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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 10h

#WIPSnips October 6 - rice I put one of my common meals in the story. Hope later suggests it be called a wrapped feast. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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As always, Mister Stirling sneaked in extra food bars, and he gave Hope a new kind of meal kit that contained several pieces of circular flat bread and containers of meat, rice, beans, cheese, and sauce.
"I'm calling it a wrapped meal, or maybe a portable feast. Aviar gave me the flat bread to see what ideas I might have for using it. Put the fillings on the bread and fold and roll it up to eat; the instructions say how. It can be eaten cold, but heating it makes it better; the instructions provide suggestions. Let me know what you think of it."
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 05/10/2026

#WIPSnips October 5 - wall The Walled District of Privilege Inspired by the real world. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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The City Lords lived in their Walled District of Privilege on a hill surrounded by the squalor of the tenement and shanty slums where everyone else lived.
— The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)

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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · 03/10/2026

#WIPSnips October 3 - petal The vibrancy of superbloom colors had been a reprieve from the darkness in the world. #AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSciFi

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As they traveled, superbloom ended. The fragrance in the air faded. The plants shed their flowers, causing a flurry of colorful petals to waft through the forest on the west wind, piling into drifts in the lee of bushes and trees. The delight superbloom had brought dimmed to be replaced by dreariness.
— 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 · 09/09/2026

Rereading Spark by Sarah Beth Durst. I realized what the title meant. I had missed it on my first read in 2019. Pixit to Mina: "You are the spark that can ignite the world." Mina: "I am the spark." Spark isn't in reference to the lightning beast Pixit. The spark is Mina. Roll credits. #AmReading

Book cover for Spark by Sara Beth Durst that says across the top: Even the quietest voice can change the world. The image shows a city of lights in the background. In the foreground, on a hill, stands a girl facing the city. In the air in front of the girl is a dragon-like creature with his wings spread in flight as he looks back at the girl. All around them are sparks of lightning.

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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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · 29/07/2026

I have been informed that "welcome to the world" indicates it was written by AI. #WritingCommunity

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After she helped the baby dragon hatch out of his egg, Hope tried to wipe away her tears, but smeared slime on her face instead. "Welcome to the world, baby dragon."
The baby dragon said, "Squawk."

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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 · 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

Midnight measurement of local air quality after people were setting off fireworks 2026-07-04. #Fireworks #4ThOfJuly #AirQuality

Air quality displayed as a dial with the arrow pointing at the very unhealthy indicator.

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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 · 04/07/2026

As I studied the writing craft, I learned that most of my stories use the Maiden Arc, which are coming of age stories, regardless of gender or age of the character. I thank K.M. Weiland for teaching me this. I made the attached chart while studying story structure. #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Chart labeled Story Structure showing
Beginning at 0%
Hook at 1%
• Opening scene
• First thing that happens
• Possibly the first line
Setup at 1%–12%
Inciting Incident at 12%
Build-up at 12%–25%
Plot Point 1 at 25%
• Story experiences a reboot, a new direction
• Ignite the core story from seeds planted in the opening quartile
• Launches a mission
• Most important moment in a story
Reaction at 25%–37%
Pinch Point 1 at 37%
• Next important moment in a story
• Can be more of these, as long as at least two appear in middle of quartiles 2 and 3
• Reminder about the source of antagonism in the story
• A reminder of the magnitude of the hero's problem
Realization at 37%–50%
Midpoint Plot Point 2 at 50%
• Second most important moment in a story
• Change context of the hero's experience from response mode into active mode
• Character arc perspective evolves from "wanderer" into "warrior"
• Leveraging new knowledge or change imparted at the Midpoint moment
• Pace and dramatic tension of story increase palpably
• The proximity of confrontation, danger, and salvation draws near
• Midpoint is where the main character begins to get their hero on
Action at 50%–62%
Pinch Point 2 at 62%
• Things go wrong as a reminder of what could go wrong
• Hero has more risk and more work before core story problem/opportunity will be resolved
Renewed Push at 62%–75%
Plot Point 3 at 75%
• All Is lost Darkest Moment
• Utter upheaval
• Hero Appears Beaten or Lost but Something Happens to Turn the Situation Around
• Hero Draws Upon the New Strengths or Lessons He's Learned
• Hero's Goal Becomes Reachable
Recovery at 75%–88%
Climax at 88%
Confrontation at 88%–98%
Climactic Moment at 98%
• Protagonist's goal met
• Physically impossibility for the conflict to continue
Resolution at 98%–100%
• Ease reader out of the excitement of the Climax and into the final emotion
Ending at 100%

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