, vaulted wooden ceiling and walls made of open wooden frames to let in light and air from the surrounding forest. The pews are wooden benches with plush red cushions, and the floor is made of rough-cut, randomly placed brown and black stones. At the far end is a stage with a shallow set of steps, with an open view of the forest behind it.

Image source: n/a

Giant black tent set up in a field. The tent can easily hold thousands of people and is designed to look like either a castle or church, with side rooms, a central room that goes down the center, two towers and clere stories to let in light. There are a lot of ropes that anchor the tent to the field and a roped-off path to an entrance through a circular vestibule. In the background, A stage and much smaller tents are being assembled.

Image source: n/a

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

My book has traveled far. 200+ are in storage in the UK, and 200+ are in Australia. That's not even including the paperback copies. If, like me, you self-published through IngramSpark, you can see how many physical copies are in stock on the Ingram Content Group app. So cool!

Stacks of the paperback and hardcover versions of my dragon urban fantasy novella, Tipping the Scales.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Tipping the Scales is now at Cavalier House Books. Look for it in the fantasy section in their Lafayette and Denham Springs bookstores. scales.danielleducrest.com #la #bookstore #shoplocal #fantasy #independent #lafayette #denhamsprings

Image of a blue-green scaley tail trailing blood in the sand next to the text, "TIPPING THE SCALES: BUY NOW"

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The island kept changing. Trees became buildings became trees. Sand became asphalt became sand. In and out, blinking off and on, rural to urban, deserted to jam-packed, and back again. (Read More: danielleducrest.blogspot.com/2026/0…) #story #fantasy

Back of a person wearing a floral shirt while clutching the back of their head, standing in the middle of a city street

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/back-view-of-man-wearing-floral-top-while-fixing-his-hair-jpKgjRIRwRc

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The hardest thing for me to write is the ending. With that in mind, here's a writing prompt: Write the last sentence of a story based on this image. #prompt #writing #stories #fiction

An indoor space designed to look like a neighborhood, with a grass-colored carpet forming a path between the front porches of houses and a ceiling covered in painted clouds.

Image source: n/a, but probably a nursing home for people with dementia

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

A few hours later, a knock on the door woke him with a start, his new surroundings confusing him for a minute before he put two and four together to get three in the missing spot. – "Bridges" by Tassos (Buffy/SG-1) #quote #fanfiction #fandom

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"Greeks!" Percy yelled. "Let’s, um, fight stuff!" They yelled like banshees and charged. Jason grinned. He loved the Greeks. They had no organization whatsoever, but they made up for it with enthusiasm. – The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan #book #quote #pj #percyjackson

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The way he says it, like Dean's ten pounds of amazing in a five-pound bag, makes Dean uncomfortable. The only person who should sound that grateful is Sam for every day Dean doesn't pour itching powder into his underwear. — "Named" by McLachland (Supernatural) #fanfiction #quote #fiction

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Here's another story snippet inspired by this image. I have no idea where this can go from here, so here it is in its incomplete form: danielleducrest.blogspot.com/2026/08/stor... #prompt #image #fiction #wip

A key on a keyring attached to a chain-link fence. Beyond the fence is an empty parking lot and, in the background, a Coca-Cola factory with trucks and cars in its lot.

Image Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/writers/comments/1lo85wq/picture_prompt/

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

There's a fortune awaiting the man who invents a really good deodorizer for a spaceship. That's the one thing you can't fail to notice. — Podkayne of Mars by Robert A. Heinlein #fiction #quote #scifi

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

His voice was hard, edged with the clash of shields and the scream of arrows. – Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas #quote #fiction #fantasy #YA

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Imagining someone as more than human does much the same work as imagining them as less than human: Either way, the ill are treated as fundamentally other because the social order is frightened by what their frailty reveals about everyone else's. – Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green #quote

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Writer's Digest's latest contest inspired me to write an opening paragraph: After a long day, she loved to relax in her favorite comfy chair while Gary of the Eternal Night, Destroyer of Worlds, curled up next to her. (Read More: shorturl.at/1rVI4) #writersdigest #fiction #prompt #fantasy

A woman wearing an orange top and a yellow skirt, who has black hair, pale white skin and red circles of blush on her cheeks, sits in a green airplane seat with her eyes closed. Two airplane windows show white clouds in a pale blue-gray sky. The airplane wall is orange on top and black on bottom.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Countess Nadasdy had a voice as warm as butter and just as greasy. She could fry people with that voice, if she wanted to. – Heartless by Gail Carriger #quote #book #fiction #fantasy #steampunk

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Every download of an ebook gives self-published authors royalties. Tipping the Scales is on Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.com, Indigo, Rakuton Kobo and more platforms. Check out the full list of over four dozen retailers at danielleducrest.com/scales/stores.h…. #dragon #bookstore

The cover of Tipping the Scales next to an incomplete list of icons for the platforms that sell my book.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Here's an art update: This is a bead mosaic of a dragon on a copper plate. I made the dragon. I did not make the plate, but I thought the alcohol ink pattern made a great sky. #dragon #bead #mosaic #beading Medium: Glass seed beads, 5mm wire, Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, copper, alcohol ink

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Story snippet inspired by an image: “I left your key where you can find it. Go geocaching for it, you weirdo,” said the text, along with a set of coordinates. (Read More: danielleducrest.blogspot.com/2026/08/stor...) #prompt #image #writing #story

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Writing Prompt: Write a 300-word story about this washed-out festival. #writing #prompt #festival #rainyday

A rain storm has left the concrete and brick plaza covered in water. The sky is gray. Tables are wet, and chairs are propped up against tables to drip water off of them. People in ponchos and holding umbrellas peruse a vendor's tent, which is enclosed in three sides by white walls. There are more vendor tents, but all of them are closed with walls lowered on all sides.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Some areas of Sacharissa's mind that dealt with things like death and terror were signaling to be heard at this point, but, being part of Sacharissa, they were trying to do it in a ladylike way, and so she ignored them. – The Truth by Terry Pratchett #book #quote #discworld #pratchett

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

As though sucked in by a giant breath, the fog pulled back to reveal my location. From the escarpment before me rose a castle. Instinctively, I gasped — though my reaction came too early, as the sight was far less awe-inspiring than I'd hoped. — Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

When I've been stuck and need some creative help, I've used Word Counter's Random Word Generator for story ideas. wordcounter.net/random-word-generat…. #writing #prompt #writingwoes #fiction

I don't have a picture of the website, so here's a photo I took at Nottoway Plantation in Louisiana (pre-fire) showing an antique writing desk with paper and a quill.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Today's the day! Come see me at the Writers' Guild of Acadiana's booth at the Moncus Park Farmers & Artisans Market. scales.danielleducrest.com #lafayette #moncus #farmersmarket #fiction #shop #fantasy #dragons

Hardcover and paperback stacks of my book on my table at Moncus Park in June 2026.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Tomorrow is the Moncus Park Farmers and Artisans Market in Lafayette, Louisiana. I'll be there selling my book, Tipping the Scales, with other local members of the Writers' Guild of Acadiana. scales.danielle.ducrest #fiction #fantasy #guild #shop #farmersmarket

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

"I am an excellent negotiator," she says. "So you can assume that when I'm not, it's intentional." — To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth #book #quote #grimdark #fantasy

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Last month, I highlighted my book's presence on Smashwords, but you can find the hardcover, paperback and ebook editions at retailers such as Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Blackwell's, Fable, Everand, Rakuten Kobo and more. The full list is at scales.danielleducrest.com. #bookstores #dragons

Book Quote from Tipping the Scales: “The planes headed at last for the runway. Cayna didn’t wait for them to enter the sky. She started her attack on them immediately, sending them scattering with their wheels still on the ground.”

The book quote is next to a picture of the cover above a QR code and text that says, "Read It Now in Harcover, Paperback & eBook" and URL scales.danielleducrest.com.

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I'll be back at the Moncus Park Farmers & Artisans Market this coming Saturday, August 8th. Come see me and other local authors at the Writers' Guild of Acadiana's booth. scales.danielleducrest.com #fiction #nonfiction #farmersmarket #fantasy #dragon

Writers' Guild of Acadiana's banner hanging on the roof of the booth at the Moncus Park Farmers Market

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Save the Date! I am returning to the Louisiana Book Festival on October 31, this time with another local author, Rainey Pavo. Look for our booth for the Lafayette Literary Ladies in the central exhibitor tents. raineypavo.com danielleducrest.com louisianabookfestival.org #bookfestival

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Flash Fiction Inspired by Prompt: Synthia grew up believing she just had an overactive imagination. Just like seeing shapes in the clouds, she could see shapes in the dancing flames. (Read More: danielleducrest.blogspot.com/2026/0…) #flash #fiction #story #fantasy

A pair of hands hold a lighter. Inside the flame is an image of the moon.

Image Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOIueFHUNG/

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

It's difficult being a perfectionist in a literary query letter. I keep coming up with new ideas for my pitch and wishing I could go back in time and resubmit all the queries I've already sent. #querywoes #writing #publishing

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Reposted by Danielle Ducrest is querying

Author- Abigail_Addison @abigailaddison.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

NEW BOOKKKK AVAILABLE ON AMAZON NOWWWW #books #newrelease #bookrelease #YAFantasy #fatedmates #booklaunch Link: a.co/d/iu2dIsW

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Danielle Ducrest is querying @danielleducrest.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale ends today. Get Tipping the Scales for $2.49 before the sale ends. #sale #fiction #book #halfoff #halfprice #50percent #fantasy #dragons www.smashwords.com/books/view/1...

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