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LRR.rocks

@lrrrocks.bsky.social
983 followers 467 following 443 posts

Linda Robertson Reinhardt |Author*Artist*Composer Creating More Than Great Stories linktr.ee/lrrrocks Fantasy/Horror | Rock & Epic Orchestral Music WITCH☽⛥☾ ALLY🌈 I DO NOT follow politics-heavy feeds SHOP: www.embersandarcana.com

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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Every pass through a manuscript teaches you something your last pass couldn't. That's not a sign of inefficiency. That's how you develop your craft. Your book and your storytelling get better because you've learned, grown & become better at seeing what needs done.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
2 of 2/ decisions or turning points that effect how their arc plays for or against the MC. Allow their importance to show by giving them a private moment where that decision is made for solid reasons.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
1 of 2/ The quietest character in your draft might be carrying the loudest interior life. Do they have a scene that proves this? Don't let your supporting characters start to feel like furniture. They're not there only to "serve" the MC's arc, they have an arc, too. Maybe they have
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I have a goal of 1,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. Subscribing costs nothing & takes 1 click. I post guided Hekate meditations built around her epithets, & original ambient music. If my channel gave you something, even once, I'd be grateful for the subscribe.🙏 www.youtube.com/@RookwoodMoon
youtube.com
Rookwood Moon
Rookwood Moon's Youtube Channel is a place for ambient music, meditation music, guided meditations, and other content created by Rookwood Moon.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Cutting a "favorite" line is a clear signs you're becoming a sharper editor of your own work. It means you recognized that the line was serving /you/ more than it was serving the story, and you noticed the difference. That instinct only gets stronger with practice.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
2 of 2/ vote of confidence, even when it doesn't feel like one in the moment. Be mature enough to sit with the discomfort long enough to hear what's useful underneath it.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
1 of 2/ A critique partner who challenges you (not in an antagonizing way) is showing you more respect than one who only offers praise. Honest pushback means they believe the work can hold up to scrutiny and get stronger for it. That's a
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What about you? What's your take on this?
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
To your question: I think I get most of the problems out by outlining but definitely not all. There's still plenty to fix and address in revisions. Character development, character voice/behavior/motives get sharper. Settings become more reflective of the situations.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Now, my 1st drafts are full of overused words I have to address--I do a whole pass/draft just for those. And, that 1st draft is where the seeds of conflict get planted, the subsequent drafts are where those seeds really grow and blossom.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I'm a reformed pantser who created big plot problems as I wrote my 1st draft. Over time, I've learned to write just enough outline to assurance me that my plot is solid but still leave room for the fun discovery writing & getting to know the characters.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Your 1st draft is the less polished sibling of the final draft. No one sends a 1st draft to readers so don't stress out/demand your 1st draft be perfect. Let the sentences be rough. Let the plot hole stay, just note/highlight the problem. Clean drafts come LATER, built on the bones of this draft.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Writing day: word count is a compass not a verdict . (Me yesterday=0) Some sessions move fast. Some move 100 words thru real resistance. You need both kinds to build your manuscript. The steady ones, the difficult ones, the 0 words ones matter just as much as the ones where 1000s of words flow.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
2 of 2/ the eyes of statues watching them with suspicion or being encouraged by the fragrance of flowers in a room) is as powerful as them reacting to another character. Treat your setting with that kind of intention. It will give your story layers of texture and depth that plot alone can't provide.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1 of 2/ Setting is a character, too. Setting has moods, it has history, and it can express/reflect opinions about the people passing through it. A place can resist your protagonist, challenge them, or welcome them. The character's reaction to the setting (such as feeling
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
OMG. Dream home... www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
zillow.com
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Characters often know things about themselves before you do. Instead of forcing a correction, listen to them. What could this deepen in the plot? I’ve found that if a character keeps challenging what I thought was the plan, that's instinct pointing toward something better than my original vision.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A character who surprises you (and your reader!) mid-scene is doing what you created them to do. Don't get in the way of that. Let them be surprising.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Dialogue that reads true on the pages doesn't always sound as good when you say it aloud. Read your scenes aloud & trust your ear. You shouldn't make every dialogue line grammatically correct. Real people interrupt/repeat themselves, trail off, etc. Let your characters talk like real people.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Yup. Anne McCaffrey had some good ones, too. Weis & Hicks. Sheesh, now I'll have to go pull some of these from my library and see if they pass the 'decades later' test for me.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What a great list! Some of my favs that I read in the 80s were Jennifer Roberson (Sword Dancer series), David Eddings (Malorean), Piers Anthony(Adept series). The early 2000s were another era with a lot of authors I really enjoyed.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
LOL
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It was supposed to be screen/page but I goofed. (: I cannot imagine yelling the whole book over time!
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Yup. I keep a 'cuts' file where I paste those bits so I don't feel like I'm just tossing words out. I can go find them again later if I change my mind. (:
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Agree 100%. It's hard not to overthink, but I try to do a decent outline so I can be confident I won't be writing myself into a corner, but I don't hammer out all the details either. That keeps the writing itself feeling creative and exploratory.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
meant to be screen/page but goofed (:
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
LOL! (was supposed to be screen/page)
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Revision isn't punishment for writing a flawed draft. It's the stage where a good idea becomes a good book, and every working writer passes through it. The draft you have now was never meant to be the final version. It was meant to give you something to revise, which is exactly what it did.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Every author you admire has sat looking at their screen page, unsure if the sentence in front of them was good enough. That uncertainty didn't disqualify them from finishing the book, and it doesn't disqualify you either.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Hit 45K words in the WIP today. WOOT!
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Thinking about changes today. All my published books are modern alternate Earth type fantasy (vamps & werewolves, angels & demons, elemental animal symbionts) but the one I'm working on now is non-earth, pre-tech fantasy like the beloved books I grew up reading. It feels kind of like coming home.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Tips for post-vacation brain that resists resuming the writing groove? Got binaural beats music playing, but focus keeps drifting....grrrr.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
3 of 3/ every word choice fits the character’s voice; questioning what the reader loses if it is left out, what the reader learns if it is left in, and asking myself am I just stringing words & sentences together to fill this page?
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
2 of 3/ what it says about the character in that moment, their motive, state of mind, &if this bit of interiority aligns with where they think they are verses where I as the author know they are; questioning if the line is grammatically sound, if it is showing or telling, if its rhythm is right, if
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
1 of 3/ What is the appropriate level of author self editing, asking for a friend... Me agonizing over a single line: questioning if it actually supports the narrative, the theme, & the character’s development; questioning its placement in the book, in the chapter, in the paragraph; questioning
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
That dark thing you’re going to do to the main character cannot be there only to fill a page. What does it cost them? What does it teach them? How does it change them?
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Writers: That blank page begging for words you hesitate to write is only scary because it has so much potential.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Home from vacation. This was my view while gone and I am going to miss it...but I'm very glad to be home. I can tell I actually /vacationed/ because I'm a little lost in my office, not sure where to start, so I'll be easing back into the work routine.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Finishing a series brings mixed emotions. Part relief because I’ve traversed a story mountain & part grief because I made a journey w/ people who changed me that only ever lived in my head. I want readers to discover them, feel with them, & also be changed by them. That’s how characters live on.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
keep rising. If the characters go off script, I let them for a bit. It’s like a plot twist for me as the author & as a plot twist in the story deserves exploration, so does this. Usually, it deepens the story in a way that hadn’t occurred to me while outlining. It keeps the process fresh & exciting.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Outliner or pantser? I’m an outlining pantser. The outline is a guideline that assures me I’m not wasting time. It means I’ve thought out the plot, I can logically follow the throughline, and the stakes
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I’m an author, artist, and composer. Every time I build a new story, it gets told three times: once in words, once in color, once in sound. Each layer tells me something about the characters that the other two couldn't. 10 novels. 6 albums. So much art. open.spotify.com/artist/37ZIP...
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
One of the best things about writing is when characters start to feel like people, but they are just words I’ve put on a page.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Writing is an act of courage. You put a mirror on the page, exposing some part of yourself thru characters & situations, exploring, reconstructing, resolving. That's why some stories resonate & others don't. Why some take years to finish & others are fast. You have to be ready to face those words.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Now on Substack! A True but Unserious Introduction to Me, Part 1 substack.com/profile/5424...
substack.com
Linda Robertson Reinhardt (@lrrrocks)
New to Substack. I’m an author formerly published by Simon & Schuster now publishing on my own terms. I’m a composer/musician who used to play lead guitar in a rock band but now I score my books like ...
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I believe I've finally become the person I needed to be write that story that's been waiting in my TBW file for, honestly, 25+ years. #AmWriting #authorlife
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I made espresso and forgot to put the carafe under the spout, but my deck flowers look great and this little guy visited this week so it's not all bad.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Grandcat sleeping. His paws. HIS PAWS. I can't even.
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Just saw that I was nominated.......OMG! 🥰
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LRR.rocks @lrrrocks.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
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