Toots for stephenwhq@mastodon.social account

Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-02-01 at 13:52

[#]writersCoffeeClub 2/1: Shameless self-promotion.

A 'bright academia' novella (with editor)

An aliens among us romantic m-m comedy novella (getting GREAT beta feedback)

My Victorian spooky murder mystery (on submission)

pondering the logical next project.

Several options varying from rescuing a second draft that has real possibilities to currently just an idea.

If anyone takes the Victorian, then probably a sequel to that will be priority

[#]amwriting #writing #writingcommunity #SFF

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-30 at 14:26

First two betas back on the novella - very positive feedback.

A joy to write and I enjoy the challenge and opportunity of the 'long novella' say 30-40k

[#]writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #novella #SFF

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-28 at 14:33

[#]WritersCoffeeClub Jan 28 — Would anything stop you from writing, or do you have the bug for life?

I do feel I could have committed to it earlier in life and that doing it is kind of one thing I am here for.

Whether I plan to produce a novel a year until I croak is another matter.

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing #sff

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-26 at 13:34

People with chronic illness, people with massive caring abilities, people with difficult jobs find a little time to write when they can - if its that important to them.

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-26 at 13:33

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 1/26 If people tell you they've always wanted to write

"I wanted to be a writer since age 8, had several false starts, but became one when I decided week by month it needed dedicated time, writing, researching and finding ways to get feedback. So, give it that time and commitment and see what happens."

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

Often its like someone saying "I wanted to train in classic dance but never found the time to take lessons and practice" ie do it

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-23 at 10:53

[#]WritersCoffeeClub Do you think it’s vital for a fiction writer to have empathy?

What sort of writing do you do? Clearly many writers have very little empathy for large groups of people, or in their private lives.

I think a really good writer has empathy for their characters, enough that the baddies feel like complex people, not 2D game pieces. This is something I really strive for. So far my main antagonists all meet this, I think.

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-22 at 12:51

[#]writersCoffeeClub 1/22: What prompted you to begin writing?

as in, writing novels and treating my writing as serious?

An eight month sabbatical, a rainy holiday up a mountain in Wales, and a new laptop. I was enough into the sabbatical to be rested.

I'd had phases of writing but hadn't stuck to them for various reasons.

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-19 at 08:45

through the maze of traditional publishing to get your book published? What's your secret?

Well, I queried a novel - got nowhere - feedback I did get convinced me to focus on my #2 idea. I got one agent and that agent got me one offer, and that's two books out there.

In what sense is it a maze? There's probably never been so much info as to how to pitch and what agents want at any given time. But broadly everyone is double-guessing the market and v risk averse

[#]writerscoffeeclub #amwriting

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-19 at 08:25

Anyone seen or better still done, a serialisation of a novel online and or by newsletter, and if so on what platform?

[#]novel #selfpublish #serial #bookstodon #sff #writing

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-19 at 08:23

[#]WordWeavers 19/1: How honest is your MC when honesty will get them into trouble?

Mrs Ashton has historically revered honesty far too much to use it unwisely, for example, when it will get her into trouble.

Also, she can get into trouble without being honest,

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-18 at 21:09

[#]WritersCoffeeClub Jan 18: Would you serve as a judge for a literary award?

1. I'd hope to be able to see I added something to the panel. 2. The only ones I have seen, are a vast amount of unpaid work, so I am not sure it's the best use of my time to give back.

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-17 at 10:54

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 17th Jan. What are your biggest fears for the writing world in 2025?

Fascism, environmental inertia and AI

[#]writing #amwriting #writingcommunity

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-16 at 12:28

[#]EngenderedWriting 73: All clothing dissolves when worn. Does mayhem ensue, or something positive? Will gender affect coping?

a cold spring in Victorian London

hard to think of much that would cause more chaos

not to mention the perils of walking unshod through the horsepoo...

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #community

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-15 at 12:32

[#]writersCoffeeClub 1/15: .hide your politics to avoid alienating readers?

Our Child of the Stars and the sequel don't rub my personal politics in people's faces. Important characters engaged at least a little with the issues of the 60s and it has plot relevance. Molly and Gene are against the Vietnam war (some family and friends disagree). They are to the right of many radical groups. I don't make only the left characters decent.

[#]writing #amwriting #writingcommunity

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-15 at 12:16

The UK government is going in on AI hype, and throwing creatives under the bus in doing so. I'm writing a stinking letter to my MP which he will (like it or not) discuss with me face to face.

Can't find the quote I saw an hour ago. "I see the government isn't expecting the electricity industry to give AI their power free." (whereas creatives will give the AI companies their training law free by government fiat>0

[#]AI #UKpol #StarmerAIHarmer #writingcommunity #bookstodon

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-15 at 11:49

Seen on Bluesky.

"Just a heads up for peeps, if you bought a Neil Gaiman audiobook from Audible, they are allowing refunds for them with no questions asked and no matter how long ago you bought them. I don’t even have an active subscription and they gave me credits back for two titles purchased in 2020."

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity @bookstodon

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-14 at 09:01

[#]WritersCoffeeClub - pantser or a plotter?

I know a starting place, or an opening scene to write, some sense of the struggle, and some sense of the ending. Mountain tops but valleys full of mist.

Ideas and characters develop significantly as I write.

Formal planning act by act ought to work but doesn't. I do find what happens by each 20% through the book helpful.

More formal planning when I have a draft largely done.

A sloppy iterative process

[#]writing #amwriting #writingcommunity

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-12 at 11:38

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 12Jan—Do characters use words not in the language you write in? Italics for this, or not?

Victorian WIP - people scatter foreign words which I italicise where they are not common phrases in English. Mrs Ashton is a largely self taught social climber so the odd French or Italian phrase is inevitable.

I'm not fussy if I get a publishing contract there will be a house style.

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-10 at 07:48

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 10 Jan

Do you use dream sequences ?

When writing the first little bit of Our Child of the Stars, I wrote that the alien boy Cory came into his parents' dreams. From that came one of the alien's unique abilities and features, collective and guided dreaming. that throw-away remark ends up underpinning their society.

Dream sequences can be brilliant, they can be tired or lazy or copouts, they are probably by and large overused.

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

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Written by Stephen Cox Author on 2025-01-08 at 10:38

[#]WritersCoffeeClub 1/8. Do you agree with Samuel Johnson, who said, “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money”?

The wit says something sharp and short

they hope will seem profound -

a complex issue art and cash!

a ten word quote is hardly sound

[#]amwriting #writingcommunity #writing

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