Story Embers | DragonGeek | Activity https://storyembers.org/members/dragongeek/activity/ Activity feed for DragonGeek. Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:42:05 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v= en 30 hourly 2 4d00f76cde4269ffa532a812c1801bcc DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals - April in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-april/#post-86510 Mon, 15 Apr 2019 16:13:15 -0400 @faith_blum I haven’t been making weekly goals recently, but I want to get back into the swing of things. I’m putting my current story online, a chapter at a time, but I’ve been letting it stall. My goal this week is to finish the second chapter and make edits, suggested by a friend, to the first.

]]> 0 7bb9a645540f203ec95a561433a02801 DragonGeek replied to the topic Writing Game--Expanding Descriptions in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-game-expanding-descriptions/#post-85617 Mon, 08 Apr 2019 12:59:21 -0400 Yeah, that’s good! I’ll take yours.

 

The restaurant was crowded, the noise of babbling conversation almost as pervasive as the smell of grease. But even amid this clamor, it was hard not to notice the teenagers in a corner booth. Loud laughter spilled out from the trio of girls, echoing over the establishment. One leaned over, pounding on the…[Read more]

]]> 0 a95709aa83b36a9f823fdb9133cab689 DragonGeek replied to the topic Book Club! in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/book-club/#post-85615 Mon, 08 Apr 2019 12:54:12 -0400 The reason it didn’t work out the first time was that nobody had time to read the book. Maybe we should wait and do it over the summer instead?

]]> 0 eff968c59d6a7e1b664c4fbc76198bad DragonGeek replied to the topic New Members! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/new-members/#post-82461 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 23:31:10 -0400 Welcome!

]]> 0 47d41a69fa677f6561cc073ecc146041 DragonGeek replied to the topic Topic #30: The Climax and Resolution in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topic-30-the-climax-and-resolution/#post-78489 Thu, 14 Feb 2019 01:26:43 -0400 How bad is it to have something new show up in the climax and surprise people? For instance, a few of my climaxes involve my characters, for lack of a better word, ‘unlocking’ new powers they didn’t have before, which help resolve the problem. Everyone says the climax should be well-foreshadowed and not come out of nowhere, or the audience might…[Read more]

]]> 0 e68e8408f5e9465a4140bab5434b5f78 DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #32 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-32/#post-75088 Wed, 30 Jan 2019 19:22:53 -0400 I have to admit, I thought I shot kind of low last week when planning to just adjust the outline for my second draft. But my editor still hasn’t given it an unqualified all-clear. I might have to bug him to get back to me.

]]> 0 83d09665d176d4bf02f50bf5509ab2ad DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #31 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-31/#post-73008 Mon, 21 Jan 2019 19:43:45 -0400 I haven’t had a lot of time recently… this week’s goal is to return to my major WIP (probably about 30,000 words) which has been inactive since last semester, currently a finished first draft. I need to figure out the scene order and chapters so I can rewrite it with better structure now that it’s all laid out in front of me.

]]> 0 e7fdd180db9f1a0870a4eaff495525f1 DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #29 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-29/#post-70750 Wed, 09 Jan 2019 20:58:59 -0400 I have no idea what my goal was, but this week I want to finish one short story (for a contest!) and maybe, if I have time, start shuffling around the scenes from my big WIP to make it more organized before I start the second draft.

]]> 0 76cc407cd00da776802429dec0855536 DragonGeek replied to the topic Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/merry-christmas-and-a-happy-new-year/#post-68954 Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:08:37 -0400 I have some things I’d like to work on writing, but none big enough to be resolutions. I don’t even know how much I generally write in a year, so I don’t know how to make a goal to push that. I have a few projects I’m working on, but they’re all pretty short, so all I can see ahead is the next few months, not a whole year. I did, however, finally…[Read more]

]]> 0 201beba6a80ae87d111fa8bb36e8c3dc DragonGeek replied to the topic Writing Prompt War in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-prompt-war/page/4/#post-67477 Fri, 21 Dec 2018 00:02:40 -0400 Remember when Avensbeck won every single war? This is our comeuppance.

]]> 0 a9250e43bc182a8baabae66a51c8a161 DragonGeek replied to the topic Topics poll in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topics-poll/#post-65307 Tue, 11 Dec 2018 20:45:26 -0400 I love your discussion topics! They’re super helpful and inspire me to write. I don’t always comment, because sometimes I don’t have anything to say, but I do really appreciate having them.

]]> 0 6c0627c55559a3e26170fa44b6900d6d DragonGeek replied to the topic Writing Prompt War in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-prompt-war/#post-64030 Thu, 06 Dec 2018 02:39:01 -0400 I like Serenity’s idea of having the dream blend real fears with unreal events.

]]> 0 f2874ddefeb3b7163288c28d30a8087c DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 winner (and word war #4)! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3-winner-and-word-war-4/page/10/#post-63417 Mon, 03 Dec 2018 22:51:58 -0400 @faith_blum Final count: 12621

]]> 0 0acf84f566e64bc835222a0e7202c5fb DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 winner (and word war #4)! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3-winner-and-word-war-4/page/9/#post-62799 Sat, 01 Dec 2018 15:11:47 -0400 I wrote just a teeny tiny bit more yesterday, even though I thought I wouldn’t, so my current count is a nice palindrome: 12621. Not a high number, but an aesthetically pleasing one.

]]> 0 4a8ca5954d0dad8662f065521505b8d4 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 winner (and word war #4)! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3-winner-and-word-war-4/page/8/#post-62581 Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:56:18 -0400 Standing at 12,109 and not likely to write any more today.

]]> 0 efe0ca4dc5bf959ee71ea8414d55ec8c DragonGeek replied to the topic Topic #25: Procrastination in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topic-25-procrastination/#post-61601 Mon, 26 Nov 2018 22:21:35 -0400 I needed this and a good deal more–not for writing, but for school. My workload is threatening to bury me, but I could easily get it under control if I would just do it already.

]]> 0 30d4d1fc5e842ffa7f03d1471ab71854 DragonGeek replied to the topic My villain is having issues in the forum Characters https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/my-villain-is-having-issues/#post-60148 Sat, 17 Nov 2018 22:43:59 -0400 Oh, boy. I’ve been working on a twist villain as well, so here’s what worked for me, but no guarantees.

If the villain is acting nice, there’s probably a reason. They shouldn’t just be trying to hide by pretending to be a good guy–they should be trying to accomplish something. They have an endgame, and they’re working towards it in secret. Let’s…[Read more]

]]> 0 454982a7a70d49f68feb06e9c827efca DragonGeek replied to the topic Editing help in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/editing-help/#post-59288 Tue, 13 Nov 2018 20:04:17 -0400 Definitely focus on the emotions. Correcting mechanics errors is good, but what they’re probably looking for most is whether the mood they’re trying to convey is coming across well. Compliment the places feelings are expressed well to show what you’re looking for in the areas that are too sparse.

And one of the best things that ever happened to…[Read more]

]]> 0 a4aefd76a3c6816aefa93ee42c5707b6 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3/page/3/#post-57010 Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:41:11 -0400 Still at 1139. Sorry I couldn’t add any later.

]]> 0 37ee0d1b26fe0b23518024c37f523970 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3/page/2/#post-56505 Tue, 30 Oct 2018 13:41:47 -0400 Do words written today count, or is today the end date?

]]> 0 c6d58b910d0a437719dc6719f859bd35 DragonGeek replied to the topic My characters don't listen to me in the forum Characters https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/my-characters-dont-listen-to-me/page/2/#post-55869 Sun, 28 Oct 2018 19:32:20 -0400 Your style sounds a lot like mine. My advice is to make sure you know what their character arc will be–what their struggle is, and how they’ll change in that area before the end of the story. Build everything else around that, and feel free to leave things open to change along the way. The first draft is honestly where you discover a lot about…[Read more]

]]> 0 6af86d88d10f3d531a62f8ccceda3574 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3/#post-55861 Sun, 28 Oct 2018 19:14:39 -0400 Current count: 1139

]]> 0 dbf6047e602b73e136380587cb3950cc DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #3 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-3/#post-54949 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:36:18 -0400 I haven’t even written in a while. If I have time, energy, and inspiration enough to sit down and actually write this week, you can count on me for a thousand words or so. But I’ve been really bad at consistency recently, so as much as I hate to say it, don’t count on me.

]]> 0 9142528b8f5c876ea24319c933a00f05 DragonGeek replied to the topic Crazy Writers, Artists, and Dragons in the forum General Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/crazy-writers-artists-and-dragons/page/7/#post-54198 Mon, 22 Oct 2018 14:21:50 -0400 You know you’re a writer when you go to a bonfire, and you want to just let yourself experience the wonder of the moment, but you also want to dissect and analyze the way the flames act for your writing.

]]> 0 08fc6e176dd356d9e9786ce9cc6edae9 DragonGeek replied to the topic Hi! in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/hi-8/#post-53489 Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:42:12 -0400 Welcome to Crazy Town–I mean, Avensbeck!

]]> 0 b932ca2ca7a655e151029e46f7ab4280 DragonGeek replied to the topic Topic #19: Remembering in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topic-19-remembering/#post-53345 Tue, 16 Oct 2018 23:20:34 -0400 I really needed that. Thanks!

]]> 0 7deb03dd8f406f194c8dec7ef680ab4c DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #21 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-21/#post-53021 Mon, 15 Oct 2018 20:46:30 -0400 I utterly flopped. School overwhelmed me. No goals this week except to keep up with my workload.

]]> 0 7feee6aba58868d33217882e1d9bd113 DragonGeek replied to the topic Topic #18: Symbolism in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topic-18-symbolism/#post-52227 Wed, 10 Oct 2018 16:17:47 -0400 That’s a great idea I hadn’t thought of–portraying character arcs with objects. And it’s already filling my head with ideas for how I can work them into my stories!

]]> 0 2ff7e75116c745d46ad9495a5307583d DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #20 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-20/#post-51683 Mon, 08 Oct 2018 23:27:33 -0400 I came soooo close to this week’s goal. My goal was to finish editing my short story, and I got all the way to the very final glance-through, just one last check that everything’s good before the publishing. And my editors haven’t gotten back to me about it yet. So close.

Goal for next week is the same as most of them: Write at least 100 words a…[Read more]

]]> 0 cad7a4c8f2b7736ba1cbfb2d4e86bede DragonGeek replied to the topic Guild War #6 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/guild-war-6/page/4/#post-51680 Mon, 08 Oct 2018 23:19:55 -0400 @storyjoy We can try sprinkling in a few Italian phrases!

]]> 0 4b4b1ba3356e03b3ec604a0f74a22ee9 DragonGeek replied to the topic Guild War #6 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/guild-war-6/page/3/#post-51364 Sun, 07 Oct 2018 18:54:05 -0400 I vote Da Vinci in the future

]]> 0 3b79f4f9323c6f55334ceb69e8dee3c3 DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #19 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-19/#post-50434 Tue, 02 Oct 2018 20:22:50 -0400 I just barely failed last week. I took two non-writing days instead of one. And this week, I’m taking a break from that story all together. I’ve had a major short story sitting on the back burner because I wanted to get it perfect and I didn’t think I could do that without help. But I’ve gotten two offers of help recently, so I’d like to focus on…[Read more]

]]> 0 97034a463ad55aa7075ad6db79f48994 DragonGeek replied to the topic Guild War #6 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/guild-war-6/#post-50433 Tue, 02 Oct 2018 20:20:21 -0400 There was this dude named Marcel Duchamp who wanted to make a shocking statement about art in the 1900’s. So he got a print of the Mona Lisa, drew a mustache on it, and displayed it in a gallery. Can we use that? It’d be guaranteed to be unique, and we can get a lot of offended characters out of it–possibly including the real Mona Lisa, if we use…[Read more]

]]> 0 3116ff33d322473f30a92fb7552d6365 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #2 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-2/page/3/#post-50240 Mon, 01 Oct 2018 20:31:43 -0400 2,198!

]]> 0 f0a76d298273d73a2d3d1b36747ff973 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #2 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-2/#post-49746 Fri, 28 Sep 2018 00:39:08 -0400 @jenwriter17 1116!

]]> 0 bd6f335414a1ad59a75cf795a2a3edbc DragonGeek started the topic Writing Game--Expanding Descriptions in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/writing-game-expanding-descriptions/ Thu, 27 Sep 2018 23:23:40 -0400 I thought it might be fun if we could play a little game that would help us practice our skills of description! The idea of the game is this: One person posts a short paragraph, maybe one to three sentences, and the next person expands it into something with deeper and more interesting description. Then they post a paragraph for the next person.…[Read more]

]]> 0 0cdf7daa93294d3cc2e9a34a4e6b73b4 DragonGeek replied to the topic Fall/Winter Writing Goals in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/fall-winter-writing-goals/#post-49736 Thu, 27 Sep 2018 23:12:18 -0400 Okay. Winter goals…

Finish my current middle-length story (probably 20-30,000 words, not polished, published online) and get my really major short story polished to a mirror sheen, to the point where I feel like it’s as good as it deserves to be. Then I’d like to start something new–instead of writing an entire story and taking one editing…[Read more]

]]> 0 e3b0c99f86c7348db350c1d5eb75935d DragonGeek replied to the topic Who Are Your Story's Characters? in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/who-are-your-storys-characters/#post-49735 Thu, 27 Sep 2018 23:06:41 -0400 Ooh, I love this idea! I have a large cast of characters, and if you want to hear about all of them, just ask! And get ready for a looooong post. But for now I’ll just focus on my central character, Phoenix.

Katelynn (named after a friend of mine) lives in a fantasy world full of monsters, and she’s terrified of them. She tries to hide it by…[Read more]

]]> 0 8066fe2e4a778f64d09caf72712b3975 DragonGeek replied to the topic Word War #2 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/word-war-2/#post-49149 Mon, 24 Sep 2018 16:43:49 -0400 I’ll do what I can! I’ve got an unfortunate number of real life responsibilities, but I’ll try to pitch in here and there.

]]> 0 b00bf18444a3c3272b5f228b3d8b64fd DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #18 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-17-2/#post-49148 Mon, 24 Sep 2018 16:42:12 -0400 I completely flopped on my goals this week. They were to write 100 words a day on my WIP for six out of seven days. I wrote… two. Two days. I did do a very short story on the side, which took two days, so I could’ve had an excuse for those. That’s not an excuse for the other three.

Goal this week? Same again. I’d like to write steadily enough…[Read more]

]]> 0 1a11d64baad1f901bbd55215e6c6cf53 DragonGeek posted a new activity comment https://storyembers.org/how-to-use-details-in-action-sequences/#comment-1084 Thu, 20 Sep 2018 03:00:35 -0400 I really needed this! But I think the second piece might be *too* sparse. I liked the first one better. It really brought out the mood. Yes, some details–like him using his right hand–might be irrelevant. But “He struggled to notch the arrow” is bland and dry.

In reply to - Gabrielle Pollack wrote a new post “Be specific,” they say. “It will help your story,” they say.   This is good advice, but it’s not always true. “Be specific” does not mean “be specific with every word you w […] ]]> ab38725aafd109355f8a50b82d08214e DragonGeek replied to the topic Topic #17: Info Dumps in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topic-17-info-dumps/#post-48229 Wed, 19 Sep 2018 16:44:10 -0400 Thanks! This is really helpful.

]]> 0 6b4885ceedbf8658882c18380a05bdf1 DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #17 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-17/#post-47906 Mon, 17 Sep 2018 14:20:48 -0400 I accomplished last week’s goal (write 100 words a day, with one cheat day) and I think I’ll make that my goal yet again. It’s really helped me to stay consistent these last few weeks.

I also hit a goal that I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually make happen! Most of my writing is short stories that I publish online. It’s not professional or published,…[Read more]

]]> 0 06060fdd9669942efa021cee9dea7603 DragonGeek replied to the topic What's Your Story About? in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/whats-your-story-about/#post-47757 Sat, 15 Sep 2018 14:43:19 -0400 Ooh, this thread is such a good idea! @gabrielle Your story sounds so great, and I can’t wait to read it!

 

Most of what I’m writing right now is fanfiction, if I’m honest. I’ve got two big series that are taking up my writing time and mental energy, and a variety of small shiny projects that I can pound out quickly when I get caught up in them.…[Read more]

]]> 0 399d3395a41b498f484a9849d47deab8 DragonGeek posted an update: @gabriellepollack Avensbeck Guild War: I assume I'm not […] https://storyembers.org/activity/p/17228/ Wed, 12 Sep 2018 18:15:44 -0400 @gabriellepollack Avensbeck Guild War: I assume I’m not allowed to vote for my own submission, so I vote for #3.

]]> 0 b378059a8c9ceffc4a6e21f687f5423a DragonGeek replied to the topic Weekly Goals #16 in the forum Avensbeck Writing Discussions https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/weekly-goals-16/#post-47264 Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:05:25 -0400 I think I did pretty well at writing every day (though I wasn’t recording it, and I probably should’ve). Same goal this time around: Write at least a little every day, with one cheat day.

]]> 0 f2252481d056245d35aa49826887e30e DragonGeek replied to the topic Guild War #5: Rise of the Avensers in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/guild-war-5-rise-of-the-avensers/page/2/#post-46980 Sun, 09 Sep 2018 18:52:03 -0400 I added my story. It’s only about 500 words, and the ending is a little weak. But I think the prose is really vivid, and I had fun writing it!

]]> 0 51aa2c3a324f2f4f89eaf5085fe343f0 DragonGeek replied to the topic Guild War #5: Rise of the Avensers in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/guild-war-5-rise-of-the-avensers/page/2/#post-46949 Sun, 09 Sep 2018 00:32:01 -0400 @gabriellepollack I’ve never written something for one of these before. Is there anything in particular I need to do? Do I put my name at the top? Or a potential title? Something like that?

]]> 0 12b9a8c08a99dbaa047ddd44e59a4c6a DragonGeek replied to the topic Guild War #5: Rise of the Avensers in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/guild-war-5-rise-of-the-avensers/#post-46495 Wed, 05 Sep 2018 14:15:47 -0400 @gabriellepollack A big moment could be done really beautifully, but I also like the idea of finding beauty in really small moments, the little things. Of course, there’s only so long something like that can be–I could spend maybe 500 words, at most, talking about a beautiful day or the feel of grass between the toes or whatever. Is there a…[Read more]

]]> 0 719a57146a76388ab6311004c0e42f7d DragonGeek replied to the topic Topic #16 in the forum Announcements https://storyembers.org/forums/topic/topic-16/#post-46494 Wed, 05 Sep 2018 14:12:37 -0400 Oh my goodness, yes. Yes yes yes.

A few months ago, I had a really emotional scene in a story, and it scared the living daylights out of me. It felt like there was a narrow tightrope, and on either side was utter failure–on one side were cardboard cutouts of emotion, with no real feeling; on the other, there was shoving the emotion in the…[Read more]

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