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Scribere quid cogitas A WRITER'S 
CHRONICLE
Thursday 30th September 2021 |
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Next Step After A Series
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Commonwealth Series
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30 days of #VssMurder start Oct 1st!
What does that mean? To answer that question, I'll pass you over to Migs (aka @OminousHallways) one of the current eight (yes eight!) murderous hosts. 
In September 2020 two members of the Twitter writing community
had a discussion about possible prompt words with a murder
theme. With (October) the Halloween month approaching, a group
of writers decided to convert the idea of writing prompts
based on murder words into a month-long event for the
community.
The @vssmurder account was set up, and each day in October 2020 a murderous prompt was provided to inspire writers. 
Not too surprisingly, the writing community embraced the
concept of #vssmurder. However, submissions in October 2020
exceeded expectations in terms of their volume and quality.
The idea that this would be a one-month, one-time-only seasonal prompt was challenged by fans who wanted more. The #vssmurder hosts decided to continue the challenge as a monthly prompt, with a 4-day MurderWeekend each month, with a return to daily prompts for October. #vssmurder returns to the community now, in October 2021, for a full month of murderous prompts. 
The current hosts are : Migs (@OminousHallways) Jana (@janajwrites) Steph (@StephiSimone) Natalie (@nreillyjohnson) Maria (@MariaAPerez1) Mark (@IncognitoKorps) Carrie (@CjdHerts) Keshe (@KesheWrites) If you enjoy chills and thrills I recommend you play along with these people. But be wary, they are very good at this and you could end up being their next hapless victim! As with most Twitter challenges this is bound by the limitations of a single tweet. However, that doesn't mean you can't stretch your capabilities and try to create a thread for the entire month. It would be an interesting way to start writing a horror novel! |
So, a series has ended and is being published and you are left wondering what is next? For some it means preparing for the next series. For others it means starting a new story altogether. Either option is good, providing there is no overshadowing from the original series - unless it's a follow-up to the first one. The trick is to be able to divorce yourself from the last mind-warping, soul-consuming, eye-straining task, and whilst it is not obligatory, it is a suggestion worth considering, simply because it is as valid as leaving a story to "settle" when you complete the first draft. This will allow you to approach the new task with less chance of other characters, or storylines, interfering with the development of your new concept. However, if you are lucky enough to have a follow-up to the orignal series then keeping all those interfering memories of the original story, cast, and scenes is of great benefit.
Word Square #001
How many words can you find? Words must be a minimum of 3 letters long. They must contain the letter in the shaded square. Only the letters in the square can be used. There is at least one 9-letter word in each square. |
The series launch was a success with the publication of RESURRECTION on September 13th. 
The second book in the series - RENEGADE - was published on September 27th. 
The third book in the series, RETRIBUTION is scheduled for publication on October 4th. 
REVELATIONS, the fourth book in the series, will be published on October 11th. 
RESOLUTION will be published on October 18th. 
RESISTANCE will be published on October 25th. 
REBELLION will be published on November 1st.
WordSquare solutions
At least, my best efforts at fully resolving them, will be published here each week. Will anyone play along, I wonder? |
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'TIS SAID THAT A PICTURE PAINTS...
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...a thousand words, and perhaps this is true. But why would a writer need pictures? For the cover? Yes, of course. As illustrations? Perhaps. The main reason I take the time and make the effort to produce drawings/sketches/schematics is to use as a tool to assist me in maintaining continuity. The "little" beauty you see below is the "Tierra del Fuego" a pan-galactic transport vessel that the "Resurrection" - the tiny looking craft to the right - has to rescue from pirates and then salvage what they can. This includes jettisoning some seriously damaged pods, and fixing the engines to escape from a decaying orbit and, of course, that means they're working against the clock. 
"Resurrection docked with the Tierra del Fuego" |
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Then there's the Resurrection itself. It looks pretty small when compared to the Tierra del Fuego, which is appropriate for illustrating the differences between the two vessels. So, let's have a slightly closer look at the Resurrection. This is a schematic to remind me of the levels, the rooms, the stairs, the turrets, the drop tanks, etc. This is the place that Tommy McNulty comes to call home. 
"Resurrection schematic showing all five levels of the 'Flying Brick' as she is known." |
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