iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 01/10/2026

#WIPSnips October 1 - injury The goal is not to cause injuries. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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"Sparring means making contact. A strike can cause injury or even break bones. I want everyone to be safe."
He walked to a blank wall of the courtyard and triggered a hidden mechanism that allowed the wall to swing open revealing a small alcove containing a collection of weapons and cubbyholes that held what looked like clothing.
"This is protective gear. Select and put on the head, mouth, hand, arm, leg, shin, and torso protectors that fit."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 30/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 30 - guard The world is a dark place. When I began this story, the world was a dark place, but not as dark as it has become. I've had to darken the story's world to keep pace. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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As Hope ducked out of sight, Miss Nella said, "Take care of yourself, Child. The world is a dark place."
Hope paused in the shadows to sigh, "Okay," and put her mind back on task. Stay focused. Stay vigilant. Danger lurks. Miss Nella was right. The world was a dark place, and Hope had to be ready and on her guard.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 29/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 29 - well Well, well, well. "Well" occurs 123 times. Well, I think that's a bit much. I go to that well to often and might do well to remove a few. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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Hope's food cache was well stocked, but she wanted to add extra food before Monsoon. When she was young and her hiding place had been the swill container, her food supplies were always sparse. Enduring Monsoon often meant days of hunger. She did not want to experience that again.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 23/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 23 - tumble The stuffed toy mountain cat. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #Dragons

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Hope found a stuffed toy mountain cat with gray fur, black spots on his legs, brown blotches on his flanks, and a sleek tail with brown rings. She cleaned and repaired him, then gave him to the baby dragon. Baby named him Misky. Why, she didn't know. It could simply have been the sounds he made that tumbled out in an incoherent jumble in his excitement. For whatever reason, the name stuck.
Every night, Baby slept with Misky and his ragged blue blanket while Hope slept next to him with her stuffed toy Foxy and her favorite soft pink blanket.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 21/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 21 - stream The baby dragon watched. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #Dragons

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Like a monster lurking in the stream with only his nose and eyes above the water, the baby dragon watched Hope practice swimming. Baby didn't think swimming was a human trait, but Hope insisted it was even if it required practice.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 17/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 17 - effort Practice fighting with a dragon. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #Dragons

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Hope said, "Let's practice staff and cane fighting using the extra pole plants. You take one and I'll take one. We can practice like I do with Mister Emery."
Baby was willing.
It didn't work out well.
They were careful to not swing hard so they wouldn't hurt each other. (Actually, it was so Hope wouldn't get hurt. She didn't think anything could hurt Baby.) They practiced lunge, thrust, stab, strike, block, deflect, advance, and retreat. Hope's efforts were focused and serious. So were Baby's, except his moves came across a being nonchalant and condescending to the point of being teasing.
Practice fighting with a dragon was not practical.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 10/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 10 - teeth The baby dragon learns to hunt. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #Dragons

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"Mommy, Mommy, I made a big discovery: bunnies are meat scraps food."
Hope had always known Baby was a carnivore — he had carnivore teeth — and she had always had to feed him as much meat as she could purchase, but she had never imagined this moment.
She should have known this would happen. It should not have been a surprise that he would eventually and instinctively learn to hunt and eat animals. She should have planned. She should have prepared. How was she going to handle this?
Baby said, "Are other animals meat scraps food?"
"Yes. Animals are where meat comes from."
His eyes went wide. "Are people meat scraps food?"
"Absolutely not! You are never to eat people! Do you understand me?"
Baby stepped back. This time his eyes didn't go wide from excitement, but from either surprise or terror. "I understand. I will never eat people."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 08/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 8 - mental Hope writes and talks about her experiences. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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Miss Nella taught Hope to write and talk about her experiences. By describing painful or overwhelming events, and naming the emotions they caused, she could reorganize them and add meaning, emotional context, and resolution. She embraced writing in her experiences and observations journal, and talking to her stuffed toy Foxy and the dragon egg, because it gave her active control over the memories and reduced the distress they caused, thus improving her mental well-being.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 06/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 6 - sigh Hope sighed, "Okay." When I finish a task and prepare to tackle the next, I sigh, "Okay." So, I give that characterization to Hope. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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Hope had survival tasks to do. Survival was a daily struggle. She reminded herself to stay focused and vigilant, because danger lurks. Her fearless and stoic mental state set, she was ready to do what she did most days. With a deep sigh, she whispered, "Okay," slipped out of her hiding place, and faced the world.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 04/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 4- collapse Dragons don't hoard. They collect. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #Dragons

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"This way. There's a place to hide."
Hope led the baby dragon back the way they had come to an abandoned shanty whose roof had collapsed long ago and no one had ever fixed. Riffraff had put rubbish in shanty. From behind the splintered walls, they waited until the people passed.
When it was safe, Hope sighed, "Okay," and was ready to continue their journey, but Baby wasn't — he had found a pile of rusty nails and was filling his pockets so he could add the nails to his collection.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 03/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 3 - effective Hope learned to dance. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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Dance helped Hope stay focused, quickened her reflexes, and taught her how to move in the world. It improved her balance and coordination; her agility and flexibility; and her timing, rhythm, and speed. It helped her be more aware of her body's position, posture, and motion, and it made her movements efficient and effective. It increased her physical strength, stamina, and endurance. Moreover, it boosted her confidence and helped her feel better about herself.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 01/09/2026

#WIPSnips September 1 - garden Hope has access to a patch of dirt. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity

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"Do you have a gardening book I can borrow? And where can I acquire seeds to plant."
Her teachers' wide-eyed expressions made Hope think they were puzzled by the implication that she wanted to grow a garden. Where could she possibly grow a garden? Well, she did ask for a book about living in the forest. They could have assumed she had access to a patch of dirt.
After the moment of surprise passed, Mister Finn said, "We have a book we can lend you," and Miss Livia said, "We collect seeds from everything we grow."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 31/08/2026

#WIPSnips August 31 - chip Potato wafers for the baby dragon. I hadn't planned a snip for chip since it doesn't occur in the story. Then I remembered the reason there's no chip is because I had chosen to use wafer. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #Dragons

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"Your teeth indicate you're a carnivore. Are you sure you want to try fruits and vegetables?"
"Ee foo. Ee foo." He opened his mouth.
"Okay." Hope tossed in a two-handed scoop of potato wafers.
He held them in his mouth for a moment, then worked his jaws by sliding his lower jaw forward and backward and side to side several times. Sometimes the left and right sides moved independently of each other. She didn't know how that worked as chewing since he had spiky teeth not chewing molars.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 25/08/2026

#WIPSnips August 25 - panic Hope disliked jingling, tinkling, and clinking sounds. Panic occurs 20 times in this draft. That might be too much panicking. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Riffraff jingled chimes to warn of approaching militiamen. When Hope heard the sound, she fled. Sometimes, she would hear a tinkling or the clinking of metal hitting metal, and even though it wasn't a warning chime, she felt panic. She disliked jingling, tinkling, and clinking sounds.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 22/08/2026

#WIPSnips August 22 - fresh Hope freshens up. In days past, public restrooms for women were rare. Therefore, when a woman guest arrived, she was offered the opportunity to "freshen up." #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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While waiting for the baby dragon to wake, Hope performed her morning routine by freshening up in the washroom and doing her morning exercises.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 12/08/2026

#WIPSnips August 12 - heartbreak Big Bear Valley eagles Jackie & Shadow and their eaglets inspired several scenes (such as attached) in my current project. Hope would be heartbroken if Baby dispersed and left her. I'm heartbroken that the eagle Jackie passed away. #AmWriting #Dragons #Eagle #Jackie

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Hope had one purpose: love, protect, and care for the baby dragon. But for how much longer would that purpose last? Baby was growing and maturing. He would become an immense and powerful adult dragon. When the young reach a certain age, they leave their home and their parents to go out into the world, self-reliant and living on their own. Would Baby leave her? Was he going to learn to fly, then fly away from her? What would become of her then?
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 10/08/2026

Big Bear Valley eagles Jackie and Shadow and their eaglets inspired scenes in the story I'm writing (caring for the baby dragon, him begging for food, struggling with learning to fly, and Hope realizing he will someday disperse and leave her). Jackie passed away. Loss leaves a hole in one's heart.

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 07/08/2026

#WIPSnips August 7 - handle I was told goat horns are great "handles" to manage goats. Does that apply to baby dragons? #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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Hope woke from a dream where she had been bashing her head against a wall. The baby dragon still slept. Books say babies need a lot of sleep. That must apply to baby dragons as well.
She pondered his horns. He had used the tan-colored, angled-back, handle-like horns to break out of the dragon egg.
That was the dream she had. She still felt the frustration when the wall wouldn't break.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 03/08/2026

#WIPSnips August 3 - thrill The baby dragon is becoming obsessed with animals. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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Baby went into the forest to watch animals, sneaking up on them using his dragon stealth trait. The thrill that came through their inner-world every time he came close to an animal gave Hope a tingling sensation.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 31/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 31 - twist Didn't think twist in story. Discovered nine — two because I had twist problem with shoulder strap on bag. Kept untwisting wrong. I laughed at my clumsiness and said, "I need to put this in the story." #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Hope placed the courier bag's strap over her left shoulder to let the bag ride against her right hip, and had a problem: the strap was twisted. After struggling with the strap, at first turning it the wrong way and making the twist worse, she got it straight and flat. Mister Randolph and Miss Kallie both grinned but refrained from laughing.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 30/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 30 - relax The world is a dark place. I had to rewrite part of this story because the dystopian world I had created turned out not to be as dystopian as what the real world has become. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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The militiamen laughed as they exchanged stories about mentally and physically abusing and traumatizing riffraff; how many they had harassed, humiliated, threatened, or simply chained and hauled away, or sent to work camps; how they had forced them into surrender, into submission, into silence; and how much coin reward they received from the City Lords for each riffraff they abducted.
They were proud of the fear they had instilled, and all with no accountability. They had made the world a grim, miserable, dreadful place where riffraff hurried along, head down, afraid, paranoid, and subject to being disappeared at any moment.
When the militiamen finally left, Hope breathed, silently hummed as she relaxed, and then whispered, "The world is a dark place." She put her mind back on task. Stay focused. Stay vigilant. Danger lurks. After sighing "Okay," she came out of hiding to continue surviving.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 25/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 25 - double The growing baby dragon enjoys sunning himself. Context: Earlier, Hope had been measured for new clothing. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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"I will lie in the light."
In the brightest spot in the meadow, the baby dragon lay flat on his belly. To maximize his exposure to the light, he spread his arms and legs and his primary and tail wings as wide as they would go. Hope hardly ever saw him spread out like that. It revealed how big he had grown.
She counted the steps from the tip of his tail to the tip of his nose, and then from wingtip to wingtip.
"Mommy, what are you doing?"
"I'm measuring you."
"Are you going to make clothing for me?"
"No. I want to know how big you've grown."
When he hatched, he had been about three steps long. Now, he was almost seven steps long, but his primary wings reached out more than 11 steps. His fanned-out tail wings were over two steps wide. He had doubled in size, but Hope expected him to double again or triple by the time he was fully grown.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 23/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 23 - dash So far, dash occurs 12 times. Is that too much dashing? Should some of them be dart or sprint or scamper, or how about scurry? #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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Hope said, "I can catch you." She charged the baby dragon.
"You can't catch me." He dashed away in a zigzag, occasionally pausing to let her come close, and then dodging while making his goik, goik laugh.
Hope, laughing with him, was unable to keep up.
Then he stopped, swung around, and said, "I can catch you."
She had no doubt he could. She stopped laughing and ran. They hadn't made rules for this game and she didn't know what he might think catch meant.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 22/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 22 - grand This is writing experiment. POV is third person limited. How to reveal something Hope does not know? She tells herself story about what she thinks happens, which author knows is actually what happens. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Mister Sterling made preserved and canned fruits, vegetables, and meats using methods such as cooking, drying, pickling, salting, and smoking. He also sold fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and honey, and he made wonderful food bars from those ingredients.
His customers seemed to all be riffraff and riffraff run meal shops. Hope didn't think the City Lords purchased food from him. She told herself a story about how privileged people had their own food sources and servants to prepare and serve the food in grand dining halls while riffraff performers entertained them.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 18/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 18 - next In addition to fighting skills, Mister Emery taught Hope music, dance, and acting. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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The next day was another Mister Emery day. He taught her a new choreographed dance called Perseverance of Truth. In secret, Mister Emery created music, songs, dances, and plays that told stories about perseverance. Publicly, he only created works based on stories praising the City Lords because they required it of him.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 16/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 16 - rush Living in a society where women have no rights, Hope had learned how to dress and act like a man so she could hide in plain sight. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Hope came into a street where three bullyboys had an older riffraff man surrounded and were threatening him. She reminded herself do not surrender to anger, then walked up to the quarrel.
The first boy to notice her gave her an intimidating scowl, at least that's what she assumed from the contorted look on his face. Then, the look crumbled as he turned and ran. The other two boys were confused, but when they saw Hope, their faces also crumbled as they turned and ran.
The riffraff man said, "Thank you for your help, young man."
Hope smiled, but then returned to her emotionless expression, and in a monotone, low-pitch, high-volume voice said, "You're welcome, sir. I've encountered them before. They know what I can do to them."
Then she continued down the street at a brisk, non-rushed, lurching pace, with a long stride and swinging arms.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 15/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 15 - coach Acting disrespectful, but it's only acting. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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For today's acting lesson, Mister Emery directed Hope to practice three roles: a privileged man who treated people with disrespect, a privileged woman who also treated people with disrespect, and a riffraff man who had to submit to privileged people's disrespect.
Hope didn't like acting disrespectful, especially to Mister Emery, but he was to be the target of the disrespect. With his encouragement and coaching, and after a few practice runs, the characters of the privileged man and woman came to feel like silly parodies of privileged people she had observed.
In contrast, having him act the part of the privileged person as he disrespected a riffraff man, portrayed by Hope, triggered Hope's anxiety. She had seen many riffraff men, women, and children terrorized and humiliated, and seeing it made her feel what she assumed they must have felt. Acting it made it even more real and personal. Mister Emery ended the lesson early apparently seeing how it distressed Hope.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 14/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 14 - phase Hope is told she needs to learn to spar. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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"Practicing with the training dummy is not enough — it is passive. You need to learn to anticipate and strategize. You need to learn the offensive and defensive nuances in a constantly changing real-world fight. The next phase is the most important part of your training. We need to spar."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 13/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 13 - almost Hope didn't have a home. She had a place to hide. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Early in her time on the street, Hope had hid in a different place almost every night. It had been particularly difficult to find a place to hide and stay dry during Monsoon. Then, she found an abandoned swill container buried in a rubbish pile. That became a more permanent hiding place until she discovered the warehouse lair.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 11/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 11 - attack Bullyboys were fixated on Hope's carrysack. What was it they thought she had in it that was of any value to them? #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Part way down the alley, three unfamiliar bullyboys stepped out in front of her. Hope turned to run, but the two bullyboys she had tried to avoid came up behind her.
All five bullyboys charged.
She got in several good hits before the bullyboys pulled her to the ground. She curled into a ball as they beat her and clawed at her carrysack trying to pull it off her back.
Then, from the tenement doors facing the alley came several riffraff men and woman. She thought they intended to join in on the beating, but instead they attacked the bullyboys, pulling them off her. She crawled away from the brawl.
A riffraff woman approached and said, "Let me help you, Child."
Hope got to her feet and ran. Several turns and sprints put her far from the conflict. In an alley, she hid behind rubbish and took stock of herself.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 08/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 8 - humid The baby dragon was not happy about floating away in the Monsoon runoff. Dragons love playing in the water — it's a dragon trait — so once he's over this upset, he'll return to the water. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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The baby dragon said, "Go inside lair now."
After drying Baby, and herself, Hope hung the towels and her clothing to dry, maybe. Towels and clothing took a long time to dry during Monsoon. A science book had taught her about humidity and evaporation. The same water vapor that made the fog made the air too full to hold any more, so evaporation was slow if it occurred at all.
Once settled in the lair and listening to the din of rain, Hope said, "Did you enjoy Monsoon?"
"Dangerous. Scary. Not fun."
"You were having fun until you fell in the water and were swept away."
"Not fun."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 07/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 7 - quarter Teaching the baby dragon to count. Revision will relocate teaching about 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 system as well as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 system. It's too much info dump and not needed until later. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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After learning the ten numeral symbols, including practicing writing them, and the concept of the one's column, the ten's column, the hundred's column, and so forth, the baby dragon was ready to count. He mastered numbers and counting easily.
Then, Hope taught him about coin. Whole coin numbers worked like regular numbers with ones, twos, fives, and tens. However, less than a whole coin was counted as sixteenth-coin, eighth-coin, quarter-coin, and half-coin. Baby thought this system irrational, but when she showed him how it worked by dividing up a circle, he reluctantly accepted it as being an it is what it is fact.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 05/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 5 - bench Hope gets new boots. This scene occurs long after the scene posted July 2. When I wrote the last line of this scene, I said, "Ooh, ooh, foreshadowing." #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Hope placed the old boots on the counter.
"You've taken good care of these." When Mister Olynn turned a boot over to look at the sole, the gemstone and coin fell out. He looked at them, then at Hope. "You know you don't have to do that."
"I insist."
"Very well. I know I can't argue with you." Knowing Hope never let anyone come close to her, he said, "You know the procedure. The measuring device is by the bench. Read out the numbers for me."
Hope removed her boots and socks and stepped on the device, adjusted the sliders, and read out the numbers as Mister Olynn wrote them in a ledger.
"The measurements aren't much different than the previous measurements. How do you current boots feel?"
"They're comfortable, more so than the old ones."
He pulled a pair of boots from a shelf and placed them on the counter. "These should be perfect for you. Try them on."
She put them on and walked circles. "They are perfect."
"Here are several pairs of socks and a new cleaning kit."
Hope placed the socks, cleaning kit, and what she now considered her old boots into her carrysack. "Thank you."
As she left, Mister Olynn said, "May your boots take you on many exciting adventures."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 04/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 4 - round Hope meets the baker. I found "They don't live round here" in text. I'm told it's okay in British English, but not American English. Changed it to "around." In part of country where I learned my mother's tongue, local accent says "'round here." #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

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"Hey, come back. I have bread for you."
Peeking from her hiding place, Hope watched the man. The smile on his round face went all the way to his bright blue eyes. She knew he must work with flour since he made baked goods such as bread, and she assumed he was covered in flour. But his hair was blond with no sign of flour. He wasn't covered in flour; he had a fair complexion.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 03/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 3 - out Hope has food insecurity. As child, I experienced food insecurity. It haunts me today is why food insecurity appears in my stories. Story has "out" 257 times (0.3% of words). Need to take out a few outs. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Food insecurity always haunted Hope. She had experienced severe hunger on many occasions when she couldn't forage enough to eat from swill containers. These days, she had resources to purchase or trade for food, but she still feared running out. So, she compulsively kept her food cache in the lair well stocked, and she cached extra food in hiding places around the city.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 02/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 2 - knock When Hope became an orphan, she had no boots. Even though helping orphans was prohibited, Mister Olynn secretly gave her a pair, and replaced them as her feet grew. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Mister Olynn, the boot maker, had given Hope bigger boots several times. Soon, she would need to ask for bigger boots again.
When she exchanged the old boots for new ones, in each boot she left a gemstone. She placed the boots next to Mister Olynn's door in the alley, then knocked and hid until he came out.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 01/07/2026

#WIPSnips July 1 - scarf Sometimes, my food does run away. From my 1,000,000 words of trunk novels. I want to return to this story and rewrite it using what the 1,000,000 words of practice taught me about writing. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Dragons

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The dragon scarfed down his meal before I even got the first forkful of mine into my mouth.
"You eat as if you fear your food is going to run away."
"Sometimes, my food does run away."
— The Dragon Universe Fellowship (trunk novel)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 27/06/2026

#WIPSnips June 27 - root Hope had survived Monsoon many times. Will this one be different? #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

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Like the sweep of a hand passing from the east, the constant stirring and murmuring of the ceaseless west wind ceased. An unnatural silence gripped Hope making her feel as if she had lost her hearing. A foreboding angst filled her. Overhead, the persistent orange-haze roiled as sinuous tendrils of grey squirmed in from the east like the roots of a massive tree, ever reaching, ever expanding. Monsoon was coming.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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