iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The relatable moment in The End of Oak Street (no spoilers) where she realizes that she's lost her manuscript and she knows that's a lesser problem in the face of all the dinosaurs but still needs a couple seconds to be upset.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Pray for me. I just split a chapter into two, and now I need to renumber most of my chapters. #amwriting

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is a PSA that if you view SAFE Red Panda's Stories on Facebook, you can see the winners of their inaugural Sploot-Off, which may include a photo from yours truly. But also, just, red pandas.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Deeply annoyed that one of the things from high school I actually use in real life is titrations. Like what the heck.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Hit me with the first line of your story, published/finished or not. Always love to share the opening of #JustStabsWIP.

Rin Kel Vran kept seventeen knives hidden on her person. That was, seventeen she was worried the coppers would find if they frisked her. Well, sixteen knives she was worried they would find, and one they definitely already knew about, because it was brandished bare in her hand, wet to the hilt with blood.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The last game I played was Planet Zoo. I am a zookeeper. This is the deal of a lifetime.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I was told my story with a 36yo MC should be labeled YA because there wasn’t enough romance. 🤔 I also once got called out for the word “pants” being an “Americanism”. I am American.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

There are 74000 acres burning, the sky is permanently smoke-filled, people have lost their homes, and some dumbasses still think their fireworks are more important.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Reminder: Messi may have the men's record for most World Cup goals, but he is only tied for most overall with Marta. Messi & Ronaldo may be the 1st men to appear in 6 WCs, but Homare Sawa & Formiga achieved that feat back in 2015. Celebrate their accomplishments, but don't treat men as the default.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Can we also make preordering paperbacks a thing? I don’t care if it tells me I have to wait another seven months, I don’t want to pay more for a book I want less, but I do want to indicate interest in the book.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

It's easily the fact that there was no one to help Rin when she was alone as a child, and that's left her believing that people don't look out for each other and the only person you can rely on is yourself. #amwriting #JustStabsWIP

It really was awful, wasn’t it? For money, for glory: Rin didn’t care. She didn’t want it. And the idea of doing it to help people… That had to be hopelessly naïve. Or foolhardy. Or… something. It just had to be a stupid idea. No one had helped Rin, after all.
I don’t need to help anyone.
I don’t owe anything.
It had to be stupid, because if it wasn’t, it meant Rin might not have needed to do it alone before.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

For 18 days in 1998, Lake Champlain was officially designated a Great Lake. Then they realized that doesn’t actually make sense. It is still, however, a Very Good Lake.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Me: Okay, as soon as I move my laundry over, I’ll start cleaning the kitchen. Also me: Gets distracted by a bird, spends the next ten minutes working on the ID.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

#CRPnessie #CampRevPit So, every time I go to a bookstore, I go to the fantasy section and find where my book would be (so just alphabetical by author), and then I make a little gap as though it's just waiting to be put in. It's tradition and inspiration. One day I won't have to make gap anymore.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

#CRPnessie #CampRevPit I don't have any in #JustStabsWIP, except for one, maybe, it's complicated. But I do have another WIP that features steampunk-cyborg dragons. I like four-legged dragons, but I think 2-legs, 2-wings are more realistic, so it was a nice compromise while also being badass. 1/2

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

#CRPnessie This isn't my most developed world, but it's queernormative and I put thought into how the nobility and their titles reflect that. I generally have some idea of the vibe I want for the world, and I'll figure out some things, but other parts are realize as I go. I love making my maps.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

#CampRevPit Took me a while to decide what dialogue to share, because there's a lot that I like, but I decided on this. It's a little bit funny, a little bit sad, and overall very Rin. #DialogueDrop #JustStabsWIP

“You want to keep going to the Source?”
Rin reached into her jacket and pulled out a knife. She used the tip to clean out under her fingernails. “Well, I don’t think I want to, exactly. But, you know, I’m already here, so if I went home now there’d be absolutely no point to the last few days. And I still need to get back at Djarah for kidnapping me—”
“Did crashing the airship not count?”
“No, it did not. Plus, that’s a lot of money Djarah’s paying, so I’m sure I could find some use for it. And, anyway, I’m still trying to work my way into Leanora’s favor, ‘cause you’ve always gotta hope, so…” Rin lightly pressed the tip of her knife against her palm, spinning it around without looking at Rosebird.
“Well, I suppose those reasons are at least as good as Gorian’s,” Rosebird said.
“What are his reasons?”
“He wants to get really rich.”
“Fair.” Rin looked up. “Don’t go thinking this means I like you all or anything. It’s just, you know, the practicalities of coming—that’s all.”
Rosebird was examining her face. Rin quickly looked down, at the knife in her hands. She hefted it by the hilt.
“How often do you tell the truth?” Rosebird asked.
Rin shrugged. “Just enough to keep it interesting.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

#CRPnessie #CampRevPit I have yet to create a moodboard that I like for #JustStabsWIP. I have also never had a playlist, because I cannot write with music; they just don't mesh. Best I can offer is this visual I did of my opening paragraph.

Text in a white box that dissolves into the background image of a craggy, snow-capped mountain. The text reads: "Rin Kel Vran kept seventeen knives hidden on her person. That was, seventeen she was worried the coppers would find if they frisked her. Well, sixteen knives she was worried they would find, and one they definitely already knew about, because it was brandished bare in her hand, wet to the hilt with blood."

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

#CRPnessie #CampRevPit Rin is a city dweller. She complains that an empty plain is worrisome because anything could be in it. She dislikes cold and heights, so getting dragged into the mountains probably wasn't the best. Her skills are mostly knife-based, but not of the survival kind.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

#CRPnessie Honestly not sure that anyone would be taking a s’more from Rin at the start, but that’s more a reflection on Rin than anything else. Talking antagonist is a little complicated for #JustStabsWIP, so it’s hard to say much more.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

#CampRevPit Hey everyone! I'm Ellen, zookeeper by day, writer of secondary world fantasy by night. My main WIP started because I wanted to write something stabby ("no plot, just stabs", hence the #JustStabsWIP title), but it ended up being a story about doing the good you can... and also stabbing.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

I can mess around with what I’ve written that day, but once the day is done that writing is locked and I cannot touch it until the draft is done. I am very much a momentum writer, so my most important thing is to keep moving.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Since not even Rin knows how many knives she has on her, and considering the story already features an extended disarming scene (there's more beyond the snippet), I think it's safe to assume the what and the how much trouble, especially because Rin's world doesn't have metal detectors. #JustStabsWIP

She unsheathed the largest knife at her hip and handed that over, hilt first. Then she dropped her forearm knife into her hand and passed that along, too. Off came her bandolier of throwing knives. She pulled six knives from the lining of her coat, removed three more from her belt, dug out one from against her back, and pulled a small one out from between her boot and ankle. She awkwardly reached under her shirt to get two she kept in the lining of her corset. “Sorry,” she muttered as she handed those over. “Didn’t mean to be crude.” Last, she unstrapped the one on her thigh and added that to the pile.
The attendants looked at the assortment of blades and then at Rin. For once, their unflappable expressions looked a little perturbed. “Is that all of it?”
“I think so,” Rin said. She frowned. “Oh, wait.” She reached across her chest and inside of her sleeve, and removed one more. “There.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

#RevPitWaiting I like The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman. Also, yes, it's a time waster, but tvtropes.org can help me think about what tropes I want or don't want to use, or how I want to play around with them. Plus, I once wrote a book based off five random tropes I rolled.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

#RevPitWaiting I'm definitely more on the pantser side of the spectrum. I have some idea of where I need to go, but not all the parts, and the idea of outlining beforehand sounds horribly limiting. I'm also a momentum writer, so once I can't take a break, and no editing as I go.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

#RevPitWaiting Best I can do is the map I made. It's nothing too fancy, but I'm still proud.

A black-and-white digital map of a fantasy world. The right two-thirds are large landmass, with most of it taken up by the country Candesia. There are a couple cities on the coast. A river runs from east to west, more or less cutting the country in half. The entire western border is a mountain range. The whole thing is plain, without any adornments to make it look fancy, but it is clean and sleek.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

#RevPitWaiting I'll talk about inspiration. I'm drawn to writing turn-of-the-century analogue societies, so when there was a prompt on Twitter to share stabby snippets, I realized I didn't have anything, and I wanted to join. Hence my stabby story, which somehow became about helping however you can.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting I shared this for another chat, but it’s worth doing again.

Djarah put her hand over her heart. "You're insane."
"No, but I am angry." Rin cocked her head. "Which I suppose does make me mad, in a
sense...”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

#ChaosChat It's not hidden, but there's this. Also, like every book, I include the words "at least six" as part of an inside joke with some friends.

“Well, I never was able to get those last few supplies,” Rosebird said as she approached a horse. “Oh well. We should be able to make do. They were more supplementary, anyway.”
“Don’t you mean supply-mentary?” Rin asked.
Rosebird snorted. “That is terrible, and I approve.”

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

#ChaosChat Rin doesn't really have anyone to prank her at the start, and as she gets to know more of the cast, most of them would be pretty mean-spirited if they pranked her. Rin might or might not see it coming, but I don't think she'd particularly care. She already doesn't care what others think.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

#ChaosChat According to other characters, Rin has a lot of bad ideas, but, as she counters, they do tend to work. But I think that even she would agree that crashing the airship, while she was on it, was probably not the wisest choice.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Rin would never ask for help, because she believes that other people just let you down, you can only count on yourself. This comes from her parents utterly failing her as a child, where they beggared the family and then died, leaving her to fend for herself at nine years old. #JustStabsWIP

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Blood is a very low-nutrition food source, meaning it's easy for vampire bats to starve. As a result, they are known to regurgitate blood to other bats in their colony, making sure that everyone has the energy to stay live. #AnimalFacts

A vampire bat in flight at night, its wings partially outstretched.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting I have so many. My best two are probably Ouroboros, where they traverse the void between world via magic airship, and The Dragoneer, a military fantasy featuring steampunk-cyborg dragons. I'm also toying with an idea featuring someone who can travel through mirrors.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

My friend said #JustStabsWIP made her cry three times, and if that's not a wonderful compliment I don't know what is.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting (or is it #RevPETWaiting? Ha ha ha… sorry). I got two babies: my pupper, Gideon, and my beardie, Audrey.

A golden retriever sitting on a rock, with an autumn lake behind him.

A golden retriever lying in a stream as he looks at the camera.

A bearded dragon sitting on faux wood floor, her head and tail raised in the air.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting What's probably my favorite book isn't indicative of what I usually read. But I've read Watership Down once a year, every year, for over twenty years now. At this point, it's just an old friend, and I get excited as I approach certain moments.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting One of my favorite lines of #JustStabsWIP is so context-dependent, and a bit of a spoiler, but this is a strong runner-up. It's a message we all need right now.

She couldn’t stop the war. She couldn’t stop suffering, pain, starvation, grief. It was too big, too intrinsic to the world. She could never fix it all.
Not being able to help everyone doesn’t mean it’s not worth it to help someone. It could never be perfect, but it could always be better.
She thought of soft kindness, a gentle intent. A second chance to learn and to grow and do better.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting Rin Kel Vran is the MC for #JustStabsWIP. Rin believes that other people just let you down, so she relies on only herself. She thrives on bullshittery, and even she doesn't know how many knives are hidden on her body. But she isn't mean, she just doesn't stick her neck out for anyone.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

#RevPitWaiting I’ve got #JustStabsWIP, the story of a stabby sapphic disaster who has to be kidnapped on her own quest. Check my pinned post for more. It was inspired because I wanted to write something stabby, but it ended up being heartfelt about believing in people and helping how you can. #F #A

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Hello! I'm Ellen! I'm a zookeeper, so my coworkers include penguins, otters, a red panda, and a sloth. I'm American, but I grew up as a State Department brat, so my childhood included living in three other countries as well (Switzerland, Mozambique, and Lesotho).

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Make your #RevPit goals: - Practice putting together your query materials - Connect with other writers - Learn from the editors That way, it's super easy to succeed, and actually winning is just a bonus.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I am proud to say that I finally churned out a draft query for #JustStabsWIP so that I'll actually have something to submit for #RevPit. Amazing how just doing something actually gets stuff done.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

I feel like if I buy a book because I'm hoping I can use it as a comp I should be able to write it off in taxes.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Rin believes other people just let you down, so thanks but no thanks to a quest to get rich and better the world. Except she's the only one who can access the magic they're seeking—stupid ancestor—so Rin and all her knives get kidnapped. Someone's getting stabbed for this. #JustStabsWIP #WSPit #A #F

A quote on a white rectangle that fades into a background of a jagged mountain. The quote is as follows: " Rin Kel Vran kept seventeen knives hidden on her person. That was, seventeen she was worried the coppers would find if they frisked her. Well, sixteen knives she was worried they would find, and one they definitely already knew about, because it was brandished bare in her hand, wet to the hilt with blood."

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

One thing I always do is go through the editors and make sure I'm following every editor who has even partial overlap for my interests, because there's no downside to following industry professionals in my genre who like to be helpful, and that's all I get from #RevPit, I've still gotten something.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Oh, dang, guess I'd better write a query and a synopsis and figure out if I've got a title better than #JustStabsWIP and maybe pick out a comp or two...

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Imagine spending thousands of dollars to watch this game live.

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Ellen Geers Loftis @lnloft.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Happy birthday to my most perfect dog!

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