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Sharpened Words

@sharpenedwords.bsky.social

2 followers 3 following 10 posts

A blog for writers of fiction. www.sharpenedwords.net

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Struggling to finish your book? Let's cover my top five tips for how to defeat that monster!

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0.02 Hearthside: How to Finish the Damn Thing — Sharpened Words

Five tips for how to actually finish your novel.

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

The Antagonist can take many forms: a human, an environment, a culture or idea. Next to the protagonist, they are the second most important pillar supporting your story.

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1.04 The Antagonist — Sharpened Words

Breaking down three different types of antagonist and how to decide which is right for your story.

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Hearthside advice: On Feedback. If the house is on fire, you don’t try to put it out from within. Think of your beta readers and editors as fire fighters who help put out the fires that you can’t see and can’t reach while you’re stuck in the building (your novel).

Simple graphic of a log fire in a pale orange color. The text overlay reads: 0.01 in black.

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Since I’m descending into the chaos of the holiday season, I’ve decided to start up a new series on the blog. Bite Sized Beta will tackle some common beta/developmental feedback I leave on books. Today’s bite: Avoiding “white room syndrome.”

Icon for Bite Sized Beta: a purple square centered on a white background. Within the square a minimalist graphic of a twist wrap candy in white. “1.00” is centered in bold black font

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Characters are the vessel through which to tell your story. You may have the most original plot of the age, but without interesting characters to populate it, many readers will close the book. This is why Characters are the first major unit we’ll tackle here!

Icon for the Characters unit: the image is of two hands reaching for each other, nearly touching. “1.00” is overlayed in bold black text.

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

A link might help out! 😬 www.sharpenedwords.net

sharpenedwords.ne

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

The site is now live!! The first four blog posts are up for your eyeballs 👀

Still shot of Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein shouting, “It’s alive!”

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Sharpened Words @sharpenedwords.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Sharpened Words is a blog for aspiring authors looking to hone the craft of fiction writing, spearheaded by writer/editor @tananaphone.bsky.social. Writing books is hard at every stage. There are no certain rules, no dumb questions, so make a cuppa and pull up a chair. Let’s talk about writing.

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